Duffy and Sharpless up to take the empty roster spots.

Maybe a starting nine that looks like this now:

Duffy (cf)/ J. Wilson (ss)/ Sanchez (3b)/ Bay (lf)/ Nady (1b)/ Bautista (rf)/ Paulino (c)/ Castillo (2b)

Just some more guessing…we’ll find out at 7:05 tomorrow night.

Now, it really is

A New Pirates Generation, everybody shout "Let’s Go Bucs!"

Dave Littlefield took a chance when he moved Craig Wilson, Kip Wells, Roberto Hernandez, Oliver Perez, and Sean Casey for Shawn Chacon, Xavier Nady, and minor leaguers.  It’s what I pleaded for him to do a couple of weeks back; I wanted to see deals that convinced me that DL still cared about his job.  He made a legitimate attempt at improving the club, I think–only time will tell.

It looks as if the lineup for now is:

Bautista (cf)/ J. Wilson (ss)/ Sanchez (3b)/ Bay (lf)/ Nady (rf)/ Randa and Hernandez (1b)/ Paulino (c)/ Castillo (2b)

And a rotation of:

Snell, Maholm, Duke, Gorzelanny, Chacon

We’ll see some minor league call-ups before Tuesday:  Jonah Bayliss, Josh Sharpless, Chris Duffy, Rajai Davis, Yurendell de Caster, and some veteran relievers (Terry Adams, C.J. Nitkowski, Scott Strickland) are possibilities.

The glaring hole at first base will be addressed sooner rather than later.  Brad Eldred and Ryan Doumit, when healthy, will compete there.  Free agency also will be an option–and probably required to find someone who can contribute in 2007.

Thanks for trying, Dave.  We’ll tell you how you did in a couple of years.

Before the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, Jose Castillo hadn’t hit gone deep since June 15.  After it, games where Jose played shaky defense or went to the plate with his head in the clouds over the last month were distant memories.  Jose hit another game-extending homerun (nearly as monumental as his blast in the eighteen inning affair earlier this year) that allowed the Bucs to steal a game away from the Giants in extra innings.  Their fortieth victory of the year also marked the first time the Pirates had won a home game played on a Sunday in 2006.

Zach Duke pitched like the 2005 version of himself in a start that comforted Pittsburghers who began to be concerned with the Duke of Hurl’s progress after he appeared in his shortest outing in the majors this past week.  He turned over a new leaf this afternoon, going 6.1 innings while allowing only four hits and no runs.

Matt Morris continued to build on the Giants’ recent success against the Pirates offense, matching Duke zero for zero until a rain delay halted the game at 3:06 PM.  When the game resumed shortly after five o’clock, Duke and Morris were both pulled from the game in favor of relievers.

Matt Capps and Vinnie Chulk followed the lead set by their respective starters, each getting out of the seventh inning without allowing a baserunner.  Todd Linden, the Giants outfielder mentioned in trade rumors with the Pirates as a possible return for Salomon Torres or Roberto Hernandez, spoiled Capps’ line, though, blasting a solo shot over the Clemente Wall in right for the first run of the ballgame.  After plunking Eliezer Alfonzo, Capps worked his way out of the eighth by forcing Jose Vizcaino into a fielder’s choice and striking out Randy Winn.

Three Giants relievers combined on a topsy-turvy bottom half, exiting with the lead intact despite allowing the Pirates to earn a first-and-third situation with only one out.  Roberto Hernandez continued to audition for possible suitors, throwing a scoreless top of the ninth that set the stage for Castillo’s heroics.

Jose led off the bottom of the ninth with a blast off of closer Armando Benitez.  Jose Bautista and Ronny Paulino followed, both pinch-hitting unsuccessfully, and Nate McLouth ended the Pirates inning with a flyout.

Salomon Torres and Damaso Marte earned the first two outs of the tenth before John Grabow entered the game with runners on  first and second (including an intentionally-walked Barry Bonds) to retire Randy Winn.  After a Jack Wilson single and a Freddy Sanchez sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the inning, Jason Bay flew out to Linden.  Joe Randa was put on intentionally to bring Jose Hernandez to the plate.  Our most prolific bench polisher came through when we needed him, becoming the second Jose on the day to earn an important RBI for the Pirates.

In winning in walkoff fashion, the Bucs swept the Giants and extended their season-high winning streak to five games with the Atlanta Braves coming to town on Tuesday.  It’ll be interesting to see what our 25-man roster looks like for that game; we may have some unfamilar faces on our bench.

