The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a rough season, by any stretch of the imagination. The losses are piling up for Pittsburgh, as the club is now on a seven-game skid. Manager Don Kelly is being honest about the team's recent pains.
“Going through a six-game losing streak, being down by three going into the ninth against their closer, the fight, the chance to score,” Kelly said, per MLB.com. “It's frustrating when you're losing seven in a row, and especially the last four by one run. I just like the fight in the guys to finish strong there.”
The Pirates are now 64-84 on the season, after dropping a contest to the Washington Nationals on Friday. Washington defeated Pittsburgh 6-5. It was the fourth game in a row that the Bucs lost by just one run.
Pittsburgh has now also dropped seven of the last 10 contests.
Pirates have sailed through rough waters all season
Pittsburgh has been in the cellar of the National League Central division nearly all season. The Pirates fired their previous manager, Derek Shelton, following a rough start. Kelly is an interim manager who has tried nearly all year to collect wins.
The Pirates have some bright spots, including their starting pitching. One of their best hurlers is Mitch Keller, who did fairly well on Friday against the Nationals. Keller allowed two runs and four hits through a little more than five innings of work.
“As a competitor, you want to stay out there, but a full lefty lineup like that and obviously the home run to lead off the inning didn’t help my case,” Keller said about his performance. “Obviously, I just want to be out there. I wish I could go nine every game.”
Pittsburgh has been woeful on offense this season. The club is at the bottom of Major League Baseball in nearly every offensive statistical category. Pittsburgh also traded away a lot of talent before the MLB trade deadline, including closer David Bednar.
The Pirates try to snap their losing streak when they play Washington again on Saturday afternoon. Washington is 61-86 on the campaign.
