How often does a team score a combined one run in two games and still split those two contests? I’m not sure, but it would likely happen more often if some squad played the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates all the time.

The 2024 Texas Rangers, your defending 2023 World Series champions, just got done playing three games against Pittsburgh at Globe Life Field. Texas won two of those three games and took the series despite scoring five combined runs.

The Rangers won the first game of the series on Monday evening by a score of 4-3. Corey Seager was the hero for Texas, as he drove in all four runs by smacking two home runs–a solo shot and a three-run blast.

Texas was shut out by a score of 4-0 on Tuesday night thanks to a masterful performance by Mitch “The Pitch” Keller, who went seven innings, allowing only three hits, while striking out nine and walking none.

The Rangers didn’t fare any better on Wednesday afternoon against Domingo German, who took the mound instead of scheduled starter, Paul Skenes. I’m no doctor, but it appears that Skenes, the rookie sensation, was suffering from a case of We’reoutofitsoletssellabunchofticketsatPNCParkitis. Fortunately, the symptoms have cleared up in time for him to start against the Reds at home on Thursday evening.

Anyway, German went six scoreless frames. The bullpen helped to extend Texas’ scoreless streak to 23 innings, dating back to Seager’s three-run shot in the bottom of the third on Monday. Unfortunately, the Bucco batters failed to produce a single run while leaving 10 men on base over nine innings.

David Bednar, the two-time All-Star closer who led the National League in saves a year ago, continued his forgettable 2024 campaign by allowing two straight singles to begin the bottom of the ninth inning. Bednar then got the next two batters out before rookie Wyatt Langford, picked three spots after Skenes in the 2023 MLB Draft, drove in the winning run with a single to center field.

The thought of the Pirates splitting two games after allowing a combined one run was something you’d expect to happen before the July 30 trade deadline. Sadly, the offensive additions–including Bryan De La Cruz and Isiah Kiner-Falefa–haven’t provided any help.

De La Cruz has been especially offensive with his lack of production; in 16 games since joining the Pirates, the 27-year-old outfielder has 13 hits–including zero extra base knocks–and four RBI.

Instead of becoming true contenders after the deadline, the Buccos (59-67) have lost 15 of 19 games since July 31 and are now in last place in the National League Central Division, 14 games back of the first-place Brewers.

The Pirates will begin a seven-game homestand on Thursday night when the Reds come to PNC Park for a four-game weekend series. Chicago then comes to town next week for a three-game series.

Remember when Cincinnati and Chicago were out of the wildcard race? That wasn’t that long ago. They’re now ahead of Pittsburgh in both the divisional and wildcard standings.

The more things change…