Another Pirates milestone on deck: 100 losses
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Pirates pitcher Kevin Hart pitches against the Cubs in an 8-5 loss at PNC Park yesterday. -
Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome slides safely into home against Pirates catcher Jason Jaramillo in the first inning. -
Pirates catcher Jason Jaramillo waits for the throw from center fielder Andrew McCutchen as Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome scores from third on a sacrifice fly by Cubs third baseman Jeff Baker during the first inning. -
Pirates catcher Jason Jaramillo can''t handle the throw from center fielder Andrew McCutchen as Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome scores from third on a sacrifice fly by Cubs third baseman Jeff Baker during the first inning. -
Pirates catcher Jason Jaramillo can''t handle the throw from center fielder Andrew McCutchen as Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome scores from third on a sacrifice fly by Cubs third baseman Jeff Baker during the first inning. -
Pirates shortstop Ronny Cedeno hits a three-run home run off Cubs pitcher Kevin Gregg during the eighth inning. -
Pirates pitcher Kevin Hart throws in the first inning. -
Pirates third baseman Neil Walker takes the late throw from right fielder Garrett Jones as Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome advances to third on single by Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot in the second inning. -
Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano throws to Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen in the third inning. -
Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano pitches against the PIrates. -
Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano throws in the first inning. -
Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano walks to the dugout at the end of the fifth inning. -
Cubs outfielder Micah Hoffpauir hits a solo home run to right field off Pirates pitcher Kevin Hart in the fifth inning. -
Cubs manager Lou Piniella grimaces in the dugout.
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Is another milestone on the way?
Or, better put, another millstone?
The Pirates' free fall toward becoming the eighth 100-loss team in franchise history took another agonizing step yesterday with an 8-5 clubbing by the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park before 10,899 mostly silent witnesses. It was the 12th loss in 13 games, the 31st in 42 games since the trades in the final week of July.
That left the overall record at 54-84, a pace that projects perilously close to 100 losses at 63-99. The team will have to go 9-15 the rest of the way to avoid it.
"We definitely don't want that," outfielder Garrett Jones said of 100 losses. "Every loss is tough and, with all the stuff about the 17-year streak, it's that much tougher. We're trying to finish strong, to be positive. We've got a few weeks here, and we want to be able to carry something positive into next spring."
• Game: Pirates vs. Houston Astros, 8:05 p.m., Minute Maid Park.
• TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
• Pitching: RHP Charlie Morton (3-7, 5.43) vs. RHP Bud Norris (4-3, 6.05).
There was not much upbeat about yesterday, given another subpar start from Kevin Hart, another sweep by the nemesis Cubs and a 1-5 homestand. But manager John Russell again lauded his team's effort.
"We expect our guys to play hard. We demand it," he said. "We're not going to roll over and play dead. We played two tough teams and battled."
The other was the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.
The Pirates' first 100-loss season came way back in 1890, while known as the Pittsburg Alleghenies, and the most recent came in 2001, with the inaugural team at PNC Park that included Derek "Operation Shutdown" Bell.
These days, just about every facet seems to be in shutdown mode: In the 42 games of this free fall, the Pirates are batting .239, averaging 3.1 runs per game and have a staff ERA of 5.36. The batting average is next-to-lowest in Major League Baseball in that span, and the ERA is the highest.
No question, Hart has played a leading role in the latter.
He is 1-5 with a 6.46 ERA since coming from Chicago in the John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny trade, figures that worsened with his line yesterday of four runs, six hits and six walks over five innings. And he needed 108 pitches to get that far.
Russell pointed to a minor mechanical change that Hart and pitching coach Joe Kerrigan made leading into this start, one in which Hart raises his hands higher early in the delivery.
"I'm very encouraged by his start," Russell said. "His line won't show it, but he did well. He had more life down in the zone with his fastball, and his breaking ball was effective. Command is the next step. It has to become instinctive."
Ross Ohlendorf made a similar change right before going on his current tear.
"It's tough to switch up mechanics in the middle of a season, but I'm looking at Ross Ohlendorf as my light at the end of the tunnel," Hart said. "I'm putting my faith in Joe. Joe knows what he's doing."
Did he share Russell's assessment of his start?
"I was able to get some swings off certain pitches that were a positive. But I also made some that were a negative. I'll stay with it. I've been through tough times before, and I'll get there."
The Pirates pulled within 3-2 on Andrew McCutchen's two-run double in the fourth, but Carlos Zambrano otherwise set them down through his six innings.
Chicago's Micah Hoffpauir homered off Hart in the fifth, and Koyie Hill's two-run single off Jeff Karstens in the seventh made it 6-2.
Ronny Cedeno's three-run home run in the eighth, his 10th of the season, cut the Cubs' lead to 8-5.
After a day off today, the Pirates head back on the road -- to Houston and Los Angeles -- where their 18-50 record is the worst in the majors.
Who can say if that will be good or bad at this point?
"You hate to lose. We all hate to lose," McCutchen said. "It's very frustrating to go through what we're going through. But there's nothing you can do about it other than go out and get ready for the next game. If you keep dwelling on the past, dwelling on the losses, it's going to affect you."
First Published September 10, 2009 12:00 am
