For Better Or Worse...

-- If you thought keeping Luis Cruz, with his .180 BA/.212 OBP, on the roster was a puzzler, well at least the fact he played errorless ball during the spring while Brian Bixler booted four and Andy Phillips had a balky back and only 19 at-bats gave the suits some excuse.

But Jesse Chavez? He cobbled together an 11.45 ERA during camp in 11 IP. Evan Meek's ERA was 3.48 in 10-1/3 innings, while Jason Davis had a 1.38 ERA in 13 frames. Heck, even Chris Bootcheck had a 4.73 ERA in 13-1/3 innings. GW can't figure the reasoning behind that decision.

Even if the suits want Meek to work a few games at Indy after missing a couple of weeks to the flu and bronchitis, why isn't Davis on the roster instead? He'd fill the bill as a long man/spot starter to a tee. Just saying...whatever happened to that accountability thing?

Even if Chavez suddenly sees the light and throws nothing but zeroes, we think it's a terrible message to send to the team. Performance, not potential, should primarily determine who plays.

-- NBC's Tony DeMarco sees the Central Division shaking out like this:

Chicago, (93-69) St. Louis (85-77), Milwaukee (84-78), Cincinnati (79-83), Houston (72-90), Pittsburgh (66-96).

-- Adam Tolegian of Fox Sports picks the Pirates to come in last in the Central. He says:

"At several points late this decade, the Pirates looked as though they had the makings of a nice young staff. First it was Zach Duke. Then it was Ian Snell. Now it's Paul Maholm. If Maholm follows the pattern, his strong '08 will be followed by poor results this season. If all three ever bounced back, the Pirates could be somewhat of a sleeper even with an offense that lacks the power needed to be a contender. Bet on another long season. Projected wins: 66-70."

-- But it's not all doom and gloom for Maholm. George Winkler of The Sporting News' "Fantasy Source Fastball" column picks him as one of 2009's sleepers, as does Steve Gardner of USA Today's "Fantasy Insider." Ditto for Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated's "Daily Scoop."

-- The Rays Party blog suggests that out-of-options pitcher Jeff Niemann could go to Pittsburgh for a power hitter, ala Jamie Romak or perhaps Matt Hague. Probably just thinkin' out loud, but hey...

-- And as camp winds down, Zach Duke recovered from the licking the Yankees put on him last outing and threw five innings of four-hit, shutout ball against the Twins. Alas, Donnie Veal was tagged for a three run shot, and the game ended a 4-4 draw.

Adam LaRoche homered, while Jason Jaramillo and second-year stud Robbie Grossman had a pair of hits apiece. Jaramillo's had five hits in the last three games; going north with the club seems to have done wonders for his eye...and confidence.

The Pirates and Twins will close out their Grapefruit League seasons tomorrow in Fort Myers. Ross Ohlendorf will go against Glen Perkins. Then it's off on the big bird to St. Louis for the games that count.

Win Some, Lose Some

-- The Bucs split a pair of games today. Oddly, they managed to beat Edison Volquez and the Reds, 6-5, but fell to the mighty Manatee CC Lancers 6-4.

In the spring game, Jesse Chavez may have dealt a fatal blow to his bullpen chances by giving up three runs on three hits and three walks in the opening inning (eight relievers pitched today; Ian Snell was sick).

The Bucs banged out 12 hits, five for extra bases, topped by Craig Monroe's team-leading seventh HR of camp. He and Brandon Moss had a pair of knocks to pace the attack.

The Pirates that worked the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings for the win, hold, and save were farm hands Eric Krebs, Harrison Bishop, and Lincoln Holdzkom.

One thing we have noticed all spring is that the Pirates are paying more attention to baserunners, and the results have shown. Ryan Doumit threw out 2-of-3 base stealers, and Jason Jaramillo gunned his only would-be sack snatcher.

