Mark Madden's Hot Take: Why isn't Bucco Fever spreading faster?

The Pittsburgh Pirates returned from a 5-2 road trip that ended with a three-game sweep at Denver to play in front of a mere 14,051 at PNC Park this past Thursday.

Bucco Fever isn’t spreading that quick. Perhaps people still are wearing masks. Or maybe the inevitable reality of 162 games equates to vaccination.

The disappointing turnout didn’t stop the Pirates from beating the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday and again Friday. They were 14-7 before Saturday evening’s game.

The Pirates don’t have the vibe of a contender, not yet. But they no longer have the stench of a patsy. You don’t automatically expect things to go wrong.

The Pirates are 8-4 since shortstop Oneil Cruz got hurt, showing resilience when they could have stumbled.

Before Saturday, the Pirates had got 11 straight quality starts from a pitching rotation that figured to be a weakness.

They rank fourth among MLB teams in slugging percentage, fourth in walks and fifth in home runs.

So, let’s say the Pirates are contenders for at least a wild-card spot when MLB’s Aug. 1 trade deadline approaches.

Will the Pirates buy, sell or stand pat?

They shouldn’t make another Chris Archer deal. Duh.

But in 2015, on the way to 98 wins, strengthening a bit more than they did might have got the Pirates to 101 wins, first in the NL Central and avoidance of a wild-card game matchup with Chicago and Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Jake Arrieta, who took that opportunity to stick the Pirates’ bats up their southernmost orifices.

If those Pirates had got a chance to play playoff series, they might have gone a long way.

Owner Bob Nutting started dismantling that team at season’s end. Too expensive. Duh.

That’s the dark cloud: not trusting Nutting to spend what’s necessary to augment, or to maintain. Because he never has. Hey, did Bryan Reynolds ever sign that new contract? (Manager Derek Shelton just did. That’s odd timing.)

It’s probably too early in this group’s development to make big moves to win now.

But what if?

It’s the likely answer to that question that keeps Bucco Fever from spreading.

It’s a good team so far. Fun to watch. Don’t think. Just enjoy.

And show up at PNC Park. The players deserved better than 14k on Thursday.