The Pirates have taken series from four of their five closest competitors in the National League wild card race this season. Only the Chicago Cubs have mostly gotten the better of them with six wins in the 10 games the teams have played. The Bucs have also won a series against the world-leading St. Louis Cardinals, something the rest of the baseball teams have done just three times in 20 attempts.
A weekend sweep at the hands of the NL East-leading Nationals — which included a no-hit effort Saturday against Washington ace Max Scherzer — seems to have wiped many memories clean of those facts, however, as there’s a narrative taking hold in social media that the Pirates don’t bring it against quality opponents.