PITTSBURGH — Twelve games.

That's all the Pittsburgh Pirates have left.

Twelve games to turn an encouraging late-season surge into something more.

Twelve games to chase down a Wild Card spot that remains mathematically possible, even if the path to getting there has become incredibly narrow.

And perhaps most importantly:

Nine of those 12 games will be played at PNC Park.

Pittsburgh begins its final push Tuesday night when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town for the first game of a three-game series.

The Pirates return home at 75-75 after salvaging the finale of their weekend series against the Cubs with a 4-3 victory at Wrigley Field.

Now comes the hard part.

The Brewers aren't just another opponent.

They're 93-57, sitting atop the National League Central and playing like a team preparing for October.

If the Pirates still believe they belong in the postseason conversation, this is the kind of team they'll have to beat.

A Special Night at PNC Park

Before getting into the playoff race, pitching matchups or anything else, Tuesday means something bigger in Pittsburgh.

It's Roberto Clemente Day.

Few players are as deeply connected to a franchise and a city as Clemente remains to Pittsburgh.

His legacy goes far beyond 3,000 hits, 12 Gold Gloves, two World Series championships and a Hall of Fame career.

Clemente's humanitarian work and commitment to helping others remain a major part of what Major League Baseball celebrates every September 15.

There are plenty of reasons for Pirates fans to care about Tuesday night's game.

Honoring No. 21 might be the best one.

One Last Homestand. One Last Chance.

The math isn't friendly.

Pittsburgh returned from Chicago at .500 with only 12 games remaining.

The Pirates remain several games behind the final National League Wild Card position and have multiple teams standing between them and a playoff berth.

Realistically, Pittsburgh doesn't just need to play well.

It needs to get hot.

Really hot.

The good news?

The schedule finally brings the Pirates home.

Tuesday begins a nine-game homestand against Milwaukee, Kansas City and St. Louis.

If Pittsburgh is going to make one final push, it's going to happen at PNC Park.

A Bullpen Game Against One of Baseball's Best

The pitching matchup certainly favors Milwaukee on paper.

Pittsburgh is expected to open with right-hander Lake Bachar before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Bachar filled a similar role last week against the White Sox, recording the first five outs before Pittsburgh pieced together the rest of the game with its relief corps.

That worked.

Doing it against Milwaukee will be a much tougher assignment.

The Brewers enter Tuesday averaging more than five runs per game and have spent most of the season establishing themselves as one of the National League's best teams.

Pittsburgh will need contributions from virtually everyone available in the bullpen.

And Then There's Jacob Misiorowski

If Pittsburgh's pitching situation isn't challenging enough, take a look at who Milwaukee is sending to the mound.

Jacob Misiorowski.

The hard-throwing right-hander enters Tuesday with a 14-5 record and 1.95 ERA.

Misiorowski has been one of baseball's most difficult pitchers to square up this season, combining elite velocity with the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that can make an offense look helpless when he's commanding it.

Pittsburgh cannot afford to spend five innings waiting for him to make a mistake.

If opportunities appear, the Pirates need to capitalize immediately.

Can Oneil Cruz Be the Difference?

If Pittsburgh is going to make this final stretch interesting, Oneil Cruz needs to be right in the middle of it.

Few players in baseball possess his combination of power, speed and game-changing ability.

And against a pitcher like Misiorowski, Pittsburgh may need exactly that:

One swing that changes the game.

Cruz homered during Pittsburgh's sweep of the White Sox and remains the kind of hitter capable of turning a pitcher's mistake into two or three runs in an instant.

The Pirates need that version of Cruz over these final 12 games.

Konnor Griffin Keeps Giving Pittsburgh a Spark

One of the most encouraging developments of Pittsburgh's second half has been the emergence of Konnor Griffin.

Griffin has provided energy, speed and athleticism at the top of the lineup, and he was right in the middle of Sunday's victory at Wrigley.

He led off the game with a single and eventually scored Pittsburgh's first run.

Griffin's ability to get on base and immediately put pressure on opposing defenses could be especially important Tuesday.

Against an overpowering pitcher, sometimes the best offense is forcing him to worry about more than the hitter standing at the plate.

Brandon Lowe Comes Home After Delivering in Chicago

Pittsburgh might have left Chicago with a sweep hanging over its head if not for Brandon Lowe.

Lowe came off the bench Sunday and ripped a two-run single in the sixth inning, giving the Pirates a 4-2 lead in a game they eventually won 4-3.

It was exactly the kind of veteran at-bat Pittsburgh needs during the final weeks of the season.

With Esmerlyn Valdez sidelined by a hamstring injury, Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn become even more important pieces of the lineup.

Pittsburgh Has Played Milwaukee Tough

Milwaukee's record is intimidating.

But Pittsburgh shouldn't enter this series believing it can't compete.

The Pirates have already taken games from the Brewers this season, including a pair of victories in Milwaukee in April and a wild series at PNC Park earlier in the summer.

Milwaukee is the better team on paper.

At this point, Pittsburgh doesn't have the luxury of caring.

The Pirates need wins regardless of who is sitting in the other dugout.

Steel Tahn Sports Key to the Game

Players to Watch

Prediction

Let's not sugarcoat the matchup.

Milwaukee has one of baseball's best records.

Misiorowski has been dominant.

Pittsburgh is planning a bullpen game.

On paper, the Brewers should win.

But September baseball isn't played on paper.

The Pirates are home. It's Roberto Clemente Day. Their season is hanging by a thread, and they know there may not be many chances left to make a move.

Give me the Bucs finding just enough offense and the bullpen surviving a tense ninth inning.

Steel Tahn Sports Prediction: Pirates 3, Brewers 2

The Bottom Line

There isn't much time left for hypotheticals.

The Pirates are 75-75.

Twelve games remain.

Nine of them are at PNC Park.

And the first three come against the team sitting on top of their division.

If Pittsburgh wants to make one last run at October, this is where it starts.

Home field. Roberto Clemente Day. First-place opponent. No more waiting.

Go win a baseball game.