Pirate Roster Set; No Surprises

The Pirates set their roster today, and there are no real surprises. They followed their MO of using option time remaining as the ultimate yardstick, and so the 25-man looks pretty much as expected. The only real coin flip was RHP Jeanmar Gomez, who was kept as Jeff Karsten's bullpen replacement. (The Bucs actually have 26 guys on the roster; we're assuming Brandon Inge will go on the DL soon.)

The Lineup: Starling Marte (LF), Andrew McCutchen (CF), Travis Snider (RF), Garrett Jones/Gaby Sanchez (1B), Neil Walker (2B), Clint Barmes (SS), Pedro Alvarez (3B) and Russell Martin (C).

Judging by the spring, against RHP, the lineup will be Marte, Walker, Cutch, Alvarez, Jones, Snider, Martin and Barmes. Against LHP, it looks like Marte, Martin, Cutch, Sanchez, Alvarez, Walker, Snider, and Barmes. Of course, that could all be out the window come Monday.

The Bench: Jose Tabata (OF), John McDonald (IF), Josh Harrison (IF) and Michael McKenry (C).

JT got the last spot because he's RH and out of options, certainly not on his spring stats.

The Rotation: AJ Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez, James McDonald, Jonathan Sanchez and Jeff Locke.

It's what we expected it to be in February. But Jeff Karstens, Francisco Liriano and Charlie Morton are all rehabbing and should be good to go before the All-Star break and maybe sooner, while Gerrit Cole is not that far from being MLB ready.

The Bullpen: Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Jared Hughes, Tony Watson, Chris Leroux, Justin Wilson and Jeanmar Gomez.

Wilson was a minor surprise, but outperformed Mike Zagurski handily to earn the lefty spot, while Gomez, who is out of options, has a spot more due to circumstance than performance. Jose Contrelas is lurking in rehab, and he's another arm that could be ready to go sooner rather than later.

Reassigned to Indy were Alex Presley, Jordy Mercer and Kyle McPherson. Sent to minor league camp were Felix Pie, Carlos Paulino, Lucas May, Mike Zagurski, Vin Mazzaro and Ryan Reid. Presley (.311 BA, .396 OBP), Pie (.318 BA, .423 OBP) and Mercer (.300 BA, .500 OBP) had good springs while McPherson needs to get some upper level innings under his belt.

We're thinking Mercer and Ivan DeJesus Jr. will share SS at Indy so the FO can determine if they're internal candidates to replace Clint Barmes, whose contract ends this year. We're not sure if JT is ready to bounce back or not; his spring was disappointing (.260 BA, .296 OBP) and there are clubs looking for OF help, so Presley and Pie are more than organizational insurance.

We're kinda meh about the roster and don't believe that the most productive club is going north, though our beefs are centered around the fringes rather than with the core. The pitching determined its own level, and even though the everyday roster was set before camp, Pirate City did feature a competitive few weeks with guys like Presley, Pie, Mercer and DeJesus making things interesting. It makes sense that the FO would try to buy some more time to sort out the pieces.

Bucs Fall Behind Early, Go Down 6-3 To Jays

Well, Jonathan Sanchez made the team and had a chance to show what a good decision that was today. It was a chance he let go by, giving up a three spot in the first frame as the Bucs fell to Toronto 6-3 this afternoon.

Pittsburgh drew first against Ricky Romero with some small ball. Starling Marte singled, stole second, took third after a bunt and touched home on a Gaby Sanchez bouncer. The Blue Jays answered quickly. With an out, Melky Cabrera singled and Jose Bautista followed with a walk. JP Arencibia singled a run home, and a sac fly by Mark DeRosa plated another. Adam Lind cranked out a double, and it was 3-1 before the beer guy could peddle his first tray.

In the second, the Pirates opened with a Garrett Jones double and Jordy Mercer walk; they ended up stranded at second and third.  They made it 3-2 in the third. After opening walks to Felix Pie and Gaby Sanchez, a one-out knock by The Fort drove in a run. But the hardest hit ball of the frame killed the rally. Jones lined a shot to first; Lind gloved it and stepped on first to double up the helpless McKenry.

Sanchez left a pair on in the Jay half, and the Bucs tied it in the fourth. With two away, Sanchez helped his own cause with a double. Marte reached when Lind dropped the toss to first to put runners on the corners. Marte managed to get himself picked off when he was caught leaning, but stayed alive long enough for Sanchez to scoot home. The tie didn't last long. Maybe Sanchez was gassed a bit, but the first Toronto hitter, old Bucco Rajai Davis, greeted him with a bomb to make it 4-3.

