Pirates President Frank Coonelly "feels confident" the team will "set a new record for single-season attendance this year," according to Karen Price of the PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW. The Pirates' single-season attendance record is 2,436,139, set in '01 during PNC Park's debut season. The club drew 2,256,862 fans last year, which resulted in the first postseason appearance in 21 years. Attendance through 62 games last year was 1,689,015; the club sat at 1,796,448 through 62 games heading into Tuesday. The Pirates have 18 home games left in the regular season, and "most are important games, which makes Coonelly optimistic." He said, "The only series that is not directly affecting our pennant race and other pennant races is the Red Sox; and they happen to be the World Series champs." The Pirates enter play tonight with a 64-55 record, good enough to occupy one of the two NL wild card spots and just 1.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 8/13).
PEACHES AND CREAM: In Atlanta, Jeff Schultz wrote the Braves are "sliding off the radar in Atlanta." Crowds for the first two games of last weekend's home series against the Nationals at Turner Field "drew over 30,000 but the Sunday night game saw only 18,191." While it was the night before the first day of school for many in the Atlanta area, the numbers "were disappointing" for a late-summer weekend series against a first-place division rival. The Braves' average home attendance of 29,160 this year ranks only 17th in MLB and 10th in the NL. The team is "down an average of 2,305 fans" from last year's average of 31,465, which marks a 7.3% decrease. At their current rate, the Braves "would finish with their lowest average" since the '04 season (28,735) and their "second-lowest average over a 24-year span." The team currently is 5 games behind the Nationals in the NL East and are in the midst of a 2-11 stretch (AJC.com, 8/12).