The highlight of the game may have been when Sarasota's Mayor received a standing boo from the crowd. The Reds are leaving town for Arizona this year after the Sarasota town fathers decided not to upgrade the facilities, and apparently at least one segment of the voting public disagreed with the decision.

The Pirates finish their McKechnie Field schedule against the Twins tomorrow afternoon. Zach Duke will start against Kevin Slowey. The Pirates have one to go after that, the camp-closer on Saturday against the Twins again, at their place.

-- Meanwhile in Pirate City, Virgil Vasquez and Dave Davidson were rocked as Manatee beat the Bucs for the first time in the 11-game charity series 6-4. Steve Pearce homered.

-- Craig Hansen, Sean Burnett, and Donnie Veal were officially named to the staff today, and we expect that Evan Meek will join them soon if he can leave Bradenton germ-free.

We are surprised that they didn't keep a long man given the April slate, but as Neal Huntington told the beat writers, some business decisions had to taken into account during the sausage-making.

All three could have left the Pirate organization if cut from the MLB roster. To us, Hansen was the only one that actually earned a position, but nobody else really stepped up to make the decision hard with the exception of Jason Davis, who they plan to use as a part of Indy's rotation. So c'est la vie, and let's hope the starters can get into the seventh inning.

-- Ian Snell was still under the weather and missed the start today. If he can't fit in a couple of innings, even in minor league camp, before the Pirates head north, they may have to shuffle the rotation a bit. The Pirates still believe he'll be able to go Tuesday against St. Louis.

-- A couple of tidbits GW stumbled upon while googling uber-prospect Steve Strasburg. First, he can be represented legally by Scott Boras during the season - in an "advisory" capacity - because the NCAA considers college baseball players draftable after their junior season, and Strasburg is a senior.

Yahoo!Sports Steve Henson did an article on Strasburg that included guys that topped 102 on the radar gun. He did a follow-up of some greats that could bring it before the days of the gun: Ryne Duren, JR Richards, Herb Score, Bob Feller, and Nolan Ryan. That's pretty good company for the kid to be running in.

The Ax Falls...And May Not Be Done

-- Chop chop: RHPs Virgil Vasquez, Chris Bootcheck, Denny Bautista and Jason Davis, OF Jeff Salazar, IF Andy Phillips, 1B Garrett Jones, and C Erik Kratz were trimmed from the roster today.

RHP Romulo Sanchez was lopped from the 40-man roster to make way for OF Craig Monroe.

That leaves one to go, among Sean Burnett, who's probably safe, Evan Meek and Jesse Chavez. The trio are the finalists for the final two bullpen spots.

In addition, John Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press says that OF Brent Clevlen, out of options and unlikely to make the cut, is on the Buc's radar.

The 25-year old RH is considered a good corner OF, and had a line of .279/22/82 at AAA Toledo last year. But he struck out 166 times in 476 at-bats.

So the possibility exists that someone could get plucked from the waiver wires or in a last-minute deal, too. The suits claim that they don't have any irons in the fire; we'll see.

-- The Bucs lost to Boston this afternoon 4-3, as Paul Maholm finally had a shaky start; we hope it's out of his system now. The lefty gave up three runs in four innings, with all the damage coming as a result of a wind blown homer.

Nyjer Morgan was the hitting star - first time we got to write that! - going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Nate McLouth hit his fourth homer of the spring, a two run shot off of Josh Beckett.

The Pirates will have two games on Thursday. The big club will tackle the Reds in the main bout. Ian Snell is scheduled to start, health allowing (he has the flu, too), against Edinson Volquez.

The Pirates also play Manatee Community College at McKechnie Field in their annual charity exhibition. Virgil Vasquez will go for the Pirates, with a minor-league crew behind him.

-- One player the Pirates were supposed to be in on, IF Robert Andino, was traded to the Orioles by Florida today for Hayden Penn, a pitcher that was hot a couple of years ago but has run on hard times since. So you can take Andino off the hot stove.

-- Where are they now: Jason Michaels is the bench OF for the Astros.