Pie opened the fifth with a soft single over third, but he happy-footed himself into an out at second trying to stretch the bloop. Sanchez got the first two outs, then Jhonathan Ramos came on to whiff DeRosa. Sanchez went 4-2/3, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk with six K. The Pirates went quietly in the sixth. Jason grilli came on, and he was greeted by a Lind long ball to make it 5-3.

The Bucs were blanked in the seventh, as were the Jays against Tony Watson, who appears to have found his previously missing mojo over the last couple of appearances. Mark melancon gave up a run in the eighth on a walk, stolen base and single, and that was the ballgame, a 6-3 Toronto win.

As happens a bit too often to the Bucs, two walks turned into two runs. And the hitters went 1-for-11 with RISP. Ah well, it's the spring, right?

AJ. Burnett goes against the Twins tomorrow afternoon in the last home game at McKechnie Field.

• We expect the Bucs to finalize their roster tomorrow afternoon when they break camp.
• Root Sports will air 151 Pirate games this year. In addition, five more will be shown by Fox Sports on May 4 vs Nats, June 1 vs Reds, June 29 vs Brewers, July 13 vs Mets & August 17 vs D'backs
• Chad Qualls has won a job in the Marlin bullpen. If you're curious, Matt Capp signed a minor league deal with Cleveland and Lyle Overbay did the same with the Yankees.
• Exicardo Cayones, who the Pirates sent to the Yankees as part of the AJ Burnett deal, was sent by the Bronx Bombers to Cleveland as part of the Vernon Wells trade. Have salary dump, will travel.

Bucs v Jays; Sanchez, Inge On the Roster

The Bucs travel to Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin this afternoon to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Jonathan Sanchez climbs the hill to face Ricky Romero in the 1:05 clash. The game won't be broadcast.

Lineup: Starling Marte LF, Felix Pie CF, Gaby Sanchez, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Mike McKenry C, Garrett Jones RF, Jordy Mercer 2B, John McDonald SS and Jonathan Sanchez P.

Gaby is batting third while Garrett Jones is n right field, both for the first time this spring..

Pitchers: Jonathan Sanchez and ?

Welcome to the rotation, Jonathan.

• Tom Singer of MLB.com posts that Jonathan Sanchez and Brandon Inge have both made the club, although Inge is likely to be placed on the DL. We understand the move with Sanchez, but we're not so sure why Inge is on the roster. At least he's not blocking anyone while on the disabled list. The Pirates have until Sunday to officially add them to the 40-man roster.
• The starting pitching should clear up today, and the roster set by tomorrow when camp breaks. The FO wants to leave Florida with just the 25 players on the active roster.
  
• Fox Sports has its 2013 Bucco Preview on the web.
• The Bucs break camp after Thursday's game against the Yankees, take Friday off and play an exhibition at Altoona on Saturday. Then it's showtime Monday.
• The Marlins have agreed to a minor league deal with OF Matt Diaz, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Lyle Overbay, however, was cut by the Red Sox.
• Michael Love of the Tribune Review has a piece on RHP Scott McGough, a Plum Hi pitcher now in the Miami system. The Bucs thought enough of him out of high school to spend a draft pick for him in 2008, but he choose college (Oregon) instead.
• March 26, 1940 - After being released by the Pirates‚ Chuck Klein signed up for his third go-around with the Phils. Klein was a Hall-of-Fame OF who hit 300 homers, helped greatly by the Philadelphia Baker Bowl’s short porch. He played 85 games for Pittsburgh, hitting .300 with 11 HR, but was released at age 34 and became a bench player for Philly through the war years.

McPherson Fizzles Again In Bucs 6-2 Loss

Well, it was crunch time for young righty Kyle McPherson, and he went an inning too far against the Jays yesterday. In five frames, McPherson allowed five runs on seven hits, three of which left the park, and one walk with two whiffs.

The Bucs looked like they would get off to a fast start, but left the bases loaded in the first. In the second, Shelley Dincan went deep, and the Bucs answered with two outs in their half. McPherson and JT singled and Russell Martin roped a ground rule double to left; JT would have scored if the ball hadn't hopped into the stands. Still, that's four guys stranded in scoring position in two innings, and that's not good.

The Pirates took the lead in the third when Gaby Sanchez drew a free pass, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Josh Harrison's two-out knock. Both sides stranded a pair in the fourth, as the Pirates were walked twice and the Rays got men aboard on a Brandon Inge drop and single.

