*knothead note- Bucco Bright Spots creator, B. Ross was passed over for a job with the Pirates and is now working in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization.  Bright Spots has been discontinued for the time being.

Giles Hits 30th, Bucs Fall to Cards
The Bucs, back from their short western swing, resumed NL Central competition by dropping a 10-6 decision to the 1st place Cardinals at PNC.  The pitching was basically lousy so I'll focus on the offense. The offense had 12 hits as a number of guys contributed to the 6 run output.  Leadoff man Kendall was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a SB. Giles hit his 30th HR - a 7th inning solo shot. On the night he scored twice, drove in two, and reached base 3 times. What a year this guy is having. ARam is beginning to heat up and hopefully he can end the season with a good month and a half and carry it over to next season.  His average now stands at .232 after another 2 hit performance.

Mac Cliche of the Day(On Brian Giles):
"He's a pretty special player for us," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's been tremendous for us. As far as being a consistent all-around player, he's as good as anybody around."
Bucs Top Dodgers, Fogg Back?
The Bucs kicked off their western swing with a 3-1 victory last night at Dodgers Stadium.   Starter Josh Fogg, after about a month of lousy pitching, stifled the Dodgers - allowing just 1 run in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed 8 hits and uncharacteristically walked 4 but got by anyway. One thing that concerns me is his declining K rate. Through the first month and a half of the season his K rate was approximately 5.5/9 (not great but passable). However since then it has fallen off dramatically. Still, kudos to Josh on a good game last night. Boehringer and Willimas shut down the Dodgers over the last 1 2/3 doing their job. Offensively, 3 solo HR's were the difference as Adam Hyzdu, Kevin Young, and Jason Kendall each went deep for the Bucs.

Mac Cliche of the Day(On the fate of the West Coast Trip):
"West Coast trips are always tough," McClendon said. "We come out there facing real good pitching. And this time of year, those clubs are adding players and getting stronger."

McClendon has a feeling his team will be weather the stretch in good shape.

"We have to play intelligent baseball. Do the fundamental stuff like run the bases, get the outs we should get, cut down on the walks," he waid.

Bucs Drop Gm. 3, Avoid No-No
The Bucs failed in their attempt to sweep the Rockies last night at PNC Park and in the process nearly got no hit by Colorado's Jason Jennings. Rob Mackowiak's bloop single in the 7th broke up the no-no. For the night the offense mustered just 2 hits.  Dave Littlefield and his staff may've found a solid 5th starter for next to nothing by acquiring Brian Meadows in the spring after he asked for his release from the Twins. Meadows pitched a solid game ending with a line of 6IP, 8hits, 1BB, 2K's and 2ER. Nothing to get too terribly excited about as it's only 1 start but I have a feeling this guys going to give us a solid 2nd half in the 5th starters role.

Mac Cliche of the Day(On Meadows outing):
"He did just what [Pirates scouts and development people] told us he'd do," McClendon said. "He pitched a pretty solid game."


Fogg Slumping, Pen Solid- Bucs Win
Sorry I missed yesterday, it was my first day off after classes and I was intent on catching up with Fantasy Football research. Still not caught up but I should be by the end of today. Onto the Bucs. The Black & Gold gave themselves a shot at a sweep tonight by taking the 1st two of a three game set vs. the Rockies.  The Bullpen picked up starter Josh Fogg (starting to get a bit concerned about him) taking over after the 5th and going the remaining 4 innings while allowing just 1 run. Boehringer, Sauerbeck, & Lowe pitched the 6th, 7th, & 8th innings with Mississippi Mike collecting his 32nd save.  Offensively, the top 5 in the order, minus Aram was terrific.  Giles and Mackowiak had 3 rbi a piece with Mackowiak notching his 12th HR of the year.  If Rob can learn to take the occasional walk, with his power and arm strength he could become an excellent 4th OF/Super Utility Man.  Kendall and Jack Flash were the table setters last night with each reaching 3 times.

Mac Cliche of the Day (He's right on this one):
"I want to win championships," McClendon said. "I've made no bones about that all along. We still have holes we need to fill.

"We can certainly go out and compete with the leaders of our division. But on a day-in and day-out basis, we have a ways to go. The Cardinals are a championship team on every level. We still have work to do.

"We're three, maybe four or five players away from being a championship-type club."

Two of those players are pitchers, McClendon indicated. A reliever for one. A starter for another.

A veteran starter?

"You might catch lightning in a bottle with another young pitcher," McClendon said. "Ideally, you'd like to have a guy who can give you 230 innings."

Bucs Play Like Horse (Manure)
The Bucs losing streak reached 3 yesterday in Houston as they were shut out 8-0 in what apparently was a lame effort by all involved. Not much positive to say about this game. The combined efforts of Ron Villone and Josias Manzanillo were impressive as they allowed just 1 baserunner and no runs in  4 1/3 innings of relief. Other than that Jason Kendall had 2 hits, our pitchers had 2 hits, and Mike Benjamin was 1 for 1.
Mac Cliche of the Day (This about sums it up):
"We were horse [manure]. That's a good way to sum it up," Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We were horse [manure] pitching. We were horse [manure] hitting. It comes at a bad time for us. We need to get it straightened out, get back on a winning track, try to have a decent road trip."

Giles Hits #28, Reds Hit More- Bucs Lose Again
All's not always well that starts well. The Bucs offense posted starter Joe Beimel to a 4-0 first inning lead yesterday in their hopes of taking 2 of 3 from the Reds but Joe B was unable to hold it and events quickly turned sour resulting in a 10-5 loss.   Offensively, KY lifted his average to .250 for the first time in a long time, adding his 13th HR of the year and collected 2 hits and 3 rbi for the day. Brian Giles, in the midst of perhaps his best season, belted his 28th HR and scored twice, reached twice, and drove in 2 in an all-around good offensive day. Giles is now hitting .305. Other multi-hit Buccos included Adam Hyzdu and the recovering Aramis Ramirez.
Mac Cliche of the Day(On the disappointing starting pitching):
"We haven't pitched up to our capabilities," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "The starters are not giving us innings, and that's very taxing on our bullpen. We have to turn it around in Houston. That will be tough, but somehow we've got to get it done."

Hyzdu Homers, Pirates Lose
The Pirates dropped the 2nd of a 3 game set vs. the Reds last night by the score of 7-2 at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati.  The loss was disappointing for a Bucs team that has played exceedingly well since the All-Star Break and had climbed to within 5 games of .500 and was threatening to get into the NL Central Race.  A win would've given the Bucs a key series win and would've put them in the Bonus in today's matchup.   The pitching, especially the bullpen, was lousy as none of the Bucs hurlers could check the Reds offensive.  The offensive highlights were solo HR's by Jack Wilson, his 3rd, and sizzling Adam Hyzdu, his 5th. Also, Aramis Ramirez had a hit and a walk, which was an encouraging sign.

Mac Cliche of the Day(On the Bucs trade deadline strategy):
"We have to be realistic about where we are and where we're trying to get to," McClendon said. "We have to be careful with our expectations. I want to say this in the right way. I think my team believes it can go out and compete and win against anybody on any particular day.

"But until we get back into the race, we really have to be careful with our expectations. You talk about going out and getting people and things of that nature. The fact is, we're still under .500. You can't do anything until you're at .500. And we need to step over some people [just] to get there.

"All that's great about pennant races, but are we to the point that we can start adding players? I don't think so. There's work to be done."

Bucs Beat Reds, Now 5-Under
The Bucs continued their march towards the .500 mark with a nail biting 6-5 victory that saw the Reds chip away at a solid 6-1 early lead only to fall short at the hands of Bucs closer Mike Williams.  A critical win last night for the Bucs at a venue that has been a house of horrors of late.  They now stand just 5 games under .500 but are still 8 back of the Cards for the division after the Cards pulled one out late last night in San Francisco. Pound Puppy went 6 allowing 3 runs and 11 baserunners before turning it over to a depleated bullpen. Aftr Boehringer struggled, Sauerbeck and Williams stemmed the tide and righted the Pirates ship in the 8th and 9th. Offensively, the top 3 in the order is smokin'! Kendall and Jack Flash combined to reach base 5 times with Kendall scoring once and Jack twice.  Giles added his 27th HR and the 2 rbi that came with it and Aram drove in 2 as well. Further down in the order, the continued resurgence of KY and the emergence of Adam Hyzdu didn't miss a beat as each reached base twice in 5 tries.

Mac Cliche of the Day(Like a Proud Father):
"All along, I've just wanted this team to take on my attitude between the lines -- play hard, play the game the right way and don't apologize for anything. I'm certainly proud of the way they're going about their business."

