I can't even tell you how many losses in a row this has been. I don't want to know; I have no desire to document the specifics. All I know is that David and I did a podcast over a week ago in which I made a joke about the Pirates reaching their 2012 win total and how they might not win another game, and they haven't won since.

... Actually, I did look it up. It's seven games. And the Brewers have tied them for third.

The Cubs got one in the third on Starlin Castro's RBI single, and at that point, no-grade prospect Chris Rusin had struck out four and allowed no hits. I lost interest, because I felt like I knew what would happen next.

Sure enough, James McDonald walked the bases full in the fourth. For some reason, Clint Hurdle replaced him with Justin Wilson, an interesting relief prospect and a lefty to face Anthony Rizzo, but a guy with control issues, not the sort I'd want out there with the bases loaded in what was still just a one-run game. Wilson was allowed to throw all of two pitches, the first of which was a ball and the second of which was a double to right. Chris Leroux then came in and gave up an infield single, and the Cubs went up 4-0 before Leroux could finish the inning.

The Pirates got one run in the fifth and and two in the sixth (and Neil Walker returned to pinch-hit, ending the Pirates' half of the sixth with a strikeout). Tony Watson pitched to three batters in the bottom of the inning and got two of them, but Jared Hughes replaced him and hit Alfonso Soriano before giving up a two-run shot to Starlin Castro. Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homer in the seventh, but that was all the offense the Pirates could muster, and they lost yet again, 7-4.

This is impossible to watch. I hate this.