Pittsburgh went quietly in the fifth; not so Tampa Bay. With two outs, the roof fell in on McPherson. With a runner on first, Ben Zobrist cranked a long fly to right. baseball's a funny game; McP was an inch away from getting out off the frame: JT's leap to snag the ball wasn't quite Olympian enough, and it ticked off his mitt and into the stands. McPherson had another bad break when Neil Walker had a slight bobble to allow an infield knock, and that was followed by a booming blast to left by Evan Longeria that cleared the wall by fifty feet.

The game played out pretty quietly after that, with the Rays tacking on another tally off Vin Mazzaro in the sixth thanks to a walk, wild pitch and ground ball knock up the middle.

For the Bucs, it was a matter of stranding a dozen, blowing several golden chances early on, and not being able to corral that third out on time. For the Rays, it was long ball city, and that's a pretty good formula.

McPherson wasn't as bad as his final stat line, but his up and behind in the count too much; we'd guess he's taken himself out of the competition to break camp. And that's not much of a surprise; he's got the stuff to be a mid-rotation guy when it's clicking. But he's actually got more MLB innings than AAA on his resume (26-1/3 to 18-1/3), so a trip to Indy isn't the end of the world.

• Brandon Inge went 1-for-5, struck out twice and left eight runners. He made an error at first and hasn't done much to help himself in the battle for the pine. 
• Rick Gurnick of MLB.com wrote that "Scouts from Seattle, Pittsburgh, Texas and Cleveland trekked to a back field on Monday to watch Chris Capuano pitch ...as the Dodgers step up efforts to move a surplus pitcher."He added that many of those same scouts will be around today for Aaron Harang's start.
• The Pirates' Easter Sunday workout will be open to all from 1-3 PM at PNC Park. Fans can enter at Legacy Square gates (LF entrance, where all the Negro League All-Star statues are).
• Erik Bedard has won a spot in the Astro's rotation. He signed a minor league deal with them and made the most of it; we'll see how long the good times roll for the talented but fragile lefty. Xavier Nady was cut by KC, which hopes to keep him in their system.

Bucs v Rays

The Pirates will hop the bus to Charlotte Sports Park to take on the Rays at 7:05. Kyle McPherson, against all odds, is still alive and kicking, although another booty-beating like he had against the Braves in his last outing should pull the plug. He'll face off against Matt Moore. The game will be broadcast on The Fan 93.7.

Lineup: Jose Tabata RF, Russell Martin C, Andrew McCutchen CF, Gaby Sanchez 3B, Brandon Inge 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Josh Harrison LF, Clint Barmes SS and Kyle McPherson P.

Brandon Inge is back in the lineup; we're not quite sure why. He's at first base, flopped with Gaby, who is at third base. Josh Harrison is in left. Nothing like a week before the season and jerking guys all over the field, hey?  And JT, even with being RH and out of options, could stand a finish as strong as his start to camp was.

Pitching: Kyle McPherson and ?

Kyle will try to keep his hat in the ring; the Pirate pitching has taken some odd twists and turns in the last week.

• The Diamondbacks have released ex-Bucco C Rod Barajas, who was in camp on a minor league deal
• The Brewers signed the last FA standing, Kyle Lohse, for 3 years/$33M. The draft pick dance per Jim Callas of Baseball America is that they forfeit the #17 pick (value $2.1M) and the Cardinals gain the #28 pick (value $1.8M). 
• March 25, 1965 - Camp isn’t all fun and games, even for vets. Bill Mazeroski broke a bone in his right foot and was out of the Bucco lineup until May. He came back to hit .271 and earned another Golden Glove for his trophy case. It was the only time between 1964-67 that he didn’t appear in every game; Maz played in 130 contests after his foot healed.

Not A Great Day To Evaluate Piching...

Well, Chris Leroux ought to be more careful about what he wishes for. Notified that he would finally get his wish, a start, four hours before the game, he got just one out while giving up eight runs (seven earned) on five hits (one a grand slam) and two walks.

Of course, he wasn't alone in the train wreck, giving up an infield knock, watching his teammates commit two errors on the same play and later a passed ball while having his catcher, Russell Martin, ejected for complaining about balls/strikes. Justin Wilson got the last two outs, with a walk in between.