Fogg Disappointing, Bucs Fall
The Bucs failed in their quest to sweep the 1st place Cardinals yesterday at PNC Park, losing 8-4 to fall back to 8 1/2 behind the Redbirds.  Josh Fogg had his worst outing as a Pirate giving up 8 runs in 4 innings. The Cardinals seem to have his number as his 2 worst starts of the year have come against them. His ERA has risen to 4.06 - if he can keep it around there for the rest of the season it would be a very positive rookie year in the Big's. The hot hitting that carried the Bucs through the 1st two games of the series was not as evident yesterday as the Bucs yielded just 1 extra base hit - a double by Jack Wilson. Brian Giles, Craig Wilson, and Adam Hyzdu each reached base twice and ARam had a 2 rbi single. However, it was a quiet 4 runs.
Mac Cliche of the Day(Mac on Fogg's demeanor):
"I'm sure he tried to throw the ball a little too hard," McClendon said. "But I'll tell you what, he's a little bulldog. I like his competitiveness. He's right there in the middle of things. He said his piece. He's going to be a good one. He's going to be around a long time."

Ramirez HR Sinks 'Stros
Today's Bucco Bright Spots will focus on ARam's 1st BB in 63 AB's. Ok, so it won't but I was not aware of that and frankly, it disgusts me and is probably at least partially the reason the big fella has struggled so mightily (just for the record the Bucs headed by BRoss would've saved millions by waiting to extend Aram's contract until after this season). Last night though he came through with a 2 out 2 run HR that snatched victory from certain defeat for a 5-4 win in Houston.  The key to last night's victory was a bullpen that silenced the Astros bats with 4 scoreless innings in relief of the ineffective Kris Benson. Kudos to Ron Villone, Sean Lowe, and Mike Williams on their excellent work.  When down 4 runs early, the bullpen can 'not lose it' for you but the offense must win it and last night they came through. Other than Aram's big 2 run shot, Rob Mackowiak had a key 2 run single that cut the Astros lead in half early in the game. Also, the surprising metamorphasis of Jack Wilson from bottom of the order drain to top of the order threat continued. The Flash scored 3 times last night on a hit and 2 BB's and his single in the 9th with 1 out got things started. If we can get ARam hitting we have what looks like a decent top 4 with Kendall, Wilson, Giles, & Aram in succession.
Mac Cliche of the Day (Assessing the Bucs 2nd half prospects):
"We have a chance to pick up some ground, get back to being respectable and see what happens," McClendon said. "Everything is on us. One thing about it is we don't need any help. We have to go out and get it done ourselves. "I think the end of July will give us a better idea about where we are and how competitive we can be in our division. It's a big month for us."

 Bucs Fall To Brewers 5-3
The Pirates missed a chance for a 4 game sweep of the Brewers yesterday by dropping a 5-3 decision at Miller Park. Joe Beimel gave the Bucs 6 solid innings and as the 5th starter has been surprisingly 'ok' so far.  He still hasn't won as a starter this year so there's still plenty of room for improvement.  However, as our 5th starter, if he can give us 6 innings and 3 earned runs against every time out he has a role in the rotation.   Offensively, Kevin Young continued his resurgence by hitting his 12th HR of the year. His average has now climbed to .240 (about 90 points higher than it was a month and a half ago) and he's hitting for power again. Other than KY, the top 3 in the order (Kendall, Wilson, and Giles) was again effective as each reached base at least twice. We need to get ARam hitting.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On Beimel's performance and role):
"Joe's done a good job for us," McClendon said. "Right now, I think he's our best option in that spot. It provides a great opportunity for us to see where he fits -- as a starter or a reliever. I don't knnoww where his niche is, but I do know he's a more-than-capable bullpen man. The jury's still out on him being a starter because there's no track record. He's gotten stronger this year, and his pitches have more deception. I think he's gotten over that 60-pitch, third-time-through-the-lineup hump. He's not under the gun. It's not like, if he doesn't have a good outing, he's out of the rotation."


Almost-All Star Giles Hits Two, Bucs Fall To 'Stros
Brian Giles and the offense provided some fireworks on the 4th at PNC Park but unfortunately the Astros offense supplied more and the Bucs again fell to 10 games under in an 8-6 defeat.  The pitching was lousy as Joe Beimel and Mike Lincoln 7 earned runs in 6 innings. Ron Villone and Scott Sauerbeck managed to salvage some dignity for the battered pitching staff but the damage had already been done. On the flip side, Brian Giles continued to make his case for the All Star Team after the fact with 2 HR's (his 21st & 22nd on the year) and 4 rbi. Others contributing were Jack Wilson, Rob Mackowiak, and Adam Hyzdu who combined for 6 hits and 3 runs scored.
Mac Cliche of the Day (More Mac Perspective):
"I have a different perspective than that," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "In the big scheme of things, I see this ballclub improving. We're making strides in the right direction. The last 10, 12 ballgames have been tough. On this homestand we haven't played well. But I can't lose sight of what we're trying to accomplish. Surely, we'd have liked to have played a lot better than we have up to this point on this homestand."

Pirates Outhit, Outpitched.  Lose Again
The Bucs lost their second in a row to the lowly Brewers last night by the score of 12-6. One night after squandering an outstanding pitching performance by Kip Wells, Pound Puppy went out and did a belly flop for the Bucs - failing to make it out of the 1st inning while giving up 5 runs. Although Sean Lowe pitched fairly well out of the pen as the long man, I'll choose to ignore the pitching and focus on the offensive contributions that led to 6 runs. The Bucs got 2 HR's from their SS position (when's the last time that happened I wonder) as both Jack Wilson and Abraham Nunez took turns going yard. Jack Flash also added a BB and has shown impressive offensive growth in his 2nd season. He's been streaky but his average stands at .262, his walk rate is up (although his OBP still needs to get higher than .316), and he's running on occasion. Also homering last night were Kevin Young and the recently recalled Adam Hyzdu (a bright spot for Larry).
Mac Cliche of the Day(Pound Puppy Apologist):
"Just a bad outing for him. Jimmy had been outstanding for us the last three outings. Tonight, for some reason, he had absolutely nothing," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "It was just one of those nights. The best in the game have those nights. The one constant with Jimmy is that he has given us innings. Having said that, from time to time, Jimmy has a way of making it look ugly out there."

Wells Stellar, Bucs Not
The Bucs dropped to 9 games under with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers last night at PNC Park.  Bucs starter Kip Wells held a no-hitter through 7 1/3 before Alex Sanchez lined a single over Aramis Ramirez' head for the Brewers initial hit of the night - Sanchez would score moments later on a double to RF to break the scoreless tie.  Although he got the loss, Wells line from last night (1 earned run, 5 baserunners, & 5K's in 8 IP) and his overall ERA of 2.94 are hopefully an indication of things to come from the young righthanded hurler. Offensively, not much to talk about. Jason Kendall had 2 hits and stole 2 bases (his 10th & 11th on the season).

Mac Cliche of the Day (Perspective):
"I'm happy with the way we've competed," McClendon said. "I'm certainly not happy with the record. We didn't make the breaks for ourselves in close games. A year from now, we'll probably win those games. Sometimes from an execution standpoint, our young guys didn't get it done. They probably will get it done a year from now.

Benson Solid, Bucs Win
The Bucs took 2 of 3 from the lowly Tigers over the weekend and reach the midpoint of the season 8 games under .500. Not where you want to be but at least a half dozen games better than where most of us felt they'd be at this point. Yesterday's highlight was the continued return to form of their onetime ace Kris Benson. The win was his second in a row and he managed to pitch into the 7th (6 2/3) while only throwing 76 pitches. Bennie allowed just 1 run in that time. The bullpen was a little shaky but all and all they got things done and Mississippi Mike, who earlier in the day was named to his first all-star squad, notched his 23rd save. Offensively, the top 3 in the order of Kendall, Wilson, & Giles combined for 3 runs scored and 4 rbi with Giles belting his 19th HR of the year. Also contributing was Rob Mackowiak with 2 runs scored on 2 hits.
Mac Cliche of the Day (Bucs status report):
"We've had opportunities for the record to be better than what it is. Relatively speaking, from where we were last year, we have to be happy with the improvement. But I'm certainly not happy with where we can be. We'll continue to try to get there."

