The Pirates are in first place in the NL Central, up by half a game over the Milwaukee Brewers. They have a +11 run differential, which ranks first in the division. In that regard, Milwaukee (2nd place, -21) and Cincinnati (3rd, -33) seem to be over-performing compared to Chicago (4th, +1) and St. Louis (5th, +2). In any event, this is a division in which the Pirates can contend the rest of the season.
Tonight’s starter is Mitch Keller, who is making his way up the pitcher leaderboards. Keller ranks 11th among qualified MLB pitchers with a 2.