Cutch smacked a two-run dinger in the Bucco half off Brian Matusz. The O's got a run back in the third off Wilson, using a double-single combo. Pittsburgh answered with a two spot on back-to-back two baggers by Cutch and Gaby Sanchez, followed by a Neil Walker knock an out later to make it 9-4.

Pittsburgh made it 9-5 an inning later thanks to a Fort McKenry double and Lucas May's two-out single in Matusz's last frame. The Orioles put up another score in the fifth with three singles off Ryan Reid. Then Pittsburgh exploded in the sixth.

With Travis Snider and John McDonald aboard on singles and two down, May singled home a tally and Cutch walked to jam the bases. Sanchez lined one up the middle off (literally) pitcher Troy Patton. Jacob Pettit relieved him, and Pedro doubled off the CF wall to bring home two more scores. So after 2-1/2 hours and six innings, it was a 10-10 game.

But not for long. Mike Zagurski, who has been snake-bitten by the long ball lately, gave up a solo shot to Steve Pearce with two down in the seventh. For the ex-Bucco, it was his the sixth homer of the spring, and was also the fourth straight appearance that the Z Man has been touched for four-bagger.

The Bucs loaded the bases in the eighth with two outs thanks to a walk, hit batter and infield single off Pettit, but a Josh Harrison bouncer ended the frame. David Bromberg, a minor-league guy, got within an out of going 2-1/3 clean innings, but a two-down flare into left by Pearce brought in Russ Canzler, who had doubled to open the final frame and make it 12-10.

Pittsburgh tried for some two-out lightning in their half when McKenry and Felix Pie both singled on two-strike counts. May, who had three hits on the day, didn't have a fourth knock in him. He looked at three strikes to end the game.

Who'd of thunk it? After playing a ten frame, 0-0 match a couple of days ago, the Bucs and O's decided to try their hand at Arena football today. And that doesn't make the roster decisions any easier on the pitching side. The Bucs used six hurlers and only Jared Hughes came out of the game unscathed.

The Pirates travel to Port Charlotte and Charlotte Sports Park tomorrow to bump heads with the Rays in their last night game of the spring. Kyle McPherson will take on Matt Moore.

• It was sort of a head scratcher among local bloghorns, but David Miller of Rant Sports calls John McDonald and the Pirates the perfect match.
• Rob Beirtempfel of the Tribune Review tweets that the Pirates are "intrigued" by RHP Chris Young, but wonders if they have a roster spot for him. Young, 33, has an opt-out clause with Nats; we'll see if he exercises it, as it's thought that he's the odd man odd in their rotation. We're not so sure he fits - he has a career ERA of 3.79, but has a 2:1 fly ball/ground ball ratio, and that's not a recipe for success at PNC Park. On the other hand, the four projection services used by Fangraphs have him working between 2.99-3.25 ERA in 2013, and he has a 20% lifetime whiff rate.
• On the Neil Huntington radio show, he said the roster will probably be set Tuesday or Wednesday, and it didn't sound as if Jordy Mercer would be on it.
• Kevin Wells of the Washington Times has his 2013 Pirate Preview. He picks the Pirates to finish third in the division.

Bucs v Baltimore; Karstens Out

Chris Leroux gets his first start of camp against the O's and Brian Matusz today, replacing the sore-shouldered Jeff Karstens.  The game is at McKechnie Field and first pitch is slated for 1:05. And hey, it's like a big boy game - it will be aired on Root Sports on the TV side and The Fan 93.7 on the radio side.

Lineup: Starling Marte LF, Russell Martin C, Andrew McCutchen CF, Gaby Sanchez 1B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Neil Walker 2B, Jose Tabata RF, John McDonald SS and Mike McKenry DH.

Looks like Martin will get some regular season time in the two hole, while Pedro drops to fifth against a lefty. Old McDonald gets a little more work now that he's a Bucco, and JT was booted to the bottom of the order instead of his usual two spot. The Fort was a late addition to the lineup and took over the pitcher's batting spot against the AL Orioles, which wanted to use a DH.

Pitchers: Chris Leroux and ?

Leroux wanted a shot at starting, but hasn't worked longer than two frames yet this spring, even in the WBC, so a lot of guys should get some work today.

