What happened?

Only a few days ago, the Pirates were licking their chops over the prospects of an 11-game home stand at PNC Park.

And why not?

The Bucs had pulled back within two and a half games of Cincinnati in the NL Central race and had won 34 of their first 50 games in Pittsburgh. The Pirates sported the best home record in all of baseball.

But by the end of that home stand Thursday, they probably couldn’t wait to leave town.

The Pirates suffered through a 4-7 record in those 11 games, including a miserable series against the Dodgers in which their once unhittable bullpen coughed up 10 runs in three games.

Through the season’s first four months, the Pirates built a winning record through consistent starting pitching, clutch hitting and a bullpen that held small leads.

Since acquiring left-hander Wandy Rodriguez from Houston three weeks ago, A.J. Burnett (2.35) is the only Pirate starter with an earned run average below 4.70. Rodriguez is winless in four starts with the Bucs, sporting a 6.60 ERA.

James McDonald had a streak of 16 starts in the first half of the season where he allowed two earned runs or fewer. He’s been allowing just under a run per inning in his last handful of starts.

The Pirates allowed the opposition to score first in 13 of their first 14 games in August and were 3 for 33 with runners in scoring position in six games against the Dodgers this year. Unless a Pirate is hitting the ball over the fence, the team doesn’t seem to score runs these days.

Entering this just-concluded home stand, the Pirates were 53-0 when leading after seven innings. They immediately coughed up two games when leading after seven against Arizona.

Sooo ... what’s going on?

Maybe the odds just caught up to this team. Maybe this is just a bump in the road. Maybe this is a repeat — albeit a bit later on the schedule — of last year’s swoon down the stretch.

No one knows how this is all going to play out, but the Pirates still have time to keep themselves in the hunt.

And that time is probably now.

Following this weekend’s series in St. Louis, the Pirates head to San Diego for three games, then return home to host Milwaukee and St. Louis as August draws to a close.

The Padres and Brewers are out of it. The Pirates need to beat them up a bit. The Cardinals are among the teams fighting the Pirates for a wild-card spot.

It’s unlikely anyone is going to catch the Reds now, so it’s time to really eyeball that wild-card race.

For the Pirates to enter September as a viable contender, they need some wins over St. Louis. Otherwise, they fall to third in the division — and possibly into a free-fall.

Maybe this team isn’t quite ready to handle the rigor of a pennant race.

Its players will tell you otherwise, but talk is cheap.

It’s time to prove it.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle