Call 911

So much for bragging on the bullpen. The Zachster staggered through six innings, but left with the score still well in hand at 4-3. Denny Bautista and Sean Burnett made quick work of that, giving up 6 runs in the seventh as the Bucs fell 10-4.

Two walks, a beaned batter, four extra base hits - and it took a DP to get them out of the inning. Ouch.

> Ryan Doumit was yanked from the game in the seventh inning. The team says he either had a case of the flu or suffered from dehydration in the muggy Milwaukee night. We'll see tomorrow how serious it is.

> The Bucs optioned Romulo Sanchez back to Indy. They still have another move to make. We think that it's going to be a pitcher, maybe Jason Davis or less likely, Craig Hansen, though Nyjer Morgan's status may hinge on Nate McLouth's health.

EDIT - wrong again. TJ Beam got the bus ticket, and Jay Davis is going to the bullpen. The suits said Beam and Sanchez will be back in September. We thought they'd give Davis a start or two at Indy, but with only ten games to go, the Tribe will probably just trot out Mike Thompson a couple of more times.

> John Russell explained to Nick Zaccardi of MLB.com that holding Gorzo for tomorrow was mostly to give Jeff Karstens a blow. Karstens will be pushed back two days to start the series opener against the Cubs.

"His workload this year has been a lot more than last year," Russell said. "We're monitoring him, giving him a couple extra days here and there. It's just to make sure he's strong and he feels good."

Karstens' start on Monday pushes Ian Snell to Tuesday and puts Jason Davis' status in the air. Paul Maholm will still start Sunday.

If you're confused now, just wait until September, when they try to find starts for six or seven pitchers.

> Jordan Bastian of MLB.com talked to Joey Bats about his new gig with the Blue Jays:

Jose Bautista felt a sense of relief when he learned that the Pirates had traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays. An organizational change was precisely what the third baseman had hoped for after losing his job in Pittsburgh earlier this month.

Declining to delve into specifics, Bautista said his relationship had soured with Pittsburgh manager John Russell.

"For some reason, it just wasn't a good fit for me," Bautista said. "Me and the manager and maybe the people that kept a direct relationship in the front office with him just couldn't see eye to eye on a couple things. It's just how the ball rolls sometimes."

Bautista said that joining the Jays, who entered Friday seven games back of the top slot in the American League Wild Card standings, is a welcome change of pace.

"I'm glad to be on a winning team," Bautista said. "It's been up and down for the last five years and I've never been on a winning team. So, it's going to be a great atmosphere for me to be in and, hopefully, I can contribute to keep getting more wins and closer to that playoff spot."

A pretty straightforward response to his situation, we think.

Bautista will keep third base warm with Marco Scutaro until Scott Rolen comes off the DL, and is expected to see some work in the OF. He bounced out as a PH in his first Toronto plate appearance tonight.

On the minor league front: Indy rode a strong performance from RHP Daniel McCutchen (6-8, 3.94 ERA) to a 3-2 win tonight. McCutchen went seven innings, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out seven. He pounded the plate, with 62 of his 85 pitches being strikes.

His overall 2008 WHIP is a pretty good 1.17, but he's given up 18 HR's in 107-1/3 innings of work. We know strike throwers are prone to surrendering the long ball, but that's something he has to cut down a bit to be successful in the bigs.

To compare, Zach Duke leads the Pirates in HR's given up, with 19 in 151-1/3 innings (and no, we're not going near Gorzo's stats!)

CF Andrew McCutchen (.280) had two hits, including a double, and scored. The big blow was delivered by veteran RF Jorges Cortes (.167), who hit his first homer, a two run shot.

> Altoona blew a 4-3 ninth inning lead to lose 5-4 in ten innings. CF Jose Tabata (.274) went 3-4 with a double, RBI, and run. Jim Negrych (.325) had two hits and an RBI.

> Lynchburg won 2-1 behind LHP Anthony Watson (7-12, 3.67 ERA), who went 7 innings and gave up 2 hits, an unearned run, one walk and striking out six. 1B Kent Sakamota (.258) had two hits, including a double.

The Hillcats manufactured a run in the eighth for the win. SS Brian Friday (.292) led off with a double, moved to third on a bunt, and scored on a sac fly.

> Hickory took advantage of five Lexington errors to take home a 7-5 win. The Crawdads committed two of their own, allowing 4 unearned runs, to keep it close.

DH Keanon Simon (.241) went 2-4 with his third HR and a walk, scoring once and plating a pair. RF Albert Laboy (.244) hit his 5th homer and had 2 RBI and runs scored. C Aeden McQueary (.208) added a pair of hits.

> State College gave up runs in the ninth and tenth innings to drop a tough 2-1 decision. 3B (.301) Jeremy Farrell had three of the Spikes six hits.

RHP Yoffri Martinez (2-4, 3.62 ERA) took the loss for the second consecutive night, giving up two singles and a sac fly in the tenth. The tying run in the ninth scored on a two out error by LF Matt Payne. It's the Spikes second straight loss thanks to a last inning outfield misadventure.

> Bradenton lost, 7-3. SS Andury Acevedo (.227) had two hits, an RBI and run. 1B Alex Vargas (.272) had two hits and a walk.

Friday Pre Game Notes

Dirt Dog Doug is back with the team, and the Steve Pearce (.218, 0, 7) era has ended, at least until September, as he went back to Indy today. Gorzo isn't, as widely speculated, pitching tonight, but he will take the hill tomorrow. We'll see how Zach Duke does under the gun.

>Matt Capps should rejoin the Pirates today in Milwaukee and be activated from the DL on Saturday. The much-anticipated bullpen meltdown after his injury and the later departure of Damaso Marte didn't happen, though, thanks to a DFA deal and a couple of guys thriving under game-on-the-line pressure.

Five different pitchers recorded saves after Capps went down. Before he was hurt, the Pirates relievers had a 4.64 ERA. Since July 2, when Capps went on the DL, the bullpen has posted a 3.83 ERA.

Sean Burnett, TJ Beam, and Denny Bautista (thank you, Tigers) stepped up to fill the gap, along with the lone remaining late inning guy, John Grabow. And the starting pitchers getting on the far side of the sixth inning helped the cause, too.

It looks like one of the team's biggest question marks heading into 2008 should be a squad strength in 2009. Every cloud...

> The Pirates will have to move two guys back to Indy tomorrow when Gorzo and Capps rejoin the roster. Our guess is that it'll be Romulo Sanchez and Jason Davis, although Nyjer Morgan could go, too.

> Nate McLouth is still under the weather - Morgan will make another start in center tonight. He has an unidentified virus, and may be out for a while longer.

>Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors writes on Jack Splat:

Pirates GM Neal Huntington was diplomatic when asked about Jack Wilson's future with the Pirates. But it seems pretty clear the 30 year-old shortstop will be shopped this winter.

Wilson makes a fine trade chip for the Bucs, especially given the free agent market for shortstops. Orlando Cabrera may require three or four years, and he'll be 34 in November. Rafael Furcal wants to stay with the Dodgers. All the other free agents are question marks. Teams such as the Blue Jays, Tigers, Twins, Reds, Cardinals, and Giants may be looking for a shortstop. The Jays would probably only enter the mix for Wilson if J.P. Ricciardi is fired.

Wilson will earn $7.25MM in '09 and may see his $8.4MM option for '10 exercised. He can block trades to six teams. He's hitting .279/.322/.355 this year in 288 plate appearances, down from last year but near his career marks. His defense is highly regarded.

And you wonder why, as Dejan reported today, Jack Splat is feeling the heat.

> The Oakland A's, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, had a chance to make a big splash before the trade deadline with a swap for Jason Bay. Pittsburgh wanted a package that included RHP Vin Mazzaro, the 21-year-old who went 12-3 with a 1.90 ERA in Double-A this year, and Oakland wouldn't part with him.

> The Padre's Jody Gerut has emerged as a candidate for comeback player of the year, according to MLB.com:

Gerut, 30, did not play in the majors in 2006 or '07 while recovering from a series of surgeries on his right knee. But in 328 plate appearances with the Padres, his batting/on-base/slugging line is .299-.357-.492, and general manager Kevin Towers says Gerut is playing above-average in center field.

"If there's a bright spot on our club this year, it's that Jody Gerut's back," Towers says. "We'll be very comfortable if he is our center fielder next year."

The Padres signed Gerut as a minor-league free agent last winter after he batted .390 in the Venezuelan winter league.

On July 31, 2005, the Pittsburgh Pirates got him and cash from the Cubs for Matt Lawton. Gerut batted 18 times for the Bucs before his knee, and seemingly his career, folded. They released him in March of 2007 after nearly two years of inactivity, and never seemed convinced that his injury was as bad as it apparently was.

Thursday on the Farm

Indy dropped a 2-1 decision, with JVB (7-4, 4.03 ERA) taking the loss, more the victim of non-support than bad pitching.

He went three innings, giving up two hits and striking out five. Unfortunately, one of those hits left the park. RHP Mike Thompson (4.74 ERA) went the first five innings, surrendering six hits and a run, walking one and K'ing one.

SS Brian Bixler (.284) had a pair of singles and an RBI. DH Ronny Paulino (.329), back in the lineup after a bout of bursitis, went 0-4 with three strikeouts.

> Altoona hung on for a 4-3 victory. LHP Kyle Bloom (5-7, 4.13 ERA) went seven shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out six. LHP Josh Shortslef (3.03 ERA) gave up a three run homer in the eighth, but shut Portland down in the ninth.

1B Jamie Romak (.225) went 1-2 with a double, two walks, and 2 RBI. CF Jose Tabata (.269) went 2-2 with a double, triple, two walks, and two runs scored. SS Angel Gonzalez (.287) had a pair of hits, including a double, and an RBI.

> Lynchburg had its modest two-game win streak stopped, 2-1, in ten innings.

RHP Brad Lincoln had a strong outing, going six innings and allowing a run on three hits while striking out seven. LHP Danny Moskos (6.18 ERA) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and allowed two hits. He struck out three. DH Brian Friday (.291) had two hits and a run.

> Hickory lost today 7-5 when LHP Wanell Macia (0-4, 6.21 ERA) gave up a five spot in the ninth inning, four runs scoring with two away. SS Silvio Pena booted a ball with two outs and a two run lead to keep Lexington alive. The next batter homered.

LF Erik Huber (.267) had three hits including his 11th HR and a double, with an RBI and two runs scored. SS Pena (.267) added a pair of knocks.

> State College lost 7-6, when a runner that reached on an error by CF David Rubenstein scored in the ninth. RHP Yoffri Martinez (2-3, 3.47 ERA) took the loss.

SS Chase d'Arnaud (.342), fresh off his All-Star appearance, had two hits with a double and 3 RBI. 2B Chad Rice (.240) had two hits, a walk, and two runs scored. C Mark Carver (.211) hit his first pro home run.

> Bradenton won 3-2 behind the arm of LHP Chris Aure (4.01 ERA), who pitched perfect ball over the final three innings, striking out four, to notch his second save. The win went to LHP Nelson Pereira (6-2, 1.76 ERA), who went four innings, giving up six hits, two runs, and striking out six.

1B Carlos Silva (.319) had two hits. LF Wesley Freeman (.100) doubled for his first hit and drove in a pair of runs. Aure and Freeman are high school kids drafted this year by the Bucs, Aure from Alaska and Freeman from California. Dude!

Off Day Bits and Pieces

Matt Capps is supposed to rejoin the team at Milwaukee. It'll be nice to have him back if for no other reason than to bump Tyler Yates, who's been struggling big time, back a peg or two in the Pirate pen's pecking order.

Nate McLouth is expected back, too, after a bout of sickness.

> In the past couple of games, the Pirate batters appear to be regaining their discipline at the plate. And though it didn't pay off last night, the Cards noticed.

