Bucs Squeezed Again At Minute Maid

Ya know, when a guy that you hoped one day would be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher goes six innings and gives up three runs on eight hits, four for extra bases, and you consider it a good outing, well, we gotta be talkin' Ian Snell.

The mantra for him to come inside has to approaching symphony level by now. Virtually all the damage done to him were by balls on the outside shot into right field or hangers down the middle. Who knows, maybe they were supposed to be inside.

And while we're ranting, GW is so over Jack Wilson. The Astros scored the go-ahead run thanks largely to two balls the range-challenged Ramon Vazquez couldn't make plays on that Jack Splat would eat up. And that's not Vazquez's fault; he is what he is, a 32 year-old that's lost a step or two.

Wilson is nursing a sore shoulder this time. Before that, he had the flu bug. Before that, he had a sore finger. Before that, a sore calf. As Roseanna Anna Danna used to say "It's always something, if it's not one thing it's another." Time to let him go and get an everyday player.

Oh, Bucs lose 6-4. They're now 3-6 against the last place Astros.

Hey, off to Atlanta. Here's the pitching match-ups, from MLB.com.

-- First three innings, three Bucco DPs - around the horn, strike out-throw out, and a garden variety 6-4-3. Ian Snell owes the infield a dinner.

Of course, it works both ways - Russ Ortiz got out of fourth and fifth inning jams with a pair a DP balls. And there was the game changer in the seventh. With one out, the bases juiced, and two runs in, Adam LaRoche hit into a first-home-first inning-ending twin killing. For all intents and purposes, it was a game-ender, too.

-- It was kinda interesting to note that Cecil Cooper, with Freddy Sanchez on first in the sixth inning, had his outfield go into a "no doubles' alignment, usually a ploy limited to the late frames. Guess he figured he'd rather take his chances on the Bucs stringing together a flock of singles rather than letting them find a gap.

The Bucs foiled that strategy in the seventh, when they scored twice on four singles and a walk.

-- Think there's any pressure on the Pirate offense? The team is 20-0 when they score six runs or more; 6-30 when they score 5 or less. The kicker? The team has scored a run or less in 16 games so far this season, 29% of their games.

-- There ain't no justice! Adam LaRoche's annual stolen base was taken away by the 'Stro's official scorer after the game last night. He changed the call from a stolen base to a caught stealing, error second baseman. These guys have way too much time on their hands.