The No. 17 already holds an ominous connotation for these Pirates in 2009, as this could mark their 17th consecutive losing season and a professional sports record.

Add another to the list.

If the Pirates lose to the Milwaukee Brewers again tomorrow-- as they did in the most dispiriting of fashions by a 7-4 count tonight at PNC Park -- it will mark their 17th consecutive loss to that opponent, which would be a first for Major League Baseball between any two teams during the modern era that began in 1990.

The most recent team with 16 consecutive losses to one opponent was the Cincinnati Reds against the Arizona Diamondbacks, in 2001-03, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

For the Pirates, the 16th might have stung the most.

Paul Maholm had limited Milwaukee to two runs over 7 1/3 innings, but John Grabow gave up two runs in the eighth to allow the Brewers to tie the score at 3-3. Jason Jaramillo's RBI double in the bottom half put the Pirates back ahead, but closer Matt Capps blew his first save by giving up four runs on three hits -- including Rickie Weeks' tiebreaking three-run home run -- in a grisly ninth.

Jason Kendall and pinch-hitter Craig Counsell opened that inning with singles, and Corey Hart, trying to bunt, ended up drawing a walk to load the bases. J.J. Hardy's sacrifice fly brought the tying run, and Weeks' blast into the left-field bleachers -- off a full-count fastball, up and over the inner part of the plate -- brought three more.

One bright spot on the evening for the Pirates was seeing some rare pop from Brandon Moss and Andy LaRoche: Moss' RBI triple off the fence in center tied the score at 101 in the second, and LaRoche's first home run, a one-ball fastball he clanged off the left-field foul pole two innings later brought a 2-1 lead.

The Pirates' offense, now and in the future, is going to need power from right field and third base. Right field might be most crucial, given that the left and center fielders will have to be capable of covering great ground, while the man in right benefits from the tight Clemente Wall and, thus, can fit the bulkier power profile.

Before last night, Moss had two doubles and no home runs, LaRoche seven doubles and no home runs.

Actually, the Pirates could use home runs from pretty much any source: Their total of 16 ranks second-to-last in the National League, and they had none in their previous six games. More striking, their first 15 had come from just five players: Adam LaRoche, Nate McLouth, Freddy Sanchez, Craig Monroe and injured Ryan Doumit.

"We have people in here who can hit home runs," Andy LaRoche said. "I don't think we're the type of team where you'll see one guy hit 40. We're a scrappy-type team. I'd say most of our power is with the doubles, and we've got a lot of guys who can hit those."

No disputing that: The Pirates' 58 doubles, including four last night, lead the league.

"I think a lot of us are going to hit more home runs as we go along," Moss said. "Right now with me, it's a matter of getting back to driving the ball. When that happens, everything else will follow."

Moss has worked extensively with hitting coach Don Long lately, focusing on shortening a swing that all concerned feel has gotten too long and uncontrolled. He had no results to show for it until a batting practice yesterday afternoon that had him sounding upbeat.

"I'm telling you, it's right there," Moss said after that session. "Everything was just clicking, right off the fat part of the bat."

The first of Sanchez's two doubles set up the Pirates' third run, in the fifth inning. McLouth followed it with an RBI single.

But Milwaukee scored twice in the eighth: Maholm was pulled after a one-out walk and, after Tyler Yates got the second out, John Grabow relieved allowed Prince Fielder's single and a Mike Cameron walk to load the bases before Ryan Braun came off the bench for a two-run double to tie the score at 3-3.

Mark DeFelice relieved Gallardo for the eighth and got two quick outs, but Ramon Vazquez singled, and Jaramillo drove a ball just over Corey Hart's glove in right to bring Vazquez all the way around and put the Pirates back ahead, 4-3.

There were no reverberations from the fuss kicked up between these teams last week at Miller Park, when Jeff Karstens hit Braun with a pitch, and the Brewers hit three Pirates the following day.

Pirates manager John Russell predicted as much before the game.

"I would think it's over," Russell said. "We haven't talked about it. Our guy got fined, and they hit three guys the next day. No need to make a big issue out of it. Just go out and play baseball."

The crowd of 8,482 was the fourth-smallest in PNC Park history.