Catcher Jason LaRue told Robert Falkoff of MLB.com "There were some situations where he (Todd Wellemeyer) could have gotten outs on 0-2 or 1-2 counts and we wound up going 2-2. I have to tip my hat to their guys because they didn't chase those pitches."

"It was a battle tonight," Wellemeyer added. "They were fouling everything off and I had some long at-bats against guys.

It's a positive sign that the team is starting to get back to the business of playing baseball again after all the disruptions of the past three weeks.

> The Blue Jays have taken on Joey Bats for a player to be named later. Pedro Alvarez, Andy LaRoche and Neil Walker made him a fifth wheel as Pittsburgh looks toward the future.

Bautista, 27, was last spotted at Indy, where he appeared in five games, hitting .300 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBI. In 107 games for the Pirates this season, he posted a .242 average, with 12 home runs and 44 RBI.

The Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic native is in his 5th major league season - it seems longer, doesn't it? - posting double-digit home runs in each of the last three seasons, including a career high 16 in 2006.

The 6'0", 195 lb. utilityman has appeared in 441 games for four different clubs (Baltimore 2004, Kansas City 2004, Tampa Bay 2004, & Pittsburgh 2004-08) during his MLB career, posting a .240 avg., with 161 home runs and 541 runs batted in.

Bautista is making $1.8M this season, his first of arbitration eligibility, after signing a 1-year deal last winter.

He was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in 2000, but was lost via the Rule 5 draft. Bautista was reacquired on July 30, 2004 from the New York Mets with Matt Peterson and Ty Wigginton for Kris Benson and Jeff Keppinger.

> Altoona LHP Dave Davidson finished his Olympics yesterday when Team Canada was eliminated. The reliever threw 5 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

> The Jose Castillo change of address from Jose De Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle:

The Astros claimed Jose Castillo off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, and the 27-year-old infielder will join the club at Shea Stadium on Friday for the start of a four-game series against the New York Mets.

"We just felt that at this point with (Ty) Wigginton playing a lot of outfield and (Kazuo) Matsui down — if we had a chance to get this guy he'd give us another experienced infielder — and it gives (Cecil Cooper) a lot more flexibility," general manager Ed Wade explained.

Castillo, who will be under the Astros' control as an arbitration-eligible player this winter, is a career .253 hitter, batting .244 with 28 doubles, 35 RBIs and six home runs this season.

Wade remembered the raves Castillo would get from former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Chuck Tanner, who was scouting out of the Pittsburgh area when Castillo played for the Pirates from 2004 through 2007.

"When you look at it, he's 27 and he could do more than just serving a reserve role for us at the end of the season," Wade said. "He's got a chance to help us going forward as well, so it made sense."

J.R. House was sent back to Class AAA Round Rock to make room for Castillo, who will join the club Friday.

Baseball is such an ironic sport.

> Another old Pirate moves on: Kip Wells, released by the Rockies last week, has joined the Kansas City Royals, where he will work in the bullpen, with an eventual chance to start.

Wells was sidelined from April 30 through July 22 with a blood clot in his right hand, and went 1-2 with a 5.27 ERA with the Rox. They released Wells to make room for Livan Hernandez. Go figure. And at $3.1M/year, Kip is still a bargain, more or less.

Cards Fly High

Well, the pitching couldn't be great every night. Jason Davis was whacked around by the Cards and the Bucs couldn't climb out of the early abyss, losing 11-2.

Davis lasted 3-2/3 innings, giving up nine hits, three walks, and eight runs (six earned). He may have just punched the ticket for Gorzo's comeback tour of Pittsburgh. We'll find out soon; Gorzelanny is slated to start for Indy tomorrow.

Brandon Moss made a quick return to the lineup and chipped in with a pair of knocks. Nyjer Morgan doubled and drew a couple of walks. Ryan Doumit continued his hot hitting with three hits and a two-run homer, his 13th.

There's been some talk of late on the web boards that the Bucs should consider returning Doumit to RF or 1B next season because of the wear and tear of catching and the need for his bat in the new Pirate offense.

While his defense, which had steadily improved only to drop off again as the season reached its dog days, is a concern, we think the bigger concern is finding a capable offensive back up to give Doumit a blow behind the dish.

Maybe that'll be Ronny Paulino; the jury is still out on that decision. But there's not much chance of him moving next year. Pittsburgh has too many young OF'ers and no young catchers. And while there's noise of trying to deal Adam LaRoche in the winter, it's likely he'll be Pittsburgh's 2009 first baseman.

So for the foreseeable future, look for Doumit to keep donning the tools of ignorance as his Buc uniform.

On the minor league front: Indy lost in eleven innings, 5-4. RHP Jimmy Barthmaier took the game into the sixth, but both Evan Meek and Frankie Osoria blew save opportunities. RHP Jesse Chavez (2-5, 3.74 ERA) took the loss.

3B Neil Walker (.239) had two hits and 2 RBI. CF Chris Duffy (.333), in his second start, went 1-2 with two walks. RF Ryan Mulhern (.242) hit his 11th HR.

Ol' Bucco prospect Brad Eldred tied the game with a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and then singled in the game-winning run with two-outs in the bottom of the 11th. Pity he couldn't do that for Pittsburgh.

C Ronny Paulino, according to a couple of web reports, has bursitis in his right shoulder.

Joe Sheehan of BaseballProspectus.com writes in "You Just Wait" for Sports Illustrated, an article on the up and comers:

Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates. A true centerfielder with strong leadoff skills, McCutchen has made a steady climb through Pittsburgh's system since being the team's top pick in 2005. At each level that he's played, McCutchen has been among the youngest players, yet his contact rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio (key statistics for any front office in assessing a prospect) have improved in each of the last three years. Scouts look at McCutchen's arms and see power potential as well, giving him middle-of-the-order upside, not dissimilar to that of the Indians' Grady Sizemore.

> Altoona dropped a 4-3 decision. Matt Capps pitched an inning with a walk and strikeout.

