Brault says 1st-place Pirates are 'here to stay'

The Pittsburgh Pirates surged into first place in the National League Central after Thursday's victory over the San Diego Padres, and the clubhouse isn't short on confidence.

"We'll keep proving it, but we're a good team ... " left-hander Steven Brault told Adam Berry of MLB.com after the win. "We're here to stay.

"We've got a really good starting lineup, a really good bench. We've got a really good starting rotation, a really good bullpen. We're a force. It's fun to be a part of."

Brault, 26, pitched 2 1/3 innings in the 5-4 victory, striking out three Padres without allowing a run.

With the win, the Pirates are now 1/2 game up on the Milwaukee Brewers, riding a 9-2 stretch over the past 11 games. It's crowded at the top of the NL Central though, as the St. Louis Cardinals sit two games back while the Chicago Cubs are barely behind at 2 1/2 games back.

Pittsburgh's bats have impressed in 2018, particularly in the wake of trading away Andrew McCutchen over the winter. The Pirates have the second-best offense in the Senior Circuit, by FanGraphs' wRC+.

Somewhat remarkably, the team is pulling it off with one of their best hitters, Josh Harrison, on the disabled list. Starling Marte is headed to the DL as well, while highly-touted prospect Austin Meadows is slated to get the promotion ahead of Friday's contest.

Even further, the Pirates' bullpen - led by Felipe Vazquez - ranks as the best relief corps in the NL by FIP.

Working against the Pirates, though, is the fact that their run differential indicates some regression. By third-order win percentage entering Thursday, the Pirates should be closer to a 23-19 record, as opposed to the 25-17 record they owned heading into the game against the Padres. After Thursday's game, the Pirates had a plus-32 run-differential - good enough for second-best in the division behind the Cubs' plus-51.