You know what's great about your favorite, hometown, childhood baseball team coming to town? Why you get to head out the park and take in a ballgame, of course!

Of course, if you're a Pirates fan, the sun and the good times seem like a lifetime ago. But you hold out hope, you swallow losing seasons over and over, and you take away from it a renewed sense of being a fan. Enduring this losing streak will make me a better fan in the long run. That's what your mind tells you.LaRoche, in his typical "post-swing" position.

But when your team comes to town to face the former division rival New York Metropolitans (Author's note: I think the Pirates still belong in the N.L. East), and you happen to now live in New York, well, then you scoop up tickets as if they were somehow in demand, and you take the 7 out to Shea. It's a wonderful ritual; supporting your team in enemy territory. No matter how bad your team is and no matter what others may think of them, wearing your colors in an opposing stadium is an experience for which this baseball fan lives.

Yet it's also about the game. The purity of the sport. And those guys, no matter how unhappy you are about their play, are most likely doing the best they can with what they're given. You can be angry and bitter and full of bile toward your team, but if the desire to cheer when your team does something, anything well is not in you, you have lost what it means to be a fan.

I have yet to lose that when it comes to the Pirates. I cheer, I bellow, I criticize, I drink. And I defend my team with knowledge and the understanding that they weren't always doormats. When the Mets came to Pittsburgh in the late 80's and early 90's, I was in the stands at Old Three Rivers with friends and family and it was a rivalry-type atmosphere. Both teams were good, both teams had stars and both teams, at least in 1988 and 1990, were at the top of the division.

It rained all day in New York today and at about 5:30, I found out the game was going to be postponed. I was sapped - my energy just left me. This news was bad, but JTeezy's e-mail contained a link that hurt much, much worse:

OUCH!

I've listened to WDVE'S Randy Bauman a few times and I like him. He's not as iconic as Scott Paulsen in my book when it comes to morning show history, but Bauman puts in a solid performance with this one. You can hear the hurt in his voice and even though he spoofs "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's, Randy's lyrics are great.

But there is good news out there in Pirates land, friends. The Pirates released Matt Morris on Sunday before the game. Paul Maholm went out and two-hit the Phillies for the Pirates' first complete game win in what feels like forever. If that's not an omen, I don't know what is. Cut the dead weight and win. Maholm shut down the potent Phils' offense and hummed through nine innings with ease. I believe, and I could be wrong about this, but Maholm finished the complete game, one-run gem in 99 pitches. Omens, galore!

The Pirates now sit at 10-15 games on the young season. Five games under .500 after 25 is slightly worse than I thought they would do, but that doesn't mean taking both or at least splitting the remaining two contests with the Mets won't do loads of good for this team's confidence. Their rotation is no longer "young" to me. If they add Dumatrait to the the starting five, which in all likelihood they will do, that's four left-handed starters. Kansas City tried it in 2004 with predictable results. It's going to be interesting to say the least.

Baseball will have to wait for another day, but seeing the Bucs in person will certainly make it worthwhile to me, no matter where they are in the standings.

This section will be a weekly look at which Pirates you should start on your fantasy team, which Pirates you should bench (all of them except Nate Mac at this point) and which players are poised for big games based on certain match-ups throughout the week.

First, the Go-To Players...

Start These Bucs

Nate McLouth - The guy is absolutely on fire right now and he has been since the beginning of the season. Let's check out his numbers:

.382AVG/3HR/16RBI

Now, that's impressive, but look deeper inside Nate Mac's offensive surge and you'll see a few more things. Namely, he has an 18-game hitting streak to start the season. But check this out:

His 29 hits are five more than the second-best on the team, Xavier Nady's 24 and only four behind the NL leader, Chipper Jones (33). His 16 RBI lead the team and he hits leadoff! His .453 OBP is sixth-highest in the NL among batters with more than 60 at-bats.

Basically, Nate McLouth is the Pirates' biggest offensive weapon and if he continues this pace, he'll be in the Top 10 of most major offensive categories by season's end.
Nate Mac has punished the ball this season and shows no signs of slowing down.

Ian Snell - I just got a little queasy looking at the Pirates' pitching stats, but Ian Snell has been their most consistent starter, holding a 2-1 record at the moment. Snell will take the hill on Wednesday to face the Cardinals at PNC Park, against whom he has a 3-3 career record and a 3.40 ERA.

So far this season, Snell has been back-and-forth. After struggling in his first start, he was Brilliant against the Marlins in his second. He won his third and struggled against the Cubs (albeit while racking up a quality start) during his fourth. My guess is that Snell (2-1, 4.07 ERA this season) will pitch well against the Cards. Snell leads the team in strikeouts (20 in 24 2/3 IP) and has given up only one homer this season while struggling over the course of his career with the long ball.

Ian Snell has been solid so far this season, the polar opposite of his fellow Pirates starters.

Avoid these Buccos (Like the Plague!)

Adam LaRoche - He said it, his manager said it, we all hoped for it, but alas, Adam LaRoche is in an early-season funk the likes of which haven't been seen since...last April. Wow, this guy is terrible in April. Not only is LaRoche leading the team in strikeouts (19), he has only seven hits in 53 at-bats this year for a pitiful .132 average, the lowest on the team not counting pitcher Zach Duke (.125) and DL'd shortstop Jack Wilson who started the season 1/12 before being hurt. The worst part? Yes, there actually is a worse part...two of LaRoche's seven hits came in his first two at-bats of the season. That means he's an atrocious 5 for 51 (.098) since those first two plate appearances.

"LaRoche is a disaster. I really believed that guy was going to man up this season," said TNons. We all hoped for the best out of LaRoche, but it looks like more of the same from Adam until the summer months. Until he gives any sign of coming to life at the plate, stay away from LaRoche as if your life depended on it.

Pirates' first baseman Adam LaRoche strikes out looking...again. At least he has perfected the "I just looked at a called strike three" bat toss.

Entering the 2008 campaign, I set out a list of goals for the Pirates. Assuredly, these weren't goals set forth by new manager John Russell, but I'll bet if we compared notes, the new skipper and I would have seen a common thread. First and foremost, on my list of goals for the Pirates to have a successful, competitive season, I wrote, "avoid 5-plus game losing streaks."

Well, now that the Buccos have shot that goal to rubble, today's entry will be scathing in nature. For all the talk of holding his club accountable for their mistakes, I have yet to read one published report of Russell taking his team to task for their recent "Bad News Bears"-esque play.

So let's get down to it, shall we?

Errors

Leading the league in errors is inexcusable, no matter how many runs you put on the board. In the case of the 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates, the number of runs they put on the board is somewhere between "a few" and "not many." This team fields worse than any current edition of the Pirates and that's downright scary. As friend, confidant, and fellow Buccos fan TNons has astutely pointed out, this team is playing like a "Clown Army" in all facets of the game, most noticeably in the field.

The Pirates arrive in Chicago for yet another ugly game. Shortly after this photo was taken, Brian Bixler committed an error and Xavier Nady was thrown out on the basepaths trying to stretch a single into a double.

