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Nuttings Soon to Make Sports History

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� Jeem �

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Sep 2, 2009, 5:40:32 PM9/2/09

CINCINNATI -- Now it's on to the final four.

Four more losses, and this once-proud franchise will cinch an American
professional-sports record with a 17th consecutive losing season.

To avoid it, they would need a 28-3 finish in little more than one
month's time. And they have not won more than 25 games in any two
months combined this year.

Last night, they boiled a game down to a Class AAA International
League affair, each side using a minimum of seven 2009 members from
their top minor-league clubs -- including both starting pitchers --
and these Pirates/Indianapolis Indians still lost by a 11-5 rout to
the host Reds/Louisville Bats. It marked the Pirates' sixth
consecutive defeat, their third-longest skid this season after two
eight-game slumps.

To think, just one week ago, almost all these same Pirates/Indians
were winning seven of nine games at PNC Park, including a stirring
series over the world-champion Philadelphia Phillies.

"You know, we were playing such good ball at home," said Garrett
Jones, who hit his 17th home run since his June 30 recall, leading all
major league rookies, and the 9,999th homer in club history.

"It seems like we can't get going like we were. I still feel like
we're playing good ball. We're kind of in that rut again where we're
not getting that big hit, we're not clicking as a team."

"It definitely is frustrating," added fellow rookie Andrew McCutchen,
who walked in four of five plate appearances, twice leading off
innings in such a manner, but only scored once. "It definitely is
frustrating. Especially when you can compete with the other team. We
know we have what we need to compete and to wins games. Things haven't
really been going our way, especially on the road."

The Pirates are 18-49 on the road this season, worst in the majors.

Worse still, the Pirates have lost 10 consecutive road games, 15 of
their past 16, 20 of 22 and 23 of 26.

In this veritable International League West matchup played before
10,304 at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati received six of its
nine runs from the bats of rookies from Louisville, and two more from
a slightly more veteran teammate there, while the Pirates got four
RBIs from members of this year's Indianapolis team. Former Louisville
Bats and current Reds rookies Craig Tatum (a career-high four RBIs)
and Paul Janish (two) were joined by relative veteran Kevin Barker
(two). Of the Pirates rookies and 2009 Indians, Jones had that two-run
homer -- only his fifth of 17 with at least a man on base -- while
McCutchen and starting pitcher Charlie Morton added one RBI apiece.
Advantage, Louisville and Cincinnati.

And youth worked against the Pirates again last night, starting with
Morton (3-7) yielding four runs in the first when he could not finish
off familiar Reds/Louisville hitters such as Tatum (a two-run single),
Janish (a walk) and Barker (a one-run single).

"It kind of snowballed," said Morton. "It was hard to find a rhythm.
But I don't feel like the rest of the game was that bad."

Behind Jones' homer in the third and two more runs in the fourth on
Morton's first big league RBI plus a bases-loaded walk to McCutchen,
the Pirates drew within a single run, at 5-4.

In that same fourth, right after McCutchen walked, a prime example of
the not-ready-for-prime-time Pirates surfaced. Delwyn Young hit into a
momentum-squelching, inning-ending double play. The Reds scored the
game's next half-dozen runs.

"We had it a chance to make it at least a tie ballgame, bases loaded
with less than two outs, but we ground into a double play," McCutchen
said. "That's kind of the way things have been going.

"We really need to be able to execute and be able to get the small
things done. Bases loaded and less than two outs, we need to be
getting runs in -- at least one run. That's been the biggest thing for
us."

Things little and big keep working against them as do the losses. That
gets old, even for a young team.

MattDavis

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Sep 4, 2009, 9:48:58 AM9/4/09

"� Jeem �" <n...@thebeach.now> wrote in message
news:8apt95hggcmrv67oj...@4ax.com...

If MLB really cared about this sorry excuse for a franchise they would give
Nutting an ultimatum to either put a professional team on teh field or sell
the franchise. Revenue sharing to losing franchises should be reduced with
every successive losing season. At this rate Nutting should be paying the
Yankees.

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