The Pennsylvania Runs Drought

The only teams in the NL currently scoring fewer than 3 runs per game are the Phillies (2.85) and the Pirates (2.17).  A little less than half of our fantasy league is acutely aware of the Phils' offensive struggles and I imagine the entirety of our league is familiar with the general difficulties that come with being a Pirate.  Since I am drawn to baseball failure much more than baseball success, this seemed like the perfect jumping off point for examining the teams that have proved most fruitless in pushing runs across the plate.

The Flyin' Hawaiian may be out now, but at least he got on base.

First, a little context:  It's quite rare for an NL team to score less than 3.5 R/G over the course of a season.  The last team to accomplish this feat was the 1992 Dodgers at 3.38 R/G.  Even Orel pitched like crap that season for the 99-loss Dodgers.  You have to go way back to the 1969 Padres to cross the magical 3 R/G threshold, when the immortal Tommy Dean played a below-average SS and compiled a SLG (.245) that was actually lower than his OBP (.251).  These things happen when you're a career .180 hitter.

Turned out that Tommy Dean was not, in fact, a star of any variety.

Naturally, hanging over all these run comparisons are pretty dramatic era differences (as well as ERA differences).  For something a bit more contemporary, the last time the Phils finished last in runs was back in 2000 with the lethal double-play combination of Desi Relaford and Mickey Morandini.

If only hitting was as easy as looking good.

That Phils team did manage 4.37 R/G, which really underscores the dramatic changes the game has undergone just in the recent past - that total is significantly better than the 2011 league average of 4.13.  My, how times - and muscles masses - have changed over the past twelve seasons.

The last time the Pirates finished last in the NL in runs was back in... 2010.  For those who might be wondering, only PETCO and Aaron Rowand's 331 ABs stood between them and last place last season.

Anyway, the overall message of this is 'take heart Phils' fans' (if you're a Pirates fan, I'm not going to condescend to you with a cheerful message of hope), those missing runs are piling up somewhere and the Fightin's will almost surely be above 3.5 R/G before you know it.  Provided, of course, you can find someone to play 3B other than Placido Polanco.