Baserunning

In their attempt to screw up every part of the game, the Pirates have been dreadful running the bases. The Clown Army has been thrown out trying to steal, thrown out trying to stretch hits, thrown out running through coaches' stop signs. According to the venerable Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have been told to "be aggressive" on the bases by Russell. However, over the first 18 games of the season, the Pirates as a team have committed at least a dozen base-running gaffes that have not only cost them runs, but wins. Desperately needed wins.

Freddy Sanchez ninja-kicking someone has nothing to do with baserunning mistakes, but I wanted to post the picture. Enjoy!

Starting pitching

Ian Snell aside, the Pirates' rotation has been consistent this year...as in consistently horrible. At this early juncture, I feel it's unfair to completely rip the bullpen as they have been overworked repeatedly by extra innings and blowouts, though they too deserve some criticism. Matt Morris is junk and I doubt he'll be a contributor this year.Tom Gorzelanny has all the talent in the world, but has been struggling with his command. My gut tells me it's because of the shoulder stiffness he's battled since spring training, but Gorzo assures everyone he's fine. I doubt it. Maholm has been a below-average 4th starter. What else can you say about that? Zach Duke seems to be slowly regaining the form that made him a rookie phenom in 2005, but he's still giving up a ton of hits and rarely gets a batter to strike out. The rotation must turn things around in a hurry for this team to have any chance at .500 ball.

Ian Snell has been the lone bright spot in the rotation this year.


Tomorrow I'll get to the offense and it's wretched performance, Nate McLouth not included. I just watched Adam LaRoche strike out looking in the 7th of today's 13-4 (score as of 4:55 pm) blowout at the hands of the Cubs and I just can't force myself to write any more. This is becoming unbearable.

Also, things have been a bit hectic here in reality over the past few days, but I promise to update This Day in Pirates History and also begin work on Buccos Fantasy Focus, a new, fantasy baseball-related section of the blog. Until then...  

Last night's first live blog was fun for me to write...until the 5th inning. Then it got tedious, mainly because Matt Morris lost it and the Pirates seemed offensively stumped after Jose Bautista struck out with the bases loaded in the 1st. I know that's a little early in a game to pick out a turning point, but the Bucs didn't threaten to score multiple runs in an inning at any point after. The final score of last night's game ended up being 11-2. I shut the live blog down after the Pirates' half of the 6th inning and the score sitting at 8-1 Dodgers. Let's see if we can't last a little bit longer tonight (that's what she said).

Tonight we have Paul Maholm pitching for the Bucs against Brad "Where's my cooler?" Penny on the hill for L.A. Maholm has pitched relatively well this season, but he's given up big hits with men on base and hasn't got much offensive support behind him.

Quick shout-out to the Pittsburgh Penguins! Tonight, Sid and Co. completed the series sweep against the Ottawa Senators, avenging last year's first-round playoff defeat. The Pens will have to wait a few days to see who'll they'll be playing in the second round. Congrats to the Pens! They're looking like a very scary team at the moment and seem to have all the tools in place to make a run for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Crosby beats Martin Gerber for a goal in Game 3 of the Penguins/Senators first-round playoff series. The Penguins completed the sweep of Ottawa tonight, winning 3-1.

And now, on to the Buccos...

1st Inning (Top)

Nate Mac taps out weakly to Penny to start the game. Nomar Garciaparra is back in the lineup tonight for L.A. and Vin Scully seems very happy about this fact. I, however, am quite unhappy at the sight of the Pirates' lineup tonight, mainly because Brian Bixler is getting the start at SS. Sanchez grounds out to short, two down. Now Scully is saying that Jason Bay is the "whipping boy" in Pittsburgh. Not sure about that one, Vin. Bay grounds out to third and Garciappara gets some help on the throw at first from James Loney. Pirates 0, Dodgers 0

1st Inning (Bottom)

Speed demon Rafael Furcal catches the Bucs' infield napping by laying down a nice bunt single on the first pitch of the night from Maholm. Russell Martin follows by hitting a shot off Maholm's leg. The ball caroms into right field and Furcal moves to third. Well, that didn't take long...Matt Kemp singles sharply into left field, scoring Furcal. The play I'm about to describe is something that only a Pirates fan would consider normal: Jeff Kent hits an RBI single that scores Martin. On Nady's throw in from right field to second base, the Pirates get Kemp hung up in a rundown. Bixler throws to Bautista, who misses Kemp with the tag when Kemp literally lays down on the field. Bautista runs right past (and over) him, Kemp gets up and sprints to third, safe on the play. Unbe-fricken-lievable. Loney flies out to left, Kemp scores on the sacrifice. That was Bautista's fifth error of the year, by the way. Maholm doesn't have good velocity yet, but he just struck out Andruw Jones looking with a nice slider. Garciappara, in his first at-bat this season, walks on a questionable check-swing call. The Pirates' follies continue as Ronny Paulino lets a routine fastball pop out of his glove for a passed ball. Kent advances to third, Garciaparra to second. Juan Pierre executes a perfect drag bunt and beats Maholm to first, allowing Kent to score. Errors, passed balls, and walks, the Buccos' recipe for continual disaster. The sad part is, the Dodgers have hit one ball hard; Martin's line-drive off Maholm's leg. Finally, the inning is over as Maholm gets Penny to line out softly to Bixler. Dodgers 4, Pirates 0

2nd Inning (Top)

Penny's velocity is picking up so far in the 2nd. LaRoche flies out to Pierre in left. The Bucs finally get a little bit of a break as Nady's pop fly into shallow right falls between three Dodgers and Xavier ends up on second with a one-out double. Penny didn't break 90 on the gun in the 1st and he just hit 93 against Bautista. Apparently he shotgunned a couple of beers in the dugout during that long 1st inning. Bautista flies out harmlessly to right field, failing to redeem himself for that wretched error in the 1st. "Ron" Paulino, as Scully has been calling him, drills a single into fight, but Nady runs right through third base coach Tony Beasley's stop sign at third and is promptly thrown out by 10 feet. As Scully says, "The Pirates just make sooooo many mistakes." Hard to argue with you, Vin. Dodgers 4, Pirates 0

2nd Inning (Bottom)

Maybe I should put this live blogging thing to bed. Rafael Furcal deposits Maholm's first pitch of the 2nd about 15 rows deep down the left field line for a solo home run. Martin follows with a sharp single up the middle. At least it didn't hit Maholm in the other leg. Kemp flies out to Nady in right, one away. Looks like the bullpen is going to get called in early once again tonight...Kent rips a single to center, Martin to third. Loney's fly ball to center scores Martin and I see Franquelis "Crazy Eyes" Osoria warming up in the pen. I wish I would have caught what Scully just said...something about the Pope and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! Damn it! I can't believe I missed that gem. Maholm induces another sky-high Andruw Jones fly out and the Bucs are finally out of the inning. Dodgers 6, Pirates 0

3rd Inning (Top)

