A five-game winning streak unprecedented in this Pirates season did not come wrapped in ribbons and rainbows, exactly. Unpack it and you’ll find that each victory required an ocean of sweat and a mountain of nerve.
The scores were 4-3, 4-2, 4-3, 3-2 (in 10 innings), and 4-2, and while that muddy and frayed string stretching back to Sunday did very little to clarify the matter of who’ll eventually prevail in the summer-long slog they call the National League Central Division, the Pirates at least made it clear who won’t win it — the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers came to town Monday in first place and left for Philadelphia Thursday night still in first place, and first place has been their Central address for 61 days, but their time atop these shaggy standings is dwindling, it says here.