Bucs Win Again- We're Back?
(Stay tuned after the Mac Cliche of the Day for the Colbert story and a couple of tidbits, one of which may interest Naper). The Bucs continued their mini resurgence by winning their 2nd in a row, a 7-4 victory over Expos ace Javier Vazquez on Jason Kendall Bobble Head Doll Night at steamy PNC Park.  Kip Wells won his 9th going 7 innings and allowing just 3 runs and 6 baserunners while striking out 4. The kid that was the main cog in the Ritchie trade now has a 3.09 ERA and looks to be a keystone of the rotation for years to come. Offensively, last night was a rarity as multiple Buccos contributed in a 7 run outburst. Giles hit his 18th and Mackowiak his 10th (I can't believe he has 10). Each had 2 hits, Giles scored twice and drove in 3 while all of Mackowiak's run production came on the homer. In addition to those two, Jack Flash scored twice on 2 hits and KY drove in 2 on 2 hits. KY's average has now risen to .232 over the past month while Jack stands at .243. Mac Cliche of the Day (A Mac story from yesteryear): The most memorable disagreement McClendon was involved in as a Pirate? "Jay and I," McClendon said, referring to Jay Bell. That day, nine or 10 years ago, the Pirates had a big lead in the ninth inning in a game at Three Rivers Stadium. With one out, a batter flied to McClendon in right. The runner on second tagged and advanced to third. McClendon nonchalantly threw the ball back to the infield. It bounced in front of Bell, who muffed it slightly. He glared at McClendon in right field. McClendon glared back. Moments later the game ended. "Jay bolted for the clubhouse," McClendon said. "I bolted for the clubhouse. I wanted to kill him. Fortunately, Bill Virdon and Dave Clark saw that. Virdon grabbed me. Clarkie grabbed Jay." The Pirates flew out for another city that night. "Heck, Jay and I had a beer on the plane," McClendon said. "Those were the good old days." Did McClendon think Bonds and Kent had a drink together after Tuesday's game? "Probably not," he said. "But I'm sure they appreciate each other between the lines." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- As for my close encounter with Kevin Colbert. On Sunday Night I decided to get proactive and figured I'd send out an email to at least 1 high ranking official of all 32 NFL teams (a previous venture in which I sent out a letter to 1 of all 32 had yielded an email response that had in effect givin me the email address of all front office employees in the NFL - thanks Phil Savage). Some teams I sent to 2 people (including the Steelers). Well, surprisingly about 18 of the 32 or so came back 'undeliverable' (not sure why) but 13 made it through (including both I sent to the Steelers). Onto Colbert. Yesterday, I woke up and checked my mail and found an email from 'The Man' behind the Steeler express (the only response I've gotten so far). He told me when the best time was to apply for an internship with them and wished me luck. I responded, thanked him and asked him who I should send the stuff to (he has yet to respond but it took him 3 days to respond to my 1st one so I'm holding out hope that I'll get a name). Anyways, this means that 2 of the highest ranking officials with the Steelers have responded to me (I sent a similar email to Omar Kahn a couple of months back - he responded by mail with a letter telling me they had nothing available but that they'd keep my name on file - fairly standard rejection but it was worded in such a way that I felt he left things open and it was personally signed); I figure all this can't hurt my chances when I send my information in later this year. In the meantime, I have a fairly sure thing sometime in the next few months helping out in the Pitt athletic department and I'm starting to make friends with a Grad Assistant Coach with the Robert Morris football team (he's in one of my classes and told me he'd ask Joe Walton if he had anything open if I wanted him to - the old man has managed to get 2 guys hired by NFL teams in the last 6 months) so the networking thing is coming along nicely. Also, Naper of whoever else, I found a great Sports clothing/memorabaila store last night. It's called the 'Sports Deli' - it's at Parkway Center Mall. If you've never been there you might want to check it out. They have all kinds of old cool sports stuff and they had at least 3 bobbing head dolls (Nomar, Tony Gwynn, & Sosa). Also, if anyone wants to go to today's Bucco game give me a call on my cell.

Benson Back- Bucs Win!
Behind the pitching of their former ace, the Bucs snapped their longest losing streak of the season by beating the Expos 4-1 at PNC Park. While he wasn't Tom Seaver reincarnated out there last night - going just 5 innings, Benny was good enough to earn his first win since September 2000. His final line: 5IP, 6H, 1BB, 1 ER, & 5K's was solid and was just the thing the struggling Bucs needed. By the way, the Trib indicated that Armando Rios caught a flaw in his delivery that he believes was tipping off hitters to when his fastball was coming so with that corrected perhaps there are more good times ahead for Benson and the Bucs. Offensively, KY spearheaded the Bucs effort going 4 for 4 although he drove in just 1 and did not score a run despite reaching 4 times. Also getting into the act was Aramis Ramirez who had an rbi double, Rob Mackowiak drove in 1 and reached base twice and Kendall, Giles, & Pokey each reached twice as well.

Mac Cliche of the Day (On Benson's continued rehab):
"I'm sure this means quite a bit to him," McClendon said. "It's probably a heavy weight off his shoulders. It's good to see him smile."

What helped Benson last night was that he had much better command of his pitches.

"More than anything, I'm looking for command," McClendon said before the game. "The stuff is there. And the stuff is plenty good enough to win in this league. It's just hard to get that 'touch and feel' back. He was off for a year and a half. It's not going to happen overnight.

"He just has to keep going back out there. At times, it's not going to look pretty. Other times, it will look like he hasn't missed a beat."

Free Caps Nice, Bucs Still Lose
The Bucs lost in extra innings last night at nearly full (cap night - not a bad cap either) PNC Park and must beat Athletics ace Tim Hudson tonight if they are to avoid a sweep at the hands of the red hot Oaklanders.  After a rough start, Joe Beimel pitched ok last night but worked just 5 innings due to an inordinately high 92 pitches in that span. The bullpen picked him up and worked 4 scoreless innings before Mississippi Mike allowed a run to cross in the 10th but the reshuffled lineup couldn't capitalize and push a few across.  With Hermansen dovetailing since a hot start (his fall coincided with the evaporation of his plate discipline - the million dollar question is does he lack the skills to continue to draw walks or did his approach change in that time) he was moved from leadoff to 7th and Kendall moved back up to the leadoff spot. Jack Flash stays in the 2 hole and Giles moves back to 3 with Ramirez at 4 followed by Hack Wilson and KY at 5 & 6 with Pokey and the pitchers spot 8th & 9th. As for their production last night, ah not so good. When all else fails however, we still have Brian Giles. Giles notched his 17th HR of the year and with a second hit moved his avg. back up to .315. He could be in the midst of his best year yet. A true superstar. ARams' 2 hit effort was of particular note. We're capable of getting back to .500 (really, this team isn't all that bad) but we need the 3-4-5 of Giles, ARam, and Hack to produce with ARam being the key to that group.

Mac Cliche of the Day (On all the different lineup combinations):
"I hope we get to the point where we don't have to tinker with the lineup," he said. "Then we'll know we've arrived at that point where we can contend for championships.

"Right now, we're trying to find out who can do what. It's a process that takes a little time."

Pirates Fall to A's 
In their first game vs. the Athletics in 48 years the Bucs lost 4-2 last night at PNC Park. Starter Josh Fogg struggled early on and although he righted the ship his overall line was unsatisfying and as a result his record dropped to 7-5 and his ERA rose to a still excellent 3.68.  The bullpen trio of Villone, Sauerbeck, and Fetters combined to work the final 3 innings and kept the Bucs hopes of a comeback alive by not yielding a run. Nice work by the previously cold Bucs bullpen. Offensively, the only guy you can really highlight is Kevin Young whose 7th inning HR, his 8th of the year, drew the Bucs to within 2. He also chimed in another hit on the night.

Mac Cliche of the Day (On the failed 8th inning hit and run):
"One of those situations that if we get the hit-and-run down, we can have a big inning," McClendon said. "If we don't, then I look stupid. So [last night] I looked stupid. It just didn't work. It's the kind of ball we've played all year. We have to be aggressive."

Bucs Drop 2 of 3 to Reds
The Bucs salvaged the 3rd game of a disappointing 3 game set vs. the Reds yesterday with a 5-1 victory at Cinergy Field in Cincy. The first 2 games saw Bucco starters who were tossing shutouts removed prematurely following rain delays only to see the bullpen blow late inning leads; Yesterday, mother nature didn't allow that to happen and Pound Puppy held up his end of the bargain by tossing a complete game, allowing just 1 harmless run. Needing just 100 pitches to settle the issue, Pound Puppy lowered his ERA to a pedestrian 4.61.  Offensively, Craig Wilson continued to stake his claim for full time duty in RF by once again pounding the baseball to the tune of 3 for 4 with 4 rbi and his 6th HR.   It took a little longer than expected but CW is now posting the type of offensive numbers that justify putting his below average, but improving, glove in the field on an every day basis. Hopefully he'll keep it up and give us a future 3-4-5 of Giles, Ramirez, and CW.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On Craig Wilson):
"He's been out there every day for quite a while. He's certainly earned the right to stay in there. He's been swinging the bat pretty good," McClendon said. "What he did last year warranted the opportunity to get him some at-bats. With the injury to Rios, it's given him an opportunity to play every day and see what he can do. He's certainly taken advantage of it. I'm very pleased to see him swinging it the way he's been swinging it. He's about as hot as you can get right now.
"I think in the past, it was given that if you threw him a breaking ball he was an easy out. I don't think that's the case any more."

Kendall Hits, So Do Angels: Bucs Lose
The Bucs dropped a tough one last night at the hands of the Anaheim Angels, losing 8-5 because of a faulty bullpen. The starting pitching and bullpen were equally bad last night but the resurgent offense again did its share - producing 5 runs. Craig Wilson reached base 3 times, scored twice, and drove in 2 to finally get his avg. above the .300 bar. Pokey Reese continued his hot hitting with 3 hits and 2 rbi and Jason Kendall had 3 hits to get his average to .291 (although he squandered a chance in the late innings to put the Pirates ahead 5-4 by grounding to SS who in turn threw the runner out at home and squelched the Bucs rally.
Mac Cliche of the Day:
No game quotes were present in the PPG.