Bixler leads off with a smooth swinging strikeout. I figure I might as well compliment him every time he fails...that makes it easier for me to stomach. Maholm is batting so I guess Franquelis will have to wait another half-inning before he comes in. Maholm goes down looking, two dead. Nate Mac grounds out to second base to end the inning. Penny is settling in to a nice drunk and a good pitching rhythm and that's certainly not good news for the Pirates on either count. Dodgers 6, Pirates 0

3rd Inning (Bottom)

Garciaparra leads off with another sharp single, the Dodgers' ninth hit so far tonight. Pierre flies out to Bay in left, one out. Maholm decides to do Brad Penny's job for him as he balks Garciaparra over to second base and Penny can now hit away instead of bunting. Penny strikes out swinging, two away. Maholm, seemingly scared of what Rafael Furcal might do to him if he throws a strike, walks him to put runners on first and second. Martin grounds out to Bixler and Maholm actually records a scoreless inning. Dodgers 6, Pirates 0

4th Inning (Top)

Sanchez grounds out to Garciaparra to start the inning, one away. Bay singles sharply to left field and mercifully ends another "whipping boy" story by Scully. I know Bay had a down year in 07, but I don't recall him being a "whipping boy" in the media or by fans. As usual, Scully has confused me. LaRoche lines out and Nady flies to the wall in right field to end the inning. Dodgers 6, Pirates 0

4th Inning (Bottom)

Kemp leads off with a single to left, the Dodgers' 10th hit of the night. Kent grounds to the hole between short and third, Bixler makes a nice play to start a gorgeous 6-4-3 double play. Sanchez's turn was very quick and punctuated with a strong throw, a good sign that his surgically repaired right shoulder is getting back to normal. Loney flies out to Bay to end the inning and it seems Maholm has finally settled down after a very rocky start. Dodgers 6, Pirates 0

5th Inning (Top)

Bautista, having a particularly horrible game and mired in the midst of a 2/20 slump, strikes out looking on a Penny curveball for the first out. Paulino whiffs on an off-speed pitch for out number two. Bixler grounds out to third to end the inning. The Pirates have mustered absolutely no offense since the Nady base-running gaffe in the 2nd. Dodgers 6, Pirates 0

5th Inning (Bottom)

Andruw Jones lashes a single down the left field line, cut off nicely by Bay. The Dodgers have started every inning so far tonight with a base hit. Maholm gets Garciaparra to pop up to Sanchez, one gone. Pierre taps into a force play to Bixler for the second out, but Sanchez's  relay throw isn't quick enough to get the speedy outfielder at first for the double play. Penny taps back to the mound and Maholm throws on to first for the third out. Dodgers 6, Pirates 0

6th Inning (Top)

Nyjer Morgan on to pinch hit for Maholm and he grounds out meekly to second, one down. Final line on Maholm: 5 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 2 K. Nate Mac singles sharply to center, upping his season-long hitting streak to 15 games. Sanchez follows with a line drive to Kemp in right for the second out. Bay hits a routine chopper to short, but Furcal fires the throw into the dirt and Loney can't come up with it, allowing Nate Mac to move to third and Bay to reach first. LaRoche follows with a bullet into right for an RBI single and the Pirates are on the board. Dodgers manager Joe Torre sprints from the dugout (yeah, right) and pulls Penny from the game. Final line on Penny: 5 2/3 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Scott Proctor has taken the hill for the Dodgers and he'll face Nady who bats with Bay at third and LaRoche at first. Nady flies out again to right to end the inning, but at least the Pirates have cracked the scoresheet. Dodgers 6, Pirates 1

6th Inning (Bottom)

Nyjer Morgan stays in the game to play center, Nate Mac moves to right, and Franquelis "Crazy Eyes" Osoria is in the game to pitch for the Bucs. Furcal hits a ground ball up the middle that Sanchez flags down and fires to first, but LaRoche can't come up with it and Fucal is aboard with his third hit of the night. Scully just said that Osoria has a "sixth digit" on his right hand! They're trying to get a close-up of the extra finger...this is what HD is for, my friends. Show me that extra finger! I still haven't seen the "extra digit," but it doesn't stop Osoria from walking Martin on five pitches. Osoria and his extra finger induce Kemp to ground into a silky 6-4-3 double play. Surprisingly, Bixler has played well defensively tonight. I hope I haven't jinxed him, though I will surely blame him and him alone if he screws up from here on out. Kent grounds out to third for the final out of the inning and the Dodgers leave Martin at third. Dodgers 6, Pirates 1

7th Inning (Top)

Bautista is just awful at the plate right now. Proctor strikes him out and he's now 0/3 tonight, 0/13 in the series and 2 for his last 23 at the plate overall. Yuck. Paulino walks, the Pirates' first base on balls of the evening. Bixler hits a sharp grounder that Garciaparra can't handle and everyone is safe, an error on Nomar. Former Pirate Joe Beimel comes on in relief of Proctor and gets Nyjer Morgan to fly to Pierre for out number two. Beimel strikes out McLouth with some high cheese and the Pirates leave two men on base. Dodgers 6, Pirates 1

7th Inning (Bottom)

Loney singles to right and the Dodgers have led off every inning tonight with a hit. Osoria strikes out Andruw Jones with a nasty slider low and away for out number one. Scully just announced tonight's attendance: 53,629. Congrats, Dodgers fans. That's a lot of people to come out when the Pirates are in town. Garciaparra walks and Pierre follows with a weak double down the right filed line that somehow gets under LaRoche's glove to score another run. The Pirates bring the infield in to cut off any more runs and Osoria gets Chin-Iung Hu to ground out to S toanchez for the second out. Furcal chops an infield single, his fourth hit of the night, and knocks in yet another run. Martin flies out to center to end the inning, but not before the Dodgers do more damage. Dodgers 8, Pirates 1

8th Inning (Top)

Jonathan Broxton is on for L.A. Sanchez pops up to start the 8th, one out. Bay flies out to center, two gone. LaRoche walks. Doug Mientkiewicz pops up to third to end the inning. The Pirates have had chances tonight to score at least three, maybe four runs, but this game is all L.A. The Bucs just haven't had the offense, even hypothetically, to compete tonight. Dodgers 8, Pirates 1

8th Inning (Bottom)

Damaso Marte is on in relief for the Bucs. Scully is telling the story about Ozzie Guillen "sending Marte home for being late to the ballpark one day." Sheesh, is that the only tidbit Scully has for Marte? Anyway, Damaso starts the inning by striking out Kemp, the first time all night the Dodgers have failed to put the lead-off man on base. Marte sets down pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney looking with a nice fastball on the outside corner. Marte finally gets Loney to strike out swinging after a wild 11 pitch at-bat that featured seven foul balls. Marte's inning has been tonight's lone bright spot out of Pirates pitching as he strikes out the side.

