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PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates aren't just going through a bad stretch right now. It's a historically bad stretch.

A stretch so bad that is has become laughable in a macabre sort of way.

The beating went on for the Pirates on Tuesday night as the Cincinnati Reds rolled to a 10-4 victory in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park that consumed a tortuous three hours and 34 minutes.

"It's no fun, that's for sure," Pirates manager John Russell said. "It bothers every player in that clubhouse and everyone on our coaching staff. All we can do, though, is come back tomorrow and prepare ourselves to come back out and try to win a game."

"It's wearing," losing pitcher Zach Duke said. "We need a win and a well-played game right now. We need one desperately."

The Pirates certainly do as they lost their fourth straight game and for the 21st time in their last 24 times. The last time the Pirates had as bad a stretch of at least 24 games was in the miserable 1890 season when they went 3-35-1 in their final 39 games to finish 23-113.

The Pirates won't finish 90 games under .500 this season, but they can't finish any better than a tie for last place with the Reds in the National League Central following Tuesday's loss. It marks the Pirates' third straight season to finish in the cellar.

With their record now 56-93, the Pirates would also have to win seven of their last 13 games to avoid the eighth 100-loss season in the franchise's 123-year history and first since 2001.

Duke's once-promising season that included his first-ever berth in the All-Star Game continued to go downhill as the left-hander lost for the sixth time in his last seven decisions. Duke (10-15) gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings with one walk and two strikeouts.

All five runs came in the fifth inning as the Reds wiped out the Pirates' 2-0 lead.

The first run scored on a throwing error by catcher Ryan Doumit, and everything unraveled from there. Joey Votto doubled in a run, and Brandon Phillips hit a two-run single before Scott Rolen capped the inning with an RBI double.

"Zach was throwing the ball real well and then they had a couple of seeing-eye hits to start the inning then they hit some balls hard," Russell said.

The Pirates did manage 14 hits but were again abysmal with runners in scoring position as they had two hits in 10 at-bats in those situations, including Brian Bixler striking out for the 24th time in 39 plate appearances this season as he left the bases loaded in the eighth inning.

Garrett Jones and Lastings Milledge had three hits each. Andrew McCutchen led off the first inning with a home run for the fourth time in his rookie season and finished with two hits and two RBIs while Ronny Cedeno also drove in two runs.

"We got a lot of hits, which is something positive to build on," Russell said. "Now we need to start getting them in key situations."

The Reds had 16 hits as Votto belted three doubles and Rolen had two doubles among his three hits and three RBIs.

The Reds batted around again in the seventh inning as they scored three runs off rookie Donnie Veal to push the lead to 8-3. Rolen, Johnny Gomes and Juan Francisco all singled in runs.

Eric Hacker, in his major-league debut, gave up two runs in the eighth. Rolen doubled in a run and scored on Jay Bruce's single to make it 10-3.

McCutchen gave the Pirates an early lead by pulling a home run deep into the left-field bleachers off Johnny Cueto (10-10). An RBI double by Cedeno in the fourth put the Pirates ahead 2-0, but Duke gave the lead back and then some in the fifth.

The Pirates' other runs came in the sixth when Milledge doubled and scored on Robinzon Diaz's pinch-hit double, and the eighth when McCutchen drew a bases-loaded walk before Bixler's pivotal strikeout.

jperrotto@piratesreport.com

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View Comments: | 1-4 | Post a comment

tootall
09-23-09 6:41 PM »Report Comment Abuse	It is not just Bixler, you can add Moss, Pearce and LaRouche.
albeshere
09-23-09 11:20 AM »Report Comment Abuse	Remember when a Pirate pitcher making his major leage debut actually pitched well?
BUC4LIFE
09-23-09 10:12 AM »Report Comment Abuse	What happened to young at second? Iknow he was having back issues but he's really fallen on hard times.So glad it's almost over and probably so are the players.
robbiesdad
09-23-09 8:57 AM »Report Comment Abuse	Somebody, PLEASE tell me Brian Bixler will be taken off the 40-man roster this off-season. Quite possibly the WORST player EVER to wear a Pirate uniform (with apologies to Jeff Salazar) in this 17-year death spiral.

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