The seven-game losing streak over.

The worries, however, remain.

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 7-6 Saturday in a game that was a whole lot closer than it should have been.

The Pirates led 7-4 in the ninth before closer Joel Hanrahan made things interesting by giving up two runs.

But, hey, a win is a win, and when you’re the Pirates, you need any win you can get at this point.

The Pirates enter today with a 73-71 record. In early August, the Bucs were a healthy 16 games over .500 and battling for a division title.

Now, they’re trying to survive and simply find a way to win nine games before the season ends.

I’m not sure they’ll do it. This collapse has ruined the season.

People around the web have noticed the implosion, too.

Dom Cosentino on Deadspin ripped the Bucs, calling this the Pittsburgh Pirates’ worst season ever.

Over at the Tribune-Review, Dejan Kovacevic wrote that the Pirates are clueless about winning.

A lot has gone wrong for the Pirates since those wonderful days of early August.

We’re now mid-September and it looks like the playoffs are but a dream.

A winning record soon could drift away, too.

This season, one with so much hope, has turned into a nightmare.

– Rick Green