Despite earning a second consecutive one-run win and a series by beating the Reds, 3-1, the Pirates made major-league history in negative fashion at PNC Park this afternoon. 

The Pirates failed to score more than four runs for a 26th consecutive game, matching the Boston Nationals (1906), Boston Braves (1918, 1931) and California Angels (1969) for the longest such streak in Major League Baseball history. The Pirates could break the all-time record tomorrow when they begin a four-game set against the Brewers.

"We're aware of it," said Henry Davis, who had two of the team's nine hits and a go-ahead RBI single in the fourth inning. "We're doing everything we can every day to make it end."

However, their recent numbers wouldn't suggest a significant turnaround is on the horizon. During this stretch, the team is hitting .218 with 59 runs scored on 183 hits. Of those hits, 16 have been home runs and 27 have been either doubles (25) or triples (2). They're averaging just 2.27 runs on 7.04 hits per game and have failed time and time again to support a starting rotation that has produced 23 quality starts. The Pirates' starters are 9-7 in those games. Those seven losses are the most in the majors. 

"The more we score, the more we take stress off those pitchers, we take stress off the outing. We don't want starters out there feeling like if they go six innings and three earned that they haven't done their job. They did," Davis said. "We have a chance to win every time they're out there. So as an offense, just continuing to push to give them a cushion and continue to have better at-bats and come through in those moments."

Davis is a former No. 1 pick who isn't an every day player and he's mainly struggled when given an opportunity, entering today with a .150 average over his first 15 games. On this particular afternoon, he helped provide at least a glimmer of hope for an offense that still ranks amongst the worst in Major League Baseball in batting average (.218; 28th), slugging percentage (.319; 30th), OPS (.617; 30th), home runs (33; 29th) and runs scored (146; 30th) over their first 50 games. 

Davis made Reds starter Brady Singer work in the second by fouling off some tough sinkers in an eight-pitch at-bat before drawing a two-out walk. Then, in the fourth, Davis embraced more of an aggressive approach:

That's him taking a 1-0 slider into left field for an RBI single, giving the Pirates a lead for good. In a crucial spot with a runner just 90 feet away, Davis didn't add to the team's major-league-leading 47 double plays -- 18 of which have come with runners in scoring position. Instead of halting the threat, he delivered in a spot where most have failed. 

"I think we've just got to keep going, really," Davis said. "Obviously you see some swings today that could have resulted in a higher score and they didn't. That's alright. Obviously we got the win, and that's a testament to the pitching staff really carrying us right now. We've got to keep going as an offense and continue to work so we can break through this wall."

The Pirates have been one of the worst teams in baseball with runners in scoring position, ranking 29th in the major leagues with a .218 batting average in such occasions. Today, they were 3 for 9 in those situations, scoring their first run on a first-inning sacrifice fly by Bryan Reynolds. They added an insurance run on Adam Frazier's eighth-inning single that scored Ke'Bryan Hayes from second:

Those were moments in which the Pirates did enough to capitalize. It doesn't happen often enough. But, in the eyes of Don Kelly, there were other moments that showed progress -- albeit small -- being made at the plate.

"You look at today, putting up three runs but I think it was the fifth inning we had Reynolds, (Spencer) Horwitz and (Alexander) Canario all pretty much hit it to the wall and crushed it and we had nothing to show for it there," Kelly said, referring to an inning in which all three sent balls toward the warning track for fly outs. "Guys are having good at-bats. They're hitting the ball hard. We came up with a big run there, Ke'Bryan gets the double and Frazier with the big hit to drive him in for an insurance run was really big."