PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have just a few weeks remaining in their regular season. After dropping two out of three against the Chicago Cubs in their most recent series, the Buccos head into the final stretch with a 75-75 record.

Their playoff hopes did not take the step forward the Pirates were hoping for after their two series in Chicago, but this team has not lost hope. With 12 games remaining, they have to somehow close the 6.5 game gap that separates them from the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

Their next slate of games features nine straight home games, each one being a must-win contest for the Buccos. To have a fighting chance, the Pirates need their top slugger, Oneil Cruz, to carry this offense the rest of the way.

Why Pirates Need Cruz Specifically

It requires a full-team effort to get the Pirates into the postseason. The most likely outcome is that this team finishes just shy of a Wild Card spot, but this squad is determined to go down fighting.

With the season winding down, the offense remains the Pirates' biggest threat. They enter the upcoming series against the Milwaukee Brewers with the fifth-highest run producing offense in the MLB.

That offense stumbled for a bit, but it received a huge lift when Cruz returned from injury in late August. In 97 plate appearances since coming off of the Injured List, he's recorded 25 hits, good for a batting average of .257. It's helped raise his season totals to 18 home runs, 63 RBIs, a .274 batting average, and an OPS of .845, according to Pro Baseball Reference.

And his power has been evident in that time as well. He's mashed four home runs over those plate appearances and batted in 19 runs. Does he continue to strike out? Unfortunately yes, going down on strikes one out of every five plate appearances, but it's the boom or bust potential that makes Cruz so essential.

He's a threat to put one over the fence every single time he comes to the plate. The Pirates are hoping their offense can carry the team, and they are looking toward Cruz specifically to lead the charge.

Can Pirates Close Gap?

The team remains hopeful, but they have a slim chance of actually closing the gap in the Wild Card race.

They are currently fifth in the National League Wild Card race, trailing the Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. To make the postseason, the team would have to leapfrog at least two of those teams.

Down 6.5 games in the Wild Card race, there is no margin for error. The Pirates have to win at least 10 or 11 of their final 12 games, while also hoping the Padres and Diamondbacks falter. A little bit more help wouldn't hurt, but that is the baseline for what is needed.

But none of that matters if the Pirates don't take care of their own business. And no one is more important to that effort than Oneil Cruz.

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