Entering play this evening at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the Pirates trail the first place Reds by 30 games ; 28.5 games separated the Bucs from the Wild Card leading Phillies. As such, writes the Post-Gazette’s Dejan Kovacevic, “those holding tickets for the series opener tonight against the New York Mets can see history made.” Unpleasant history, but history nonetheless.

This one would have its own niche, too: It would be the earliest point for loss No. 82 in any of the 18 consecutive losing seasons, roughly a week earlier than the previous earliest, Aug. 27, 2001. And that, of course, is a sign that this is the worst of any of the seasons, on course for a 53-109 finish, worst since 1952.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” first baseman Garrett Jones said of all the losing, three of four in this series, 10 of the past 11. “You’re just looking for something to go your way.”

The Pirates’ overall record is 40-81. Since the All-Star break, they are 10-23. Since the Fourth of July, they are 10-29..

They pitch sporadically.

They hit rarely, held to two or fewer runs in eight of those past 10 losses.

And, promising rookies or not, high-priced teenaged acquisitions or not, the current outcomes on the field look as bad as ever, worse in some ways.

Perhaps the one plus for the Pirates of late is that the public appears to be tuning them out: Crowds for this four-game series, of which the Marlins took the past three, were 13,396, 14,156, 12,242 and the 15,783 Thursday.