Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen injuries turn long-awaited good night for Pirates bad

Over the last ten games, coming into tonight, the Pittsburgh Pirates had been the worst team in baseball. Yes, they were worse than the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and the Oakland Athletics.

The Pirates were winless over their last 10 and they were watching their entire season go down the drain right in front of their eyes.

It was a complete disaster, but on Friday nigth, they had Paul Skenes on the bump, and they were looking to break their horrendous losing streak.

If they were going to win any game while playing this poorly, it was going to be one that Skenes was on the bump for. He has been so dominant that the Pirates actually look incredible when he's on the mound.

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Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen leave with injuries while Pirates end losing streak

Skenes did his job, tossing six innings of two-run baseball. He looked unhittable at points but struggled to find the zone on occasion. Chapman and Nicolas were impressive behind Skenes, while Bednar recorded a nerve-wracking save to secure the win.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they would see two of their top position players go down with injuries, leaving the game before the final out was recorded.

Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates legend, was removed due to discomfort in his left knee. Oneil Cruz, the team's young shortstop, was removed due to left ankle discomfort.

It seems like Pittsburgh just can't catch a break. A few weeks ago, this team looked like they had an outside chance to make the postseason. They had added a few talented players that could help their team right now and some of their pitchers just looked unhittable. But over their 10-game losing streak, everything fell apart.

And as they break out of one of the league's worst slumps, they watch as two of their top talents leave the game.

The severity of the injuries is uncertain at the moment, but all of the Pittsburgh faithful will remain optimistic that neither will land on the injured list.

Pittsburgh is sitting seven games under .500 and seven games out of an NL Wild Card spot. It's certainly looking like they may end up waving the white flag on the season, especially if these injuries cause Cruz or McCutchen to land on the IL.