Sometimes a Win is More than a Win

This kind of goes against the thought process I usually take into things, but Sunday's 19 inning win over the Cardinals felt like a bigger deal than just a one game improvement in the standings. Jerry Meals name has been all over the place today, and for good reason. Coincidence or not, the Pirates 2011 collapse happened just days after Meals blew the call and cost the Pirates a chance to win a 19+ inning game last year. This year, the Pirates were in the same type of game, but they overcame and came out on top against a division foe that was pushing them for their wild card spot.

The Reds won their game again today, so this team didn't even get any closer to the division. The Dodgers also won, so besides the Cardinals loss, it was a wash in the standings. But that has to be a big uplifting for this team. They exhausted the entire bullpen, save Tony Watson who was unavailable. They used tomorrow's starter, which means they'll have to use someone like Justin Wilson or Kyle McPherson tomorrow (which would be either player's big league debut - unless they decide to be creative). They saw Travis Snider go down with an injury, which could mean a trip to the Disabled List. All of this after they heard they were losing Starling Marte for at least 15 days and Jordy Mercer was leaving for a couple days for this birth of his child. Everything was going wrong for the Pirates, and another 19+ inning loss could have really made it a rough flight to San Diego. A win in that spot helped the team forget about the negative around them and feel good about themselves with a series win over one of their biggest competitors.

This certainly doesn't make the next month and a half easy, but it has to inject some more confidence in the team, doesn't it? Jose Tabata is going to have to start in left field for awhile now, which could be a very bad thing if he's the same guy that he was earlier in the year. We'll have a tired pitching staff during this three game set with the Padres. Andrew McCutchen still isn't hitting the ball well. Neil Walker isn't quite ready to play everyday. The Reds continue to win without Joey Votto, whose return is getting very close. Things aren't great in Pirate land right now, however tonight's win really makes you feel good about their chances down the line doesn't it?

Maybe this win is bigger for the fans than for the players and management, but I have a feeling it meant a little more than any other win they've had this year to them too.