It Was Fun While It Lasted Pittsburgh

Remember two weeks ago?  We were all riding high, and planning our Pirate playoff parties.  Then the Buccos lost the 19 inning nightmare game verses Atlanta.  Since then the Pirates are 1-8. Not only are they falling rapidly out of contention, but at 2 games under .500, are starting to show symptoms of another losing season.

On the "if thats not bad enough" front, Derrek Lee was scratched from the lineup tonight with a sore hand.  As one of the only recent signs of life from this putrid offense, the Pirates can not afford to lose him for any extended period.  On the bright side, Ryan Doumit returned to the lineup with a solid 2 for 4 effort tonight.

The Pirates are now 54-56, and need only 4 wins to surpass last years paltry 57-105 record.  There are 52 games remaining, and as it has been for over a week now, the magic number for finishing at .500 or better is still 27 wins.  That now seems like a lot taller order than it did at the All Star break doesn't it?

Being the lazy and mediocre writer/researcher that I am, there isn't much more for me to add.  So in closing, here are some sinking ships.

Beginning Of The End For The Pirates? (Update)

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped another extra inning game to the Atlanta Braves tonight. This will put the Pirates 1 1/2 games back of the division leading Brewers.  After one more game with the Braves, the Pirates move on to a weekend series with the Phillies.  The Phillies currently own the best record in Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, the Cards and Brewers swap their mediocre opponents for the weekend. With four very tough games coming up, can the Pirates stay afloat until a lifeboat arrives in the form of the Chicago Cubs on Monday, August 1st?


Given the giant weight of history that is on their backs, I couldn't imagine the Pirates recovering from an extended losing streak at this point in the season.  With 21 games against teams with better records than them over the next month, it's definitely going to be a rough road.   However, there really is no telling what changes the looming trade deadline will bring.  What seems like an insurmountable hill right now may not look so bad if Neil Huntington makes a few slick moves at the wire.


No matter what the outcome though, I certainly am enjoying the ride so far.  I must admit, it has been a long time since I felt the anger and devastation over a terrible call like I did last night.  (Anyone else wonder how many talk shows Jim Joyce anonymously phoned into today saying that was the worst call in the history of baseball?)




UPDATE- (8/22/11)



Since this article was published, the collapse I predicted has come to fruition. The Pirates are no longer a threat to take the NL Central (15.5 games back).  An above .500 record is no longer a given (7 games under .500).  It is really sad that this season has taken a death spiral.    The biggest tragedy is that next season's attendance will be harmed by this season's implosion.  The future is bright for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Not only did they sign #1 draft pick Gerrit Cole, they did the unthinkable and signed Josh Bell.  The future is definitely bright for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Lets hope that the Bucs can throw enough wins together in the next month to end the horrible streak that weighs on the backs of every Pirates fan.