•  Jeff Karstens was scheduled to start but was scratched because of "continuing shoulder discomfort," the team announced this morning. That trip to the DL looks just around the bend, and the battle for the back end of the rotation just got a little more interesting, with spots now open for both Jonathan Sanchez and Jeff Locke, with Kyle McPherson and Jeanmar Gomez hangin' around with maybe a bullpen shot. It's also a reminder of why the Pirates didn't tender JK earlier in the year.
• Pittsburgh still has 35 guys on the roster, not counting Francisco Liriano, Jose Contreras and Charlie Morton. With a couple of obvious cuts and possibly sliding JK and Brandon Inge to the DL, that leaves them with a half-dozen tough decisions remaining, especially now that the pitching has been shook up a bit.
• Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review has a piece on the forgotten next big thing, Stetson Allie, and how the switch to first base from the mound helped his attitude. He also gives an update on infielders Alen Hansen and Dilson Herrera.
• Kaitlynn Rielly of the Post Gazette covers another aspect of the Pirates minor league program (no, it's not all belly crawls and carrying logs, SEAL-Style). Every player in the system has to contribute 10 hours of community service per year, a requirement that began with the current FO.
  
• March 24, 1989 - The Pirates sent SS Felix Fermin and UT Denny Gonzalez to the Indians for SS Jay Bell to complete a PTBNL deal from November 28th, 1988 (Gonzalez + the PTBNLs). Bell would man the SS spot for eight years and earn an All-Star berth in 1993 for the Bucs. He returned to the team this year as the batting coach.

Pedro's Blast Buries Bosox 5-3

The Bucs tried to get something going against Clay Buchholz right out of the gate with an opening double by Starling Marte, but the club left him iced at third. Jeff Locke got what he wanted in the first frame, a zero. It wasn't pretty after giving up a leadoff two-bagger to Jacoby Ellsbury and issuing a two-out walk, but he left the O's at first and third.

Pittsburgh took the early lead in the second when Garrett Jones popped one over the left center wall. Baltimore wasted little time getting over that. Jarrod Saltalamacchia started the O half with a double and scored when David Ross' single skipped past Travis Snider. Ross ended up on third and trotted home after Jose Iglesias rolled a ball up the middle.

Locke helped his own cause by dropping a fly the opposite way for a ground rule double to open the third, but he was stranded by the top of the order, the second leadoff double in three frames to die on base. The Red Sox added on when Will Middlebrooks tripled and Salty singled him home to make it 3-1.

The Bucs got their fourth straight leadoff hitter aboard when Pedro singled to kick off the frame, but he never got to second. Russell Martin tried to get chase El Toro home, but his shot to right center was run down at the track by Ellsbury 400' away.

Locke tossed a 1-2-3 frame, his last. He gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk, and was generally up in the zone and behind in the count this afternoon. The lefty didn't have his best stuff, nor did the defense behind him. It wasn't terrible, but surely wasn't the outing he hoped for in the free-for-all for a rotation spot.

The game stayed that way until the eighth. Mark Melancon whiffed a pair in the fifth, Tony Watson was back to his old self by throwing a clean inning with a K, and Vin Mazzaro stuck out five of six Beaneaters in his two perfect innings to further complicate the Buc bullpen picture. Buchholz went 5-1/3, giving up the run on four hits with a walk and five K. Junichi Tazawa got Boston into the eighth when he ran into problems after retiring five straight Pirates.

After getting JT swinging on a 3-2 pitch, he walked Jordy Mercer (who leads the club with 10 walks so far this spring) and Marte. Anthony Carter took the ball and watched Mercer reach third when Ross threw behind Marte at first and hit him. Alex Presley bounced one to short and the throw by Xander Bogaerts got away. It was ruled a single and error, scoring Mercer and putting runners at second and third.

Josh Harrison's grounder to the right side tied the game, and Pedros blast to left center put the Bucs ahead. Nathan Baker came out for the save, and provided the club with his version of the Hanrattack, thanks mainly to 1B Matt Curry.

Lyle Overbay reached on Curry's boot and Jonny Gomes was hit by a pitch. But Curry made up for his error in his own awkward way. He dropped a pop bunt in front of the mound (and not intentionally), but recovered and tossed to third for the force; the relay to second by Eric Avila turned the misadventure into a double play. No, the umps didn't blow it - bunts can't be ruled infield flies. Saved by the baseball gods, Baker whiffed Bogaerts, and the Pirates came away winners; they've taken 8-of-12.

Jeff Karstens goes against the O's and Brian Matusz tomorrow afternoon.