9th Inning (Top)

The Dodgers have brought Takashi Saito into the game tonight for a little work even though the game is certainly not a save situation. Maybe Torre wants Saito to re-build his confidence a little bit after giving up Nate Mac's game-winning homer on Monday night. Bautista's average continues its free-fall as Jose grounds out gently to first base, one away. Paulino strikes out looking, two gone. And it comes down to this...Brian Bixler up with two outs in the 9th. Can he stave off certain defeat by prolonging it for at least one more batter? He does! Bixler drives a two-out double that short-hops the wall in centerfield! Well, good for him. He can't screw up all the time, right? Nyjer Morgan follows Bixler with a tapper to Saito and the game is over.

Final score: Dodgers 8, Pirates 1
Player of the Game: Rafael Furcal - 4/4, 2 R, 2 RBI
WP: Brad Penny, (2-2, 2.96 ERA)
LP: Paul Maholm, (0-2, 5.28 ERA)

One positive about tonight is this: I completed my first complete-game live blog. Yeah, that's about it. The Pirates played horribly in all facets of the game. They fielded like a junior high school team, they committed errors, a horrendous base-running mistake (Nady), a balk, and they couldn't hit to save their life. In all, losing two out of three to the Dodgers isn't the end of the world, but it easily could have been a sweep if not for Nate Mac's heroics on Monday night. The Pirates are now 7-8 on the young season and are flying to Chicago tonight for a huge series that starts Friday. Things have to improve everywhere if the Pirates are going to win a couple of games in Chicago, a must if they are to remain competitive in the NL Central come May 1st.

Good evening, folks...

Switching up the format of Snap Judgments a bit, I've decided to write a live blog during tonight's game. Today was an extremely busy day in reality and I have been slacking on my cyberspace duties, missing both Snap Judgments from yesterday's game (NATE MAC!) and This Day in Pirates History for both yesterday and today. I figure I can make This Day in Pirates History a tri-weekly section, but I'd like to keep Snap Judgments daily, if possible. I'm also going to add a Fantasy Spotlight tomorrow, but for now, let's get to the live blogging.

First off, it's Jackie Robinson Day around MLB and I'm confused. Number 42 is having a good and bad game for both the Pirates and Dodgers right now. 42 just walked in 42 for the first run of the game. This 42 looks like Matt Morris, this 42 like Rafael Furcal. For the record, I am not in favor of entire teams wearing Jackie Robinson's number...but more on that later.

1st Inning (Top)

Pirates on the board first as Hong-Chih Kuo can't hit the broadside of a barn, walking three straight with two outs. Ronny Paulino got credit for an RBI on his walk, knocking in Nate Mac who singled, running his season-opening hitting streak to 14 games. Jose Bautista strikes out looking with the bases loaded to end the threat. Pirates 1, Dodgers 0

1st Inning (Bottom)

Matt Morris looks decent so far, getting through the 1stl without incident. My expectations for Morris tonight are still realistic, though: 5 IP, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2K. Pirates 1, Dodgers 0

2nd Inning (Top)

Kuo seems to have settled down a bit and sets Chris Gomez down during a story from Vin Scully about snipers (or "sharpshooters" as Scully keeps calling them) on top of the roof somewhere during a game featuring Jackie Robinson. At least, I think that's what he's talking about since Scully rarely makes much sense. I'm watching the game on FSN Prime Ticket because it's being televised in HD and the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast is in standard definition and therefore, unwatchable. Pirates 1, Dodgers 0

2nd Inning (Bottom)

Morris gives up a base hit to Kent to start the inning and induces Loney into what looks to be a ground ball double play, but the always reliable Luis Rivas fires Freddy Sanchez's toss off the dugout fence up the first baseline. Loney tries to steal second on a busted hit-and-run play, but Russell Martin swings through the pitch and Paulino nails Loney by three feet at second. Martin ends the inning by whiffing at a Morris curveball in the dirt...man, is Martin struggling so far or what? Pirates 1, Dodgers 0

3rd Inning (Top)

Vin Scully just told a story about Luis Rivas' imaginary friend Gazoo. Apparently when Rivas was with the Twins, he talked to his invisible friend Gazoo during the games. I mean, is this necessary? I guess he has to fill air because he has no color man, but sometimes it feels like Scully is talking to his own Gazoo. MEANWHILE, Rivas just whiffed. Kuo has definitely settled in after a 30+ pitch 1st inning. Sanchez and Bay ground out and Kuo, while over 60 pitches, has a 1-2-3 3rd under his belt. Pirates 1, Dodgers 0

3rd Inning (Bottom)

Andruw Jones hits the prettiest flyouts of any player in the Majors. When it leaves his bat, you think, "Wow, that's gone," but the ball (at least for the past two years) dies nicely a step in front of the warning track. Blake Dewitt up next. Rivas makes the play on a groundout. It's kind of comforting when Rivas makes a routine play at short. Kuo grounds out weakly, and that's another quick inning by Morris. I'm still not convinced... Pirates 1, Dodgers 0

4th Inning (Top)

One good thing about the Pirates playing the Dodgers on Jackie Robinson day is hearing Scully's stories about Robinson. Most of Scully's little tidbits about the current players are hard to stomach, but the sincerity of him relaying personal memories about Robinson has a feel of authenticity that no other announcer in the game could bring to the table on this day. The flashbacks, brought to life by an announcer who lived them, are truly a treat for this baseball fan. For that, I appreciate having to listen to Scully tonight.

Nady leads off with a sharp single to left, but Paulino follows it up with a strikeout looking. Kuo now has six strikeouts in just over 3 IP, but his pitch count is way high, over 70 at the moment. No trouble for Kuo this inning as Nady stays frozen at first thanks to flyouts by Bautista and Gomez. Pirates 1, Dodgers 0

4th Inning (Bottom)

Morris is in trouble after giving up a lead-off ground rule double to Furcal and a single and stolen base to Matt Kemp. I have a not-so-good feeling about this inning...and quickly, that feeling is realized as Andre Ethier brings them both home with a flare double to left in front of Jason Bay. Morris gets Kent to ground out and Rivas holds Ethier at second. Loney lashes an RBI single to right to score Ethier and the Dodgers are rolling. Loney now owns a 14-game hitting streak to start the season, the Dodgers' longest such streak since 1978. Martin flies out to right and Paulino nails Loney at second with another bullet to end the inning. Dodgers 3, Pirates 1

5th Inning (Top)

Kuo is out of the game, replaced by former Pirate Esteban Loaiza. Kuo struggled in the 1st, but found his groove and struck out five straight at one point. Hard to believe it's been 17 years since the Pirates first signed Loaiza. While it makes me feel a tad old to remember Esteban as a rookie in Pittsburgh, I'm sure it makes him feel older every time he faces his former team. The Bucs go quietly in the 5th as Loaiza gets Morris to ground out and Nate Mac and Rivas to pop out. Dodgers 3, Pirates 1

5th inning (Bottom)

Morris issues a lead-off walk to Andruw Jones and gets some big defensive help from Nady as the X-Man pulls in a Blake Dewitt drive up against the right field wall. Loazia sacrifices Jones to second and Rafael Furcal cashes in Jones with an RBI single up the gut into center. Sadly, it looks as if my numeric predictions for Morris from the 1st inning are right on track. Furcal steals second on Paulino, but that one is excusable. Considering Morris didn't look at Furcal once while he was at first, Rafael got a huge jump leaving Paulino with no real shot to throw him out. Kemp triples off the base of the center field wall, driving in Furcal. I'd say Morris is just about done, wouldn't you? Manager John Russell agrees and lifts Morris in favor of  Phil Dumatrait. Final line on Morris - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K and yes, another crappy start. I like being right about baseball-related things, but certainly not like this. Dumatriat plunks Ethier to put Dodgers on first and third and Jeff Kent absolutely BOMBS a belt-high fastball out over the plate to put a stranglehold on this game. Finally, Dumatrait gets Loney to ground out to second base and the inning is finally, mercifully over. Dodgers 8, Pirates 1

6th Inning (Top)

Well, if the Pirates can put a couple on the board this inning, I'll stay up (currently, the time is midnight EST) and keep this ill-fated experiment going. However, in the interest of me actually getting some sleep tonight, if the Pirates fail to score, I'm calling this Live Blog fiasco in the bottom of the 6th due to a pain delay.

