SAN DIEGO -- When the Pirates embarked on their trip to California last week, they were reeling from four consecutive losses and a three-game sweep at the hands of the Padres at PNC Park. They were sitting two games under .500 and were 4.5 games back of a wild card spot in the National League.
So much can happen in a week's time. And in the most discouraging way possible, so much has.
Rather than bouncing back to stay within reach of teams with playoff aspirations, the Pirates lost all six games during their West Coast trip and saw their ongoing losing streak reach double digits at 10 games with an 8-2 loss to the Padres Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park. It's the Pirates' first 10-game losing streak since June 13-22 of last year and matches the sixth-longest losing streak in franchise history.
"I think this year, we're in a stretch where we're seeing the two hottest teams in baseball (Diamondbacks and Padres), and we get the Dodgers in between," Derek Shelton said of a stretch in which the Pirates have ultimately lost 12 of their last 13 games. "We've gotten beat by good teams. We have to figure a way out of it."
While streaks of this double-digit magnitude haven't been too common, this isn't the first time the Pirates have dealt with prolonged stretches of consecutive losses. It's something the club has unfortunately become accustomed to over the last six years. Here are some notable numbers on these significant streaks:
• Since 2019, the Pirates have endured streaks of eight losses or more on 10 separate occasions, including three -- one at eight games, two at nine games -- in 2019 alone. They lost eight in a row in 2020, suffered through streaks of eight and 10 games in 2021 and lost eight in a row and nine in a row over different streaks in 2022. Then, of course, you now have the aforementioned 10-game skids in back-to-back seasons.
• The last time the Pirates featured 10-game losing streaks in back-to-back years was 2010 and 2011 when they dropped 12 and 10 games in a row, respectively.
• Since 1895, a total of 18 Pirates teams have lost 10 consecutive games in a season, while only seven have suffered more than 10 losses in a row. Shelton has been at the helm for three of those seasons in which one of his teams suffered 10 losses in a row (2021, 2023 and 2024).
So, why have these streaks been so common over the last few years? That's the question I posed to Shelton postgame.
"I don't have a good answer for that," Shelton said. "I wish I did, because then we'd nip it in the bud."
Whether they have the answers or not, it's been a frustrating stretch for the players inside the Pirates' clubhouse, including Mitch Keller, who was tagged for eight runs over five innings in this latest loss to the Padres. Keller made two starts on this West Coast trip and allowed a total of 15 runs over nine innings.
"Just definitely frustrating, because I think we have a really good team and we know what we can do," Keller said. "It's just not clicking for us right now. Just disappointed in myself. Just gave up the game pretty early here today. Just didn't give us a chance. That's my job. I didn't do my job today. We suffered because of that."
All the blame can't be placed on the pitching staff, though. As Connor Joe told me, there isn't one exact thing that has led to this free fall. Yes, the pitching staff has allowed six or more runs in seven of these losses and served up a total of 14 home runs over all 10 games, but the offense has failed at times, too. In this series in San Diego, the Pirates registered seven hits or more in each game, but ultimately there were three total runs scored in support of serviceable performances from guys like Jake Woodford and Luis Ortiz the last two nights.
"I don't think you can put your finger on one exact thing. It's probably been a combination of a couple things each and every game. I don't feel like we're too far off from being, I think you could say 5-5 in that stretch," Joe said. "Two really good teams, I guess three if you count the 10th (loss to Arizona). The schedule lined up that way. Looking back, it's not really one thing. It might be more simple that way if it was. It's tough. It's just been a tough stretch for everyone."
Shelton said Wednesday's loss was the first time in which he's seen players try to do too much. For some, perhaps the losing streak is on their minds when they're out there trying to put it all to an end. Joe believes each player is different, but he doesn't think it's something they're consciously aware of in the middle of a game.
"You walk into the park and it's like a new day," Joe said. "You try to shower off each and every game before and start the day fresh."
In the midst of trying times like these, staying together as a group is key, according to Shelton. He credited the team for the way it performed prior to the losing streak and believes everyone has to play a role in righting the ship once they return to Pittsburgh for this weekend's three-game set against the Mariners.
"I think the biggest thing is that not one individual person can try to do too much. One person doesn't get you out of a stretch like this. It has to be a collective group," Shelton said. "It's going to have to be doing a little thing here or there and not trying to win a game by yourself. I think that's what your natural tendency is. When you scuffle a little bit, the natural tendency is to go 'Alright, I'm gonna go do this today,' instead of 'let's collectively do it and good things will happen.'"
Joe agrees.
"Definitely been in stretches like this, and I think it's about everyone just sticking together, relying on each other and showing up to the ballpark confident, confident in each other," Joe said. "That's the only way we're going to get out of it, by relying on each other and having each other's backs."
But as the Pirates look to somehow find a way out of the hole they've dug themselves into, have the goals for the rest of the year changed? Shelton said the goal is to simply play better baseball, while Keller isn't letting go of hope that a bounce-back effort could lead to a resurgence back into the wild card race.
"Yeah, playoffs are always the goal. Until you're out of it out, you're (not) out of it. We're not out of it right now. It's going to be an uphill battle, for sure, but we're going to do the best that we can," Keller said. "Feel like we've got a lot of good baseball left to play. We played really good for a long time. I feel like we're just in a rut right now, and we've got to get out of it as fast as possible. Whatever that looks like, I don't know. We've just got to keep showing up and playing. Use tomorrow's off-day and get right back after it."