3B Jim Negrych (.312) was 2-3 with an RBI and stolen base. DH Brad Corley (.271) was 2-4 with an RBI, and CF Jose Tabata (.265) was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.

> Lynchburg banged out five doubles and three long balls on the way to an 11-5 win tonight. RHP Mike Crotta (9-9, 4.82 ERA) was the beneficiary of the outburst, going six innings, giving up seven hits, two runs, and striking out three.

2B Matt Cavagnaro (.500), in his third game since being called up from Hickory, went 4-5 with two doubles and 3 RBI. SS Jose De Los Santos (.227) had three hits, a double, and a run. 1B Kent Satamoto (.255) was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored. LF Jared Keel (.233) hit his 16th homer & a double, with 3 RBI and a tally.

DH Brian Friday (.290) hit his second home run, and RF Miles Durham (.235) went yard for the fourth time this season.

> Hickory lost 2-1. LHP Michael Felix started and went 5 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits, three walks, and striking out 4. RHP Victor Igsema (1-1, 6.66 ERA) gave up a run in the ninth to take the loss, going 1-1/3 innings surrendering 2 hits, a walk, and a run. He struck out one.

3B Matt Hague (.319) had half the Crawdad hits, going 2-4 at the plate.

> State College was off tonight.

> Bradenton won 4-1 behind the pitching of LHP Tyler Cox (1.79 ERA) and RHP Albert Fagan (3-2, 3.09 ERA). Cox started and went four innings, giving up a run on three hits with a walk and 6 strike outs. Fagan got the win, pitching four innings, yielding a hit and K'ing a pair.

LF Edwin Roman (.224) went 2-3 with a double, run and RBI. 3B Jarek Cunningham (.321) homered,his fourth, and drew two free passes, while CF Robbie Grossman was held hitless, but walked and stole a base.

Corsairs Cage Cards

The old Ian Snell showed up tonight and St. Louis became the Keystone Kards in the ninth as the Bucs broke open a 1-0 nailbiter and won 4-1.

Nyjer Morgan's leadoff walk eventually turned into a run on Ryan Doumit's double, the first of his three hits, to take an early lead. Snell went seven innings and made it hold up, giving up 4 hits with one walk and eight strike outs.

Snell (5-10) won for only the second time in 11 starts since June 17. He allowed just two runners to reach scoring position against a team that scored 19 earned runs in 19 innings against him in four previous starts this year.

Quietly, he's now strung together three straight quality starts, and won his first road game since late April.

Sean Burnett and Denny Bautista, saved by a fine running catch on the track by Morgan on an Albert Pujos shot after a nine pitch at bat, got through the eighth. Then the action really picked up.

Doumit and Adam LaRoche started off the ninth with singles, and Jay Michael's bunt was fielded by Yadier Molina, who opted to go to third for the force. Bad choice; everyone was safe.

The next batter, Andy LaRoche, bounced one to second that came home for the force out - but Molina dropped the perfect throw, looking to first and a possible DP.

Steve Pearce walked to plate another run. Then Luis Rivas lifted a fly into medium center. For some reason, Michaels didn't tag, and young LaRoche was hung up between the sacks.

But the throw went through everyone, and another run came in. The pitcher, backing up the play, got to the ball, but Molina capped his performance by leaving the plate uncovered while chasing down the throw to let Michaels in uncontested.

By then, it was 4-0, and it was all over but for the shouting. And there was some noise - John Grabow and TJ Beam gave up a run on three walks and a bloop hit in the bottom of the ninth, but Beam struck out Brian Barton with the bases juiced for his first MLB save. He became the seventh Pirate hurler to earn a save, the most since 1996.

In real life, Jodi Mientkiewicz came home today after a pacemaker was installed in her heart to combat a viral infection, and that's great news. On the other side of the coin, young John Challis lost his public battle with cancer after inspiring so many by taking his fight to the wire.

On the draft front: Jim Callis of Baseball America picked his top ten signing coups of this year's draft, and two Pirate selections were among them:

Robbie Grossman, of (sixth round, $1 million, No. 49 on BA Top 200) Athletic switch-hitter adds to Pittsburgh's burgeoning outfield talent.
Quinton Miller, rhp (20th round, $900,000, No. 158 on BA Top 200) He shows flashes of a low-90s fastball, plus slider and average changeup.

Nice to know that the Pittsburgh draft, for once, drew cheers instead of jeers.

On the minor league front: Indy and RHP Ross Ohlendorf (3-4, 3.86 ERA) lost tonight, 4-3. The Big O went six innings, giving up 6 hits, including a homer (to ex Bucco Big Country Brad Eldred, his 33rd), and four runs. He walked two and struck out seven.

C Candy Maldonado was the unlikely batting leader with a double and home run, his third, adding an RBI and two runs scored. RF Chris Duffy was activated to replace Nyjer Morgan, and went 1-4.

> Altoona gave up three runs in the ninth, but hung on to win 7-6. Veteran RHP Dan Reichert (2-3, 4.81 ERA) went six innings for the win, giving up four hits, 3 runs (two earned), three K's and two walks.

C Steve Lerud (.280) and LF Jonel Pocheco (.275) both had two hits and two runs scored. CF Jose Tabata (.264) had two hits and an RBI. 1B Jamie Romak (.217) homered and had 3 RBI, and RF Jim Boone (.229) also went yard, his eighth.

> Lynchburg surrendered two runs in the ninth, but came back in the tenth to win 6-5. LHP Brian Holliday (5.23 ERA) went eight innings, giving up 8 hits, two runs, and striking out 9. RHP Eric Krebs (4-2, 4.25 ERA) went 1-2/3 innings yielding a hit for the win.

1B Kent Sakamota homered in the extra frame, his tenth, to bring home the bacon. LF Jared Keel (.231) had three hits, including a triple. DH Danny Bomback (.273) had two hits, one being his 2nd HR, a solo shot. CF James Barksdale (.265) also had a pair of knocks, with a triple.

