Futilitywatch '09: Things Are Looking Down in Pittsburgh

Futilitywatch '09 is a our semi-regular update on the Pittsburgh Pirates and their march towards their record 17th consecutive losing season.

In the three weeks since the initial Futilitywatch ran, the Pirates have been on a bit of a rollercoaster. They went on an impressive run, swept the red-hot (at the time) Marlins, and at one point stood at 11-7 in the waning days of April. Since then, they've lost nine of 10, dropping to 12-16 and reminding just about everyone why this 17th losing season was more of a foregone conclusion than anything since well before this season started.

Since Our Last Update

After starting 11-7, one of the real problems the Pirates ran into was the Milwaukee Brewers. Of these recent nine losses in 10 games, five have been to Milwaukee. In fact, the Pirates have lost 17 straight games to the Brewers, which is currently providing both the longest losing streak by one team against another since 1970 and a nice bit of symmetry for the club on pace for a record-setting losing season.

The other big problem for this Pirate club of late has been offense. Everyone expected a club that lost Jason Bay and Xavier Nady at the trade deadline last year to struggle, but the Pirates actually went a week without a home run from April 27-May 3 and were shut out three times in four games to close that week. Since that run of shutouts ended, they've scored 11 runs in their last three games, but won none of them. Things are so bad right now that some Pirate fans are demanding Craig Monroe and Delwyn Young start getting regular time in the outfield to try and provide a little punch to the lineup. I know, it doesn't make any sense to me, either.

A Little Bit of History

People like to point to parity in baseball and in reality, I think the parity between the teams is pretty good for a league that has such a huge disparity in payrolls. That being said, the Pirates did not set out on this road to 17 by themselves. In 1993, the Brewers started down a long losing road and in 1994, the Royals did the same. The Brewers losing streak reached 12 seasons before they went 81-81 in 2005, then a winning season in 2007 snapped their streak for good. Right now, they look like a team primed to contend in the National League Central for the foreseeable future.

The Royals losing streak only reached nine seasons before their improbable 83-79 record in 2003. That probably hurt them more than it helped them, though, because that record was more luck than anything and they attempted to build on a team that was a mirage. Since that 2003 season, the Royals racked up five more losing seasons, including three 100-loss campaigns. But GM Dayton Moore seems to have them on the right track and their Zack Greinke-led pitching staff currently has them at 18-11 and atop the AL Central.

Currently, only the Orioles and Reds are even in the same ballpark as the Pirates when it comes to losing. The Orioles haven't had a winning season since 1997 and the Reds haven't had one since 2000.

The Numbers

Pirates record: 12-16
Wins remaining to avoid ignominy: 69
Losses until immortality: 66
1949 Phillies' record after 28 games: 13-15
Last win against the Brewers: May 22, 2008 (their only win against them last year)
Zs in Robinzon Diaz: 2