Leading Off And Playing Center Field...

Well, it sure can't be said that the Bucs came out flat today against the Mets. Pittsburgh banged out 13 hits and made them count (even though eleven were singles) in pasting the New York nine for the third straight day 11-6.

Andrew McCutchen made his Bucco debut memorable in front of nearly 21,000 fans - a huge crowd by get-away game standards - by going 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring three runs, driving in a RBI, and swiping a base. Nice hello to the local crowd, hey?

McCutch batted lead-off and played center, just like the good ol' days at Indy when he and Nyjer Morgan were the dynamic duo. Morgan seemed to like it; he added two hits including a triple, scored twice, and drove in a run himself.

We think he's gonna like having that hole at second everytime his lil' buddy gets aboard; it makes good baseball sense to bat a lefty second behind a right-handed hitter, everything else being fairly equal.

But another rookie wreaked the most damage. Catcher Jason Jaramillo drove home 4 runs with two-run singles in the first and fourth innings, when the Pirates batted around.

The Big O was swatted around for the second time in a row, demonstrating why the Pirate suits are on the constant lookout for arms. But the Buc bullpen was equal to the task. Another fuzz-faced rook, Steven Jackson, went two scoreless innings to get his first win. It was a big day for the pups.

One somber note. Andy LaRoche took a pitch on the knee, and is day-to-day; it's supposed to be a contusion, so he shouldn't miss much time.

The Pirates move on to Houston for a three game set starting tomorrow night. The pitching match-ups from MLB.com. And then it's off to Atlanta and Nate McLouth's Braves. That'll be a little eerie.