The go-go Curve stole five bases in 7 tries, with Keel swiping his 13th & 14th sacks.

> Hickory pounded out an 8-2 win tonight. RHP Rodolfo Aguirre (2-3, 4.39 ERA) went six shutout innings, giving up 2 hits, walking 3 and striking out 7.

CF Keanon Simon (.237) continued to tear it up with four hits, a run and 2 RBI. CF Austin McClune (.212) went 3-6, with his 4th homer and a double, 3 RBI and a run. C Ronald Pena (.255) had two hits, a double, a run and an RBI. RF Erik Huber (.266) hit his 10th home run.

> State College was off for the NYPL All-Star game, with SS Chase d'Arnaud (.339, 0-12) and 1B/3B Jeremy Farrell (.297, 0-19) representing the Spikes.

Both smacked doubles in the National League’s 4-3 All-Star Game victory in Troy, New York. Farrell entered the game in the sixth inning, doubling to left field. Farrell played the remainder of the game at first base.

d’Arnaud joined the fun in the bottom of the fifth inning. After walking in the seventh, d’Arnaud led off the ninth inning with a double to left field and scored.

> Bradenton was off today.

A Day At A Time

Hey, the Bucs finally took advantage of another strong pitching performance against the Mets this afternoon, scoring five times in the last three innings to pull out a 5-2 win on getaway day.

Led by Adam LaRoche's 16th home run and Jack Splat's two-run double, the Pirate attack, stymied by John Maine over the front five, jumped all over the Met bullpen. A little plate patience paid off. Maine threw 96 pitches and got the early hook, leaving the NY relievers exposed without Billy Wagner.

Paul Maholm gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings, walking three and K'ing four in another stellar start. He's pitched a minimum of six innings for the 19th straight outing, the longest streak by a Pirates pitcher since Doug Drabek in 1992.

He handed the game over to the Buc pen, and they made it exciting over the last two innings. John Grabow, who got his fourth save, and Tyler Yates teamed up to walk four batters in 1-2/3 innings, but they kept the scoreboard clean.

Sean Burnett got the win when he retired the only hitter he faced, Carlos Delgado, on a bases loaded, two-out pop up in the eighth. It was his first W in a Pirate uniform since he was a rookie in 2004.

Met manager Jerry Manuel got bounced by Joe West for arguing over one of the odder DP's turned by the Bucs. Argenis Reyes bounced into what was shaping up to be a routine Freddie Sanchez to Jack Wilson to Adam LaRoche DP, but Jack Splat hurried his throw and it bounded off of the first base railing.

Ryan Doumit backed up the play, ran down the ball, and tagged Reyes, who had made a small turn towards second. West rang him up, much to Manuel's dismay. That's a call you don't see much in MLB - and Manuel probably hopes to never see it again. It was scored 4-6-2.

The four-game series drew 129,473 fans, a PNC Park record. We're glad they took one, even if it was in front of the smallest crowd of the week.

And do you think the Pirates have had it bad since getting rid of Jay Bay and the X-Man? How about the Oakland A's, who dumped their pitching and have since lost 10 straight series, falling to a big league-worst 5-23 since the All-Star break.

On the Pirate front: Doug Mientkiewicz has temporarily left the team to be with his wife, Jodi, who had heart surgery at AGH today. Mientkiewicz is on the bereavement list now, and will be out until at least Friday.

He's expected to stay with his wife for as long as he's needed. We wish Jodi a quick and complete recovery.

Nyjer Morgan, who has been tearing it up at Indy during the past month both at the plate and on the basepaths, was called up to take the roster spot of Dirt Dog Doug.

> Brandon Moss' ankle sprain shouldn't land him on the DL. He'll be kept out of action for the St. Louis series, which begins on Tuesday. However, the Pirates are targeting their weekend series in Milwaukee as a hopeful return date for Moss.

> Manager John Russell said closer Matt Capps is close to from returning to the Pirates. The 24-year-old has been on the DL since July 2nd with bursitis in his right shoulder, and was here today to get it checked out by the team docs.

Capps will join Altoona again on Tuesday and pitch an inning in the Curve's game Wednesday. He'll follow by throwing a side session on Thursday to simulate back-to-back performances. If his wing holds up, Capps may join the Pirates in Milwaukee on Saturday.

It's been a pretty quick recovery for the Buc closer. He's already thrown in five rehab games, two with Bradenton, two with Altoona, and one at Indy. His arm is hopefully as solid as his frequent flier account.

> Phil Dumatrait was also in town today and will stay with the team for the remainder of the season. The lefty will continue his rehab work with the Pirates.

He had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on August 8th, and went home to California for nine days of down time before coming back to Pittsburgh. Doumatrait's recovery should be complete by spring training.

On the hot stove front: SI's Jon Heyman confirms that "Ian Snell was available before the trade deadline. The Pirates wanted pitching prospect Franklin Morales and then some from the Rockies. Snell is on an affordable long-term contract, so maybe talks will be revisited in December."

On the minor league front: Indy won in the bottom of the ninth, 9-8. RHP Jesse Chavez (2-4, 3.70 ERA) gave up a two-out triple in the ninth that tied the game, and managed the rare blown save/win daily double. JVB pitched 2 innings, and gave up a hit with two walks and a strikeout.

RF Joey Bats ran amok again, going 3-4 with a walk, double, homer, two runs and 3 RBI. Oh, he threw a guy out at second, too.

2B Brian Bixler (.285) had two hits and 2 RBI. SS Luis Cruz (.338) went 2-4 with a double, RBI, and two runs scored. LF Matt Kata (.245) had two hits and a walk.

> Hickory finally got some pitching and took a 3-2 victory home tonight. RHP Rafael De Los Santos (3-9, 6.00 ERA) went 5 innings, giving up two hits and two runs while walking three and striking out 4. LHP Wanell Macia (6.28) and RHP Harrison Bishop (3.29) finished up the last four innings without yielding a run, and giving up just one hit.

