I was going to predict that the Pirates would take two of three from the Rockies at Coors Field over the weekend, with both wins happening on very effective bullpen days, and the loss coming via a pummeling of Jared Jones, but I forgot.

In all seriousness, Pittsburgh did take two of three from the Rockies over the weekend. The victories–and, yes, they really did choose to have two bullpen days in one three-game series–closed out a six-game road trip where the Buccos went 3-3.

Treading water on the road is nice, I suppose. The .500 road trip came on the heels of a 4-2 homestand in which Pittsburgh continued its weird mastery of the Dodgers by taking two of three before doing the same to the respectable Twins.

So, you see, the Pirates are hanging in there. They survived that nasty 9-21 stretch that totally obliterated their 9-2 start. Pittsburgh followed that month-long stench by going 16-14 over its next 30 games.

The Pirates are now 34-37 and only 0.5 games out of the last National League wildcard spot and 1.5 games out of the second wildcard spot. Heck, Pittsburgh is only five games behind the Braves for the top wildcard spot.

You can say similar things about any number of teams in the National League.

In other words, postseason baseball is there for the taking and will be there for the entirety of the 2024 campaign. Therefore, getting on a roll would be in the Pirates’ best interest. Instead of treading water over a 30-game period, why not win 20 games?

Easier said than done, sure, but someone figures to go on a lengthy hot streak, so why not the Buccos? If Pittsburgh gets hot, it would not only be over .500 when the dust settles, but it would almost surely have a stranglehold on one of the wildcard spots in the National League.

If there ever was a year to pull the trigger on a Chris Archer-type deal, it’s now. It’s no secret that Pittsburgh’s offense is inconsistent. In fact, it might be considered consistent if bad hitting was a good thing. If I’m general manager Ben Cherrington, I’m leveraging a couple of my pitching prospects for a veteran first baseman. Yes, sorry, Rowdy Tellez. You might be on a bit of a roll (for you), but Pittsburgh’s lineup needs so much more than a Tellez in the middle of it.

I normally yawn at the trade speculation that dominates the audio and digital sports news cycle these days, but that’s mainly because of the NFL and its need to be covered 24/7/365. However, a baseball general manager going out and making a move in the middle of June to increase his team’s chances at a playoff berth is totally organic.

And if the Pirates make the right deal in 2024, it could be the difference between finishing with 80 wins and 85. It may be the difference between finishing in fourth place in the National League Central Division and out of the postseason and finishing as the second wildcard.

Such a move by Cherington might not be possible without a hot streak to force him into it.

The Pirates need to force their general manager’s hand.

If the Buccos aren’t postseason contenders this year, during a downtime in the National League, when will they be?