Ronny Paulino is sitting pretty as the back-up receiver at Florida. His .355 lifetime average against lefties makes him the perfect partner for LH Scott Baker, the Fish' everyday backstop.

Toronto has stockpiled ex-Pirates, but utility infielder Jose Bautista is the only one that will break camp with them. Raul Chavez, TJ Beam and Bryan Bullington were all sent to AAA Las Vegas.

Doug Meintkiewicz is still in the running for a reserve role in LA, as is Chris Gomez in Baltimore, although he looks to get a visit from the Turk now that Andino has joined the club.

Chris Duffy and Tony Gwynn Jr. are in a battle for the last outfield position in Milwaukee; Gwynn is probably the favorite, as he's out of options. The Nat's Jose Castillo, the Cub's Luis Rivas, and the White Sox' John Van Benschoten were all sent to minor league camp for assignment.

-- Once-upon-a-time Pirate farm hand, infielder Jeff Keppinger, was traded to the Astros by the Reds late yesterday.

Finding 25 Good Men Isn't That Easy...

-- Jeff Karstens didn't help his own cause this afternoon, allowing five runs in 5-2/3 innings against the Twins. He gave up 10 hits, walked two, and struck out two. Karstens also got nine fly-ball outs, indicating that he again had trouble keeping his pitches down in the zone. His spring ERA is now 6.17.

The Twins won, 12-8, and no Bucco hurler exactly covered himself in glory. Matt Capps faced six batters; four scored. Craig Hansen and Chris Bootcheck were nicked for runs, too. Jesse Chavez alone escaped unscathed, yielding a hit in 1/3 inning.

The Pirate youngsters did most of the damage. 2B Jim Negrych had two hits and three RBI; 2007's fourth round draft pick, 20-year old OF Quincy Latimore, had two hits, with a triple and two runs scored; and last year's third rounder, SS Jordy Mercer, walked and scored.

Jack Splat had a two-run homer and Ramon Vazquez added a pair of hits and a tally.

The Pirates face the Red Sox tomorrow at McKechnie Field. Paul Maholm will start for Pittsburgh, and he'll go against Josh Beckett.

-- To add a little drama to the Pirate bullpen situation, the Pirate beat writers report that Evan Meek just doesn't have the flu, but bronchitis. Bad timing for both Meek and the Bucs.

So the Pirate pitching dilemma continues. The question isn't who to cut, but who deserves to stay. And there may not be a dozen that earned a ticket north judged on their spring performance. With a week to go until the games count, you'd like your pitching to fall into place, not disarray.

-- The rumor mill in Florida, from beat writer Joe Fisaro on his Fish Pond blog:

As reported, Robert Andino is on the Pirates radar, and the Marlins are talking Brian Bixler as a possible return. Given Bix's spring, that deal is unlikely. The Pirates might try to wait out Florida and pick Andino up on waivers if he doesn't make the cut or get dealt elsewhere.

The Fish are also looking for a lefty to balance their bullpen, and Sean Burnett is an arm that might interest them, according to Fisaro.

-- Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says that the Pirates are in the mix for the Ray's RHPs Jeff Niemann or Jason Hammell, along with the Rangers, Nationals, Indians, Padres, Brewers and Rockies.

They're both out of options, and are available, if the price is right, because of the depth of Tampa Bay's highly-regarded AAA staff, led by David Price. But the Rays won't give them away; they could keep both and cut Lance Cormier if the offers aren't up to snuff. Nice situation to be in, hey?

-- Rosenthal adds that the Rockies could end up keeping Jeff Baker as a right-handed pinch-hitter rather than trading him. Apparently no one, including the Pirates, have made an offer they like yet.

-- Jason Stark of ESPN picks a variety of All-Money Ball teams. In his "All-Future Markets" team for up-and-comers, he includes Pirate ranch hands Shelby Ford ("Watch out, Freddy Sanchez"), Pedro Alvavrez ("Pirates still buzzing about his 550-foot BP homer this spring") and Andrew McCutchen ("Why do you think Jason Bay doesn't work here anymore?").

