Neal Huntington issued a challenge to his team last Sunday. He called this past week the most important one of the season. He even used the phrase “win-now mode,” which would suggest he wants to do everything in his power to put the team in playoff position.
The Pirates responded by going 7-1, and that includes a five-game sweep of then-NL Central-leading Brewers. The Pirates played their best baseball since early in the season, when they were in first place after a 26-17 start. They played an exciting brand of baseball, the kind that contending teams play. It was an excellent week, and Huntington’s vision of a young, hungry team winning games came to fruition.