Pirates hit new low as broadcast sums up baffling loss to Cubs

Wednesday was, as Sportsnet Pittsburgh play-by-play broadcaster Greg Brown described it, an "historic" day for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

That's certainly one way to put it.

Looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs after back-to-back losses Monday and Tuesday, the Pirates had a 10-3 lead heading into the seventh inning of Wednesday's contest at PNC Park.

They went on to lose the game, 14-10.

With star rookie right-hander Paul Skenes out of the game after throwing just 82 pitches through five innings, Chicago beat up on Pittsburgh’s worn-down (and horrendously managed) bullpen with two runs in the seventh and three runs in the eighth before unleashing a six-run onslaught in the top of the ninth.

Brown was right to call the game "historic," as it was indeed one of the worst losses in Pirates franchise history and the first time Pittsburgh lost a game in which they had held a seven-run lead since 2011. Former Pirates second baseman and current color commentator Neil Walker was conspicuously silent on the broadcast for the majority of the final three innings before uttering, quietly and dejectedly, "I am out of words."

Frankly, so are we. Wednesday's loss was an implosion of epic proportions, and one that Pirates fans should not take lightly.

Pirates' humiliating series vs. Cubs should cost Cherington, Shelton their jobs

The Pirates gave up 41 runs to the Cubs over the three-game series. Forty-one. To call such a collapse unacceptable would be an understatement.

We often hear athletes trot out the cliché of "turning the page" after losses, but his isn't a loss that one simply "turns the page" on. It's the type of loss that can – and should – keep players, staff and management up at night. It's the type that should force action.

General manager Ben Cherington and field manager Derek Shelton have each been at the helm of the Pirates for five years now without a single winning season to show for it. The farm system has also dropped in the rankings over the last five years, showing that the franchise hasn't just failed to get better under the leadership of these two men; it's actually gotten worse.

Their seats may have already been hot, but this three-game collapse should be the final straw. There is no reason Cherington or Shelton should survive this.

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