A Series Win, Plus the Yankee's, but the Pitching Still Sucks

The Bucco offense can still give you a good opportunity to win these days. As long as your pitching doesn't give up more than 6 runs a game you should be fine. Too bad that's what the Pirates get out of their staff. It took them 10 runs Monday night to get the win and they lost the 3rd game of the series when they lost 6-4. Phil Dumatrait was activated off the DL Monday night and it looked like he needed to go back to it. 3.1 innings of work and he gave up 9 hits for 7 runs and all the scoring from both teams took place in the first 4 innings. This series has been the same result, different team, when it comes to the offense putting up solid numbers, while the lack of pitching is killing the team at times. The Pirates are basically a spitting image of the Marlins ball club down in Miami, except they have the pitching to match their offensive push. The Pirates are placed in one of the best divisions in baseball this year and that makes it that much harder to trying to put together a winning season and with the trade deadline approaching, who knows what that means for present Bucco's. However, the Pirates did beat the Yankee's (finally) in this years series at PNC. Paul Maholm was the only bright spot in the pitching department for that last game. He went 8 innings and it was the first time a Pirate had made it past the 6th in like a century. Let's get this out of the way though, we keep looking for the bright spots in the Pittsburgh line up and there is a lot of talent. The offense has carried them this far, but there's no way it's going to bring us a post season berth. As Pirate fans, we're simply looking to end this miserable drought of win less seasons and the front office have made statements to help follow up that cause. I'm not bickering, not complaining about the season, but as a fan of the Pirates I'm pulling for the Bucco's to pull of a winning season. Which leads on with my problem with the pitching staff. Is this really what we have to look forward to for the next, I don't know...3-4 years before the get traded off or whatever? Tom Gorzelanny and Zac Duke were supposed to be the next best thing with their enormous rookie campaigns. Paul Maholm was supposed to cap off the rotation by giving that etxtra advantage with that 3rd lefty in the rotation. I got news for you, Gorzelanny is in the minors working on his "stuff" (what they meant was confidence and location) and the other two aren't even close to own a sub 4.00 ERA. On the other side of the rotation, we have Ian Snell. Snell is in a world of his own. I'm not sure how to explain his fall off from his outstanding season last year. Sure he didn't win a lot of games, but he had some great stuff and a killer fastball. This year, the fastball has faded away into the high 80's (down from 95-96 mph) and he's getting lit up like the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Let's just say it's a good thing Billy Crystal didn't get a chance to face him in spring training, god knows we would of hated to have seen Crystal go yard on Snell. I'm sure if that happened, that would of been the end of Snell as we know it. Yet, if we knew this was what we were going to get out of him...maybe, it should of happened. He's seen time on the DL and acknowledge the life on his fastball is not was it could be and he's also been stated to say that he's flatout sucked in each of his outings. Well Ian, that doesn't make you a big leaguer, we kinda need your stuff to show up too. It was nice though, to see Ian march off the mound mad as hell when John Russell pulled the plug on him after 60 some pitches fresh off the DL. He did look better, but the rotation needs to leap hills and mountains before the club can rely on the staff for wins. Thank god for Nady, McClouth, Bay, and Doumit.

Speaking of Nate McClouth, he racked up 3 doubles in the 2nd game against the Astros and has been declared by other players around the league as one of the best center fielders in the game. Good thing there's the reserve vote by players and coaches, otherwise Nate would have never made it to the ASG Tuesday. Now, Mighty Mouse McClouth has a chance to show his stuff in front a nationwide audience and help his cause for appreciation. For a lead off batter (for the most part), he's been putting up big numbers and powering a Buc's offense that has boasted one of the best run production units in the first half this year. It's also good to know he only costs $312K. Sorta like the deal we have on Ryan Doumit. Our time is limited with the cheap priced talent we got, soak it in.