[ifspuds]

Pirates Hopeful Heading Into September
by Jack McKinley
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sure, they were tied for first halfway through last month and now they're a game and a half back of Brooklyn. Yes, the Dodgers once again handed the Pirates their hats and kicked them all over the diamond in a 3-game sweep. But the Pittsburgh Pirates still have hope they can put the proper touch on a surprising season and bring home the National League pennant. With a light schedule over the month of September, there is a very reasonable expectation that this team can catch the frontrunning Dodgers by season's end.

"We're not looking past anyone. Philly has played us tough, and so have the Cardinals. We still have to get out and keep pounding the ball if we want to get back in it," said manager Bud Breckenridge. "Still, it's a bit of a relief that we're done with the Cubs and the Reds."

The second half of August started with great promise, as the Pirates put the finishing touches on a 4-game sweep of the rival Cubs, outscoring the Chicago squad 36-11 over the series. But the tide turned as the hometown team headed to Brooklyn. The first game looked as though it would be a thrilling comeback win for the Pirates, as they went ahead 8-7 with 4 runs in the top of the 9th, but Russell Toledo, who's been so reliable in the late innings, gave up the tying run in the bottom half before Roger Joyce touched him up for the game-winning homer to lead off the 10th. The Brooklyns took care of business from there on out, winning the next two games for a series sweep that would end up keeping the Pirates out of first place as August came to a close.

The offense continues to shine, still tops in the National League in runs scored and now 2nd overall across both leagues. Harvey Gaunt looks to have gotten his early August jitters out of the way as well, allowing just 4 runs in his last 4 starts, all of them coming in a 4-1 loss to Brooklyn. It's not known if the Pirates will shop around for last-minute help. Other than another upgrade to the starting rotation, which would be difficult to come by to say the least, it's hard to see what could be improved without wrecking any future plans. So hang on, Pirates fans. The team that's carried you all spring and summer wants you to stick around for the end of the ride. It's sure to be exciting.

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September 1, 1956
Overall Record: 82-50, 2nd place, 1.5 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Top Hitter: We can now call this a career year for Harold Perry. He's hitting .291/.375/.529 with a career high 25 homers and 105 RBI, both tops on the team.

Top Pitcher: Harvey Gaunt is back. He tossed a 1-hitter against Chicago to start out the last sim, and didn't pitch badly in the 4-1 loss to Brooklyn. He followed that up with his 20th win, a 5-hit shutout against Cincinnati, before going 10 shutout innings against Milwaukee in a game that Pittsburgh finally won 1-0 in 16.

Injury News: Russell Toledo has a sore shoulder that's got him at 90% for 6 more days. Savard will be back tomorrow, so we can shift some of the duties around to protect him.

Development News: The season-ending injury that struck Ben "Reverend" Alford at the start of the season had already sapped 2 points off his 10 control talent, but now he's taken a 2-point hit to his stuff talent as well. He started the season as 6/10/6, and is now 4/8/6. He's just 20, so hopefully he can bring it back up, but I was counting on him to be the #2 guy next season.

High Points: It's very encouraging to see Harvey Gaunt pitching well again, and the offense continues to play very well.

Low Points: I'd like to be a little closer than 1.5 games, with Brooklyn playing so well lately. But we do have what looks to be an easier schedule than the Dodgers, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Prospect News: Doug Williams continues to play better, bringing his numbers up to 257/301/381 (was 221/284/338 on August 15th). Looks as though we do indeed have our shortstop.