-- In a related piece, Jen Langosch of MLB.com has an article on the Indy club, which she believes may have seven potential position-playing Pirates on the roster now or shortly in the future: Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Shelby Ford, Brian Bixler and Steve Pearce, with Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata joining later in the year. Langosch likes Robinzon Diaz and Garrett Jones as well.

She may be wildly optimistic, but hey, it's nice to see actual young talent in AAA instead of waiver wire guys and old vets. And we did notice that she avoided mention of any pitchers.

-- Langosch also says that the Pirates are leaning heavily to keeping former #1 pick Daniel Moskos in the rotation. They're working on his mechanics, trying to get a return to college form for the hard-throwing lefty by eliminating some head movement. He'll start at Altoona.

-- GW caught the end of "Baseball Today" on ESPN when he got home from work, and they were doing the Central Division previews. They picked the Cubs first, natch, and the Bucs last - with 62 wins! The only Pirates they showed any love for were Nate McLouth and Pedro Alvarez. The previews will be on their website Thursday.

-- Yahoo!Sports has a breakdown of the Pirates strength's and weaknesses as they embark on the 2009 season.

And Then There Were Ten...

-- The ax fell on Andrew McCutchen and Brian Bixler today, as both were assigned to minor league camp on their way to Indy. The reasoning was that they both had things to work on, and better to do it everyday in the bushes than on the bench at Pittsburgh.

Dunno that GW agrees with that pretzel logic, but it was in the cards. And now the roster is down to 35...ten more meetings with the Turk to go until April 6th.

-- Another name is popping up for that extra infielder spot. The Marlin's Robert Andino is out of minor league options and no cinch to stick with the club. His name was brought up during the Ronny Paulino trade talks, so either the Pirates had some interest in him or the Marlins were ready to dump him in the off season.

Andino, the Marlin's #2 pick in 2002, is a good glove, bad stick (.201 lifetime) middle infielder. He has a couple of connections in Pittsburgh, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review. Scout Marc DelPiano signed Andino, and he's now a special assistant to GM Neal Huntington. Perry Hill coached him when he was on Florida's staff.

The suits still have some interest in Colorado's Jeff Baker, too, so if we were Luis Cruz, we wouldn't send those bags to PNC quite yet.

-- Phil Dumatrait will start on the DL - he just started throwing live again over the weekend - and is 4-6 weeks from rejoining the club.

-- Andy LaRoche's disappearance from the lineup didn't have anything to do with injury; he's got the flu. So does Evan Meek, so we'll see if that impacts his chances of breaking camp with the big club.

-- The Pirate rotation seems set with Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens. The bullpen isn't quite so set.

Matt Capps, Tyler Yates and John Grabow are in; Donnie Veal and Craig Hansen likely, and Meek, Sean Burnett, Chris Bootcheck and Jesse Chavez are fighting for the last two spots, and it could be down to one if the suits decide to keep Jason Davis or Virgil Vasquez as a long man during a busy April.

Of course, that mix could change if someone becomes available in the next week during final cuts. It does look like Pedro Martinez and Will Ohman can both be crossed off the Bucco shopping list. (EDIT - Ohman for sure; he inked a deal with the Dodgers this afternoon.)

-- Ditto for the Pirate bench; Ramon Vazquez, Eric Hinske, and Jason Jaramillo are locks; Craig Monroe is the favorite to take the last OF spot from Jeff Salazar, and if no moves are made, the Bradenton scuttlebutt says that Luis Cruz will take the fifth spot, with Andy Phillips making up for injury time at Indy.

The regular lineup looks like Nyjer Morgan, Freddy Sanchez, Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, Adam LaRoche, Andy LaRoche, Brandon Moss and Jack Splat. Hinske and Monroe could see some OF platoon time, both to rest Moss in right and spell Morgan in left, especially if he doesn't find his stick soon.

