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After the Pittsburgh Pirates gave up their lead in the National League Central last season and faded away with the season, they appear to be ready to have another go at it. The 2013 season has been pretty good for the Pirates and they are gaining momentum as the month of April draws to a close. Fittingly their last full series of April came against the St. Louis Cardinals who have been in charge of the NL Central for quite a few days.
No one expected the Cardinals to lead the division all season long. There isn’t a team in all of the major leagues that will just lead from this point forward. The fact that the Pirates are the team that is taking over atop the division might be quite a surprise though. They didn’t necessarily start as the best team in the central and for that matter still might not be the best in the NL Central. What they are doing however, is executing their game plan. They are getting good pitching and good hitting.
It isn’t too complicated honestly. Any team that gets on a roll like the Pirates are on gets those two things in regularity. The Pirates are pitching very well from the starters through the bullpen. Their closer has taken care of anyone thinking he might not be able to successfully take over for his predecessor.
Who knows exactly how long the Pirates will stay in front of the rest of the teams? After all they aren’t more than a half game in front of anyone. That isn’t really the point here though. The Pirates have firmly placed their name among the few that are real contenders for the NL Central crown. That is the point.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.
