The Pittsburgh Pirates are trying not to dig too deep a hole in the NL Central, but their continued mediocrity within the division isn't helping.
An unexpected team with one of the shovels is the Cincinnati Reds, who seek their third straight win over the visiting Pirates on Tuesday night.
After opening 8-3 within its own division, Pittsburgh (17-15) has lost six of eight and has fallen a full eight games back of the first-place Chicago Cubs. The 98-win Pirates finished 34-42 against the Central last season, finishing behind St. Louis before falling to the Cubs in the wild-card game.