-- The Big O had another strong outing in the Pirates 3-2 win over the Reds today. He went 5-1/3 innings, giving up a run on three hits, with three K's and two walks. The Bucs scored twice in the ninth with two away when Salazar singled home the tying run and Jaramillo singling up the middle for the walk-off knock.

Jeff Karstens will pitch against the Twins tomorrow against Nick Blackburn. A good outing should cement his spot on the staff, but a bad day at the office could turn the struggle for the rotation's last spot into a cage match.

-- The Bucs picked up 24-year old LHP Shawn Cunningham from the Tribe today for a player to be named later. Cunningham had OK stats as a starter, but a bad start on the hill followed by a switch to the pen led to some pretty horrible numbers in 2008.

He has a fastball that hits 89-91 MPH, and a good curveball and changeup. Cunningham is supposed to have some mechanical problems, and the Bucs will try to salvage his career at Altoona.

Between The Raindrops

-- The Evil Empire scored the go-ahead run in the eighth off Jason Davis and held off the Pirates 9-8 this afternoon. Zach Duke and AJ Burnett hit the showers early; it was 8-8 after the top of the fifth.

Yesterday the bubble players showed their stuff; today the regular lineup was penciled in. Nyjer Morgan, Freddy Sanchez, Ryan Doumit, Adam LaRoche and Brandon Moss each had a pair of hits. Doumit, LaRoche, and DH Eric Hinske homered.

Brian Bixler had a tough day subbing for Jack Wilson. He threw a pair of balls away and struck out, though he did have another hit. Backup catcher Jason Jaramillo threw out another base-stealer, and late inning replacement Andrew McCutchen banged out a hit in his only at-bat; he's unconscious at the plate right now.

For the ex-Pirate Pinstripes, it was a mixed day. The X-Man, Xavier Nady, was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored, but Damaso Marte gave up a run on a couple of hits in 2/3 of an inning.

Phil Coke, one of the names originally mentioned in last year's deadline deal, got the win. He threw two shut-out innings, giving up a hit and striking out four. The lefty is 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA this spring.

-- The Pirate beat reporters are writing that Jack Splat's agent Page Odle has approached the suits about a contract extension. Wilson is in the last season of a three-year deal, with an $8.4M team option ($600K buyout) for 2010.

That figure doesn't work, and was a major hangup in the efforts to deal Wilson. While the talks haven't reached a point where specifics are being discussed, GM Neal Huntington said he'd be willing to carry the discussion into the season, a scenario usually avoided by Pittsburgh.

The 31-year old Wilson has stated publicly that he'd like like one more contract before hanging them up, and we assume that he's looking for a two or three-year deal with salary concessions and limited trade protection; Wilson would probably be OK with a West Coast or contender deal.

That would work for both sides. Wilson would have a little security and a chance to finish his career with one team, and the Bucs wouldn't have to rush anyone through the system or deal outside the organization to replace him.

There's no heir apparent outside of Ramon Vazquez or Brian Bixler, and neither is thought to be an everyday player.

Splat's bruised knee is OK; he should be back in the lineup tomorrow.

-- Charlie Wilmoth of the Bucs Dugout has his Five Questions: Pittsburgh Pirates on the Hardball Times.

-- Jen Langosch of MLB.com has a piece on Pirate righty Brad Lincoln and his future in the organization. He'll start the season at AA Altoona, but could be fast tracked.

According to head scout Kyle Stark: "The reality is that if he is in Double-A, he's close. The way we develop players is if the player accomplishes what we want him to accomplish in Double-A, theoretically, he is ready for the big leagues."

That's interesting, especially considering that Jose Tabata will start with the Curve and Pedro Alvarez should be in Altoona sooner rather than later this season.

-- The Tigers returned Rule 5 pick Kyle Bloom to the Pirates. The Bucs are expected to ship the lefty to AA Altoona.