Fogg, Bucs Beat Anaheim 
The Bucs notched their first ever win against the Angels last night with a 7-3 victory at the former 'Big A'.  Starter Josh Fogg pitched brilliantly until giving up back to back HR's in the 7th and being lifted one out later but his line of 3 earned runs in 6 1/3 was still very solid. It was Fogg's 7th Win of the season. The bullpen was again a stalwart as Sauerbeck, Fetters, and Boehringer combined for 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Sauerbeck deserves extra attention because he entered the game following Fogg and thwarted the Angels opportunity for a game tying rally. Sauerbeck's having a fantastic year as the primary LH out of the pen and has posted a 2.30 ERA. Offensively, 3 guys we were hoping would produce from the start have begun to and that was again the story last night. KY notched his 6th HR of the year - a 2 run shot in the 2nd while redhot Craig Wilson was 2 for 4. The guy that really got it done last night though was Pokey Reese who had 3 hits and 4 rbi and broke the game open in the 8th with a big double.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On the Bucs recent offensive resurgence):
"I think we're starting to get some production from the bottom of the order. And guys at top are getting on base for the middle guys," Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I've been pleased with the effort, the approach, making the pitcher work by going deeper in counts. I don't think we're as bad a team as we've hit to this point. I still think we can do better.
"I've been on teams where one or two guys struggle and they pick it up finally. We've had four or five guys struggle at the same time, which has made it difficult for us. At the same time, we found ways to win."

 Bucs Fall Short Against Angels 
The Bucs were unable to keep the train going last night as their late inning rally fell short in Anaheim, losing 4-3 to the Angels. The Bucs fell behind 4-0 through the first 6 innings but a 3 run seventh got them close and they got a man on in each of the last two innings but were unable to get the big hit that would tie the game. Pound Puppy started and was his usually undependable self allowing 4 runs and 12 baserunners in 6 innings. I can't take him anymore. Has anyone noticed the job Salomon Torres is doing in AAA? I know that's a pipe dream and it's unlikely Torres would be too successful in the big leagues but I can't stand to see the Fat Boy out there anymore - 1 quality start in 3 isn't cutting it. Mike Lincoln continued to sparkle out of the pen, working 2 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to .41. Offensively, Jack Wilson had another multi-hit game and is hitting .262. Craig Wilson hit his 3rd HR of the season and after a 1 for 4 effort is hitting .288 on the year while getting regular playing time since the Rios injury. Hack can hit so it's imperative that Mac gets him out there most days.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On Pound Puppy, sounding like a broken record):
I certainly think the young man has the stuff to be a winner at this level. When he's throwing strikes, when he's got that sinker working, he can make it look real easy. Other times, when he goes out and can't find the strike zone, he can make it look real hard. When he's throwing stirkes, he's a winning major-league pitcher. When he's not, we're going to be in trouble early."


Bucs Sweep Brew Crew
The Bucs swept the Brewers over the weekend to creep to within 2 games of the .500 mark, capping things with a 5-4 victory on Sunday. Starter Kip Wells was solid going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs in the no decision. The bullpen chipped in with 3 good innings of work with Mike Williams nailing down his 19th save. Amazingly, his ERA now sits at 1.54. Mike has been great all year. Offensively, the hero was light hitting Pokey Reese whose 2 run HR in the Bottom of the 8th proved decisive. Pokey had 2 hits on the day. Hermansen and KY also chipped in with solo HR's. I think I spoke too soon about Hermansen about 2 weeks ago. He has been mostly bad since I wrote some positive words about him in this space and his strikeouts have become a big problem while his walks have fallen off. He's now hitting .220.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On the possible offensive resurgence of Pokey):
'His last 10 or 15 at-bats have been outstanding,' McClendon said. 'He was using the whole field and going deep in counts. I told him to keep his nose to the grindstone and good things would happen.'

Bucs Drop Wild One To Expos, 7-5
In a wacky game at Montreal's Olympic Stadium the Bucs lost 7-5 to the Expos last night. The Bucs lost because starter Kip Wells couldn't find the strike zone (5 BB's) and because the defense behind him couldn't catch the ball - resulting in 3 unearned runs to Wells. Offense was last night's only Bright Spot as the Bucs were able to piece together enough hits to score 5 times. Jason Kendall and Craig Wilson led the Pirates with 3 hits a piece. Kendall scored twice and drove in 1 while Wilson scored once. Giles had another good game reaching base 3 times on 2 hits and a BB and Jack Wilson continued his hot hitting with 2 hits, raising his average to .237. Slugging has been a big problem for the Bucs this year and last night was no different as only 2 of their 12 hits went for extra bases - they are also last in the NL in HR's.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On the Wacky Game):
“The fact is we didn’t catch the ball. If you don’t catch the ball, you’re not going to win. I don’t care who you are,” Manager Lloyd McClendon said. “I can’t explain what happened. I couldn’t tell if there was a full moon. We were in a dome.
“I have major-league players on the field. They’re good. Those plays are made the next 100 times in a row. Analyze it anyway you want to. ... We just didn’t do what we were supposed to.”
Fogg, Benson Strong As Bucs Take 2 From Cards 
The Bucs, behind the strong pitching of Josh Fogg on Friday Night and the clutch hitting of Abraham Nunez yesterday were able to take 2 of 3 from the Cardinals this weekend at Busch Stadium. In yesterday's game, Nunez had 3 hits and a walk, scored once, and drove in 3 runs (2 in the 7th & 1 in the 8th) to insure the 5-2 victory. Nunez is now batting .264 on the year. Sticking with the offense, Brian Giles was his usual awesome self, smacking his 14th HR of the year in the 1st of Cards ace Matt Morris and also drawing 2 BB's. The comeback of Kris Benson from elbow surgery took another encouraging step forward yesterday with his solid work - going 5 2/3 and allowing just 2 runs against one of the premier lineups in the national league. The silent hero yesterday was again the bullpen however. Lowe, Sauerbeck, and Mike Williams combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless innings with Williams picking up his 17th save of the year.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On taking 2 of 3 from the Cardinals):
"In my opinion, they're the class of our division. Certainly, they're a championship-type ballclub, a ballclub we want to pattern ourselves after. To come in and take two out of three was gratifying to say the least," McClendon said.

Wood Beats Pound Puppy, Bucs Split With Cubs
In front of 21,000+ on a beautiful May afternoon in Pittsburgh, the Bucs lost 9-8 to the Cubs, managing a split of the 4 game series that began on Memorial Day. Pound Puppy got the start vs. the Chicago fireballer Kerry Wood and lasted only 3 innings, giving up 7 runs and allowing 7 baserunners while striking out 0. The bullpen picked him up nicely however and gave up only 2 the rest of the way, allowing the Bucs bats to mount an offensive that would ultimately fall 1 run short, or 10 feet depending on how you look at it. (Note: This fan, seated in the LF bleachers, almost wound up with Chris Stynes' HR ball but the other guy pounced on my hand in the seat in front of me forcing me to either give up the ball or leave the game with a broken arm - had Sosa hit it I may've chosen the latter but Chris Stynes??) Anyways, back to the game. The star of the offense was...you guessed it Brian Giles. BG reached 3 times, scored twice, and hit his 13th HR of the year all while raising his average to .317. What a great player this guy is!!! Other than Giles, Craig Wilson reached base 3 times, scored twice, and drove in two, and Adrian Brown had a key 2 rbi single that helped to get the Bucs within striking distance entering the late innings. If our offense has any chance of improving the rest of the way we really need production from RF and/or 1B and Craig Wilson represents our best hope.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On the Bucs gritty comeback):
"We could have packed it in," McClendon said. "Kerry Wood on the mound ... the stuff he has. But we certainly battled back and made it very interesting in the end."

Also, 2 things:

a) Please take me off the everyday meaningless email circuit. I'm only on once or twice a day and there's no fun in answering/reading stuff after it's been the topic of conversation. Keep me on anything that's important though.

b) Finally saw '12 Monkey's' last night; Didn't really like it very much. I think Randy is the one that loves that movie - could you please explain to me why this is?