Here’s to keeping the ball rolling:  It’s A New Pirates Generation, everybody shout "Let’s Go Bucs!"

The contest between the Bucs and the Giants today was halted due to downpour at 3:06, and we’re stuck in a rain delay.  Zach Duke and Matt Morris had battled to a scoreless tie before it started coming down; they’ll likely both be out of the game after what seems will be a lengthy stoppage.

It sounds as if the Abreu/Lidle trade to the Yankees for prospects is a done deal, although I haven’t seen an official announcement made as of yet.  The Phillies started selling earlier this week when they moved David Bell; I guess it’s a good thing to see someone willing to pick up the remainder of those contracts if you’re a Philadelphia fan. 

No Pirates trades accomplished yet, although the rumors are swirling almost as fast as the winds right now at PNC Park.  I find it hard to believe that all of our veterans will still be here for Tuesday’s game against the Braves.

I’m off to go take in the Tigers-Twins game on MLB.TV while I listen to the radio side of our coverage for updates.  Got to get the baseball fix somewhere, you know.

It’s A New Pirates Generation, everybody shout "Let’s Go Bucs!"

Steve Blass declared it "a night for the leather."  For the second consecutive evening, a sellout crowd witnessed the Pirates play winning baseball:  a combination of quality starting pitching, timely hitting, and brilliant defense.  Tom Gorzelanny picked up his first major league victory and the Bucs extended their winning streak to a new season high–four games.

Barry Bonds blooped a double to center in the first inning for his first hit of the series, driving in Ray Durham to put the Giants ahead, 1-0.  It was the last San Francisco lead of the night, though, as the Bucs countered with a single score in the bottom of the second, two more in the third, and a fourth run in the fifth.  Gorzelanny held the Giants to two runs through seven, and despite giving up an RBI single to Eliezer Alfonzo in the top of the ninth, Mike Gonzalez was able to earn his eighteenth save.

The Bucs were able to capitalize on a wild night for Giants starter Jamey Wright, who walked five and hit three batters in six innings of work.  Gorzo earned his first big league RBI on a dribbler in the second inning, and Ronny Paulino and Jose Castillo came through with clutch two-out RBIs in the third.  Jeromy Burnitz put another ball over the fence, his third dinger of the week, for the last Buccos run of the game.  Our Pirates were outhit 10-9 tonight, but for the most part we came through in important situations.

Jim Tracy put a quirky lineup card together tonight, inserting Joe Randa at first base when Sean Casey was scratched due to a ribcage injury.  Joe’s lifetime numbers against Wright warranted a spot in the starting nine, but I figured he’d play third, Freddy would slide over to second, and Jose would get the night off.  It’s why Jim gets paid the big bucks, though–Randa scored a run and Castillo went 2-4 with an RBI.

Zach Duke and the rest of the Bucs look to bring out the brooms tomorrow against the Matt Morris-led Giants.  It’s A New Pirates Generation, everybody shout "Let’s Go Bucs!"

Nearly 40,000 people were on hand to witness Barry Bonds’ return to Pittsburgh and to take in a dazzling fireworks display on a flawness evening for baseball at PNC Park.  All the elements necessary for the perfect Friday night game were present:  the late July sun lowering slowly over the field, setting the downtown skyline aglow in hues of red and orange; a capacity crowd on hand creating an exciting buzz despite their team’s lowly record; one of the game’s most recognizable players coming to bat in crucial situations; and surprisingly, a pitcher’s duel that lasted deep into the contest.

Jason Schmidt and Kip Wells were locked into a head-to-head matchup that featured zero after zero being lit up on the scoreboard for five full innings of play.  The Pirates offense finally was able to break Schmidt’s spell in the bottom of the sixth, coming through with two runs off of San Francisco’s ace.  After another scoreless half-inning from Wells, the Bucs added their third and final run of the ballgame at Schmidt’s expense shortly after the seventh inning stretch.  John Grabow, Salomon Torres, and Damaso Marte each worked a third of an inning in a rocky eighth inning before Mike Gonzalez came in to boom his way to another tumultuous (but successful) save.

All eyes were on Bonds, who ended up going hitless in four at-bats and stranding four of his teammates on the basepaths (including in the top of the eighth when Damaso Marte was able to retire him with the bases juiced).  The hitters who should have gotten the media’s attention, though, were Freddy Sanchez and Sean Casey who each turned in a clutch two-out RBI.  And while Schmidt and Wells deserve all the praise they received for an entertaining night of dart throwing, it was Mike Gonzalez who remained perfect on the season by converting his seventeenth save opportunity while striking out the side.  In doing so, BOOM recorded at least two K’s for the fourteenth time in his 44 appearances.