-- Dirt Dog Doug has opened some eyes in Dodgertown this spring, and has a shot at breaking camp with the team. If not, he still wants to play for at least another season in the bigs before he calls it a career, reports Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times:

Mientkiewicz said he "absolutely" believes that he can still play in the majors and that he will become a free agent if he isn't added to the 25-man roster by April 6, as his contract allows.

With five more months in the majors, the 34-year-old utilityman will have 10 years of service time, which would improve his retirement benefits. Mientkiewicz has already assured himself of receiving healthcare for the rest of his life; reaching 10 years will ensure that his wife, Jodi, is also covered.

Jodi, as you may recall, had a serious heart procedure last season.

-- Kris Benson, old Pirate righty, is still hanging around the Ranger camp, and has a shot at earning the fifth spot in the rotation. He'll pitch tomorrow against the Giants, and it could be a make or break game for him according to MLB.com's TR Sullivan.

Sweatin' Those Last Cuts

The Pirates treated Jamie Moyer and the Phils like AIG treated the fed's bailout money this afternoon, pounding out a 10-4 victory. And even better, it gave GW three storylines, a blogger's delight.

The big story is how the Pirates' bubble players are refusing to get cut without a fight. Andrew McCutchen went 5-for-5 with a home run, three doubles, two RBI, and three runs scored. Brian Bixler went 2-for-4 and scored, while Garrett Jones hit a three-run homer as a pinch hitter.

Hey, their fate may be predestined, but it's sweet watching guys force the suits to make hard decisions about roster spots instead of the usual annointing of players.

The next tale concerns Ian Snell, who lasted six innings with a line of one run on two hits, with three walks and five whiffs. Snell induced 9 ground outs to go with his 5 K's and a Jason Jaramillo pick-off (JJ also threw out a would-be stealer, showing why he made the cut).

The only caveat is that his control could use some sharpening. But on a day when the winds were blowing out at 30 MPH, it was key to keep the pitches down. He did, against a lineup that featured Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz with top subs Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs.

And finally, the Bucs got a chance to let some of the minor league boys get their feet wet. Jim Negrych and Brian Friday ended the game as the middle infielders, Rob Grossman got some time in right field, and Erik Krantz finished behind the dish. It's nice to see the second wave of prospects get a sip in the bigs, even if only for a spring game.

All in all, a good day to be a Pirate. We'll see if they can do it again tomorrow afternoon in Tampa against the Yankees. Zach Duke will make the start against A.J. Burnett.

Pellas On The Pirates: Son Of 10 Days To Go

My take on your observations, questions, and comments with "10 Days To Go..."

* Virgil Vasquez will not go north with the club, but he is no worse than the second option if/when any of our starters get hurt or implode. He definitely gets after enemy batters, though I don't know how good his raw stuff really is.

But he appears to be another in an increasingly long line of smart, low profile but highly productive moves this team has made since Neil Huntington took over as General Manager. While guys like Vasquez are not going to lead you to the promised land, they are the kind of baseball lifer - professionals that every organization needs and can use, sometimes more often, sometimes less, but you need to have them (think: Luis Sojo with the great Yankees teams of the 90s).

PS: Karstens is going to start the season as our fifth starter, but it's pretty clear the Pirates' front office would prefer than someone else seize that spot sooner rather than later. Vasquez could slide down the food chain a spot or two if Daniel McCutchen gets his head out and/or if the Pirates sign an end-of-spring-training-out-of-options pickup. But I'm still glad we have him.

* Will Ohman would be an excellent signing by this team, but he is holding out for interest from a contender. I don't think he'll come here though I'd love to see him in black and gold.

* I'll believe it when I see it from Ian Snell.

* I do think Evan Meek is the real deal. His performance last season at both double and triple-A was exceptional. I don't know that many Pirates fans understand just how dominant Meek was in our system after he got sent down. Let's hope his shoulder woes aren't anything serious. If healthy, he could get a sniff of the closer's role before long.

