The top two teams in the majors a year ago, the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are well off that pace.
The streaky Pirates can at least boast a season-opening sweep over their NL Central rivals and will try to add to that success Friday night in their first visit to St. Louis in 2016.
Pittsburgh registered 98 wins last season but was beaten out in the division by a Cardinals team that finished with 100. Both clubs now face a sizable gap to Chicago, which swept the Pirates (15-13) in three games this week.