Wells Notches 8th as Bucs Blank Cubbies
The Bucs guaranteed themselves at least a split of their 4 game series with the Cubs with an easy 5-0 victory at PNC Park last night. The next month is the time in which if he's not going to become an ace that Kip Wells will turn into Jason Schmidt. Wells notched his 8th W of the year with a dominating complete game shutout allowing just 6 Cubs to reach base. His ERA now stands at an even 3.00. If the next month doesn't prove disappointing from Wells then Dave Littlefield will one day be recognized as pulling off one of the great trades in baseball history in getting 2 'aces' for 1 above average starter. Wow, that deal has amazing potential now!!!!  Offensively, a bunch of singles sunk former Bucco Jon Lieber. The only player not to have at least one hit was starting RF Adrian Brown. Hermansen, Nunez, & Kendall each had 2 hits, Giles, ARam, & KY 1 hit apiece, and Jack Flash Wilson 3 hits and the Bucs only 2 extra base hits for the night. Defense was again prominent as Hermansen and Jack Wilson were standouts in that phase.
Mac Cliche of the Day (On Kip Wells performance last night and YTD):
He pitched a masterpiece," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He was certainly on his game right from the start, and he pounded the strike zone. He's been fantastic
For the 100th time, he's been great," McClendon said. "I've been very pleased with his progress. He has 'plus' stuff and has a chance to be a No. 1 starter."
Also:
1) I don't believe players who've used steroids have 'cheated' however I do believe they are guilty of violating some ethical code in the game by using a drug to increase performance. Some sort of testing and the elimination of guaranteed contracts are 2 of the most prominent issues that need addressed outside of altering the revenue allocations inherent to the games current economics.
2) I recommend seeing 'Insomnia'. It's the best 'murder mystery' I can remember seeing since 'Seven'. Not as good as 'Seven' but damn good and a very unique twist to the plot that I hadn't seen before. You all would love it.

Bucs' Woes Continue With Shutout
There appears to be no end to the Bucs offensive ineptitude as last night's 2 hit shut out was perhaps their lamest hitting performance yet. The Bucs fell further below the .500 mark with a 3-0 loss to the Cubbies at PNC Park. Bright Spots, what Bright Spots? The offense was terrible and the starting pitcher (Kris Benson) was terrible. However, the bullpen kept the Bucs in the game (to no avail)as Joe Beimel, Ron Villone, & Brian Boeheimer (spelling interpretation of Jonny C pronounciation)combined to pitch 6 1/3 innings of scoreless ball allowing just 3 Cubs to reach base in that time. No mention of the offense. They had just 2 hits and none of them were for extra bases.

Mac Cliche of the Day (Mac making excuses for his lousy offense):
Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat to the opposition," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Certainly, we haven't been swinging the bats as well we can, but tonight I don't think it would have made a difference. His stuff was just outstanding. When you run into a pitcher that has that kind of stuff and throws as hard as he does, it's going to be a difficult night for any team."
Bucs Win Memorial Day Thriller
The Bucs continued their recent success on Memorial Day with a 10 inning 3-2 victory against the Cubs last night at half full PNC Park. Facing a possible ultimatum of better performance or Nashville, Bucs starter David Williams worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits and 2 BB's while striking out 4. The usually dependable bullpen showed some cracks last night blowing 2 one run leads in consecutive innings before the Bucs came away with the win. Offensively, it was another quiet night. Brian Giles reached base 3 times to continue his recent tepid performance, Chad Hermansen hit what appeared to be the game winning HR in the Bottom of the 8th, Abraham Nunez reached 2 times, and Keith Osik was the hero with the game winning single in the 10th. Hermansen and Nunez also made 1 spectacular defensive play each. Hermansen tracked a screaming drive to right center and leapt, glove extended to take in the ball as he crashed into the wall and Nunez preserved at least 1 run with a leaping catch on a line drive in the 8th.
Mac Cliche of the Day (Impressions on last night's great game):
"It was like a championship bout. They'd land a knockout punch, and we'd stagger but come back. They'd come back again. But somehow we were standing at the end," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "It was touch and go. If you didn't like that game, there's something wrong with you."


Rook Beats Bucs
The Bucs were on centerstage last night facing Cubs phenom Mark Prior in his major league debut and they essentially fell flat on their faces as the rookie notched 10 K's and allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings of work. They did some decent work against the Cubs bullpen and pulled to within a run in the 8th but the bullpen couldn't keep them close as they lost 7-4. The pitching was pretty horrible with the exception of long reliever Ron Villone who worked 1 2/3 perfect innings. Offensively, Brian Giles was the star. BG had 3 hits, a run, and an rbi and hit his 6th HR of the year. Other than Giles, the only other Bucs to reach base twice were Hermansen & KY. Hermie worked the count and reached on a BB in the 1st and also had a basehit later in the game. He did strikeout twice however so it wasn't all peaches and cream for him last night. KY walked twice. Mac Cliche of the Day (On the struggles of starter Dave Williams): "I'm very concerned, very disappointed about his last couple of outings. I expected Dave to have better command. I'm a little puzzled right now," McClendon said after the Pirates were dealt their fifth loss in seven games on their current road trip. "I don't have a doghouse. I'm not trying to send this kid to the minor leagues. But Dave is no different than the rest of our pitchers and the rest of our players. Sometimes you have to issue challenges. This is a time when Dave needs to step it up, and those guys in that locker room need to know they can count on him. Right now, he just hasn't brought it to the table for us. He's got to pitch better than he's pitched."

Bucs Split With Cubbies
In Game 1 of yesterday's doubleheader the Bucs routed the Cubs by a score of 12-1 to get their record to 21-22 for the year. The game saw Pound Puppy dazzle the pathetic Cubs lineup for 7 shutout innings to lower his ERA to 4.31 and notch his 4th win of the year. PP seems to fluctuate start to start from effective 5th starter to swing man material out of the pen. Hopefully he'll show some consistency the rest of the way and turn in a good year. The 12 runs scored came mostly from the top 3 spots in the order as Hermansen, Jack Flash, & Brian Giles combined to score 8 of them and drive in 6 of them. Hermie reached base 4 times with 2 singles, a HR, and a walk. This kid is for real - he'll be our starting CF for a long time to come. Wilson, hitting in the 2 hole for the 2nd consecutive game, responded with 3 hits and a BB, and Giles chimed in 2 hits and a BB highlighted by an inside the park HR. Mac Cliche of the Day (Baseball Philosophy 101): "One thing I told them, through all of this, I think we learned a valuable lesson. There's more than one way to win a baseball game. With good pitching, defense, solid baserunning ... you have a chance to win games. I think our guys have done a good job of doing those things. It was good to see them finally break out." The second game of the Wrigley double started as promising as the 1st ended with the Bucs racing to a 3-0 first inning lead and with ace Josh Fogg on the mound and crusing with a perfect game through 4 things looked secure. However, Adrian Brown lost a ball in the lights in the 5th costing us a run, and Fogg hung a breaking pitch to Sosa in the 6th that resulted in a 3 run HR and proved the decisive swing. It's a shame because Fogg was pitching terrific but as good as he is there will be more terrific days before he's done - I think he'll be our ace for a long time. Offensively the contributions are scattered but Jack Wilson's 2 hit performance deserves mentioning  Bitter loss. Mac Cliche of the Day (on the fateful pitch and the bitter loss): "He made a mistake, and a great hitter took advantage of it," said Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon. "A lot of things went the Cubs' way in the second game." By the way, long term things are starting to look brighter for the Bucs. They now have a future core rotation of Fogg, Wells, Benson, Vogelsong, and a 5th starter from a host of candidates spread across all 4 levels of the organization and with the 1st pick in the draft have a chance to either add to the pitching depth or find an impact player on offense down the road. Offensively, the emergence of Hermansen gives the Bucs 5 of 8 position players that can be considered major league caliber regulars (I know it's a little early with Hermansen but it'll prove out - his pitch recognition has been very good and as long as that remains he'll hit, run, & play a good CF). I'm counting Giles, Ramirez, Kendall, Reese (his defense is worth it), and Hermansen. We have to find the other 3 and continue to rebuild the farm system but things are indeed a lot Brighter now than they were a year ago, 6 months ago, 2 months ago, 2 weeks ago.

Pirates Beat Houston, Avoid Sweep
The Bucs managed to salvage what could've been a disastrous 4 game sweep to the Astros with a 5-3 victory last night on Sunday Night Baseball. I can't help thinking the offense is going to sink this club but they should score more runs/game than they have so far and with our starting pitching and defense that may be enough to let us hang around .500 this year. We'll see. Last night, Kip Wells raised his record to 6-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.93 by going 6 2/3 innings, allowing 8 baserunners,  striking out 5, and allowing just 1 run. Wells certainly looks like he's going to be a good one and the thought of Fogg, Benson, Wells, & Vogelsong forming 4/5 of our rotation next season is exciting. Also, kudos to Mike Williams for his 15th save. Offensively, I keep harping on the guy but he looks terrific at the plate. He's laying off pitches he should and he's hitting the ball hard. Chad Hermansen had an rbi single and 2 walks and is here to stay. He also made a fantastic diving catch in CF. The other big highlight last night was seeing ARam mash his 1st HR of the season and add another hit for good measure. If we get him back and Hermansen continues to produce out of the leadoff spot we may be able to string together some 4 & 5 run performances. Keep your fingers crossed. Mac Cliche of the Day (Perspective): "We hit a funk. We've been in it for a while," McClendon said. "But the one thing we have is a very competitive team. We have good pitching. We played well in this stretch. We just haven't won any games. We can't lose sight of that fact. "Quite frankly, with the injuries we've had, we've been very fortunate to be only [a few] games under .500. Having said that, we have to find a way to win some games. The way you do that is to go out and be consistent with your business. That's the way you get better, day in and day out."