The 3-0 victory was a complete team effort for the Bucs who fought tooth and nail for this game that did nothing for them in the standings.  The win, though, came in front of a sellout crowd against a hero of the game whose team is still in the hunt for a playoff spot.  It’s precisely this heart and desire to win that has been repeatedly shown that leaves me optimistic for our squad’s long-term future.

The Pirates will look to take another one from the Giants tomorrow night in front of a large crowd on Sean Casey Bobblehead Night.

It’s A New Pirates Generation, everybody shout "Let’s Go Bucs!"

It seems as if Major League Baseball created the perfect schedule to hype this weekend’s series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants.  The three game set is bookended by off days:  as the Bucs welcome back Barry Bonds to the city that gave him his start, there’s plenty of time to talk about all that he’s done for the city, for the franchise, and for the game itself. 

Barry was here when Pittsburgh last experienced baseball glory; when the Bucs were the class of the National League in the early 1990s, it was Barry who made the team go.  He was the last in a long line of Pirates one-namers (think Maz, Pops, Roberto) to lead our swashbucklers to the postseason.  After a dreadful run in the 1980s, Barry returned the Pirates to prominence in the same way that our next great outfielder, Jason Bay, surely will in time.

Barry made Pittsburghers care about the Pirates.  He did it with his flair–an earring glistening in the sun as he glided across the outfield turf or raced around the basepaths.  He did it with his power–becoming a member of the 30/30 club (and later joining the exclusive 40/40 list in another uniform).  He did it with his arrogance–knowing that he was assured of being a perennial all-star.

When the run was over for the Pirates, Barry moved on to the Giants and continued to tear up the opposition (and the record books).  It was he who broke Mark McGwire’s seemingly unbreakable single-season mark for home runs.  It was he who passed the Babe on the all-time list, becoming the most prolific left-handed power hitter baseball has even seen.  It was he who was intentionally walked with the bases loaded at the height of his career–the ultimate display of respect (and fear) for a tremendously productive masher.

Consider Barry’s numbers from a selection of seasons and marvel at his accomplishments:

• 1990 (Pittsburgh):  151 G, .301 BA, 33 HR, 114 RBI, 93 BB, 52 SB
• 1996 (San Francisco):  158 G, .308 BA, 42 HR, 129 RBI, 151 BB, 40 SB
• 2001 (SF):  153 G, .328 BA, 73 HR, 137 RBI, 177 BB, 13 SB
• 2002 (SF):  143 G, .370 BA, 46 HR, 110 RBI, 198 BB, 9 SB
• 2004 (SF):  147 G, .362 BA, 45 HR, 101 RBI, 232 BB, 6 SB
• Career (1986-2006):  2811 G, .299 BA, 722 HR, 1897 RBI, 2396 BB, 509 SB

But the days when Barry wore #24 and patrolled Three Rivers Stadium’s left field with an unparalleled ferocity are distant memories now.  We no longer witness regular splashdowns into McCovey’s Cove, either.  The silver slugger is on his last legs, both on and off the field.  He no longer is able to swipe a base on a pitcher who’s slow to the plate.  He can’t hold batters to a single on a ball in the gap.  He is only weeks, perhaps days, from a federal indictment on serious legal charges.  No longer does a former hero regularly earn the fans’ admiration and respect.

Nevertheless, this meaningless series in late July could be the last time Pittsburgh Pirates fans see Barry Bonds take the field in the city he once ruled.  Chances are that he won’t make any spectacular plays, but this may be the final opportunity to see the star play where he was born.  Here’s hoping that Barry leaves us with one last memory of a Pittsburgh baseball legend.

With all of the talk surrounding Milwaukee’s newest sausage, you might’ve forgotten that there was a baseball game being played Wednesday afternoon at Miller Park.  While I don’t know which overgrown hunk of meat won the race (my money was on the bratwurst), I do know that the Bucs put up another six spot against Chris Capuano.  And by the way, Cheese Chester and the rest of the pierogies would outsprint any one of the Brewers’ mascots.  Even if they didn’t, we could always resign Randall Simon to take of business.

Paul Maholm was able to start a two-game winning streak for the Bucs (as I had hoped) thanks in large part to another big day for Jason Bay and the rest of the Pirates offense.  Even a Bonds-like shift couldn’t shut down Jason (the Brewers played three defenders to the left side of the second base bag against #38) as he squeaked out his twenty-fourth Bucco Blast of the year.  All of the Pirates starters contributed at least one hit to the eight run effort, including Maholm himself who pitched in an RBI single.  Jack Wilson’s 2-5 afternoon upped his average to .272.  Jose Bautista mashed his eleventh tater.

