Pirates’ worst loss of the season could become trade deadline backbreaker

The Pittsburgh Pirates still have plenty of season remaining. The trade deadline has not yet passed, injured players are working their way back, and a bullpen that desperately needs reinforcements could look considerably different in a matter of days.

But Friday night’s 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds felt like the kind of defeat that can change the direction of a season.

The Pirates carried a lead into the eighth inning before allowing three runs, aided by a costly defensive error, to fall for the fourth consecutive game. They are now 55-56, below .500 for the first time since July 3, after spending much of the past month convincing themselves — and everyone else — that they belonged in the National League playoff race.

This was their worst loss of the year, not simply because of the result, but because of everything that came with it.

Paul Skenes allowed five earned runs on seven hits, four walks and two home runs in only four innings. He still struck out seven, but the dominant ace who once gave the Pirates confidence every fifth day has become increasingly difficult to recognize.

The bullpen then blew its 20th save of the season, wasting an offensive performance that should have been enough. Brandon Lowe collected three hits, including a double, while scoring and driving in a run. Jake Mangum added two hits, a home run and two RBI. It still wasn't enough.

That has been the recurring problem with these Pirates. When the rotation performs, the lineup disappears. When the offense finally produces, the bullpen can't finish the job. And when Pittsburgh is somehow in position to overcome both, a defensive mistake arrives at the worst possible moment.

Then Ryan O’Hearn injured his quad while running to first base in the ninth inning and had to be helped off the field.

O’Hearn’s potential absence cannot be measured only by the RBI or OPS that could disappear from the lineup. He's one of the players who makes this offense function. His consistency, professionalism and ability to produce quality at-bats give the Pirates something they have lacked for much of the season. Losing him for any extended period would be a significant blow, especially with other important hitters like Konnor Griffin, Spencer Horwitz and Oneil Cruz already working their way back from injuries.

Pirates can’t let crushing Reds loss become the beginning of the end

The Pirates have spent weeks approaching the trade deadline as buyers, and they still should. Ben Cherington can't allow a four-game losing streak or one brutal night in Cincinnati to become an excuse for inaction. The bullpen’s 20 blown saves aren't evidence that Pittsburgh should surrender. They're evidence that the roster was never adequately completed in the first place.

Still, the deadline outlook suddenly feels more precarious. The Pirates don't merely need Cherington to add one reliever and declare the job finished. They need multiple trustworthy bullpen arms, clarity on O’Hearn’s health and some reason to believe Skenes can rediscover himself before the season slips away.

There is time to recover. There is time for injured players to return, for the bullpen to receive help and for the Pirates to reestablish themselves in the wild-card race. But after Friday, the margin for error is disappearing quickly.

The Pirates didn't lose their season in Cincinnati. They did, however, suffer the kind of gut punch that can become a backbreaker unless the front office and the players respond immediately.

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