• Jeff Banister coached the Bucs today; Clint Hurdle stayed in Bradenton to catch some of the minor league action and watch Jason Grilli & Charlie Morton. Grilli worked a frame in a minor league game while Morton tossed a bullpen session.
• Don't let the current cold snap bum out your Pirate jones. The Weather Underground has the forecast for the Bucs and says it'll be in the fifties for the Cub series, with Opening Day on April 1st fast approaching.
• If you're wondering about Mike Malle's commemoration of Buccos past, The Legends of Pittsburgh mural that greeted Downtown visitors entering the City at Second and Ross, here's the 411 from Pittsburgh's Outdoor Murals and Art.
• Someone does love Ronny Cedeno; the Astros signed him, pending his physical. Not so for old Bucco 2B Delwyn Young; the Nats cut him today.

Bucs v Boston One Mo' Time

Jeff Locke climbs the hill today as the Pirates visit Fort Myers' Jet Blue Park to take on the Red Sox and Clay Buchholz. It's the fifth meeting between the clubs already; they've split the series to date. The game starts at 1:35, and will be aired live by Root Sports and on delay by the MLB Network at 8 PM.

Lineup: Starling Marte CF, Alex Presley LF, Neil Walker 2B, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Garrett Jones 1B, Russell Martin C, Travis Snider RF, Clint Barmes SS and Jeff Locke P.

Cutch was scratched; he has the flu. Gaby Sanchez was down for sick day (officially because of an allergic reaction) recently, so maybe there's something sickly going around the clubhouse. Snider continues to get penciled in the seven hole, which is a lot more logical match for his tools than the two spot. Buchholz should provide a pretty strong challenge; he's 2-0 with an 0.68 ERA so far this spring.

Pitchers: Jeff Locke, Tony Watson, Vin Mazzaro and Mark Melancon.

Locke has had a workmanlike spring (2-1, 3.12 ERA) and is part of the roiling mix of guys looking to claim a back end rotation spot. So today is a big outing for the young lefty, who will face the Bosox A Team. Mazzaro is having a tough spring and is out of options while Watson has had mechanical and physical problems, leaving Melancon as the only sure shot to make the staff among the four hurlers today.

• 1B/OF Brad Hawpe was given his release today. He told Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review that "The game has gotten faster and I didn't catch up."
• Mike Sanserino of the Post Gazette tweets that "Francisco Liriano will throw his third bullpen session of the spring tomorrow and estimates he is less than a month away." He also reports that Brandon Inge is out for at least the weekend with a sore wing. Bad time to be off, unless the FO is greasing the skids to slip him on the DL.
• Pedro Alvarez explained his even demeanor to KDKA Sports by saying his goal is to "...keep that positive attitude and not show frustration...it gives the opposition a sense of satisfaction. I think we’ll all live if I don’t slam a helmet or two or break a bat.” 
• Thomas Belmont of Baseball Instinct has his list of the Pirates Top 21 Prospects.

Bucco Bits and B-Days

Just to kill some time before the lineup is posted...

• Spring numbers for the right field/fourth OF'er candidates: Alex Presley - 48 PA, .317/.383/.415, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 8 RS; Travis Snider - 43 PA, .314/.372/.457, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 2 RS; Felix Pie - 45 PA, .308/.400/.590, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 RS; and Jose Tabata - 46 PA, .238/.283/.405, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7 RS. 
• We're wondering if the Bucs will push their pitching decisions down the road a bit. The street talk has Jeff Karstens starting the season in the pen, but  he hasn't made an appearance in a Grapefruit game yet. So the possibility exists that he could open the season on the 15 day DL while the FO sorts things out on the mound. His workload this week should tell the tale. If he does land on the DL, he'll join Francisco Liriano, Jose Contrelas and Charlie Morton in Rehab City.
• BTW, don't put much faith in the rumor we reported yesterday from NY that the Yanks and Bucs are contemplating a David Aardsma - Gaby Sanchez deal. Aardsma is coming off 2011 TJ surgery and worked all of 7-2/3 IP last year, majors and minors combined. Additionally, the Pirate FO doesn't place a lot of value on relievers as a class; they're much more apt to sell than buy. Now if the Evil Empire was looking for a spare outfielder and had something a little shinier to offer...
• March 23, 1893 - RHP Ray Kremer is born. Kremer pitched ten seasons for the Pirates, his only MLB club, and went 143-85, winning 20 games twice and leading the NL in ERA in 1926 and 1927. What's more amazing is that he didn't make his major league debut until he was 31 years old! Also born this day in 1948 was announcer Lanny Frattare, who was part of the Pirate broadcasting team from 1976-2008 and announced over 5,000 Bucco games during those 33 seasons. He was the Pirates longest-tenured voice.