Cherington putting Pirates fans through a real nightmare

Have you ever had a recurring dream that bothered you even after you woke up from it?

It’s a dream that seemed so real in your sleep that once you were awake, you gave pause and then offered a sigh of relief as you came to the realization that it was only a dream … one you have had numerous times before.

I am reminded of such a nightmare as I watch and root for the Pittsburgh Pirates these days.

Pretty much every game is the same nightmare — only it’s not a dream; it actually happens.

This recurring nightmare is watching the Pirates battle kind of like a person being in a fight with one hand tied behind his back.

The Pirates — through pure luck of having two amazing rookie pitchers and two veterans, one doing as expected and the other unexpectedly having a career year — have four starting hurlers who are performing better than pretty much every other rotation around the majors.

Rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones have made a habit out of holding opposing batting orders at bay, as have vets Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter.

Keller, who signed a longterm contract last season, is looking every bit an All-Star for the second straight year and Falter, who has experienced a journeyman career, is pitching more consistent than any No. 4 starter is expected to.

But with all that starting pitching to go with a more than adequate late-inning relief group, the Pirates keep running in mud, spinning their wheels with an under-. 500 record that seems to be slipping even more to the negative side as the season wears on.

You would think with Skenes, Jones, Keller and Falter routinely doing their thing, the Pirates would be among the better teams in baseball.

But they are not. Like that recurring bad dream, this team continues to fall short by losing low-scoring games because of an anemic offense that has not shown a penchant for improving.

Just as their payroll ranks near the bottom of the league, so do the Pirates rank in team batting average, OPS and run production.

Also like those nightmares, manager Derek Shelton keeps running out a lineup that is loaded with batters hitting near and even well below the Mendoza Line (.200).

I think we have all seen enough of players like Yasmani Grandal, Jared Triolo, Michael A. Taylor, Jack Suwinski, Edward Olivares and Alika Williams to know that none of them deserve to be more than utility players, let alone frequent starters.

The perpetuator of this Bucco nightmare is GM Ben Cherington.

Although he has watched what all of us have watched, he is the only one who has the ability to try and change it, to halt this recurring nightmare of offensive ineptness.

Yet he seems content on standing pat. He continues to do things the “Pirates Way,” which has been to do so on the cheap.

With the quality of pitching the team is getting this year, right now is the time to act to win. Not next year or two years down the road. Who knows if Skenes, Jones, Keller and Falter will all be this effective, let alone healthy, moving forward?

If the Pirates simply had two more bats in their lineup, this team could battle for a wild card at least and the NL Central Division pennant at best.

If the team makes the

playoffs, the starting pitching would make the Bucs a threat to beat anyone in a short series.

But, alas, we have a GM who chooses to do nothing. Instead of dealing a couple of the organization’s many talented prospects, he chooses to horde them. He hordes them even though they are players who, for the most part, have failed to develop in the organization anyway.

And while Cherington sits on his hands, the season keeps ticking away and the wheels keep spinning in the mud.

As fans, we watch, root and hope against hope each and every game to see the team do well. And instead of good overall results, we see results that are reminiscent to crocheting … win one, lose two; win one, lose two.

Don’t the fans deserve better?

If Cherington isn’t willing to be bold and make some moves to improve this team (which happens to be in year five of his original five-year plan to become a contender), then we may never wake up from this nightmare.

Instead of chasing a rare division crown or even a World Series title, we keep coming away from watching each game in a cold sweat.

Only it’s not a dream. It’s reality. Even cheapskate owner Bob Nutting publicly said the team needs to do better offensively and that Cherington has the approval to go out and make moves.

So what is he waiting for? I’m tired of hearing “next year.”

Next year never seems to come for Pirates fans.

But this year COULD be special with the team’s pitching … if it just had a little help.

Instead, like sand through an hour glass, the season is slowly slipping away.

And we keep living the same nightmare game after game.

Anyone with any thoughts, opposing views or comments on this column can reach Jeff Oliver by emailing justjto@verizon.net.