MLB Power Rankings: Pirates rising after hot start?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are just one game back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central after a sizzling 6-3 start.

While the winning is comforting, the Pirates still have quite a long season ahead, one that should be slightly more difficult now with Oneil Cruz out at least four months after undergoing surgery on his fractured ankle.

But given Pittsburgh’s hot start, the Pirates slot in at No. 21 in CBS Sports’ power rankings, five spots ahead of their placement in the previous edition.

“The amazing Bryan Reynolds start and overall 6-3 record is totally overshadowed by the awful news on Oneil Cruz’s ankle,” CBS Sports writes. “What a total bummer. And, no, I’m not going any higher here until the sample is much bigger.”

The sample size is certainly small, but the hope is there. You can’t win the pennant in April, but you can certainly lose it, and the Pirates haven’t lost it yet.