Bucs regressing, not progressing

Despite a busy off-season, the Pirates seem headed for a 100-loss season.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The numbers don't add up for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Rookie starter Ian Snell's eight victories. Jason Bay's 21 homers and 66 RBIs. Freddy Sanchez's .358 batting average. Mike Gonzalez's 13 saves in as many opportunities. Jose Castillo's 11 homers.
How does this possibly translate into a 30-60 record at the All-Star break -- one of the worst in club history?
The Pirates have made numerous changes over the last year, bringing up a number of prospects, adding veterans such as Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa, and hiring Jim Tracy after he spent the previous five seasons managing the Los Angeles Dodgers.
No closer
What hasn't changed is this: The Pirates seem no closer to the winning record they haven't had since Barry Bonds couldn't throw out Sid Bream at the plate in Game 7 of the 1992 National League championship series in Atlanta.
Despite some encouraging signs the Pirates have regressed from last season's 95-loss team, not progressed. And their 13-game losing streak last month was a club record since the sport's modern era began in 1900, and second in franchise history to a 23-game streak in 1890, the year before the team was called the Pirates.
"The most frustrating thing is probably the way we've lost -- when we've been in games and then shot ourselves in the foot, either defensively or with our situational hitting," shortstop Jack Wilson said.
On pace
The only time the Pirates had more losses at a mid-July break was 1953, when they were 28-61 en route to a 50-104 record. The year before, they had 59 losses at the break before finishing a franchise-worst 42-112.
Those are the most losses in modern-era Pirates franchise history. Nobody needs to remind them about the plus-100 losses pace they're on now.
Tracy repeatedly points to the Pirates' 25 losses by one run, the most in the majors. To Tracy, it signifies how his team has been competitive in most games and, with only a timely hit here and maybe a few breaks, the record could have been much better.
"I think you step back and say to yourself, 'Has the effort been there?' " Tracy said. "I think very definitely the answer to that question is yes. There's never been a game where these guys still weren't taking at-bats, not giving at-bats away, working hard at it. It's evident by the fact of how many times we've had the tying or go-ahead runs standing at home plate in the ninth inning."
However, some of the worst teams in major league history have had numerous one-run losses -- the 1962 Mets had nearly 40 -- so that argument doesn't always stand up.
Disappointments
The disappointments have been many, too.
Casey, the team's highest-paid player, is hitting .295 with only three homers after sitting out six weeks with a back injury. Burnitz has never found a groove, hitting .228. Randa has been on the bench most of the season, mostly because Sanchez has forced Tracy to play him every day.
Sanchez didn't become a full-time starter until May but is making a push to become the NL batting champion.
However, the two left-handers expected to anchor the rotation, Zach Duke (5-8, 5.17 ERA) and Paul Maholm (3-8, 5.10 ERA), haven't approached the form they flashed as rookies last season. Duke was 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in a half-season last year, but has been troubled this season by allowing too many runs early in games.
And Kip Wells? He's been the same bad pitcher he was last year, leading the majors in losses during an 8-18 season, going 0-4 with a 12.42 ERA in four starts after missing the first 21/2 months of the season for surgery to repair a blocked artery.
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