Perrotto: Pirates’ Second-Half Regression Discouraging (+)

PITTSBURGH — An awful road trip followed by an awful homestand for the Pittsburgh Pirates is enough to ask for a do over.

When I joined Pittsburgh Baseball Now, my first column was about how the Pirates were beginning to field a representative team. I opined that, at the very least, they no longer stunk, which constituted progress.

However, it’s hard to make that same case a little more than a month later. The Pirates stink again and their latest of a never-ending string of rebuilding plans is taking a step back.

The Pirates’ 14-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday at PNC Park illustrated that point. The gap between the defending World Series champions and the Pirates is that wide.