Bucs Slip 1-Under With Loss To 'Stros
The anemic Bucco offense continued last night as the team dropped a 3-1 decision to the Houston Astros and dropped one game under .500 for the first time since opening day. Granted, they were facing one of the game's best pitchers but 1 run is still poor. Josh Fogg. I keep repeating to myself, how the piss did we get this guy for Todd Ritchie - not to mention Kip Wells and Sean Lowe. If he wasn't for real, it would've showed last night. He was facing one of the NL's elite lineups for the 2nd time in less than a week in one of the greatest hitters parks ever built. What happened? He needed just 80 pitches to work 6 innings, allowed just 3 baserunners, struck out 4, and gave up only 1 run - a solo HR to one of the game's greatest hitters Lance Berkman. Jose Vizcaino is no Barry Bonds but he's been around and knows good pitching when he sees it. Vizcaino had this to say about Fogg:"He doesn't look like he's a rookie," Vizcaino said. "He's kind of like a young Greg Maddux. He knows how to change speeds and puts it where he wants to. He always starts with a different pitch. He makes you think." We shouldn't set the bar too high but that's high praise indeed and this guy is going to be good for a long time. Other than Fogg, I was most impressed with Chad Hermansen. First off, he's a very good centerfielder. That much we know. The question mark is whether he can hit major league pitching. He walked in his first at bat after falling behind 0-2 and forced Oswalt to make several pitches including laying off a tantalizing 2-2 curve just off the outside corner that 2 years ago would've gotten the whiff. His 2nd AB was dynamite as well. He looked fastball, adjusted to the offspeed stuff, and lined the pitch into LF for an rbi single. No other Bucco drew a walk and the only other one to have more than one hit was Kevin Young (go figure). Mac Cliche of the Day (my thoughts exactly): "We felt good about where we were [late in the game]. We battled," said Manager Lloyd McClendon. "We just couldn't get the hits we need to get us over the top. Tough ballgame."

Giles Goes Long, Bucs Lose: Back to .500
The Bucs seesaw flirtation with the .500 mark continued last night as they dropped the final game of the series to the D'Back to fall back to 19-19 on the year. Staked to a 2 run lead in the 4th, Pound Puppy & the Pen couldn't hold off the Snakes and lost by a score of 6-2. Last night was another game with very few Bright Spots as the Bucs managed just 4 hits and the pitching was very good either. Brian Giles hit his 6th HR of the year and also had another hit to hopefully break out of the slump he's been in. There's really nothing else. 4 BB's is a respectable total but nothing to write home about. Mac Cliche of the Day (on the continued struggles of the lineup - I've heard this one before): "We just need a breakout game," McClendon said. "I certainly don't think the guys are as bad as their averages are showing. If they were, they wouldn't be here. Hopefully, we'll come out of this."

Bucs Put It Together to Beat D-Backs
Pitching, Defense, & 2 Runs HR's. Not a bad recipe to win baseball games. Last night the Bucs again fended off the looming menace of 'below .500' by beating the D'Backs 2-1 at PNC Park. Their record now stands at 19-18. The pitching came from Kip Wells, Scott Sauerbeck, & 'Mississippi' Mike, the defense largely from Pokey Reese, and the offense entirely from Chad Hermansen (earning himself a 3rd consecutive mention on BBS). The starter Wells, went 6 1/3 innings allowing 6 baserunnes and just 1 run while striking out 6. Sauerbeck then came in and pitched 1 2/3 valuable relief innings before turning it over to Mike Williams for the save. I didn't get a chance to see the game because my cable was out but I did listen to the last 3 innings and Walk & Greg Brown mentioned the defense of Pokey Reese about 100 times so I'm assuming he was pretty darn good last night. The excitement over Hermansen continues to build after last nights 2 for 4 performance which included a 2 run HR and a bunt single. Hermie is now 5 for 11 with a HR, & 3 SB's since his recall from AAA. Again, we'll take a 'wait and see' with him because he's disappointed before but I don't think he's ever looked this impressive (even over a 3 game stretch) than he has so far. Mac Cliche of the Day (on the early success and potential of Chad Hermansen): "His approach has been outstanding at the plate. He's been very patient up there, not swinging at balls in the dirt. He's a five-tool player. If he brings that every day, he can be an outstanding major-league player. He just needs to be consistent.

Benson Returns, Loses
Mamma said there'd be days like that. This is going to be pretty short because, comebacks aside, virtually nothing good happened last night for the Pirates. They couldn't hit (4 hits), they couldn't field (4 errors), and they couldn't pitch (17 baserunners, 8 earned runs). If you haven't heard, Kris Benson's return to the rotation following reconstructive elbow surgery went off less than well as the D'Backs scored 7 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings last night at PNC Park on their way to an 11-0 rout that leaves the Bucs at 18-18. The star of the night was Chad Hermansen. Hermie went 2 for 4 with his double the only extra base hit of the night for the hometown team. It's usually a good sign for a player when he hits on a night that nobody else does so maybe, just maybe, we might have something here. Other than that, Ron Villone pitched well in relief of Benson gobbling up 5 1/3 innings while allowing just 1 run. Villone has a solid track record as a major league reliever so perhaps he is now in the role that best suits him and which while benefit the team the most. That's all folks. Mac Cliche of the Day: (On Benson's lackluster return) "I didn't think he'd go out and dominate," Manager Lloyd McClendon said, "but I thought his command would be a little better. It's something he'll have to work on. At this level, if you pitch behind in the count, you usually get hit hard. [Last night] was that case."

Bucs End Slide
Good weekend; Bad Sunday. Following two superb pitching peformances by starters Pound Puppy and Josh Fogg on Friday and Saturday Night respectively, the Bucs missed a chance to sweep the rival Astros yesterday at PNC Park on the North Side, losing 5-1 to drop to 18-17 for the year. Chad Hermansen. The Hard Luck Kid (or the Just Not Good Enough Kid, time will tell) got his first start since returning from his minor league rehab assignment and responded as well as was hoped. He ran (2 SB's, 3 in 2 games), he hit (1 single), he played defense (made a couple of solid plays in CF), and he showed plate disclipline (2 BB's). He'll probably get another chance when the Bucs play next, hopefully he'll continue to capitalize on it. Other than Hermie, I would point to the team's 6 BB's as a positive and the bullpen was OK, allowing 3 in 6 innings of work after the delay, with the best work coming from Mike Lincoln, who now pitches for the Nashville Sounds following his demotion. Other than that, the returns of Kris Benson and Aram tonight or whenever the weather allows the Bucs to play a game uninterrupted are certain Bright Spots. Mac Cliche of the Day (on a frustrating day at the plate): "It just came down to we didn't hit the ball. Give them credit. Houston threw some good arms at us. But the fact is we ended up with four hits, and you're just not going to win games like that," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "When we had the opportunities, we just didn't chip away to make it interesting."

Bucs Leave The BOB at .500 after falling to Schilling, D-Backs
The Bucs fell to 16-16 with a disappointing 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Bank One Ballpark. Disappointing because the Bucs staked starter Kip Wells to a 3-0 first inning lead and Wells appeared to be on his way to a dominating performance before unraveling in the span of 2 1/3 innings (a performance that quite frankly reminded me of Jason Schmidt) and disappointing because the Bucs appeared to be on the verge of tying   or even taking the lead in their half of the 9th before a lousy Jason Kendall bunt and a lousy call by the first base umpire resulted in a double play and turned what should've been 2nd & 3rd with 1 out into 3rd and 2 outs. Oh well, to the Bright Spots. Craig Wilson needs to play more. He should play more than he doesn't that's for sure. His 3 run HR in the 1st of Curt Schilling gave the Bucs a lead they wouldn't relinquish until the 6th inning. He's a thumper and needs to play. Other than that Abraham Nunez leadoff and chimed in 2 hits including the leadoff single in the 9th that could've represented the game tying run. Another play that deserves mention, forget what inning it occurred in (6th I think) was Pokey Reese's eye grabbing double play which he shorthopped on his way to 2nd base, touched the bag and threw to 1st for the key double play (there was a man on 3rd at the time who would've scored if he was unable to turn the double). You had to see it to know what I'm talking about. The bullpen was again solid as well. Mac Cliche of the Day (No game related quotes available so here's one from yesterday) "Our bullpen is the backbone of our success," McClendon said. "If we run them out there every night, come June they're not going to be worth a darn. We just have to be careful with them. "It's tough. Sometimes you have to sacrifice an inning here or there, or a ballgame here or there, to help you in June or July. One thing we can't do is beat our bullpen up to the point their arms are weary. I think we've tried to do a good job up this point."