Freddy leads off with a sharp single the other way, a line drive between first and second. Just the type of hit I watched about 110 times during his 2006 season when he became the 25th Pittsburgh Pirate to win a batting title. Bay grounds into a fielder's choice for out number one. Nady strikes out looking for out number two. Paulino flies out to center to end the inning and send me to bed an unhappy fan once again. Dodgers 8, Pirates 1

Well, I hope the game stays close tomorrow night as I'll give this Live Blogging thing another shot. As for tonight, I can only hope I wake up tomorrow morning to a happy report of the Pirates scoring eight runs in the 9th to pull out another dramatic victory.

D'oh!

On this day in 1960, the Pirates:

Beat the Phillies, 13-0 at Forbes Field.

Phillies starter Cal McLish lasted only 2 2/3 innings and gave up a 1st-inning homer to Bill Mazeroski as the Pirates trounced the Phils, 13-0. Maz and Clemente, who notched a two-RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd, gave starter Vern Law all the offense he would need on this day by staking him to a 5-0 lead at the end of three. Law pitched a complete game shutout, struck out two and walked none as the Pirates evened their record at 1-1 on the young season.

Vern Law, not afraid to pitch while wearing a batting helmet.

On this day in 1971, the Pirates:

Beat the Phillies, 9-3 in Philadelphia.

The Pirates were trailing 3-0 in the 5th when Manny Sanguillen hit a three-run homer to tie it. Sanguillen would have never had the chance to hit  with men aboard if Phillies' second baseman Tony Taylor would have fielded Richie Hebner's ground ball cleanly. Instead, Taylor muffed the play, Clemente followed with a single and Sanguillen followed with the homer, all three runs unearned. The game remained knotted until the 8th when Pirates shortstop Jackie Hernandez and Nellie Briles, the winning pitcher on this day, smacked back-to-back home runs.

Manny Sanguillen, continually focused on being my Dad's baseball hero.

On this day in 1979, the Pirates:

Beat the Cardinals at Three Rivers Stadium, 7-6.

Again, I am perplexed by the attendance figure. Only 4,395 people showed up to the game. I mean, even today's Pirates draw more people than that. I'm done trying to figure out the attendance...if anyone who reads this can tell me why the Pirates were only drawing about 5,000 people/game in the early stages of the 1979 season, please advise. I'd really like to know.

As far as the game, it was a back-and-forth nail-biter all day. Jim Bibby picked up the win, Grant Jackson the save, and first baseman John Milner was the offensive hero as his two-run shot in the 7th inning broke a 5-5 tie.

Jim Bibby, Pirates pitcher. Judging from the stands, this photo was taken during the actual game.

Ah, the "sweep" smell of success! The Bucs completed their first home sweep since April of last year in beating the Reds, 9-1, on a rainy day in Pittsburgh. I didn't have time to write yesterday because of baseball and softball commitments. So, in the essence of making up for lost time, let's get into today's Snap Judgments:

1.) Gorzo Rebounds From Horrid Start, Pitches Well Enough to Win

While Ian Snell is leading the voting so far this season in the election for Team Ace, I still have very high hopes for Tom Gorzelanny. He's been wildly inconsistent so far this season and has reportedly been battling shoulder stiffness since spring training, but yesterday's start was key on many levels for both the Pirates and Gorzo.

"He had a quality start in bad conditions," manager John Russell said after the game.

Conditions aside (it looked pretty gross in Pittsburgh during the game), Gorzo cruised through five innings. He got into some trouble in the 6th and did surrender four walks, but all told, Gorzelanny made a big stride yesterday toward regaining his 14-win form of a year ago.

"Hey, do you see my batting average up there?" - "No, but I think I finally found the strike zone!"

2.) The Lumber Company, circa 2008

Ryan Doumit welcomed Johnny Cueto to the bigs in the 2nd by depositing a fastball about 5 rows deep into the stands above the right centerfield notch. It was the first hit by a left-handed batter given up by Cueto so far this season. ESPN keeps reminding me how good Cueto is supposed to be, but they forget to remind me that the guy is 22 and made just his third Major League start yesterday. In any event, the Bucs got to him (and the rest of the Reds' pitchers) in a big way yesterday. Xavier Nady hit the death-blow homer in the 6th inning off Cueto, a two-run shot that made the score 5-0. And just for good measure, Jason Bay - who has been hitting the ball very well in the past 5 games - added a three-run bomb in the  7th off Todd Coffey.

Final score, 9-1. Three home runs, one each by the 3, 4, and 5 hitters. If LaRoche could find his swing this year before August, the Pirates may have a very powerful 3-through-6.

Xavier Nady in the gym, building up his hair muscles.

3.) Another Day, Another Error

No "Snap Judgments" would be complete without me bagging on Brian Bixler. So here it is:

While Bixler went 1/4 at the plate, struck out twice and stranded two, it was his throwing error in the 5th that bothered me. While it didn't hurt the Pirates on the scoreboard, the error is indicative a troubling trend among Pirates infielders. Luis Rivas actually played well at second yesterday (his natural position) and Bixler made a couple of decent defensive plays, but he screwed up another routine ground ball and threw it away. Gorzo worked around it and ended the 5th by inducing Edwin Encarnacion's weak tapper to Rivas for the third out.

When Bixler plays a perfect game, I'll give him his props. Until then, I am forced to be unmerciful. Jack Wilson is supposed to return on the 19th. Pirates fans everywhere are praying that return date holds true.

Bixler in Indianapolis, where he should be today.

When I take notes during the game, I underline what I consider good plays/positives for the Pirates in green pen, bad plays/mistakes/negatives in red pen. Looking over tonight's game, I have 13 green to 9 red. That's a pretty good margin for a team like the Pirates, a team that needs to rely on execution, fundamentals, timely hitting, and solid pitching to stay competitive for the majority of the season. Scratching out one-run wins will be a huge determining factor as 2008 progresses and tonight, if only for one night, the Pirates did more right than they did wrong.

So let's get to it...

