The Pittsburgh Pirates were riding a wave of momentum into their weekend series against the best team in baseball. But as their 12-5 run came to a crashing halt with three straight losses to the Milwaukee Brewers, that momentum vanished.
Actually, it may never have existed at all.
Sure, there was momentum in the win column, especially after taking series from playoff contenders like the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. But ultimately, those wins masked the Pirates' lack of momentum where it really mattered – at the plate.
Under former manager Derek Shelton, who was fired in May after a 12-26 start, the Pirates ranked 27th in batting average and 28th in runs scored.