Offense Strong, Pen Falters-Bucs Fall
One night after grinding out a thrilling victory over Randy Johnson and the D'Backs, the Bucs bullpen blew what would've been a great comeback with the Bucs losing 7-6. Kris Benson can't comeback fast enough. Ron Villone was horrible last night and can't leave the rotation fast enough. This is a postive spin on the Bucs though so I'll choose to focus on the offense. They started slowly but rebounded to score 2 runs in the fifth, a run in the 7th, and 3 in the 8th to tie the game at 6-6. The offensive highlight was Jason Kendall's 2 run game tying HR in the 8th that had at least one Bucco fan jumping up and down at about 12:30 am. It was Kendall's only hit of the night but at the time it was a biggie. Others contributing with key hits were Craig Wilson with a big rbi double and Adrian Brown also had a big 2 out rbi single. Both Rob Mackowiak and Armando Rios had 2 hits apiece. Mac Cliche of the Day (On Ron Villone): "Ron's a competitor. He's the type of guy who elevates the play of the people behind him," Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He has a presence in the clubhouse, a winning-type attitude, a no-nonsense approach. I think he's been good for our young starters. "When he's out there, he shows up to win. He's going to fight you. He's going to give you everything he's got on that particular day. I think our kids like playing behind him. "But when he gets out of whack and gets the ball up, he's going to be hit hard."

Battling Bucs Beat the Unit
They're back, and after last night's game in a big way!!! The baseball season is a long ardous journey which makes it hard to place too much emphasis on just 1 game but if the '02 Bucs do in fact continue to hang around .500 or do even better than that revisionist history will point to last night's game as one of the season's most crucial. Coming into the game having lost 9 of 12 and looking more and more like the same old Pirates the Bucs faced the defending World Champions with their ace and one of the great LH's to ever put cleats on in the start of a 3 game series and had ace #2 looming in the 3rd game of the set. The result: a hardfought 3-2 victory that combined good starting pitching, superb defense, a great late inning effort by the bullpen, and enough offense to get the job done. Anytime you beat Randy Johnson it's imperative to give credit to the pitcher that matched him out for out and I'll give props to Josh Fogg in a minute but damn was the infield defense awesome last night. Pokey and Jack seemingly made sharp play after sharp play and Kevin Young chimed in with a key 9th inning backhanded, shorthop stop that helped seal the victory. Josh Fogg, last night's starter, was again better than advertised. He throws strikes, will throw any of his pitches at any count, and everything he has moves. He also appears to have the poise and hitting and fielding skills to become a consistent winner in the Big Leagues. I can't believe we got this guy AND Kip Wells AND Sean Lowe (not sure about him but he has a pretty good track record out of the pen) for Todd Ritchie. Wow! Last night Fogg pitched 6 innings, allowing 7 baserunners and just 2 runs while striking out 3. He's not THIS good but he's for real. Also, he again was very efficient throwing just 88 pitches. Offensively, while the headlines belonged to Brian Giles who became just the 12th LH hitter to homer off the Big Unit, the real star (9th inning AB aside) was Jason Kendall. I think we got our Kid back. He's now at .276 after his dismal start and hasn't struck out in 49 ab's. Last night he was 3 for 4 with an rbi double and a run scored while also stealing a base. Great performance by Kendall! Mac Cliche of the Day (nothing to pick from so I'll choose a quote from before the game): "If I had a formula for beating him, I'd bottle it. I'd be a millionaire," Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We'll try to put the guys out there who have the best chance of putting the ball in play. Maybe we can put the ball in play, find a few holes, do some things on the base paths, try to manufacture some runs and hopefully you hold them. It's not so much his fastball. Guys hit the fastball. It's the deception on the slider. He throws so hard. He throws his slider 89 mph with deception. You can't pick up the spin. You see a lot a lot of right-handers check-swinging for strike three. That's the hard part."

Bucs Beat Dodgers, April Ghosts
Since I'll be in the air tomorrow I'll do the recently finished game today. The Bucs avoided a Dodger sweep with a hard fought 3-2 victory at sun spackled PNC Park today pushing their record to 13-7 and ensuring a winning April - that in itself is a Bright Spot for what has been a beleaguered franchise for the last decade. The performance was again highlighted with strong starting pitching as former White Sock Josh Fogg pitched 5 2/3 allowing 0 earned runs and posting a 7:1 K:BB. The 7:1 ratio continues to build a strong case that this kid is no flash in the pan and continued success can be expected. Efficiency seems to be another strength as he used only 87 pitches today and offhand I can tell you his pitch counts have consistently been lower than normal. Mac had a quick hook today with Fogg but he seemed to want to ensure this would be a Bucco victory as he used 6 relievers to get the game's final 10 outs and all 6 pitched well. Offensively, the big hit was supplied by 'The Animal' Brian Giles as his 2 out 3rd inning single scored two. Jack Wilson also supplied a 6th inning 2 out single that ended up being the difference. Jack Flash has heated up after a slow start and is now posting decent offensive numbers to go with his sparkling defense. We're going to need every bit of offense we can find over the next couple of weeks until we get ARam and Pokey back. Mac Cliche of the Day (I'll make this one up since the newspaper isn't out yet): "We scratched and clawed and managed to grind out the win. The chemistry on this team is really something to see. The young kids are bringing enthusiasm to the park everyday and the veterans are doing a great job of producing and keeping everyone in line. We still have a long road to tow though."
 
Bucs Drop Second Straight to LA
Sorry for being late but my email was done for most of the morning. Last night the Bucs dropped their 2nd in a row to the Dodgers by the score of 5-1. The depleted offense, hurt further by the suspension of ARam and the loss of Pokey to a hamstring injury struggled all night to sustain any type of threat. Craig Wilson took advantage of a chance to start and responded with 2 hits, the Bucs only RBI, and narrowly missed tying the game at 2-2 on a drive to RF that caught the top of the wall and resulted in an rbi double. Brian Giles and Jack Wilson also had 2 hits and Jason Kendall reached base twice on a hit and a walk but squandered a couple of rbi chances in his other AB's. Defensively the team got back to its errorless ways after a rough outing the previous night. Starter David Williams had a solid game going 6 1/3 and allowing 3 runs and just 6 baserunners while striking out 5. Mac Cliche of the Day: "You like to go to war with all your bullets," said Manager Lloyd McClendon. "Certainly, having Ramirez and Reese out of the lineup hurts a little bit. But hey, we got guys who are capable of doing the job.

Bucs Back To Reality... For Now- Lose Shootout to LA
The Bucs 6 game win streak came to a halt last night in disappointing fashing as the Bucs lost 12-6 to the Dodgers, squandering a 3 run lead in the process. The club's hallmarks this year: pitching and defense evaporated last night at near empty PNC Park as Pound Puppy resembled Pound Puppy circa '99-'01 and the team's 3 errors in the field underscored a sloppy performance by the defense. However, the new wasn't all bad. The Bucs did score 6 runs, continuing the offensive resurgence gained from the weekend series against the Phillies. The best sign of all was seeing Jason Kendall's 2 hits and a walk performance. The Kid now has his average at .196 and is showing signs of being the line drive hitter we signed long term 2 years ago. Other than Kendall, contributions were scattered all over the place. Another Bright Spot was the team's 6 walks - I'll have to do some research to see what their BB/Game average is but 6 is very good. Finally, the Bucs are still 12-6 as last night's game, as lousy as it was, counts only once in the standings. Mac Cliche of the Day (on the Pirates lousy defense): "You know it's going to happen. You never want it to happen. But hey, that's part of this game," McClendon added. "With a 162-game schedule, it's going to happen from time to time. Hopefully, we got it out of our system for a while."

Bucs keep the brooms out, now 12-5
Ah, where should I start? Yesterday the Bucs completed their second consecutive 3 game sweep and extended their win streak to 6 games with a 9-3 win at soggy PNC Park. The victory capped a great weekend for the Bucs which not only included the Phillies' sweep but also saw the former 2nd place St. Louis Cardinals get swept by lowly Milwaukee. For the first time all year, starting pitching wasn't the strength of the team this weekend as neither Friday's starter Josh Fogg nor Saturday's starter Ron Villone pitched extremely well. Villone was better than Fogg though. However, on Sunday the crown jewel in the Ritchie Trade of this past offseason showed why Littlefield thought so much of him. Staked to an early 7-1 lead the Kip Wells was solid going 7 innings and allowing 3 runs and 7 baserunners while striking out 7. The bullpen and defense were as good as they've been all season though the Pen made things interesting on Saturday - they still got the job done. The story of the weekend was the emergence of the offense as they scored 20 runs in the 3 game set. Yesterday, Jason Kendall awoke from his early season slumber with a 2 hit 4 rbi performance that hopefully will continue when we play the Dodgers on Tuesday. Contributions seemingly came from all directions the past 3 games so it's real hard to single out just 1 guy from the offense but Abraham Nunez, Brian Giles, and Jack Wilson each made significant contributions to the 3 W's, among others. Mac Cliche of the Day (not really a cliche but classic Mac - on the return of Kendall literally and figuratively following Friday Night's concussion): If I'd have known that, I would have hit him over the head a lot sooner."

