The Long and Not Too Winding Road

The Pirates embark today on their longest road trip of the season. Longest in terms of games scheduled, but quite short in terms of mileage. (The team actually finishes up the first half with a 9 game, 10 day trip to Miami, Houston and Philadelphia, which may end up seeming like the longest trip.) They play 4 in Washington beginning today and then head to Chicago for the final 6 games of the trip, 3 each against the White Sox and Cubs. A very odd scheduling quirk here.

This comes after some complaining has been done in recent years by the Pirates' management and fans about the team's schedule being created solely to make life more difficult for the Pirates, with multiple long trips to the West Coast, and such. I never believed the Pirates were the unfair victims of preferential scheduling, but looking over this year's, there do seem to be some minor improvements over recent seasons. In 2008, the Pirates played 5 series on the road against NL West teams, including one stretch with 3 in San Francisco bookended by 3 in Cincinnati and 4 in Houston, without a day off, and another with 3 in Phoenix after 3 in Chicago and just prior to three more in Philadelphia. Rough stretches for sure.

As for 2009, the Pirates have already played at San Diego, which was the first leg of a 2 city road trip, with days off at the beginning and end. In June, the Pirates play at Denver as part of a 6 game trip which begins in Minnesota. Also, that trip is bookended by days off as well. Late July sees the team travel to both Phoenix and San Francisco on the same trip, which concludes with a day off. The Pirates play at Colorado again in August, part of a 6 game trip and begins with a day off and ends at Chicago. The Pirates' penultimate road trip of the season takes them to Houston and Los Angeles, and, once again, it is bookended by off days. Clearly, this year's schedule gives the Pirates nothing to complain about.

As for the games themselves, I am very hopeful that the Bucs can keep this offense going against a very bad pitching staff in Washington. The trip ends with a couple of weak spots for the Pirates. They have had quite a bit of trouble with the Cubs in recent years, and inter-league play has just destroyed the team. With 10 games, we'll see the entire rotation twice through, and I'd bet that each position player gets at least one start over this stretch. The Bucs will get the first taste of the DH this weekend in Chicago. 2 lefty's are scheduled for the White Sox, so Craig Monroe might get himself a pair of starts. It should be fun. Well, it might be fun.