PITTSBURGH— With the score tied 0-0 in the top of the second inning Monday, Chicago's Jim Edmonds leads off with a triple — and the Pirates bring their infield in.

That's how the game is played at PNCPark these days. If you're not scoring runs, you can't concede runs.

And the Pirates are definitely not scoring runs.

Through the team's first 24 games in August — 17 of them losses — the Pirates averaged exactly three runs per game and scored three or fewer runs 15 times.

Before Jason Bay was traded to Boston, Pittsburgh scored three runs or fewer only once in 10 games.

Left-hander Paul Maholm, by far the most consistent starting pitcher for the Pirates this season, has no problem with the drop in run support.

"Our job remains the same," Maholm said. "Keep the team in the game and give us a chance to win that game.

"If the offense scores five runs for you, give up less than five. If you have to give up no runs, that's the task at hand that day."

Recently acquired right-hander Jeff Karstens knows all about that. The Pirates have scored a total of nine runs in his five starts.

The Pirates led the National League in runs scored through June. They now rank ninth in that category. They also rank 10th in home runs and 15th in stolen bases, with just 34.

Recently acquired left fielder Brandon Moss is hitting .219 with the Pirates, though he had seven hits in his last 19 at- bats entering Tuesday night's game with the Cubs.

New third baseman Andy LaRoche was hitting .169 with the Pirates and was hitless in 23 at-bats before Tuesday night's game.

"We'll break out of this,"Moss said. "I know I'm starting to feel comfortable here and we'll get it going here."

Moss said a 15-run outburst generally doesn't end a team slump.

"Something like a 4-0 game in which a pitcher tosses a gem or a win in extra innings usually does," he said.

The Pirates missed a chance to win a game in extra innings Sunday in Milwaukee, failing to score in the top of the 12th after loading the bases with no outs before losing in the bottom of the inning.

"That game doesn't even get to extra innings if I get a bunt down with runners at first and second with none out in the sixth,"Moss said. "Then in the 12th, if I hit a fly ball another few feet deeper, we score. ... The little things don't go your way during times like this."

Center fielder Nyjer Morgan had eight hits in 16 at-bats during five straight starts upon his recent recall from Class AAAIndianapolis.

"I'm relishing the chance to jump-start things."Morgan said. "Every team at every level of professional baseball goes through a stretch like this.

"When you play 162 games, you have to deal with the ups and downs. You do extra work in the (batting) cage All you can do is prepare yourself well for that night's game, then what happens, happens."

Moss admitted that hitters start pressing the longer a team slump goes on.

"It's impossible not to do that,"he said. "We're human beings. You keep telling yourself not to press when you step in the batter's box, not to try to do more than you're capable of, then you do it anyway.

"Everyone wants to be the guy to snap us out of this."

Since the trades of outfielders Xavier Nady and Jason Bay, the Pirates have gone 7-17 in August after a drastic falloff in run production:<B>Month Runs Ave.</B>April 116 4.4May 148 5.2June 121 4.3July 136 5.2August 66 3.0