The hitting hero was C Ronald Pena (.253), who went 3-4 with a double and a run.

> Bradenton got spanked this afternoon 8-2. 2B Adenson Choura (.337) went 3-4 with a double and scored. 3B Jarek Cunningham (.318) had two hits, a walk, an RBI and scored.

Altoona, Lynchburg, and State College were off today.

The Pirate Draft, Part 2

And now for the backside of the draft, from which the organization’s depth and the occasional big leaguer emerge:

• Zachary Wilson (26- Wilson HS, 3B) Rated 140th by Baseball America, with a scholarship to Arizona State in his pocket and Scott Boras as his man, Wilson was no doubt out of Pittsburgh’s price range this year.
• Edwin Roman (27- Puerto Rican Baseball Academy, CF) He’s supposed to be the fastest dude in PR and a great glove with no lumber to speak of. He’s playing LF at Bradenton, hitting .220. He’s got 12 stolen bases, but he’s been caught 7 times.
• Kyle Saukko (28- Sierra JC, OF/P) He was a hybrid in college, just the kind of guy Dave Littlefield loved, and was drafted by the Rockies as a pitcher last year. He went to Bradenton as a CF. He’s hitting .218. It’s tough to build up your average when you’ve K’d 22 times in 55 AB’s.
• Kevin Komstadius (29- East Valley HS, 1B) Has a free ride to Washington, and probably priced himself out of Pittsburgh’s plans this year, asking for $200K.
• Daniel Martin (30- Panola JC, RHP) Drafted by the Mets in 2005, he’s going to McNeese State. He’s another player who told the Pirates he needed to be wowed by the money to sign.
• Ryan Hinson (31- Clemson, LHP) After having two very good years at college, he dropped off badly in 2008 and decided to stay in school for his senior year to try to improve his draft slot.
• TJ Forrest (32- Bossier Parish CC, RHP) He was drafted by the Marlins in 2006 out of LSU, but had TJ surgery. Pitched well after transferring to Bossier. He decided to have a last hurrah at school to raise his draft stock.
• Mark Carver (33- North Carolina Wilmington, C) A senior, he signed early and went to State College. A below average catcher in the field, he tore it up at the plate in college, hitting .347 with 21 HR’s and 82 RBI. He’s hitting .208 for the Spikes.
• Matt Payne (34- North Carolina State, 3B) Good plate discipline, and hit over .320 in his three years as a position player (he pitched his freshman year.) He signed and went to State College. Payne is batting .266 with 3 HR’s.
• Tyler Cox (35- Illinois State, LHP) Average college pitcher, he started his last two years. The Bucs sent him to Bradenton, even though he’s 22. He’s doing nicely there, with a 2-3 record, 1.74 ERA, and 36 K’s in 41-1/3 innings with a WHIP of 1.02.
• Kyle Morgan (36- San Francisco, OF) He played two years of JC ball, sat on the Long Beach pine, and transferred to SF, where he hit .286 without much power. He’s at Bradenton, where he’s hitting .148 in 27 at-bats. He started out at State College, where he hit .164 before being sent down.
• Matthew Curry (37- Howard College, 1B) He transferred to TCU to continue his career.
• Alan Knotts (38- Louisiana Tech, RHP) He’s a senior with fairly pedestrian college numbers. At State College, he’s 2-1 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a great K:BB ratio of 35:6 in 33-2/3 innings of bullpen work.
• AJ Fagan (39- Manhattanville College, RHP) Sat out a year of baseball after an unsuccessful tryout with the Cubs in 2007, which burned his college eligibility. He signed and went to Bradenton. He’s 2-2 there with a 3.72 ERA in 19-1/3 innings, a 14:5 K to BB ratio, and WHIP of 1.02.
• Beau Didier (40- Bellarmine Prep, 3B) Went to LSU.
• Chris Simmons (41- West Point, C) Rode a solid senior year (.318, 8 HR) to a spot in the draft. The Pirates sent him to State College, where he was hitting .257 when the Army called him back to active duty.
• Cole White (42- West Point, OF) Great hitter for Army, batting .403 and .373 his last two season, and pitched, too. He signed as an OF’er and went to State College. He was hitting .338 there before the Army decided to recall him to active duty.
• Johnny Gunter (43- Chattahoochee Valley CC, RHP) No, really, it’s a school in Alabama. He didn’t sign, choosing to return to Chattahoochee for another season.
• Mike Williams (44- Mt. Olive College, LHP) Drafted as a senior, he was the third starter (8-2, 4.01 ERA) for the Division 3 champs, Mt. Olive. He signed and went to State College. He’s 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA for the Spikes. In 18-2/3 innings, William’s struck out 16, walked eight, and has a WHIP of 1.29 out of the pen.
• Allen Ponder (45- Auburn @ Montgomery, RHP) He’s a sidewinder that struck out 68 batters in 48 innings and will be used as a bullpen arm. He’ll be 25 in September, so he better impress in a hurry if he ever plans to pitch at PNC. He’s 0-2 with a 4.55 ERA, but a excellent K:BB ratio of 29:7 in 31-2/3 innings.
• Scott McGough (46- Plum HS, SS/P) He’s going to Oregon. The Ducks plan to use him at SS, though he throws 94 MPH heat and may become a hybrid infielder/closer.
• Jordan Craft (47- Kennesaw Mountain HS, OF) He’s going to play at Kennesaw State.
• Owen Brolsma (48- Texas Tech, RHP) He had TJ surgery in 2005, pitched a year, sat a year, and pitched another year, and not very well. He has a low 90’s fastball and a slider, but with poor command. The Bucs signed him and sent him to State College to see if his arm could be salvaged. Brolsma’s getting beat up there, too, with a record of 0-3, 7.61 ERA, and 1.91 WHIP. He’s given up 4 homers in 23-2/3 innings.
• Zachary Foster (49- Pitt Bradford, RHP) A junior without a lot of success at Division 3, the Bucs signed him and sent him to Bradenton to work in the bullpen. He’s a one trick horse, depending on his fastball, so he has to try to develop a second pitch to succeed. Foster is 1-1 with a 4.45 ERA. In 28 innings, he’s given up 38 hits and 15 walks, K’ing 23.
• Craig Parry (50- South Dakota State, OF) He’s a LH power guy that hit 17 HR’s in the past two years, and has played C, OF, and 3B. He’s hitting .308 at Bradenton with an .852 OPS, but hasn’t gone yard yet, though he’s only batted 52 times. They list him as a LF.

