Not good

The Pirates are drifting further and further away from .500 and are starting to look like a team that does not have what it takes to beat teams that are in the hunt.

Brian Burres reminded everyone today why he is Brian Burres and not a starter somewhere else in the league. Burres worked his way out of one jam, but failed to get the pitcher out to get out of a second. That opened the flood gates. Karstens came in and then Aki undercut him right away. Aki was given an error, but then it was removed for some reason. He has to go. The Pirates cannot keep him in the line up.

The offense did finally kick in, and they got 5 runs, but they had already given up 7. If the Pirates get 5 they need to win.

The only real hope for this season is that Lincoln, Alvarez, Tabata, and perhaps Walker are waiting in the wings. They could give this team a real overhaul. The Pirates really need to win this next game to avoid slipping far out of sight of .500.