Series Preview: Colorado Rockies vs Pittsburgh Pirates

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Jul 20, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher J. Locke (49) pitches to Colorado Rockies left fielder B. Barnes (1) during the fifth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the second-best record in the National League and third-best in all of baseball.

They’ve been playing pretty well lately, going 16-7 in August before their game Thursday evening against the Miami Marlins.

All that’s to say that this likely won’t be a very easy series for the Rockies in Pittsburgh, so it’s all the more important that the Rox won the series in Atlanta to salvage at least some of their pride on this road trip. Find a way to win one game in Pittsburgh and, hey, a 3-3 trip isn’t that bad.

Let’s meet the Pirates, who the Rockies will then see later in September for a three-game series at Coors Field:

Charlie Morton flounders in 5-2 loss to Marlins (Rum Bunter).
This matters because the Rockies will see Charlie Morton in Pittsburgh this weekend. Morton didn’t go deep into the game, and allowed five runs on eight hits against a relatively light-hitting team. The Rockies typically don’t hit at all on the road, but it’s good to know they won’t be facing pitching quite as good in this series as they had in, say, New York and Washington.

Reviewing the Pirates’ season since the All Star break (Rum Bunter).
This will catch you up a bit on what’s been happening to the Pirates since mid-July.

What does Jordy Mercer’s return mean for the Pirates? (Rum Bunter).
Jordy Mercer is now healthy again for the Pirates after missing several weeks with a knee injury. Mercer may not start a ton for the Pirates right now, but as Rum Bunter notes, he gives them a solid bench option and a good defender in the late innings for flexibility in close games. Think of him like a Jamey Carroll (remember him?) or even a Jonathan Herrera type of player when those two were in their peak with the Rockies.

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