1.) Ian Snell, Without His Best Stuff, Got it Done

Snell's last start, against the Marlins this past Sunday, was a picture of power pitching. Snell threw with a mean streak, apparently peeved at the way he perceived Marlins hitters showing up his team's pitchers during the first two games of the series. The Bucs needed to salvage a win in Miami after losing the first two and Snell came out guns blazing, striking out 10 in only six winnings of work. Snell got a ton of offense during that game and manager John Russell lifted him early as the game was out-of-hand by the top of the 7th.

Tonight was a different story. Far from the balmy climate of south Florida, the weather in Pittsburgh was damp and chilly. It was evident from the first inning on that Snell didn't have particularly great command or velocity. Yet, the Bucs' emerging ace got it done. Snell's line read like this: 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2K, but he worked out of jams in the 1st and 3rd and kept what could have been a wretched 5th inning under control. All told, I was quite pleased with Snell's work. His fastball topped out at only 91-92 mph and he was throwing 95-96 mph in Florida and he was forced to rely on his off-speed stuff more often than I'm sure he would have liked. It's gritty performances like tonight's that the rest of the rotation needs to duplicate in order for this team to get hot. If the rest of the starters can learn from Snell gutting out a win without his best stuff, all the better. This is the type of leadership the Pirates are supposedly paying Matt Morris $10million this season to instill, but if Russell were smart, he'd be touting Snell as the team's ace.

"Don't make me start the season 2-0! I'll do it! I'm CRAAAAAAAAAAAZY, fool!"

2.) Brian Bixler, Bane of My Existence

Sure, you think I'm being hard on the guy, right? Well, screw you. I can't take it. I have Bixler's name underlined in red three times in tonight's notes. That's 1/3 of the red, 1/3 of the bad plays, 1/3 of the failures that could have cost the Pirates tonight's game. Luis Rivas started yesterday and was predictably bad, so Russell went right back to Bixler. And he did not disappoint...everyone who was waiting for him to screw up. In the 4th, with Doug Meintkeiayeintyiwsyiwiicz on 3rd after a lead-off double and wild pitch by Reds' starter Bronson Arroyo and Ronny Paulino at first after a walk, Bixler came to the plate. With Snell batting behind him, Bixler's job was plain and simple: get Meintkeiayeintyiwsyiwiicz home before the pitcher came up. "Get the ball to the outfield," is what I kept saying in my head. Then I started screaming it at my dog. It turns out that dogs apparently aren't telepathic and Bixler didn't get my message. He then proceeded to whiff oh-so-gracefully. Snell then struck out the end the inning with Meintkeiayeintyiwsyiwiicz standing frozen at third.

Bixler also made two terrible "plays" in the field, but I can't even go into those right now because my stomach acid is churning as I proofread this and I don't want to vomit on my keyboard. All I'll say is this: "Congratulations, Brian Bixler, on getting your first Major League hit. That sharp ground ball off a diving Brandon Phillips' glove is something I'm sure your grandkids will hear about as a laser into the right-centerfield gap."

Bixler turns a crisp double-play in the 9th, a surprising "green underline" for the Pirates' struggling rookie.

3.) Nate Mac and The Mad Capper Shine

What more can I say about Nate Mac? The dude is a machine right now. Another 2/5 night, the game-winning RBI, another run scored, average hovering around .400, leading the Majors in hits. Ho-hum. Just another night for Nate McLouth. Watching Nate Mac emerge into a bona fide starting centerfielder and possible (probable) All-Star has truly been the highlight of the young season. Just as Snell approaches the game with a fiery attitude, so does Nate Mac. His swing is perfect for PNC Park. Those big gaps and short right field porch are going to be kind to him numbers-wise as the season progresses. The only guy not happy about McLouth's breakout year? Chris Duffy, somewhere in Indianapolis...

Nate McLouth has hit safely in all 11 games this season and also owns an extensive collection of leather-bound Hemingway first editions.

After being roughed up in his first appearance of the season in Atlanta, Matt Capps has been nearly unhittable since. Tonight, The Mad Capper made quick work of the Reds in the 9th inning and is now 3/3 in save opportunities on the season. Capps emerged last year as the Pirates' closer and while he agreed to a two-year, $3.1million contract at the beginning of this season, Nutting and Co. should definitely come out of their pockets and extend this guy to five years. The two sides couldn't get a long-term extension settled before spring training (hence the two-year deal), but it should be priority No. 1 this offseason. He's big and strong, young, overpowering, and aggressive; all the characteristics a front office looks for when scouting a potential closer. Marte and Yates also got some big outs tonight, but Capps is the guy in that bullpen.

 
Capps! AHHHH! AH! Savior of the Universe!

Sometimes you just get lucky...

The Pirates didn't play terribly well tonight, but somehow it was enough. I watched the game on my computer while the Penguins/Senators playoff game dominated the plasma. During intermissions and commercials, I flipped to the Bucs/Reds on FSN Ohio (before you ask, yes, I bought MLB.tv, MLB Extra Innings and NHL Center Ice so as to not miss any of my teams) and through a couple of rain delays, I viewed with a cynical eye as the Bucs scraped out a 1-0 win at home to end a three-game losing streak.

Tonight's Snap Judgments will focus on what I feel are the larger issues facing this team. To be competitive this season, the Buccos will need to remedy these problems and hopefully, avoid them altogether.

1.) Time to Start Making Routine Plays

The Pirates made two more errors tonight. According to my notes, that gives them 16 miscues in the field over the first 10 games of the season. I'm not going to project it out, because it would be disgusting to look at if I did. The Pirates are definitely missing Jack Wilson at SS and with Jack on the DL, shortstop has been a terrible, creaky carnival ride every night with Bixler/Rivas. It's the type of carnival ride you're scared of, one that makes you throw up...like the Gravitron. But the larger problem is that everyone in the infield has been making errors. LaRoche has one, Freddy has two, Rivas has five (!), and Bautista has three. This type of sloppy play is unacceptable, especially on the Major League level.

D'oh! Freddy Sanchez has been uncharacteristically shaky in the field so far in 2008, along with the rest of his infield mates.

2.) Two-out Hitting and Leaving Runners on Base

Jason Bay seems to be seeing the ball better than he was at the beginning of the season (or at any time last season) and he absolutely pulverized a Jared Burton hanger to give the Pirates the only run they needed to win tonight. The 430-foot bomb came with two outs in the 6th inning and was Bay's 19th career homerun against Cincinnati. However, the Pirates left 10 runners on base tonight (outdone by the Reds' 12 LOB) and failed on several occasions to get a two-out hit with runners in scoring position. The most notable occurrence was during the 8th. Clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Pirates loaded the bases with two outs. Xavier Nady came on to pinch hit against David Weathers and flew out weakly to end the inning. The Pirates will not shut teams out every night and they must cash in with timely hitting or they will continue to suffer the extra-inning, one-run losses we saw during the Cubs series.

Finally! A two-out RBI!

3.) Bullpen Overworked Again...Thanks a Lot Mother Nature!

