The Pirates Are Better… But So Is the Entire NL Central episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 24, 2026 · 15 MIN

The Pirates Are Better… But So Is the Entire NL Central

from North Shore Nine: A Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast · host North Shore Nine

The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a much better start, but there’s one problem: the rest of the NL Central looks good, too. On this episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down why the Pirates’ path to the postseason may be tougher than expected, even if they continue playing competitive baseball. The Cardinals are young and interesting, the Reds have a similar pitching-first formula, the Cubs have high-end offensive talent, and the Brewers remain the team Alex refuses to doubt until they’re officially out of it. Alex ranks the biggest NL Central threats to the Pirates, explains why Milwaukee still feels like the division favorite, and looks at how Pittsburgh stacks up in a race that could legitimately produce multiple playoff teams. Subscribe to North Shore Nine for daily Pirates coverage, analysis, and insight from Alex Stumpf. Subscribe to Book-Rule Bucs: https://bookrulebucs.substack.com Use Promo Code NS930 for 30% off your first order at https://www.defer.coffee Use Promo Code NORTHSHORENINE for $20 off your first order at https://www.seatgeek.com LIKE and SUBSCRIBE with NOTIFICATIONS ON if you enjoyed the show! NS9 MERCH: https://northshorenine.myshopify.com ►Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NorthShoreNine ►Website: https://www.northshorenine.com ►Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/northshorenine ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@northshorenine ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northshorenine ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northshorenine ►Discord: https://discord.gg/3HVYPg544m Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 24, 2026

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On this episode of OffBeat, Alex Stumpf breaks down why the Pirates’ path to the postseason may be tougher than expected, even if they continue playing competitive baseball. The Cardinals are young and interesting, the Reds have a similar pitching-first formula, the Cubs have high-end offensive talent, and the Brewers remain the team Alex refuses to doubt until they’re officially out of it.

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The Pirates Are Better… But So Is the Entire NL Central

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This episode was published on April 24, 2026.

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