MILWAUKEE -- No question the Pirates have struggled since the July 31 trading deadline.

They're 7-15 in August. But manager John Russell, however, believes strongly in what his team and his organization are doing.

"It gets frustrating, no doubt," he said. "But we as a staff can't get lost in the frustration. We knew what we were getting into."

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Minor-league report

Sunday's games

INDIANAPOLIS (65-71) won at Durham, 10-6. RHP Ross Ohlendorf (4-4, 3.52) allowed one run and five hits in eight innings. He struck out six, walked one and threw 66 of 97 pitches for strikes. RHP Romulo Sanchez (3.14) allowed five runs in one-third of an inning of relief. RF Steve Pearce (.258) went 2 for 4 with a walk and two RBIs. CF Andrew McCutchen (.280) went 1 for 3 with a walk. 3B Neil Walker (.239) went 1 for 5.

ALTOONA (61-74) lost to New Hampshire, 5-2. RHP Dan Reichert (2-4, 5.08) allowed four runs and six hits in five innings. CF Jose Tabata (.270) went 0 for 4.

LYNCHBURG (54-78) won at Potomac, 8-5. LHP Brian Holliday (6-10, 5.34) allowed five runs and nine hits in six innings. LHP Danny Moskos (6.06) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and allowed two hits. He struck out three, walked one. LF Jared Keel (.236) hit his 19th home run, a three-run shot, and went 1 for 2 with two walks.

HICKORY (50-83) beat Asheville, 5-2. RHP Emilis Guerrero (1-3, 5.61) pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed six hits. 1B Erik Huber (.266) hit his 12th home run, a two-run shot, and went 3 for 4.

STATE COLLEGE (13-47) won at Mahoning Valley, 10-5. LHP Rudy Owens (2-6, 5.21) pitched five scoreless, no-hit innings. SS Andy Vasquez (.254) hit his third and fourth home runs and went 3 for 5 with five RBIs. DH Kyle Morgan (.226) hit his second home run and went 3 for 3 with a double and two walks.

BRADENTON (35-18) was off.

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So did general manager Neal Huntington.

"The general manager wants to win, I know that," Russell said. "And we're going to do it. It's going to be fun in Pittsburgh for a long time. We have to have that vision. And we have to stay with the process."

The process cost the Pirates outfielders Jason Bay and Xavier Nady and left-hander Damaso Marte a month ago.

But that process also brought in eight new players -- five of them pitchers.

"Neal and I talked about it over and over last winter," Russell said. "We knew we had to get better in the minor leagues. We need talent. We need guys who can play baseball."

Russell has watched the process succeed. He managed eight seasons (1995-2002) in the Minnesota Twins organization.

"And unlike Minnesota [initially], we've got some young pieces in place [in the major leagues]," Russell said, citing catcher Ryan Doumit and center fielder Nate McLouth. "And we've influxed some younger talent quicker than [with Minnesota]."

Still, it has been a trying season for the Pirates.

There are the losses, of course. There have been a ton of roster moves. Some players have improved. Some have not.

"The trying part is we know how close we are," Russell said. "You want to continue to take those steps. Some days, you wish you could take them quicker, but it's a great thing to see that extra hungriness in your players to take the next step.

"All in all, it's been a very satisfying season to see the growth in our players. To see Paul Maholm grow as a starting pitcher. To see our bullpen come together. To know we have another great arm in [Craig] Hansen. To watch Nate and Doumit and how they've really emerged as two of our solid players. It's very gratifying.

"You know, there are a lot of 'What ifs,"' Russell added. "If our starting pitching would have been what we thought it would be. But you can flip side that ... what if our offense hadn't been what it's been.

"So there are different ways to look at it. I think as a staff we've been very good with it and we've always stayed with the positive side. I think that's really helped. You see the culture change in the clubhouse, the way the guys are much more accountable on a daily basis. You see the work that goes into it.

"There's frustration that goes into it, knowing we're a pretty good ball club. Every once in a while, we have trouble getting over the hump. It's a frustrating time, but, again, it's also an exciting time."

Third baseman Andy LaRoche has made six errors in his 17 games with the Pirates.

"He's got a good glove," Russell said. "We need to continue to work his footwork so he's in a better position to throw. It's going to take some work. He still has a lot of development [to go through], but [the mistakes] are correctable. You see the pluses, and the projections are all good."

McLouth continues to make a strong recovery from the stomach virus that has cost him five starts.

"He looks like he's among the living again," Russell said.

McLouth drove in the tying run in the ninth inning with a pinch-hit single yesterday. But the hit didn't aid in his recovery.

"There are no antibiotics in my bat," he said.

Doumit, who left Friday night's game in the seventh because of dehydration, was back in the lineup yesterday.

"He's not 100 percent," Russell said, "but he's a gamer. He's posted up a lot this year when he's not been 100 percent."