The month of August began with Tony Watson a Los Angeles Dodger and Joaquin Benoit a Pirate. After a lack of upgrades at the non-waiver trade deadline, the Pirates went 12-17 in the month and were outscored by 45 runs. A 5½-game deficit turned into a 63-71 record, and the Pirates entered September 10 games back.
Offense
The Pirates’ 114 runs scored in August ranked second to last in the National League, as did the number of Wins Above Replacement (0.9) they compiled. Their .367 slugging percentage was the worst in the NL, their .