Pirates' offense could be historically bad
Charlie Morton didn't have his sinker, and a handful of other things went awry for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 3-1 loss to the New York Mets on a scorching Wednesday matinee at PNC Park.
But none of it means a thing next to what's developing into the worst offense Major League Baseball has seen in a generation.
The Pirates are averaging 2.8 runs per game, batting a paltry .217 with 35 home runs, and their strikeout-to-walk of 4-to-1, if it holds up, would be the worst in baseball history. The 1968 Mets are the only team ever to be greater than 3-to-1.
And it goes from the starters to the bench: Nate McLouth and Yamaico Navarro, two bench players, are a combined 0-for-22 as pinch-hitters.
It all reads like one long, painful punch line.
"You know, we've always kept an eye toward getting better internally and externally. We never don't look outside," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We'd like to think we've given time to some guys here to right some things. You want to give that to guys who, on the back of their cards, shows they've done some good things. But at this point in time, we're definitely looking to generate some more offense. We're open-minded to when and if or where we can get it."
The biggest shame, of course, is that some of the best pitching in baseball is being wasted. Somehow, through this epic failure at the plate, the Pirates are still 20-24.
