Adam Frazier stood in front of his locker stall in the home clubhouse at PNC Park, left fist on top of the right to mock his batting stance, while talking to Colin Moran about their collective frustrations Wednesday night.
"We’re just not getting a pitch and driving it," Frazier lamented after the lineup had only three hits in a 2-1 loss to the Braves. "That’s where we’re at right now." That's as much analysis as any of his teammates would provide — Moran included — after scoring only seven runs over a seven-game home stand, capped by a series sweep.
The same offense that propelled the team back into contention is now solely responsible for its fading playoff chances. The Pirates, now 63-65, have lost eight of their last 10 and are 7 1/2 games back for the second wild card spot with five teams to surmount, despite the starting rotation having a 2.43 ERA over their last 11 games. Clint Hurdle explored possible changes following a loss one night earlier, yet he was still searching for answers when his lineup yielded the same results and showed no signs of a possible rejuvenation.
"We’re doing some things really well," Hurdle said. "We’re not scoring runs at the end of the day, which can complicate things and put you under a magnifying glass in every other aspect of the game. I can’t look at any of the hitters in the eyes and not see fight, not see want-to, not see effort and all those other things. It’s tough sledding right now."
[caption id="attachment_679563" align="aligncenter" width="440"]
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE[/caption]
To continue reading, log into your account:
