SAN FRANCISCO -- Way, way back in May, on the first Pirates road series I ever covered, I asked Clint Hurdle a question. The team was playing .500 ball and had sent player after player — including key pieces in Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams — to the IL.
So, Mr. Hurdle, is this your most challenging season as a manager?
That question aged like a pound of ground chuck in the trunk of a car on a hot summer day.