Apr 1, 2013 By John Perrotto for The 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – From an overall standpoint of wins and losses, the long-beleaguered Pirates have been on an uptick since Clint Hurdle became manager.

The Pirates have improved their record in each of Hurdle’s two seasons as manager. For that, Hurdle was rewarded with a one-year extension in the early days of spring training that keeps him under contract through 2014.

However, owner Bob Nutting wants more. He expects the Pirates to contend for a playoff spot this year after going 20 consecutive seasons without reaching the postseason or even having a winning record.

He has also broadly hinted that Hurdle and general manager Neal Huntington, who is also signed through 2014, could be fired if the Pirates backslide this season, which begins Monday when they host the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park.

“Given the improvements with the team — whether at the trade deadline last year, the off-season acquisitions or just the development of our young core of players — I’m incredibly optimistic we’re in a position to take another step forward,” Nutting said.

The Pirates added right-hander A.J. Burnett and left-hander Wandy Rodriguez to the top of the rotation in trades last season and signed catcher Russell Martin to a two-year, $17-million deal this past off-season. While those types of moves do not rival the seismic ones the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians made over the winter, it is how the low-budget Pirates operate.

Nutting believes the mix of veterans combined with a homegrown nucleus that includes burgeoning superstar center fielder Andrew McCutchen, switch-hitting second baseman Neil Walker and slugging third baseman Pedro Alvarez is good enough to enable the Pirates to make a run at the playoffs.

“At some point we’re going to need to pass through 82 wins,” Nutting said. “When we do, I will celebrate. But it would be an inappropriate target.”

The Pirates were 72-90 in 2011 and 79-83 in 2012 under Hurdle, increases of 15 and seven wins in those two seasons. However, both years were marred by late-season collapses in which the Pirates went a combined 37-78 after July 31.

The key for the Pirates is figuring out how to play well for six months instead of four.

“I think we’ve all learned that you have to keep your foot on the gas, keep your foot on the other team’s throat, so to speak,” Walker said.

In addition to the trio of McCutchen, Walker and Alvarez, leadoff-hitting left fielder Starling Marte begins his first full season in the major leagues and could be a major factor with his combination of power and speed.

First baseman Garrett Jones hit 27 home runs last season and the Pirates believe right fielder Travis Snider, acquired from Toronto in a trade last July, could become a bonafide major-league slugger.

However, the starting rotation is a question mark beyond Burnett and Rodriguez.

Jason Grilli takes over as the closer following the trade of two-time All-Star Joel Hanrahan to Boston in December and the 36-year-old right-hander had a 2.76 ERA and 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings over the last two seasons in 92 games and 91 1/3 innings. However, Grilli has just five saves in 10 major-league seasons, so it remains to be seen how he handles the pressure of his new role.

Yet Hurdle, the eternal optimistic, looks at his team and sees it ready to meet the owner’s challenge.

“These men want more and they know if you want more you’ve got to do more and that comes down to getting better every day, to create a mindset where you’re going to improve as the season goes on,” Hurdle said.

“My feeling is that these men are definitely committed to winning. You look around to our core players. We’re all in.”