Pirates Look Like Real the Thing on This Trip : Baseball: Led by Barry Bonds, who hit three home runs in the Padre series, Pittsburgh wins 10th of its past 11 road games.

Any discussion of the Pittsburgh Pirates these days begins with the question, “Are they for real?”

The team that finished fifth in the National League East last year has looked like a veritable juggernaut in the first three weeks of the season. Its 10-1 rout of the Padres Sunday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium opened a three-game lead over the even more surprising Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos.

And the most significant thing about the Pirates’ 14-6 record is that they have built it on the road. After a 4-5 start, they have won 10 of 11 games on a trip that will end with games in Los Angeles Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Manager Jim Leyland’s men haven’t taken picks on patsies, either. They have swept three-game series in the homes of the defending division champions, the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants, and the favorites to win the West, the Padres.

So how good are these guys? Should they be categorized with the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals as candidates to dethrone the Cubs--currently in last place--in the East?

Judging from visits to both clubhouses after Sunday’s mismatch, the answer depends upon who you ask.

Even though the Padres have the Pirates to blame for three-fourths of the losing streak that has dropped them below .500, they didn’t sound all that impressed.

Manager Jack McKeon, for example, said, “Just like the Reds, they’re red-hot. They can beat anybody right now. I just hope when we get to Pittsburgh next week (May 7 and 8), they’ll cool off.”

McKeon did concede that the Pirates “have a lot of talent,” and added, “They have three or four guys who can hit the ball out of the park.”

Four Pirates hit home runs Sunday--Barry Bonds, Don Slaught, Jay Bell and Bobby Bonilla. Bonds’ homer was his third of the series and completed a nine for 12 run that pushed his average from .208 to .317.

Pitching Coach Pat Dobson echoed McKeon.

“Every ball they hit finds a hole,” Dobson said. “Our pitchers kept the ball down for the most part, but when they hit ground balls, they went through the infield. If the pitches were up, they were gone.”

Fred Lynn said simply, “We ran into a buzzsaw. We just hit them at the wrong time.”

In the winners’ quarters, Leyland was quick to admit that timing had been a factor.

“We hit all three teams just right,” Leyland said of the Pirates’ series sweeps. “Take guys like Jack Clark and Joe Carter on this club here. Late in the year, we may not be able to get them out.”

Leyland pointed out that any shock connected with the Pirates’ rise to the top should be tempered by the fact that they finished second to the Mets two years ago. He didn’t have to mention that injuries ruined their 1989 season.

“Sure, I’m surprised that we’re 10-1 on this trip,” Leyland said, “but I’m not surprised that we’ve played good baseball.

“We’re playing like we know we can win, and everybody is contributing.”

The biggest contributor here, of course, was Bonds. He has made a habit of tormenting the Padres, having hit .356 against them with nine home runs in 149 at-bats.

“I’ve just been playing well in one ballpark,” Bonds said. “I can’t put an analysis on it. A guy has to have some stats against some club. I only wish I had more favorite parks like Tony Gwynn does. If I did, I might win a batting title.”

Asked to explain the Pirates’ turnaround, Bonds said, “In the past, we came to the ballpark to play a ballgame. Now we come here to win.”

One Pittsburgh player who is convinced that the Pirates belong is Wally Backman, and he has the advantage of perspective. He was with the perennially successful Mets for all or parts of nine seasons before spending 1989 with the Minnesota Twins and then signing with the Pirates.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Backman said. “When they battled the Mets for the division in ‘88, I could see the talent was there.”