hard-luck guy

“Wasted” was always the operative word in the song; it put you in mind of a hard-luck guy with three days’ stubble getting happily stoned in some Caribbean dive bar.

Baker regularly refers to Gonzalez as the Nationals’ “hard-luck guy,” the one who pitches well enough to win more often than not but does not get those wins as often as he should.

But last week, Sugar Ray, the hard-luck guy of boxing, was all set to get a champion's chance.