Paul Maholm was cruising. He'd worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and was keeping himself out of trouble and the Reds' hitters off-balance. After back-to-back, one-out singles by Adam Dunn and Joey Votto, a huge thunderclap was heard, a bolt of lightning seen and the heavens opened up. Umpire Tim McClelland ordered everyone off the field at the sight of lightning. Rain dumped by the bucketful on PNC Park and the tarp came out as players and fans scampered for cover. Just like that Maholm's night was done, much to the chagrin of manager John Russell, I'm sure. Russell was certainly hoping for seven, maybe eight innings from Maholm tonight and it looked as if he'd deliver. But the rain delay stretched for an hour and 22 minutes and it was impossible to bring Maholm back out to pitch. So Russell went with Grabow, Marte, and Capps. On a normal night, 3 2/3 innings pitched out of your bullpen isn't the end of the world, but as I wrote yesterday, the bullpen desperately needs a break. Hopefully Snell tomorrow and Gorzo on Sunday can give the guys in the pen some much-needed rest.

"You mean I'm pitching AGAIN? I'm not Salomon Torres, you know!" -- Damaso Marte

48 years ago today, the Pittsburgh Pirates opened up the 1960 season and most pundits at the time didn't give the Buccos much of a shot to do anything substantial. After posting an 84-70 record and finishing second in the NL to the Braves in 1958, the Pirates stumbled in 1959 and finished 4th in the NL at 78-76. The 1958 season ended nine straight losing years in Pittsburgh, but the off year in '59 put the Pirates firmly under the national radar entering 1960. Danny Murtaugh's team was an afterthought as most writers and fans once again focused on Milwaukee and their powerful duo of Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews. The Braves also boasted a rock-solid pitching staff, anchored by Hall of Famer Warren Spahn and Lew Berdette, a powerful righty who would win 19 games in 1960 and 203 in his career.

On this date in 1960, the Pirates:

Lost 4-3 to the Braves in Milwaukee.

Nearly 40,000 fans showed up to County Stadium on Opening Day and watched Warren Spahn and Bob Friend duel for seven innings. Spahn went deep in the game, something he did 35 times during his illustrious career. Joe Adcock also homered for Milwaukee. The Pirates got RBIs from Roberto Clemente, Bob Skinner and Hal Smith, but it wasn't enough as Berdette came on in the 9th to record the save. Roy Face took it on the chin (bad pun, I know) and suffered the loss for the Bucs.

Mazeroski, Vern Law, Clemente, and Face - The anchors of the 1960 Championship team.

On this date in 1971, the Pirates:

Beat the Phillies 4-3 in Philadelphia.

Bob Johnson started for the Pirates and pitched nine strong innings, surrendering only Don Money's three-run homer in the 3rd. The Bucs had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning and tied the game in the 6th. The score would remain knotted at 3 before the black and gold finally broke through in the top of the 11th when Pops Stargell singled home Dave Cash with the eventual winning run. The win gave the Pirates a 4-2 record. Richie Hebner had a nice day at the plate going 3/5 with a walk.


Pirates third-baseman Richie Hebner, stylin' and profilin'.

On this date in 1979, the Pirates:

Beat the Cardinals 3-1 at Three Rivers Stadium.

This one is a tad perplexing to me, only because of the attendance figure on the box score. It states that only 3,986 people attended the game. I've done some other research, to see if maybe weather was a factor, but I haven't found anything conclusive. Truthfully, if I were able to attend on my own (I was less than a year old at the time), I would have gone to see this game. Both lineups featured a number of big names. On the St. Louis side of the diamond, you had Lou Brock and Keith "Taco" Hernandez. For the Pirates that day, Dave Parker was in right, Phil Garner at third, and Don "Caveman" Robinson on the hill. But I digress...let's get to the game.

The aforementioned Taco took Caveman deep in the 4th inning to stake the Cards to a 1-0 lead. The Pirates scored two in the 6th, highlighted by Parker tripling home Omar Moreno. The Bucs would add an insurance run in the 8th on Rennie Stennett's RBI single. Caveman went the distance and the Buccos upped their record to 2-4 on the young season.

The Cobra: 1/3 man, 1/3 snake, 1/3 serial killer. Dave Parker taking batting practice...in a hockey mask? I'm sure no one bothered him that day.

Much has been made of new general manager Neal Huntington and president Frank Coonley's desire to "change the culture" of the current Pirates. The two men, hired by principal owner Bob Nutting this past off-season, have spoken about reminding today's roster of the storied history of one of MLB's oldest franchises. They have done subtle things like bringing players from the '60, '71, and '79 World Series teams back into the fold of the franchise. They've hired Chuck Tanner, the manager of that '79 team, as a senior adviser. They've also added a famous quote by Roberto Clemente to the hallway that leads from the Pirates' clubhouse to the field, a reminder of what this franchise used to mean not only to the city of Pittsburgh, but to the sport of baseball as a whole.

Remembering Roberto and reminding today's Pirates that this team hasn't always sucked.

I've decided to add a section to the blog entitled "This Day in Pirates History" in hopes of doing my small part to "change the culture" of losing that has surrounded this team for the past 15 consecutive seasons. I hope to remind readers that the black and gold were once champions and have fielded some of the best teams in the history of Major League Baseball. Courtesy of the fantastic website, www.baseball-reference.com, I've been able to look up box scores from the 1979, 1971, and 1960 championship years. Box scores weren't available for the 1925 and 1909 seasons, so I'll limit this section to remembering '60, '71, and '79.

So let's get it started...

On this date in 1960, the Pirates:

Did nothing. Their opening day was April 12th, 1960. So we'll get to them tomorrow.

On this date in 1971, the Pirates:

Lost to the Braves in Atlanta, 3-1.

Dock Ellis pitched a complete game and took the loss for the Bucs. The Pirates held a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th, but Ellis surrendered the tying run in that inning and two more runs in the 8th. Atlanta pitcher Jim Nash picked up the complete game win. Dave Cash drove in the only run for the Pirates that day as he hit leadoff for a lineup that boasted a 3-4-5 of Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Al Oliver. The loss dropped the Bucs to 3-2 on the young season, 2 1/2 games behind the first place Braves.

The greatest rightfielder of all time, Roberto Clemente, hit .341 in 1971 and won his 11th Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

On this date in 1979, the Pirates:

Lost to the Phillies in Philadelphia, 5-4.

Back in the 70's, when men were men and pitchers went longer than 6 innings per start, the Pirates and Phillies had a natural rivalry. Before the National League Central existed and the divisions were just East and West, Bucs/Phils games were similar to today's Pens/Flyers contests; gritty and hard-fought. The intrastate rivalry was something that only a common division could foster and in 1979, things were chippy at best between the two teams. On this day, Pittsburgh starter Bert Blyleven would hit Philadelphia starter Steve Carlton with a pitch and Carlton would return the favor by plunking both Dave Parker and Lee Lacy.

Both Blyleven and Carlton went the distance and Mike Schmidt hit a homerun in the 7th inning that turned out to be the eventual game-winning run. Phil Garner had a nice day for the Pirates, going 2/4 with a two-run homer in the 5th inning off Carlton, but it wasn't enough as the Bucs fell to 1-4 on the young season.

