Slumping Pirates drop 10th of last 13

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

After watching his team collect just five hits and one run against a journeyman starter who hadn’t won a big league game in more than four years, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle threw up his hands.

“We’re in that little rut where it looks like we’re hitting in a tea cup,” Hurdle said.

Or maybe a thimble.

The Pirates lost their fourth straight on Monday, a 5-1 defeat to the lowly Houston Astros that dropped Pittsburgh 21/2 games behind St. Louis in the pursuit of the NL’s second wild card spot.

“We were not able to connect on any at-bats today,” Hurdle said. “I didn’t see a lot of pitches taken. There’s nothing you can do from the dugout to help that out. That’s ownership in the batter’s box.”

Garrett Jones had three hits for the Pirates, who have dropped 10 of 13 and failed to get a needed spark at the start of pivotal six-game homestand against the two worst teams in baseball.

“We’ve got to keep going,” Jones said. “We’ve got to keep our heads high, keep our confidence high and get’em tomorrow.”

They certainly couldn’t get’em against Houston starter Edgar Gonzalez (1-0). The 29-year-old was pitching in the Mexican League earlier this summer. He returned to the majors with a solid 51/3 innings then relied on some help from the bullpen to earn his first victory as a starter since April 24, 2008 when he was pitching in Arizona.