The past five weeks have been one of the most difficult stretches in the recent history of the Pirates. Losers of 24 of their past 31 games, the Pirates now own the second-worst record in the National League.



Poor pitching — dragged down by injuries, ineffectiveness and infighting — has been at the core of the slump. While the problems with health and performance are well-chronicled, the clubhouse conflicts have not been as apparent, aside from the team’s announcements of a pair of suspensions in July for separate altercations involving coaches and two relievers, Keone Kela and Kyle Crick.



The details of those incidents, many of which have not previously been reported, illustrate rifts caused by envy, charges of favoritism, and overt insubordination against manager Clint Hurdle and his staff.



This story, which chronicles those confrontations and the tensions that led to them, is based on conversations with a number of people at various...