* Phil Dumatrait can flat out pitch. The only issue with him is his health, as it always is. I don't know that he'll ever hold together long enough to give us more than a dozen effective starts or so, but it sure would be great if he could. I believe he will be our fifth starter for the remainder of the season if/when he makes it back from injury. If not, presumably Daniel McCutchen would be next in line, then Vasquez. Forget Gorzellany, but more on that below.

* Andy Phillips is far better than any other infield utility options the Pirates have anywhere in the system. But, he's another one in the M*A*S*H unit. Back injuries are tricky. Again, he's another "he can really help us if he can stay on the field" kinda guy.

* Jeff Baker wouldn't be a bad fallback option, but why give anything up to Colorado to acquire him when we've already got Phillips? If Phillips is not seriously hurt, I'd just as soon make do with Cruz or even (*SHUDDER*) Bixler for a month or weeks until Phillips makes it back.

* Monroe will make the team. Pearce doesn't appear to have a future with this organization; he's not a true outfielder and Garrett Jones has, I think, passed him up at first base and will get the first shot there once Adam LaRoche is traded or walks. Salazar is a nice little player but is another lefthanded bat and so is not likely to spend much time in Pittsburgh barring injury. Unless....

*....unless Nyjer Morgan keeps stinking it up again. What is up with Morgan? Last year he had a chance to stay with the club and blew it, but we all said, well, he needs to be in there every day and look how he played when he came back up.

Surely this year was going to be his year if EVER there was going to be his year, but he joins Andrew McCutchen and Daniel McCutchen as guys who inexplicably fell flat on their faces when big time opportunity was staring them in the face. Morgan, like Karstens, will go north with the club, but both are on a short leash.

* Robinzon Diaz. Robinzon Diaz. Robinzon Diaz. Robinzon Diaz. 'Nuff said!

* Gorzellany's fall-down-go-boom was no surprise to me. I'll say it yet again: if he's hurt, can we all stop the stupid charade and fix whatever it is that needs fixing?

If he's not hurt, he richly deserves his demotion, not only because of his performance, but because by most accounts he's a serious jerk. No, I don't know that for sure, I don't know the guy, and yes we have to take scuttlebutt with a grain of salt.

But Gorzellany definitely appears to have earned more ire from the front office than his performance alone would merit. How many teams keep running underachieving lefthanders out there year after year after year, hoping they'll catch lightning in a bottle? The Pirates' patience with Gorzellany has been much less than similar cases with similar players on other teams. That lends credence to the Gorzo The Jerk theory.

(GW can't sneak anything past Will Pellas)

Weekend Weenie

-- Roy Halladay showed the Pirates how it's done yesterday, going seven innings and giving up a run on four hits as the Blue Jays won 4-1 in Grapefruit League action.

Virgil Vasquez went 5-2/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits. It wasn't a bad showing for him; the big blow was a two-out, two run homer by 2B Brad Emaus on a day when the wind was whistling straight out at 20 MPH.

Brandon Moss singled in the Bucs' only run, driving in Eric Hinske, while Brian Bixler had a hit and a walk and was the only Pirate to reach base twice.

The Pirates play the Phillies this afternoon at McKechnie Field. Ian Snell gets the start, and he'll match up against Philadelphia's ageless one, Jamie Moyer.

-- Paul Maholm threw seven innings in a Triple-A game at Pirate City yesterday. The outing was to keep him on his five-day schedule, now that he's officially slated to pitch on Opening Day. Well, who else?

-- Jack Wilson is out after fouling a ball off of his knee yesterday. The extent of his injury, which now isn't being considered serious, could have an effect on the extra infielder kept when the team breaks camp.

-- The Pirates optioned OF/1B Steve Pearce and C Robinzon Diaz to Indy today and assigned infielder Anderson Machado to minor league camp. So Jason Jaramillo's glove won out over Diaz's bat, at least for the time being.

