A team record for home runs allowed … and it’s still August

Pirates pitching set a new franchise record Thursday night. It just was not a good one, though it is probably hard to set a good pitching record during a 7-1 home loss.

In the eighth inning, trailing 2-1, Washington Nationals' first baseman Howie Kendrick got a hold of a Chris Stratton fastball, launching it 417 feet at an exit velocity just north of 110 MPH into the bleachers in left.

In the ninth, Stratton surrendered another dinger, this time to Anthony Rendon.

Those were the 184th and 185th home runs opponents have hit against Pirates pitching this year. According to the Baseball-Reference Play Index, Kendrick's home run set a new franchise record for the most round-trippers any Pirate…