Jeff Roberson, Associated Press photos
	Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche, center, tries to get to St. Louis' David Eckstein, left, after colliding with pitcher Shawn Chacon, right. Eckstein was safe at first and later scored.

By Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

ST. LOUIS -- Twelve hits.

Should be enough for a team to beat anyone, especially an opponent starving for a victory.

	Pirates catcher Ronny Paulino tags out Eckstein at home in the fifth inning. Eckstein was trying to score from third on a flyout by the Cardinals' Albert Pujols. Click photo for larger image. Today Game: Pirates (RHP Ian Snell 4-2, 2.76) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (RHP Kip Wells 1-8, 6.75), 8:10 p.m., Busch Stadium. TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7). Key matchup: Wells vs. his former team for the first time. He has pitched better of his late than his league-worst record would indicate, allowing five runs in 20 innings over his past three starts. On the negative end, he walked 13 batters in that span. Of note: This series pits Major League Baseball's top two third basemen in terms of fielding percentage. St. Louis' Scott Rolen remains perfect at 1.000, and Jose Bautista is at .993. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Chacon earns his chance Smizik: Blame Pirates' lack of talent on the suits Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic

But what happens if all 12 of those hits are singles?

And what if the team loads the bases in four different innings, with less than two outs each time, and goes an astronomically anti-clutch 1 for 10 at the plate with six strikeouts?

Forget it.

The Pirates failed to drive a stake through St. Louis' struggling Adam Wainwright early on, and they were left with a thoroughly hollow 9-4 loss to the Cardinals last night at Busch Stadium.

It did not help, of course, that Zach Duke was hit hard again -- five runs and 11 hits in 4²/₃ innings -- but that somehow did not seem to define this one.

"We had chances, in my opinion, to change the complexion of that game dramatically," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "We had a lot of opportunities that got away. We just couldn't get the big hit. Couldn't get it."

Tracy might be guilty at times of over-emphasizing the big hit, as opposed to a simple volume of hits.

Not on this night.

Wainwright has been pounded for most of the past month, including eight runs in 2²/₃ innings his previous time out. And it looked like that might happen again when he ran up a absurd pitch count of 53 through the first two innings last night.

But ...

Bases were loaded in the first after one out. Xavier Nady's broken-bat single to left brought one run, but Ryan Doumit struck out, and Ronny Paulino grounded out.

Bases were loaded in the second after one out. Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche struck out.

Bases were loaded in the fourth after one out and after St. Louis had taken a 3-1 lead. Bay's sacrifice fly brought one run, but LaRoche watched a curveball go by for strike three.

Home run, anyone?

How about a gapper?

"That's it," Tracy said. "Just one ball that you run into, that you hit hard. You look at even the ones we scored, on a broken bat ... sacrifice fly ... we just needed one."

"We didn't get the big hit when we needed it," second baseman Freddy Sanchez said. "That's the way it goes sometimes. We'll try again in the next one."

The Cardinals, losers of five in a row and seven of the previous nine, had no such difficulty with Duke. A two-run double by Wainwright in the second -- a line drive to the center-field wall, no less -- put them ahead, 2-1. Scott Rolen added a sacrifice fly in the next inning, and they would put away the game -- and Duke -- with three more in the fifth.

Four of the first five batters had hits, including RBI singles by Juan Encarnacion and Rolen. With those men on second and third, Tracy ordered an intentional walk of Yadier Molina to load the bases for Jim Edmonds, who Duke had retired twice. The count went full, and Duke threw an unconvincing curveball that stayed way up. The Cardinals were ahead, 5-2.

Tracy summoned Brian Rogers, freshly recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis, and Aaron Miles singled in another run.

The Cardinals' output against Duke raised his opponents' batting average for the season to .357 and his hits allowed to 80, eight more than anyone else in Major League Baseball.

Never mind the 1-5 record or that 5.56 ERA.

How about 17 strikeouts in 55 innings, including zero last night?

How about two swings and misses all night?

The questions keep mounting, and answers are sparse.

"They got 11 hits in 4²/₃ innings. That's a lot of hits," Tracy replied when asked what might be amiss with Duke. "They also had their fair share of two-strike hits."

Why might that be?

"I can't put my finger on that," Tracy said. "They got a lot of hits."

Generally, when a pitcher runs up two-strike counts without finishing anyone off -- Duke had 11 two-strike counts on his 25 batters -- that is a sign of insufficient stuff. Either the fastball is not zipping, or the breaking stuff has no bite.

Duke insisted again that it was a matter of command.

"There were too many hittable pitches, too many that were too close to the middle of the plate," he said. "I need to throw more quality pitches. My focus has to be more on splitting the plate into thirds instead of just throwing the ball. I'm pretty upset with myself tonight."

Duke seems built of richly confident material, but that surely is being tested.

"It's a tough time for me," he acknowledged. "But I'm not going to get too down on myself. I believe I can get through this. I believe I can still put a pretty good year together."

Just for kicks, apparently, the Pirates loaded the bases one more time in the eighth off St. Louis reliever Todd Wellemeyer, this time with no outs. Jack Wilson popped up, and Nate McLouth struck out looking. Bautista drew a walk for one run, and Sanchez reached on an error for another, but Bay struck out swinging.

Bay and LaRoche each left six men on base. The team total was 11.

The Pirates extended a three-game losing streak and dropped to a season-low six games under .500 at 19-25.