and their chances at not falling off the face of the earth the second half of the season. The Pirates are currently 49-39 and trail Cincinnati by one game in the National League Central. As much fun as it is to root for the Pirates the reality is it is going to be tough for them to finish above .500 let alone remain in the mix for a playoff berth. Concerns have already surfaced about Erik Bedard who has looked rough over his last three starts (14.1 IP, 8.16 ERA). AJ Burnett has also not been as sharp (5.40 last four starts). Pittsburgh is an amazing 13-3 in Burnett's starts this season despite a relatively modest 4.5 runs per game worth of support. And let's also not forget the offense has averaged six runs per game over the last month – a stat that simply cannot be sustained especially with that many holes in the lineup. But before we write them off, note their very favorable upcoming schedule. The Pirates play at Colorado (3), vs. Miami (3), vs. Chicago (3), at Houston (4), at Chicago (3), at Cincinnati (3), vs. Arizona (4), and vs. San Diego (4). That’s three games out of 27 vs. teams with an above .500 record.
"There are four teams that we don't want to win the World Series; the Pirates are one of them," Kornegay said. "The Cubs would be the worst-case scenario, which is usually the case every year. The Cardinals are another, and the Mets.
"Personally, just so you understand, I would love to see the Pirates win despite us taking a bath at this time. By that time we'd adjust [the odds] to balance our liability as much as we can. But it doesn't mean we'll get out of the hole."
