It is safe to say that The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a very long stretch of futility. The Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992 which was also the last time that The Pirates made the playoffs. The Pirates flirted with the postseason last season as they were in first place in The National League Central in mid-July. After a questionable call went against them in late July against The Atlanta Braves, The Pirates spiraled out of control until they finished 2011 with a record of 72-90.
The Pirates attempted to build off of what was started last season by manager Clint Hurdle that these were not the same old Pirates that had become the laughing stock of Major League Baseball. On August 8, The Pirates had a record of 63-47. They were 2.5 games behind The Cincinnati Reds for first place in The NL Central and they had a 3.5 game lead over The St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL Wild Card.
Now they are 3.5 games behind The Cardinals for the second NL Wild Card spot while they have thrown in the white flag as far as catching The Reds for The NL Central Title. The Pirates have gone 11-26 in their last 37 games entering play on September 19. This porous stretch has seen them lose games to contending teams such as The Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and The Cards. The Pirates have a 4-6 record over this slide against The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs who are two of the worst teams in baseball this season.
The Pirates of the first half that won 19 one-run games have given way to a team that has given up five or more runs 18 times since August 8. Since that time Pirates All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen has seen his batting average dip from .370 to .339 as he has gone hitless in his last two ballgames which were two critical losses to The Brewers. Starting pitcher A.J. Burnett who had been the feel good story of the first half as he started the season with a record of 13-3 has only won two decisions since July 31.
The Pirates offense is 14th in The National League in batting average (.244) and on-base percentage (.306). They are also last in stolen bases with 63 which means that it is tough for this team to generate runs as it puts a taxing effort on the pitching staff. The Pirates staff that gave up two runs or less in 25 games in the first half of the season appears to be out of gas as they are failed to get to the ninth inning with a lead for All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan who has 36 saves on the season.
The Pirates are far from being eliminated from postseason contention, but it still might be an afterthought. The Pirates collapse has opened the door for The Brewers and their in-state rival The Philadelphia Phillies to become players in the playoff race as they were both left for dead six weeks ago. Both teams have caught fire at the right time as The Pirate express appears to have derailed.
The silver lining in this dark cloud known as the second half of the season is that The Pirates only need eight more victories to clinch their first winning season since 1992 which would be a step in the right direction for a team that has taken the term “rebuilding” to new heights of frustration for the fan base in Pittsburgh. With McCutchen on the verge of becoming a bona fide superstar, the future appears to be bright by The Allegheny River, even though the climax to 2012 may appear to be bleak.
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