Up next: Pirates

SCOUTING REPORT: The Pirates started hot and were one of the surprise teams in baseball in the first month. They won their first four and were 7-3 and in first place in the National League Central. But they went 18-34 after that and are fighting with Milwaukee to stay out of the division cellar.

Unless they have an unexpected turnaround, they will finish with a losing record for the 11th consecutive season, the longest streak in the club's storied history.

The losing streak began in 1993, right after the Pirates won three consecutive NL East titles. The first of those three came in 1990 when the Pirates were defeated in the National League Championship Series by Lou Piniella's Reds, who went on to win the World Series.

The Pirates feature some name players: catcher Jason Kendall, outfielder Brian Giles, third baseman Aramis Ramirez and outfielder Kenny Lofton, who had a 26-game hitting streak last month. The problem has been pitching. The Pirates are 10th in the NL in ERA.

DISABLED LIST: Second baseman Pokey Reese, infielder Pat Meares.

CONNECTIONS: Pirates pitcher Jeff D'Amico is a 1993 graduate of Northeast High. ... Rays outfielder Al Martin played for the Pirates from 1992-99. ... Rays third-base coach Tom Foley played for the Pirates from 1993-94. ... Cam Bonifay, the Rays director of player personnel and scouting, spent 13 years in the Pirates front office, the last eight as general manager. ... Rays general manager Chuck LaMar directed the Pirates' minor-league operations from 1989-90.

SEASON SERIES: This is the first regular-season meeting.