-- As the Jose Tabata tabloid tale unfolds, it seems to GW like a young guy with a future so bright he needs sunglasses simply fell into the clutches of a golddigger looking for a big payday. It's easy enough to understand; a teen immersed in a culture so foreign to him that he can't even speak the language is fair game for the local con artists.

We're interested in how the Pirates support him now. Apparently the Yankees didn't do much to acclimate him to life in the states outside the lines, and if the Pittsburgh suits want to make inroads in Latin America, they'll have to provide a substitute family for their young charges. Budgets and academies are part of the equation; being a surrogate big bro is, too.

-- When he was on the Buc's "to-move" list after the 2008 season, Ronny Paulino's rumored landing spot was Florida. And after failing to impress his new honchos in Philadelphia, that's exactly where he ended up, in a round-about way.

Hours after Philadelphia traded him to the Giants for LH reliever Jack Taschner, the G-Men shipped him to the Marlins for 21-year old Class A RH starter Hector Correa.

Remember what a hot battery Tom Gorzelanny and Paulino made in 2007? Now one's in the minors, and the other is fighting for a back-up job. The future is what you make it, especially in MLB.

10 Days To Go...

Ten days to go before the Bucs kick it off with a four game set at St. Louis, and there are still some story lines yet to finalized...

-- Virgil Vasquez will take the hill tonight to claim his stake in the unlikely battle with Jeff Karstens for the fifth spot, with Jason Davis hovering as a spot starter/long guy.

-- What Ian Snell will the Pirates have in 2009? The 2007 version would be nice; the 2008 edition pretty much guarantees another dismal year for a young and not-so-settled staff.

-- Will the Bucs land Will Ohman? Sean Burnett hasn't proven to be any more than a LOOGY so far this spring, and Donnie Veal has been great or terrible, with no in-between. John Grabow and Ohman would be a nice, veteran set of lefties behind the rotation.

-- Can Evan Meek stick this time around? He had a leg up until he went down with a sore shoulder; his next couple of appearances should write his ticket to either PNC or Indy.

-- When will Phil Dumatrait return, and will he be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

-- Andy Phillips is supposed to be ready to play this weekend. If he hits the field tomorrow, he'll have eight games left to convince the suits that he's a better choice than Brian Bixler, Luis Cruz, or Rox trade bait Jeff Baker for utility dude.

-- Craig Monroe has to stay strong down the stretch to hold off Jeff Salazar and Steve Pearce. We expect he will, given his production and right-handedness.

-- Ditto for Nyjer Morgan, except he has to show something and in a hurry, we assume. The poor hitting (.186) wouldn't necessarily be a deal-buster at this point, but without the patience to draw a walk (.242 OBP), well, we'll see how that accountability thing works this year.

-- Robinzon Diaz or Jason Jaramillo? One can hit the ball; the other can catch a game. And both are looking better than Ronny Paulino. The ex-Pirate was supposed to make 36-year old Chris Coste expendable in Philly; instead Paulino is the one on the block.

-- What LaRoches will show up when the games count? Can Adam overcome the April blues, and will Andy look like the can't-miss prospect he was touted to be or revert to his sad sack 2008 showing?

-- Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, Shelby Ford, and especially Pedro Alvarez have shown that the Pirates do have a little organizational depth and a reason to believe in the future.

-- Garrett Jones and Brian Bixler are having nice springs, and will probably get stockpiled at Indy as the insurance policies for potential down-the-road deals involving Adam LaRoche and/or Jack Splat.

-- Tom Gorzelanny's fall from grace is astounding to us. We have to wonder if he'll screw his head on straight at Indy or if his days as a Pirate are done.

-- The Bucs are carrying 40 guys; they have a week and three days to get it pared down to 25. We'd expect some cuts to come this weekend. And as other teams trim their rosters, will any pitching fall into the Pirates lap?

Six weeks of camp gone, and still more questions than answers.