It Seems Pirates Have Double Faulted : Pittsburgh: The 0-2 start has been a team effort, but Van Slyke, Bonds have taken blame.

The horde of reporters left the Pittsburgh clubhouse Wednesday after the Pirates’ latest debacle, leaving outfielders Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke alone together.

They looked at one another, almost as if each was waiting for the other to offer condolence. Instead, neither said a word. Van Slyke grimaced, Bonds shrugged his shoulders, and they walked out the clubhouse door.

In a season that might be the finest in their careers, the lasting impression of Bonds and Van Slyke might be their failure in postseason play.

Once again.

The Pirates were humiliated by the Atlanta Braves, 13-5, in Game 2 of the National League playoffs, leaving them with a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series.

“We’re in a situation right now where we’re in the emergency room,” Van Slyke said. “I just hope we’re not in (intensive care) by Friday night.

“We’re just getting our brains beat in.”

The Pirates’ pitching staff yielded 14 hits and eight walks Wednesday.

It gets worse. Only three times have the Pirates led off an inning with a hit this series. And their infield--with the exception of second baseman Jose Lind--is batting .091 without a run batted in.

“It’s almost a feeling like we’re completely overmatched,” Pirate third baseman Jeff King said. “Nothing’s going right for us.”

Yet the entire focus of the Pirates’ futility has been placed squarely on the shoulders of Bonds and Van Slyke. Pirate starter Danny Jackson, who yielded four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings, barely was an afterthought.

“It’s awfully easy for everybody to be blaming Andy Van Slyke and Barry Bonds,” Van Slyke said. “We’ve taken our shots, and rightfully so. But I’m not going to take all of the blame, and I don’t think Barry should.

“It’s a shame that in a short series like this, everything we’ve done this season is diminished. It’s like it never happened. We had a heck of a season, and all anyone remembers is what happens in postseason.”

Van Slyke is batting .111 this series; Bonds is at .167. Neither has an extra-base hit or an RBI.

Instead of an aberration, it has become a trend:

Van Slyke has a career .159 batting average in playoff games, with six RBIs in 69 at-bats.

Bonds is batting .157 in postseason play with one extra-base hit and one RBI in 51 at-bats.

“I don’t know what happens to me in October,” Bonds said. “I can’t explain it. It’s like when September’s over, I think my season’s over too. I become a different hitter.”

The Pirates, who could become the first National League team to lose three consecutive playoff series since the Philadelphia Phillies (1976-78), face the grim prospect of having to defeat the Braves in four of the next five games.

“The whole thing is embarrassing to all of us, it really is,” Bonds said. “It’s like we’re the Denver Broncos of football.”

Bonds was informed that at least the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl before losing. The Pirates haven’t made it to the World Series the last two years despite reaching the playoffs.

Said Pirate third baseman Jeff King: “It’s got to be frustrating for Barry and Andy, but it’s not fair to put all of the blame on them. I haven’t done anything, either.”

Said Pirate Manager Jim Leyland: “Right now, I think Barry Bonds is trying to hit a five-run home run. He’s trying to make an unbelievable play. He’s pressing a little bit.

“Really, that’s not what we want him to do. We impressed upon him that he doesn’t have to carry the team, he just needs to be a part of the team and make some contributions.”

The failures of Bonds and Van Slyke have reached such proportions that even the Braves are starting to take pity. Certainly, these two aren’t the same guys the Braves remember facing during the regular season, when the duo combined for 48 homers and 192 RBIs.

“It seems like the weight of the world is on their shoulders,” Brave starter Steve Avery said, “and they probably feel like they have to carry the whole team. Then when the press gets into it, and you have to read about it every day, it can get pretty difficult.”

Perhaps, Bonds said, it will be easier once the Pirates go home to Pittsburgh with Game 3 scheduled Friday at Three Rivers Stadium.

You see, the city has a newspaper strike. “The fans can’t boo you when they don’t read anything about you,” Bonds said.

“It might be the best thing that ever happened to us.”

*

Below Average

Lowest career playoff batting averages (minimum of 50 plate appearances):

Name G AB H Avg. Gene Tenace 18 57 5 .088 Cesar Geronimo 17 63 6 .095 Candy Maldonado 20 55 7 .127 Joe Morgan 27 96 13 .135 Barry Bonds 15 51 8 .157 Andy Van Slyke 20 69 11 .159 Pat Sheridan 20 49 8 .163 Steve Yeager 15 45 8 .178 Bobby Grich 24 88 16 .182 Mookie Wilson 18 66 12 .182