PITTSBURGH — They made it back.

Now comes the harder part.

Can the Pirates finally get over .500 and stay there?

Pittsburgh enters Saturday night's game against the Kansas City Royals at 77-77 after rallying from four runs down for an 8-5 victory Friday night at PNC Park.

It was Pittsburgh's second consecutive win.

It moved the Pirates back to .500.

And it created a pretty simple opportunity Saturday.

Win, and the Pirates have a winning record.

With only eight games remaining, that means something.

Friday Night Felt Different

Maybe it was just one game.

But Friday night's win had a different feel to it.

Paul Skenes didn't dominate.

In fact, Kansas City scored five runs against him.

The Pirates fell behind 4-0 before the third inning was over.

For a team that has spent plenty of nights waiting for its ace to carry it, this time the roles were reversed.

The offense picked up Skenes.

Brandon Lowe homered.

Konnor Griffin had four hits.

Oneil Cruz had three.

Spencer Horwitz delivered the go-ahead two-run single.

Pittsburgh finished with 15 hits and scored eight unanswered runs after falling behind 5-2.

That's how you get back to .500.

Saturday is about taking the next step.

Bubba Chandler Gets the Ball

Bubba Chandler will be the man tasked with getting Pittsburgh above .500.

Chandler enters Saturday at 8-9 with a 4.28 ERA and 132 strikeouts.

The season numbers don't tell the entire story.

Chandler has been pitching some of his best baseball of the year during the second half.

Over his last eight starts, Chandler is 5-1 with a 3.59 ERA.

His last outing came Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Chandler didn't have pinpoint command, allowing five hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings.

But he limited the Cubs to three runs.

More importantly, Pittsburgh won the game 4-3.

Chandler doesn't need to be perfect Saturday.

He needs to keep Kansas City from creating the kind of early hole the Pirates had to escape Friday.

Noah Cameron Is a Serious Test

Getting above .500 isn't going to be easy.

Kansas City sends left-hander Noah Cameron to the mound, and few pitchers in baseball have been better over the last two months.

Cameron enters at 9-8 with a 3.84 ERA and 149 strikeouts.

But those season numbers don't fully capture how dominant he has been lately.

Cameron was 5-8 with a 5.27 ERA on July 19.

Since then?

4-0 with a 1.64 ERA over his last 10 starts.

He's also allowed only one run over his last 12 innings.

Pittsburgh's offense scored eight runs Friday.

Saturday presents a much tougher assignment.

Konnor Griffin Is Becoming Must-Watch Baseball

At this point, what else can you say?

Konnor Griffin was outstanding again Friday night.

The rookie finished 4-for-5 with two RBI, recording the third four-hit game of his young major-league career.

Griffin is now 9-for-24 over his last five games.

He's hitting.

He's driving in runs.

He's creating offense.

And he's looking increasingly comfortable doing it at the major-league level.

The Pirates might not be playing postseason baseball this October.

But watching Griffin develop in real time has given Pittsburgh fans something worth paying attention to during these final games.

Brandon Lowe Is on a Heater

Good luck finding a hotter Pirates hitter than Brandon Lowe.

Lowe blasted his 32nd home run Friday night, beginning Pittsburgh's comeback from a four-run deficit.

He has now homered in three of his last four games.

Over his last 10 games, Lowe is batting .361 with eight RBI.

That's exactly the kind of veteran production Pittsburgh hoped it was getting.

Saturday's matchup against Cameron will be difficult for every Pirates hitter, and Lowe will have the additional challenge of facing a tough left-hander.

But right now, he's seeing the baseball about as well as anyone in the lineup.

Oneil Cruz Is Heating Up Too

Don't overlook what Oneil Cruz has been doing.

Cruz collected three hits Friday night.

Earlier this week he blasted a 113-mph home run against Milwaukee.

He followed that with a two-run single Thursday.

Then came another three-hit performance Friday.

This is the version of Cruz Pittsburgh needs.

Not simply the occasional 450-foot home run.

A hitter who consistently impacts games.

Can the Pirates Solve a Left-Hander?

Cameron presents an interesting challenge for the Pittsburgh lineup.

Several of the Pirates' most important bats hit from the left side.

Lowe.

Cruz.

Ryan O'Hearn.

Spencer Horwitz.

Pittsburgh can't simply rely on the same formula it used Friday.

This might be a night where Griffin, Nick Gonzales and the right-handed bats need to carry more of the load.

Against a pitcher who has been as good as Cameron, quality at-bats will matter from the first inning.

Don't Forget About Spencer Horwitz

Griffin had the four-hit night.

Lowe hit the home run.

But Spencer Horwitz delivered the biggest hit Friday.

With the game tied 5-5 in the seventh, Horwitz lined a two-run single into left field.

It gave Pittsburgh its first lead of the night.

Griffin added another run later in the inning.

But Horwitz was the man who finally completed the comeback.

That's the kind of timely hitting Pittsburgh needs over these final eight games.

Steel Tahn Sports Key to the Game

Players to Watch

The Royals Are Struggling

Kansas City enters Saturday at 67-87.

The Royals have lost five of their last six games and 12 of their last 17.

But that doesn't mean Pittsburgh can afford to look past them.

Vinnie Pasquantino homered Friday and has gone deep in two of his last three games.

Bobby Witt Jr. remains one of the most dangerous players in the Kansas City lineup even while working through a quieter stretch.

Chandler's job is to keep the Royals from building another early lead.

Pittsburgh proved Friday that it can overcome one.

Doing it twice in 24 hours would be asking a lot.

Eight Games. One Simple Goal.

There are no complicated playoff scenarios anymore.

There isn't a Wild Card scoreboard to watch.

The Pirates' goal is sitting right in front of them.

Finish with a winning record.

Pittsburgh hasn't done that since going 82-79 in 2018.

The Pirates are 77-77.

Eight games remain.

A 5-3 finish gets them to 82-80.

A 4-4 finish gets them to 81-81.

Considering how long Pirates fans have waited for meaningful progress, these final eight games matter.

The Bigger Picture

The most encouraging thing about Friday wasn't simply that Pittsburgh won.

It was who carried them.

Griffin had four hits.

Cruz had three.

Horwitz delivered the decisive hit.

Lowe homered again.

The bullpen threw three scoreless innings.

Even on a night when Skenes wasn't Skenes, the Pirates found another way.

That's what better baseball teams do.

Saturday gives Pittsburgh a chance to do it again.

Prediction

This is a tougher matchup than Friday.

Cameron has been outstanding for nearly two months, and Pittsburgh's left-handed hitters will have their work cut out for them.

But Chandler has quietly been pitching well too.

Pittsburgh is swinging the bat with confidence.

And PNC Park should have some energy with the Pirates playing for a winning record this late in September.

Steel Tahn Sports Prediction: Pirates 4, Royals 3

The Bottom Line

Friday was about getting back to .500.

Saturday is about getting above it.

Bubba Chandler gets the baseball.

Konnor Griffin is coming off a four-hit night.

Brandon Lowe is crushing the baseball.

Oneil Cruz is heating up.

And Pittsburgh has won two straight.

The opponent's starter is pitching as well as almost anyone in baseball.

Nobody said it would be easy.

But 78-77 is sitting there waiting.

Eight games remain.

It's time to see whether these Pirates can finally climb over the line.