No Brewers hitters posed a significant threat to the Pirates pitching staff today outside of Brady Clark and Bill Hall.  Maholm gave up four runs through seven innings, and "Everyday" Capps and BOOM finished out the victory.  Hopefully the rotation can keep working deep into ballgames as Barry Bonds and his San Francisco Giants come to PNC Park this weekend.

It’s A New Pirates Generation, everybody shout "Let’s Go Bucs!"

It was a bad night to be Dave Bush.

It was a good night to be Ian Snell, Ben Sheets, Jeromy Burnitz, and Freddy Sanchez.

It was a great night to be a Pirates fan as the Bucs played a solid, team-first baseball game from start to finish.

Other than a Brewers blowup in the top of the eighth that allowed five Pirates to cross the plate, Tuesday’s game was highly competitive contest, one worthy of being watched (unlike Monday’s debacle).  Snell and Sheets went toe-to-toe, both allowing only one run in seven innings of work; Snell fanned nine Brewers while Sheets K’ed five.  Jeromy Burnitz gave the surprising performance of the night, contributing his thirteenth and fourteenth taters of the year.  The refreshing performance of the night belonged to Freddy Sanchez, who went 2-4 and plated two of his teammates to break out of a recent semi-funk.  Every time I start to think that Freddy’s getting worn down from so much playing time, he proves me wrong with a strong night at the dish.

I haven’t looked at the numbers, but it seems as if the Pirates are playing the Brew Crew pretty tough this year.  I know the first series of the year went Milwaukee’s way, but since then I’m fairly certain the results are more even.  My memory might be distorted from one game in particular–the Thursday afternoon come-from-behind win that was capped by Jose Castillo’s double and Ryan Doumit’s walk-off single–but it seems like we’ve done our share of damage to any hope the Brewers may have of a wild card berth.

Paul Maholm attempts to start a winning streak tomorrow in a matchup of two of the Central Division’s lefties.  He’s opposed by Chris Capuano, the substitute ace for the Brewers who the Pirates roughed up to the tune of eleven hits and six runs on May 31.  Let’s see if we can’t knock him out early on Wednesday.

It’s A New Pirates Generation, everybody shout "Let’s Go Bucs!"

If you’re a fan of wholesome, traditional American baseball games, then Monday’s Pirates-Brewers matchup wasn’t at all for you.  Zach Duke and Doug Davis, two of the National League’s most overachieving pitchers in 2005, combined to allow eighteen hits, fourteen runs, and two homeruns in eight innings of work.  Neither Duke nor Davis is having a year to remember, but they have combined for thirteen wins and should both finish the year with .500 winning percentages.  Nothing that they did on Miller Park’s mound tonight vaguely resembled major league baseball.

The story wasn’t in the pitching; it wasn’t in the hitting, although Jason Bay went 4-4, falling a double short of the cycle, Bill Hall cleared the fence twice, and Tony Gwynn, Jr. went 1-1 at the plate, upping his average to .600.  It wasn’t in a surprising lack of hitting either, despite the fact that Freddy Sanchez went 0-5 even though every situational statistic entering the game favored him.  The story was in the complete disregard for defense shown by the Pirates and Brewers in this joke of a ballgame.  The two squads combined for six recorded errors and a handful of other questionable plays that contributed to long innings for pitchers.  Like I said, if you think baseball is all about pitching and defense, then you changed the channel almost immediately.

It was the type of game where a 12-3 lead wasn’t safe.  When the Pirates started the merry-go-round in the sixth inning thanks in large part to Milwaukee’s defensive miscues, I really thought they had a shot at a comeback.  When they closed the gap to 12-8 in the seventh, I was certain of it.  Unfortunately, Matt Wise came in and pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth.

There’s not a whole lot to take away from Monday’s game.  It wasn’t fun to watch, I’m sure it wasn’t fun to play in, and it’s not fun to write about.  It’s one of those games that you quickly forget–the reason why there are 162 games in a baseball season.  There’s always another one waiting tomorrow to give you a chance to redeem yourself.

Reports are that Ben Sheets is ready to go, and that he’ll face the Bucs on Tuesday night.  Here’s hoping that his shoulder’s great (but that he can’t find the plate) and that the Pirates can rough him up a little.