On the heels of a successful road trip, here's why the Pirates might be for real

The Pittsburgh Pirates did their part in trying to solve the PNC Park attendance question, winning seven of 11 games on the longest road trip of the season.

If it seems like the Pirates haven’t been around town much, it’s probably because they haven’t been. They have played the second-fewest home games in baseball (18, with a 9-9 record).

Now, they come home with a winning record (24-20), three games out of first place in the National League Central while sitting as the second wild card.

They open a six-game homestand Tuesday, first meeting the Colorado Rockies for three games and then facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, who hold the National League’s best record (31-17), over the weekend.

The Pirates need to keep improving. If you set 90 victories as the minimum necessary to reach the postseason (and it could be more but not much less), the Pirates probably can’t afford to do worse than 66-52 the rest of the season.

Here are four reasons the Pirates remain relevant and one that must occur Tuesday:

1. Reconstructing 3B, catcher

What is impressive about the Pirates’ winning record is they achieved it without much offensive help from Jung Ho Kang and Francisco Cervelli. Kang is on the injured list, and Cervelli hasn’t played in the past four games. Kang, 32, was hitting .133 and had no hits in 22 at-bats before going on the shelf. Cervelli, 33, is at .179 and 4 for his past 30.

Cervelli will be back because he handles pitchers masterfully, and history says he eventually will find a sweet spot at the plate. But Elias Diaz, 28, is 8 for 16 (all singles) as a replacement.

Kang has been a huge disappointment. Colin Moran at least flashes some offensive production. He had a home run and four RBIs Sunday and has shown a reliable glove in the field.

2. Reynolds effect

When a team loses a .300 hitter who won a Gold Glove in left field, there should be some residual effect. Not so, thanks to Bryan Reynolds.

Most disgruntled Pirates fans assumed Reynolds was a minor league afterthought in the trade of Andrew McCutchen that also brought relief pitcher Kyle Crick from the San Francisco Giants. But Reynolds, 24, has become a valuable player. He’s slashing .320/.363/.533 in 75 at-bats and proving to be a good fielder.

Given his age and production, Reynolds has more upside than McCutchen, 32, who is slashing .243/.369/.402 for the Philadelphia Phillies.

3. Early MVP candidate

General manager Neal Huntington endures a lot of criticism, but he engineered the McCutchen and Gerrit Cole trades that brought Reynolds, Crick, Joe Musgrove and Moran to the team, signed Melky Cabrera this offseason and wasn’t afraid to draft Josh Bell, who told everyone he was going to the University of Texas.

The Pirates got Bell with a $5 million signing bonus in 2011, and now he is among baseball’s best hitters. The slash line of .333/.404/.697 is eye-opening, but he also shares the major league RBI lead with the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger (44) and is tied for third in the NL in homers (14).

He has become what the Pirates have needed for a long time: a gate attraction at PNC Park.

4. Cabrera on the corners

While hitting .341 (third in the NL), Cabrera has played both corner outfield positions and been used as a designated hitter. He puts the ball in play 83% of the time, striking out only 15 times with eight walks in 138 plate appearances, and he has stolen two bases at the age of 34. Not bad for a guy who was the third-string right fielder at the beginning of the season.

5. Emergence of Archer

Forget trying to justify the sacrifice of three young players to the Tampa Bay Rays, including Austin Meadows (nine home runs in 101 at-bats) and Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 1.86 ERA). If it makes you feel any better, Meadows was on the injured list, and Glasnow is out until at least mid-June.

What matters is the Pirates’ end of the deal and Chris Archer’s importance for the rest of the season.

Injuries to Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams make it imperative Archer, Musgrove and whomever pitches after that must be sharp most of the time.

Archer came off the injured list last Wednesday in Arizona and didn’t last through the fourth inning of an 11-1 loss. Now that he is healthy, the Pirates need him to be productive, starting Tuesday against the Rockies.

If manager Clint Hurdle wants to use an opener again Wednesday, Archer must give the bullpen a break and at least pitch into the sixth inning.

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