Draft picks 1-25 are posted below. For more detailed reporting on these guys and every Bucco, click over to Wilbur Miller's Pirate Profiles.

Somewhere along the line, we'll check out the new guys the suits brought in this year both at camp and through deals as we look at the retooling of the Bucs from top to bottom.

The Pirate Draft, Part 1

Now that that draft is a thing of the past, here's a list of the top 25 Pirate picks and their current status as of Sunday:

• Pedro Alvarez (1- Vanderbilt, 3B) Widely considered the top talent in the draft, he signed for $6M at the deadline and will report to the Fall Instructional League, where his performance will dictate his 2009 assignment, probably Lynchburg. He’s the LH power bat that the Bucs would love to showcase at PNC Field.
• Tanner Scheppers (2- Fresno State, RHP) Injured, the Pirates took a flyer on him. He wanted 1st round cash, but his arm was still iffy, and no deal was struck.
• Jordy Mercer (3- San Diego State, SS) He was sent to Hickory after signing for a $508K bonus. Has a rep for a good bat, strong arm, so-so range. He’s hitting .231 with 4 homers after a terrible start.
• Chase d’Arnaud (4- Pepperdine, SS) He signed for $293K and was assigned to State College. Good stick with gap power, average SS, good 3B’man. He’s hitting .346 in 104 AB’s with 8 doubles, 4 triples, with 20 runs scored, and stolen 10 bases in 11 tries, earning an All-Star spot of the NY-Penn League. He's got the look of a pretty good top of the order guy.
• Justin Wilson (5- Fresno State, LHP) Signed late for $195K. Wilson picked up his game during the College World Series, but couldn’t turn it into a bonus above slot. He’ll report to the Fall Instructional League, and probably head to Hickory in 2009.
• Robbie Grossman (6- Cyprus/Fairbanks HS, CF) Gave up his scholarship to Texas for a $1M bonus. He’s considered a high energy tweener with some power potential and lots of upside without being overly toolsy, in the Nate McLouth/Brandon Moss mold. Baseball America rated him as a late #1 pick, which explains the bonus. He’ll go to the Fall Instructional League.
• Benji Gonzalez (7- Puerto Rican Baseball Academy, SS) Got $130K to sign on the dotted line and pass up a ride to Oklahoma State. He runs well, has a good glove, and his questions center on his bat. He’s playing at Bradenton, where he’s hitting .225 with 7 stolen bases in eight attempts.
• Jeremy Farrell (8- Virginia, 3B/1B) Son of Bosox coach John Farrell, signed for $103K and was assigned to State College. Has some power and plays both infield corner positions. He’s hitting .300, but hasn’t gone deep yet, somewhat worrisome for a corner infielder, though he has 11 extra base knocks in 140 AB’s. He landed a spot on the NY-Penn All-Star team.
• Matt Hague (9- Oklahoma State, 3B/OF) He inked a deal for $25K. Good power and plate discipline. He was drafted by Cleveland last year. Hague signed early and went to Hickory, where he’s batting .322, with 5 HR’s and 23 RBI in 171 AB’s with an .855 OPS. He’s tough to sneak a ball past – Hague’s only struck out 21 times.
• Drew Gagnon (10- Brentwood HS, RHP) Opted to attend Long Beach State.
• David Rubenstein (11- Appalachian State, CF) Sent to State College. He showed a decent eye and solid stick in college. He’s hitting .197, but has come out a miserable funk in the past week. Maybe the light’s finally gone on for him.
• Calvin Anderson (12- Southern A&M, 1B) The son of former Steeler Fred Anderson, he hit for average and power in the SWAC. He’s a very raw player, and went to State College for some polish. He’s batting .265 with 6 HR’s and 28 RBI in 170 AB’s.
• Robert Gardner (13- Highland Park HS, CF) Went to Arkansas.
• Mike Colla (14- Arizona, RHP) Considered a project, he was assigned to State College in July, appeared briefly in August, and then was shipped to Bradenton, where he has yet to appear. He must need a lot of work: the Spikes were shorthanded arms before his demotion.
• Christopher Aure (15- North Pole HS, LHP) The Alaskan native was signed on potential, and was sent to Bradenton. He's 3-2 with a 4.57 ERA there, with 12 K’s and 12 BB’s in 21-2/3 innings of work.
• Wesley Freeman (16- All Saints Academy, CF) Signed late, but is a potential 5 tool player. His swing needs some work, but he's playing with the GCL Bradenton Bucs for now and then to the Instructional League. He projected as a fifth rounder, and got roughly $225K to sign.
• Jaron Shepherd (17- Navarro College, CF) Still has a year of JC eligibility, and said he was looking for a payday. Pittsburgh didn't give him one.
• Jarek Cunningham (18- Mead HS, SS) He had a scholarship to Arizona State, but turned pro and went to Bradenton. He plays third base for the baby Bucs, hitting .310 with 3 HR’s, 15 RBI, and an OPS of .849.
• Jason Hanniger (19- Georgia Tech, C) He replaced Matt Weiter behind the plate, and is a good defensive catcher with some power and a high strike out rate. He decided to try to pump up his stock by returning for another year at school.
• Quinton Miller (20 – Shawnee HS, RHP) Signed late in the process when Scheppers and Gagnon passed on deals. He got a $900K bonus, as Baseball America considered him a third-rounder this year. He’ll go to the Fall Instructional League.
• Brent Klinger (21- Glendale CC, RHP) Has a 94 MPH heater and good strikeout rate, but was selected on potential rather than performance. He’s tearing up Bradenton, with 11 K’s in 11-2/3 innings and an ERA of 0.77.
• Patrick Palmeiro (22- Colleyville Heritage HS, 3B) Rafael’s son, the Bucs made a late push to sign him, but he followed his dad’s advice and headed to Mississippi State.
• Austin Wright (23- Hoffman Estates HS, LHP) Going to Arkansas.
• Brian Litwin (24- St. Stephens HS, 3B) Committed to Duke.
• Brian Leach (25- Southern Mississippi, RHP) Was drafted by the Royals last year. His college stats are pretty horrible, but apparently his arm is intriguing. The Bucs sent him to State College. He’s doing OK for the Spikes, with a 1-1 record and 3.65 ERA. His control has been fine, with 29 K’s and 11 BB’s in 42 innings and a WHIP of 1.21.

