Danny Moloshok, Associated Press Pirates starting pitcher Zach Duke walks back to the mound after giving up a two-run single to the Dodgers' Andre Ethier in the second inning last night in Los Angeles. Click photo for larger image. Today Matchup: Pirates (Kip Wells 0-1) vs. Dodgers (Brad Penny 7-2), 4:10 p.m. Where: Dodgers Stadium TV/Radio:FSN Pittsburgh/KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network. Related articles Pirates Notebook: No 'low point' for Littlefield Paul Meyer's Baseball Notebook: The high and low Big divide Paul Meyer's Power Rankings: 6/25/06 Smizik: A whole bunch of Nutting Game Statistics Provided by Forecaster Pirates vs. Dodgers box score Game play-by-play

LOS ANGELES -- Someday, the Pirates will win again.

Someday.

Maybe.

But it might not happen before they have carved for themselves one of the most dubious distinctions in franchise history.

The offense mustered next to nothing, and Zach Duke was tagged for five runs in 5 1/3 innings to bring a 10th consecutive loss, 7-0, to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night, marking the Pirates' first double-digit slide since July 6-15, 1968.

"It's been that long?" first baseman Sean Casey said. "Wow!"

There could be more: If Kip Wells and the Pirates lose the series finale this afternoon, the 0-11 streak would be the first since 1955. If it were to extend to 0-12 Tuesday against the World Series champion Chicago White Sox, the franchise's modern record, set in 1939, would be matched.

And yet, nothing much seemed different after this one, which dropped the Pirates to 26-50, halfway to 100 losses. There was no meeting, no speech, and no change appeared to be in the offing on any front.

Asked if he might make moves within the starting lineup or batting order simply to shake things up, manager Jim Tracy replied, "For me to answer that question, ask yourself what you would shake up. If I had a number of options, that's something I would comment on."

Reliever Roberto Hernandez offered an eye-opening view on the matter.

"That's for management to decide, whether there's going to be change," he said. "When we had our players meeting a couple months ago, that's one of the things I stressed: Don't wait too long. But that's up to management."

In the next breath, Hernandez placed blame - emphatically -- on the players.

"Regardless of what happens, if there is or isn't change, the onus is not on the coaching staff, not on management. It's all on the players. We, quite frankly, haven't played good baseball. We haven't been able to field it, pitch it, hit it ... it's a combined thing. We've talked about this: You can't get in a rut like that. Once you start accepting it, it's going to be a longer season."

He shook his head.

"It's embarrassing. It's like teams are lining up to play against us. And I'll tell you the part that gets to me: There's talent here. I've been on teams that lost 100. This team isn't like that. That's what drives everybody crazy."

No one has been through it longer than shortstop Jack Wilson.

"This is my sixth year with this team, and every year seems the same," he said. "I've got no answers. My family asks me, my friends, reporters ... I don't know how to explain it. Look around. We've got a lineup where just about everybody is hitting .280 or higher, but we can't get the big hit when we need one. That's why we're 1-30 in one-run games."

It is 7-21, actually.

"We've got young guys who have won championships in the minors, but we can't win here. Why is that? It's because we're not getting it done. And we're all accountable for it. All of us players, the coaches, everybody. We're just not getting it done."

No one got much of anything done in this one.

Duke had his usual early struggles with a two-run second. Olmedo Saenz singled to lead it off, took third on Matt Kemp's double, and both came home on Andre Ethier's single to center.

The score remained 2-0 until the sixth, when Los Angeles doubled its output with the same sequence: Saenz single, Kemp double, and a two-run single by Ethier, a broken-bat softy through the left side.

Russell Martin's liner to center brought home Ethier, it was 5-0, and Tracy - booed loudly by the crowd of 47,785 at Dodger Stadium - went to the mound to remove Duke.

It was Duke's first loss in six starts, dropping his record to 5-7.

"I made some good pitches," he said. "I just happened to make pitches that were not so good at bad times."

In the seventh, Salomon Torres gave up Jeff Kent's second home run in as many nights, a two-run shot to left that put Los Angeles up, 7-0.

Meanwhile, Dodgers starter Aaron Sele pitched six scoreless, no-sweat innings in limiting the Pirates to five hits and one man moving beyond second base. They wound up with seven hits.

"Zach just suffered from us not getting anything going," Tracy said. "He's in a position where he can't allow anything to happen."

Oh, and all that talk about one-run losses? Those are starting to be measured in touchdowns. The past three games have been decided by eight runs, six runs and now this latest lopsided mess.

Wells' challenge today will not be light. In addition to making his second start of the season - coming off a 3 1/3-inning outing in his return Tuesday - he will oppose Brad Penny, owner of a 7-2 record and 2.83 ERA.

"We have to take it upon ourselves to get out of this," Tracy said. "It's not going to get any easier."