'We're trying to win ballgames': Pirates endure brutal start to August, losing 15 of 17 games

There wasn’t much promise in the post-trade deadline Pittsburgh Pirates, and they didn’t make any after dealing away their All-Star second baseman, a starting pitcher and three relievers, including the closer.

The Pirates won their final two games of July to finish the month with an 11-14 record, their best since a 12-13 start to the season in April. That positivity lasted as long as their flirtation with .500.

August has been nothing short of disastrous for the Pirates (42-79), who have lost 15 of 17 games to drop from 21 ½ games out of first place in the NL Central to 32 games back in the span of 19 days. They are three losses from clinching their fourth consecutive losing season and sixth since their last postseason appearance in 2015.

The trade-deadline turnover has led to a transition where the Pirates are giving opportunities to players like newly acquired pitcher Bryse Wilson and infielders Hoy Park and Yoshi Tsutsugo, as well as rookie Rodolfo Castro, while trying to fill glaring holes in the lineup and pitching staff.

“I think we’re in that recalibration,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I think you’re seeing guys play in different roles or pitch in different roles because of that. I think as we continue to go on over the last month and two weeks, we’ll continue to calibrate those things and assess things.”

The 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night marked the 14th time the Pirates have been swept this season, a feat they have failed to flip. Five times they have been on the brink of a sweep, only to lose the final game of a series.

Since Aug. 1, the Pirates have been swept in three of their last five series, shut out four times, lost five games by one run and two by double digits while being outscored, 103-51. The lone aberrations were a pair of wins over the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers that served as bookends to an eight-game losing streak, which ended with a 14-4 blowout in the first game of a doubleheader last Saturday at PNC Park that saw the Pirates pound out a season-high 19 hits.

The Pirates followed with a 6-0 loss in the nightcap.

“I think guys are going in and doing their best and competing,” Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings said. “I don’t think it’s the type of situation where anyone is not playing hard or anything like that. It was nice to have a game like that. It was a great game for us to get in the win column again, but it doesn’t add or subtract to the frustration of a couple of bad games.”

One of the primary problems is that the Pirates tend to fall behind fast. Opponents have scored first in 14 of the past 17 games, putting up a run in the first inning in nine of those games.

Switching to a six-man starting rotation hasn’t helped. Pitching on six days of rest, right-hander JT Brubaker has gone 0-3 with a 12.86 ERA in 14 innings over three starts, giving up home runs on seven of his 20 hits. Brubaker got hit hard early in two of those starts, giving up nine runs on seven hits in the first two innings in a 10-0 loss on Aug. 6 at Cincinnati and four runs on five hits in the first two innings of the 9-0 loss Wednesday night against the Dodgers.

“I never think I have to pitch to perfection,” Brubaker said. “This offense has shown that they can put up runs. Even after the three-spot, I had all the confidence in the world that as long as I could keep it there we were going to be right in the ballgame. We could get right back in, tie it or take the lead in one or two innings. I don’t feel like I need to pitch perfect. I don’t feel like I need to keep it 0-0 through however many innings I pitch. It’s just making sure I execute my pitches and the offense is going to do what they’re going to do.”

The Pirates, however, scored the fewest runs in baseball (431) and their minus-191 run differential ranks second worst in the majors, behind only the Baltimore Orioles (minus-222). They rank dead last in most major team offensive categories, from home runs (92) to slugging percentage (.359) to total bases (1,433).

Shelton has been consistent in acknowledging that the Pirates can’t afford to fall behind early, given their offensive limitations. That’s especially true after they traded leadoff batter Adam Frazier, who had the most hits in the majors when he was dealt to the San Diego Padres.

“It’s very challenging,” Shelton said. “The last two series we’ve played, we’ve played probably two of the three best teams in the National League. When you get behind — and we don’t score a lot of runs anyway — it’s very challenging because it takes out our ability to be aggressive and do different things, whether we’re going to run, hit and run. We’re going to get guys moving. When you get behind in games it’s hard to do that.”

The addition of a hot bat late last year didn’t alter their trajectory toward baseball’s worst record. After going 8-17 (.320) last August, the Pirates got a boost in their batting order when top prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes arrived on Sept. 1. Even as Hayes slashed .376/.442/.682 in 24 games to win NL rookie of the month honors, the Pirates went 9-19 (.321).

So, the Pirates know better to dwell on their defeats or hold out hope for a savior. Stripped of an All-Star, a starter and reliable relievers in the bullpen, they are bracing for the final stretch of the season.

“Yeah, it sucks we lost the guys we lost but it’s done, it’s over with and everybody’s moving forward,” Brubaker said. “We’re trying to win ballgames. Whatever role that person or position they’re in, they’re taking the opportunity and do the best that they can.”