For more detailed reporting on these guys and every Bucco, click over to Wilbur Miller's Pirate Profiles.

When the spirit moves us, we'll check out the back side of the draft in another post, and the new guys the suits brought in this year both at camp and through deals as we look at the retooling of the Bucs from top to bottom.

Kids Day, Strike Four

When you're a team that's struggling mightily at the plate, the last thing you need to see is Johan Santana on top of his game. And that's what the Bucs saw this afternoon, as he spun a three-hit, seven K, complete game shutout, winning 4-0.

Jeff Karstens was overmatched, although he continues to eat innings and keep the score manageable. The FSN guys compare him to Jeff Suppan, and that's probably as good a comparison as you'll come up with; a competitive, dependable back of the rotation pitcher.

His control wasn't as sharp today as it's been, as shown by the nine hits he gave up in 6 innings. But he would have needed a repeat of his near perfect game to match pitches with Santana today.

And to add injury to insult, Brandon Moss sprained his ankle while running out a grounder. It's not broken, and they'll poke and probe him some more tomorrow to figure out the extent of the injury.

But the biggest disappointment was that the Pirates lost with 36,000+ fans in the house. The last four games have been played in front of 145,000, and the Bucs have given the crowd four losses and some very uninspired play to remember. That's no way to turn Skyblast and Kid's Day fans into baseball fans.

On the draft front: What do the Bucs think of the draft? Well, Jack Splat's a little bitter. MLB.com reports:

Many think the $6 million the Pirates spent on third baseman Pedro Alvarez before Friday's midnight ET deadline was money well spent. In several ways, it was. But in other ways, like Jack Wilson pointed out, it's "a joke."

"No one in here cares about Draft picks, because the fastest guy will be here in three or four years," said Wilson, whose 2008 salary is $6.5 million. "The fact of the matter is that if we sign our No. 1 pick, he's going to be the highest-paid player on our team. So the Draft is completely out of control."

On the minor league front: RF Joey Bats hit a home run and double, collected three knocks, and drove in four to lead Indy to a 12-5 win. SS Brian Bixler (.283) added three more hits, a walk and a stolen base, as did CF Andrew McCutchen (.280) who scored twice and had an RBI.

SS Luis Cruz (.328) and 3B Neil Walker (.237) each had a pair of hits. C Ronny Paulino (.388) doubled and had 3 RBI, and DH Ryan Mulhern (.243) hit his 10th home run.

RHP Daniel McCutchen (4.04 ERA) lasted only 4-2/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out three. RHP Matt Capps went 1-2/3 innings and escaped unscathed, although he gave up 3 walks. RHP Mike Thompson (3-3, 5.23 ERA) went 1-1/3 perfect innings for the win.

> Altoona scored four times in the ninth to pull out a 5-4 win this afternoon. RHP Yoslan Herrera (3.45 ERA) went the first five, giving up 2 runs on nine hits and striking out two. The winner was LHP Josh Shortslef (5-2, 2.67 ERA), who went the last 2-1/3 innings giving up a hit and a walk.

Melvin Dorta (.292) pinch hit and came through with a two-out, two-run single to plate the winning runs. LF Jonel Pacheco (.272) had two hits, two runs, and an RBI.

> Lynchburg lost the lead in the ninth, rallied to tie it, and then lost in ten innings, 6-5. The winning run was set up by a wild pick-off attempt.

RF James Barksdale (.258) had three hits, a double, a stolen base and a pair of tallies. DH Miles Durham (.235) had two hits, a double, a swipe, and 2 RBI. 1B Kent Sakamoto had two hits with a run and RBI.

> Hickory gave up 5 long balls and lost 14-6, after falling into a 13-1 hole.

Hickory has surrendered nine home runs in the three games of the Kannapolis series and 17 in the seven games of the current homestand. The Crawdads, league leaders in round-trippers allowed with 135, have served up home runs in 14 of their last 15 games, 11 times allowing multiple homers. Ouch!

RF Keanon Simon (.231) had a 4-5 game, with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. 3B Matt Hague (.320) also added two RBIs and a run, going 1-4 with a two-run double. 2B Greg Picart (.263) notched a pair of singles on the night.

Though hitting just .231, Simon has been afire lately. He's now 16-33 (.485) with nine runs, six RBI and five doubles through the first seven games of the homestand.

> Bradenton slapped out 14 hits and won 4-2 this afternoon. RHP Emilis Guerraro, 22, threw 6 shutout innings, giving up 4 hits, walking one and striking out 6. He's had an odd year, stopping in every minor league town in the Pirate system but Indy during the season. He was just sent from State College to the GCL.

The way the Spike's season is going, shouldn't those pitching exchanges be going the other way?

RF Victor Sanchez (.315) had three hits, and 1B Alex Vargas (.262), 2B Freizer Pedron (.220), 3B Andury Aceveto (.228), and CF Kyle Saukko (.218) each had a pair of hits.

> State College, working with a short bullpen, lost 4-3 tonight when it gave up two runs in the ninth. DH Quincy Latimore (.262) had three hits, including a double, and RF David Rubenstein (.206) added a pair and scored.