Pirate Notebook

Baseball goes on even when the Pirates take a day off...

• Pedro Alvarez was named the NL Player of the Week. He led the Senior Circuit with 10 RBI, hit four homers, and put up a .931 OPS. Here's a vid that might give you a chuckle. It's El Toro in college, responding to an "over-rated" chant in the stands by blasting a 430' homer.
• J-Mac's 30-day rehab assignment is over tomorrow and the Pirates must decide whether to: a) activate him to use out of the bullpen, b) expose him to waivers by DFA'ing him to Indy or c) trade him. There isn't any place in the rotation for him now, injuries or not. 
• Michael Sanserino of the Post Gazette has a feature on Jeff Locke, highlighting his family and hometown of Redstone, New Hampshire.
• The Pirates appear to be handling Gerrit Cole's IP count a lot differently than the Nats did with Stephen Strasberg last year, per Travis Sawchik of the Tribune Review. Rather than shut him down, they've been meticulous in limiting his pitch count to 80-90 per start, even at Indy, and letting that serve as a natural brake on the innings he accumulates.
• Bob Smizik of the Post Gazette has a positive piece, as he looks at the bullpen's workload and sees a sustainable inning count instead of oncoming headlights.
• Jonah Keri of Grantland looks at the Central Division's possible trade targets. He wrote "... if the Pirates do little to nothing more after calling up a potential future (present?) ace in Gerrit Cole, they could probably be forgiven. The Pirates do have two glaring weaknesses, though...They lack right-handed power, and their right-field platoon is terrible." He also said the bullpen and possibly rotation could stand a depth tweak.
• USA Today's Power Rankings have the Bucs at #2. 
• Colin Campbell on KDKA.com says the best manager of any sports team in Pittsburgh is Clint Hurdle.
• Josh Harrison came through with 6 RBI last night, the first Indy player to drive in that many in a game since Brandon Moss in 2010.  
• SS Alen Hansen made Ben Badler's Baseball America Prospect Notebook column.
• LHP Daniel Moskos was released by the White Sox. He had been pitching for their AAA club at Charlotte.
• IF Yamiaco Navarro was placed on outright waivers by the Orioles.
• The annual Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy event, to be held Friday in NYC, will include a special tribute to the Pittsburgh Pirates for their commitment to the advancement of Dominicans and the Dominican Republic, particularly in the area of education.