Phil Garner and Dale Berra practice tai-chi and groundballs at the same time in 1979. They later debated the merits of a thick, bushy porn-stache.

Upon hearing the news that I would be blogging about the Bucs, the venerable and wise Open Bar (wheres-luke.blogspot.com) said to me to, "More commentary, less reporting. I can read a box score if I want to."

This nod to OB will become a regular occurrence following all Pirates games. I'm calling this section of the blog "Snap Judgments" as it will most likely be influenced by emotion (and maybe a few brews) and I will do my very best to post my thoughts within an hour of the game's final out. These will be my instant reactions and they will spare no one, least of all the Pirates. As far as being a sympathetic homer, I will strive to avoid that at all costs.

Here goes...

1.) Brian Bixler is NOT Ready for the Majors

Bixler: Two major league starts, three big-time mistakes.

The game started off ominously for Bixler and the Pirates. Alfonso Soriano was dead to rights trying to steal second in the 1st inning when Ronny Paulino fired a pea that had the speedy Soriano out by a half-step. It was a bang-bang play to be sure, but the throw was perfect, Bixler barely had to move his glove and yet somehow, Soriano's head-first slide dislodged the ball from Bixler's mitt. Soriano scored the Cubs' first run two batters later. In the home half of the 1st, Bixler ended the Pirates three-run first with a gorgeous swinging strikeout. I know it's early in this guy's career, but he's really done nothing to distinguish himself so far in the Minors and by a cruel twist of fate, he's now Pirates' starting shortstop for a couple of weeks. This is mainly because Luis Rivas is somehow worse than Bixler and Jack Wilson is on the 15-day DL. I'd certainly be looking for Chris Gomez at SS tomorrow, but I don't know if the 16-year vet is still athletic enough to make all the plays. Former manager Jim Tracy, not known to be the best evaluator of talent, had this to say about Bixler last season:

"How can you not like what you've seen from this guy?" Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "He's a baseball player -- a solid baseball player. It's very impressive to see, no question about it."

He's a baseball player? And that was somehow impressive to Mr. Tracy? Uh, wow...I can't believe I'm upset we got rid of Cesar Izturis. Bixler also let a ground ball eat him up during the Cubs' five-run 6th. With the infield drawn in, Reed Johnson hit a sharp ground ball that squirted under Bixler's glove allowing Ryan Theriot to score and up the score to 5-3. The Pirates never threatened after the 6th.

2.) The Matt Morris Equation - 5 IP/start X 32 starts = $10million/year

"I know, Ronny. I can't believe they're paying me that much either!"

For a franchise that has boasted some of the best players the game has ever seen, not one of them has been paid $10million in one season by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now, I know the economics of baseball and I understand that the average MLB player will make $3million in 2008, a figure unheard when Clemente, Stargell, and even a young Barry Bonds roamed the diamond in the Burgh, but Matt Morris? How is this guy the highest-paid player in the 122-year history of the Pirates? Simple answer, really: Dave Littlefield.

But I shall digress on my conspiracy theory as to why Littlefield traded for this worn-down, one-time All-Star and just hit you with the cold, hard numbers. In 2001, Morris went 22-8 with a 3.16 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 216 IP. I would gladly pay $10million/year for those numbers. However, Morris has steadily declined every year since. Since joining the Pirates last season, here are Morris' numbers, including tonight's 7IP/7R/4ER/11H/2BB/2HR/3K performance:

3-5 in 13 starts, an ERA over 6.00 and 34 strikeouts in 74 IP

You don't have to answer, but I'll ask anyway: Do those numbers warrant his current salary? I would implore the Pirates to deal Morris, but no Major League team will take him and his immovable salary. If Morris finishes the season in some city other than Pittsburgh, rest assured the Pirates will still be paying him.

3.) Nate McLouth (aka Nate Mac) Will Represent the Pirates at Yankee Stadium as an All-Star this July

 BOOM goes the dynamite!

Just before the season, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic conducted a poll of 20 Pirates and asked them a series of questions, one of those being:

"Which player will have a breakout season?"

11 players chose McLouth and he has not only proven them right, he has delighted Pirates fans during the team's dismal 3-6 start at the plate and in the outfield. Entering tonight's game, Nate Mac was hitting .390AVG/.419OBP/.659SLG/1.077OPS. McLouth went 2/5 tonight with another run scored and his defense all year in center has been stellar. On April 4th against the Braves, Nate Mac's glove-work kept the game close early as he made two Gold Glove-caliber plays to rob Mark Teixiera in the 3rd and Matt Diaz in the 5th. The Pirates won 4-3 in 10 innings.

Nate Mac snags a Mark Teixiera bomb and keeps two runs off the board.

McLouth's play has won him the job as the team's starting centerfielder and it looks as if only injury could dislodge him. Nyjer Morgan, the team's back-up CF who many thought would be platooning in CF with Nate Mac, will likely get some action against righties in place of Xavier Nady when he inevitably cools off. With Morgan and McLouth at the top of the order, the Pirates can actually field two speedsters for the first time in recent memory.

On Opening Night in Atlanta, the Bucs were staked to a 9-4 lead in the 9th inning and somehow ended up scraping out a 12-11 win in 12 innings courtesy of National League Player of the Week Xavier Nady's big blasts.

Two nights later, the Pirates pulled out a 4-3, 10-inning win against the Braves.

On Monday, the Buccos roared back from a 7-0 hole in the 4th inning to tie the game at 8 in the 8th, only to lose four innings later in the 12th after Evan Meek decided to walk the entire Cubs batting order.

And yes, last night the Bucs and Cubs played a 15-inning marathon in which the black and gold fell, 6-4 despite Jason Bay's game-tying homer in the 9th and Adam LaRoche's game-tying homer in the 14th.

In eight games this season, the Pirates have played a total of 13 extra innings. That's an extra game and a half in the first week or so of this very young 2008 campaign. At this pace, the Pirates are on track for what would be an MLB-record 81 extra-inning contests. Why am I belaboring this point? Mainly because the bullpen is working double overtime and if this keeps up, will be burnt out for good by late June. I've already seen Franquelis Osoria's crazy glasses and Tyler Yates' 97-mph gas more times than I'd like in April and we still have another 20 days to go before May rolls around. The bullpen has also been extremely inconsistent early on and I have to think that's due in some small (maybe large) part to the excess of innings these guys have been forced to pitch. On Monday, starter Tom Gorzelanny lasted a measly 2 2/3 innings. The bullpen was fantastic after Gorzo was yanked, but to pitch 9 1/3 innings Monday and another 8 innings last night, well...it's worrisome to say the least.

Franquelis and his new and improved Rec-Specs!

Tonight, the Pirates try to avoid the dreaded opening series sweep at the hands of the division-rival Cubbies before starting a weekend series at PNC against Cincinnati. I just hope tonight's game doesn't go another 15. I'm low on beer as it is.
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. The good stuff!