Go back, back, back in time to Aug. 22.

That night, the Pirates throttled Cincinnati by a 12-2 score. They chugged ahead of the Reds in the National League Central standings. They enjoyed fifth place all alone.

It was short-lived: one lonely night.

Since then, the Reds have vaulted 14 games past the Pirates and landed even in the standings with Houston by pounding the Pirates for a seventh consecutive time, 12-2, before a few thousand, mostly speechless patrons last night at PNC Park.

Their records since that Aug. 22 night: Cincinnati 20-10, Pirates 5-24.

Coincidentally, manager John Russell started this night by telling the Pirates to go out and have fun this final fortnight.

Some fun: The Reds, who scored in double figures three times in their first 131 games, have put up double digits in three of the past four meetings with the Pirates.

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Today

• Game: Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds, 12:35 p.m., PNC Park.

• Radio: WPGB-FM (104.7).

• Pitching: RHP Charlie Morton (4-8, 5.00) vs. RHP Bronson Arroyo (13-13, 4.04).

• Key matchup: Despite Morton having faced a similar number of batters from both sides of the plate, all seven home runs he has allowed have come from the left side, as well as 21 of 27 extra-base hits.

• Of note: The Pirates' 14-36 record in day games is the worst in Major League Baseball.

• Catch more on the Pirates at the PG's PBC Blog.

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"It's never fun to lose this many games," said Kevin Hart (4-8), who lost his sixth consecutive start and allowed eight earned runs a week after a sturdy, two-run start against NL-leading Los Angeles.

"I don't think I had very much fun tonight."

"Kind of hard to keep a smile on your face when things like this happen," added Andrew McCutchen. "There's no point moping. You got to be here. Might as well try to do something to change it."

With last night's defeat, the Pirates fell to 3-17 for the month, although they also lost August's final five games to make this a 3-22 free-fall. It put them on pace for more dubious records with 12 games to go.

The most club losses at season's end are the 4-24 September/October of the 1890 Pittsburg Alleghenies, considered the worst in a storied franchise history, and the 25-loss September/October by the 1998 team and the 1916 Pirates of Honus Wagner, Max Carey and Wilbur Cooper.

The Pirates must go 7-5 the rest of the way to avoid another 100-loss season.

"It always looks bad when you're not scoring and the other team's scoring [a bunch]," Russell said.

The Reds tacked up a 1-0 lead after four batters, a 4-0 lead after the third inning and 8-1 in the fifth.

Brandon Moss drove in the Pirates' first run in the fourth, with a sacrifice fly that provided just the 51st RBI this season from the No. 5 spot -- and 15 of those came from long-departed Adam LaRoche and Eric Hinske. Only the pitcher/pinch-hitter No. 9 in the order has fewer (28).

Homer Bailey (6-5) allowed his third-fewest runs in his 18 starts, two, while recording his third consecutive victory against the Pirates as part of his 4-1 surge since Aug. 22.

Paid attendance last night was 15,980, but roughly a fifth showed up, and many of them heaped catcalls on Russell when he emerged to remove Hart in the fifth.

The loudest ovation of the night seemed to come for a scoreboard tribute to Hall of Fame writer Hal McCoy of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, retiring at season's end after 37 years on the Reds beat.

McCoy has covered them the past nine years while being legally blind after strokes behind both eyes.

"A lot of their guys playing now have never played September baseball," Reds manager Dusty Baker told McCoy and the Reds media afterward, astonished to see in the media notes his opposition's recent record.

These Pirates still haven't played much successful September baseball, either: Thus far, they have a .150 winning percentage, putting them apace for a franchise-record 5-27 September/October finish.