All The Way This Year?
The Bucs are going all the way, all the way..... Yesterday, the Bucco juggernaut broke out the Brooms and swept the Brewers all over Miller Park with a 3-2 victory that featured a bench clearing brawl and quite possibly the worst starting lineup ever to win a big league game. I'd say the #1 BS from yesterday's game had to be the continued excellence of the Bucco pen. These guys have just been unbelievable so far this year. Yesterday, Mac used 4 relievers to get the final 12 outs and the results were impressive. Lincoln, Boehringer, Beimel, and Mississippi Mike blanked the Brewers, yielding just 1 BB and K'ing 4. Williams earned his 6th save of the season. Offensively, the catalyst was ...well, nobody. The big hit came from Adrian Brown whose 5th inning HR proved decisive. Playing in RF Rob Mackowiak had 2 hits. Mac Cliche of the Day (on the worst lineup to ever win a game at the major league level): "That's a good sign," McClendon said after the Pirates won their seventh consecutive road game to retain first place in the National League Central. "One thing that's important is that every member of the team needs to feel he's contributing. Certainly, I think that is the case. The regular guys need to know that guys on the bench can pick them up from time to time."

Another Pirate Win Sends Record To 8-5
The Bucs moved 3 games over .500 to 8-5 last night with a 5-1 victory over the Brew Crew in Milwaukee. It's still early but I'm beginning to get excited about this team. 2 of the 3 facets of a winning team have been consistently good (with a few exceptions of course): starting pitching and team defense. Throw in a good bullpen and they're starting to look like a legitimate contender to threaten the .500 mark this year. Another 2 weeks and we'll have a much better feel whether this is unrealistic enthusiasm or that that hope could be realized. Last night's starter, Jimmy Anderson, had another strong game. He consistently got ahead and his ball was moving everywhere. Pound Puppy's line: 7 innings, 3 hits, 2 BB's, 4 K's and 1 ER. He is now 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA. Boehringer and Mississippi Mike pitched scoreless 8th & 9th innings respectively to close things out. Offensively, Adrian Brown and Pokey Reese each had 2 hits and a run scored. Brown raised his average to .200 and Reese is hitting .325 through the season's first 2 weeks. Also, Brian Giles drew first blood in the 1st inning with a 2 out solo HR his 3rd on the young season. As a team the Bucs drew 5 BB's - a good sign. In paying respects to the defense I'll point to a statistic in the PPG this morning: through 13 games last season the Bucs had committed 13 errors, through 13 this season they've committed 4 and lead the league in fielding %. Mac Cliche of the Day (on Jason Kendall's continued struggles at the plate): Jason's a battler," said McClendon, who plans to rest Kendall, Reese, Wilson and Kevin Young today. "He hit the ball on the nose twice [last night]. He's not having any luck right now. If he continues to approach his at-bats like he has his last 10 or 12, he'll be fine. He's been aggressive and made solid contact. It'll turn around."

Bucs go to 7-5 with win over Brew Crew
The Bucs pushed their record to 7-5 last night with a solid 6-1 win over the Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Though the season is just 2 weeks old the Bucs have had a 5 game win streak and a period of losses but through 12 games they've managed to keep their heads above the .500 mark - considering last year's season that's improvement. Last night the culprits were solid pitching and timely hitting as well as the continued quality defense. Kip Wells started and got the win allowing just 1 run in 5 1/3 innings. It was not all peaches and cream for Wells though as he did allow 10 baserunners in that time and posted a negative 1/3 K/BB ratio. Numbers like that don't forecast future success but as it stands now young Kip is 2-1. The bullpen was outstanding again as well. In 4 2/3 the posse of Sean Lowe, Scott Sauerbeck, Mike Fetters, & Joe Beimel allowed just 1 baserunner (a walk by Lowe), struck out 5 and shutout the Brew Crew. It wasn't just a night for Pirate pitchers though. Leadoff man Adrian Brown was the star last night, scoring once and driving in 3 while managing 2 hits. He's hitting just .171 however and must continue to put up numbers like that if he's not to lose AB's to Hermansen when he returns. Also getting in the mix last night was the seldom used Craig Wilson (2 hits and a run) and the seldom offensive Jack Wilson (2 runs, 2hits, and an rbi). Mac Cliche of the Day: "The guys are starting to come around," McClendon said after the Pirates collected 12 hits and scored in four of the nine innings. "We're certainly not the '61 Yankees, but we're capable of scoring some runs, which I think we will."

Pittsburgh drops second straight
The Bucs lost their 2nd game in a row last night at mostly empty PNC Park by a score of 3-2 and as a result their place atop the National League Central standings. They are now 5-3. However, if they continue to get good starting pitching (which they've gotten on 6 of 8 games now) there's no reason to believe a collapse is imminent. While the lineup struggles to score runs, mostly because of the slumping Adrian Brown and Jason Kendall, the pitching has been superb. Last night it was Pound Puppy going 7 innings and giving up 3 runs while allowing 9 baserunners. His K/BB was a negative 2/3 but still 7 innings and 3 runs is a quality outing - it doesn't guarantee a victory but it does guarantee your team will have a chance to win and that's what Pound Puppy did last night. For good measure Mike Lincoln and Mike Fetters added 2 scoreless innings in relief. Offensively Pokey Reese went 2 for 4 and despite my earlier protests deserves to be moved to the 2 hole while Kendall works out the kinks. Reese is now hitting .409. Kevin Young was the top offensive performer last night going 3 for 4 with a run and 2 rbi. He hit his 2nd HR of the season and last night's effort moved his average to .308. 
Mac Cliche of the Day: "We're not a big bombing type of team that's going to score a lot of runs," McClendon said, "but we're capable of doing better than we did [last night]. Right now it's tough. [Brown and Kendall] haven't got it going like they can. But they're battling, doing the extra work. It'll click. I have all the confidence they'll get it going real soon."

Pirates drop one to Cinci - Go to 5-2 
The Bucs 5 game win streak came to an abrupt end last night as the Bucs dropped to 5-2 with an 8-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Their performance mirrored much of last season's: lousy starting pitching, spotty defense, and untimely hitting. Allowing the Reds to steal 6 bases didn't help either. However, as this column is entitled 'Bucco Bright Spots' it seems I am required to write about the positives. Sean Lowe and the rest of the bullpen were again strong. Kip Wells' early exit forced them to 7 2/3 innings and they did a pretty good job of keeping the team within striking distance for most of the night. As a group they allowed 2 runs and 8 baserunners while striking out 13 Reds. However, it was Lowe that opened the most eyes with an awesome curve ball that brought to mind the name of Scott Ruskin. Lowe allowed 1 run in 2 2/3 but he K'd 7 which bodes well for his future performances. Although the Bucs only notched 6 hits they did score 5 runs - tying their highest output of the season. Combining for 4 BB's is a respectable total so perhaps that was a contributing factor. Individually, Adrian Brown got on 3 times and scored a run, Pokey Reese continued his hot early season performance with a hit, a BB, and 2 RBI, and Brian Giles thumped his 1st HR of the season knocking in 2 and getting the Pirates back into the game in the 5th inning. Time to start a new win streak tonight. Pound Puppy never lets us down. Mac Cliche of the Day "No. 1 starters are very special individuals," McClendon said. "They can take a team on their shoulders. If there are any negative streaks going, they stop right there. They have leadership written all over their faces.

Bucs Beat Reds to go to 5-1
5-1. 5-1. 5-1. This is starting to get fun. The Bucs stretched their win streak to 5 games with a 1-0 victory in the season's home opener at sun soaked PNC Park yesterday. Any time you win a game 1-0 pitching and defense are going to be the main story. Starter Ron Villone shut the visiting Cincinnati Reds down and out for 7 1/3 innings. The southpaw, making his 2nd opening day start of the season allowed just 6 baserunners en route to the scoreless outing before turning it over to the bullpen where a pair of Mike's: Fetters and Williams pitched the final 1 2/3 requiring just 16 pitches to get there. The normally heartattack performances of closer Williams have changed as much as the Pirates early performance since last year as he has now saved 4 games and faced the minimum 12 batters in doing so. Offensively, getting Brian Giles back had to be considered the main Bright Spot. The man responded with a 1 for 4 day and scored the Bucs only run on Aramis Ramirez' sacrifice fly in the B6th. Giles doubled, advanced to third on Elmer Dessens balk (what turned out to be a very key play), and scored on the sac fly. Aram was the only Pirate to reach base twice and is currently hitting .429 after the first week. Tracking the ratios: The Bucs managed only 3 walks on the day and their pitchers did not do especially well either with only 3 K's and a 3/2 K/BB. When you win 1-0 those things don't really matter though. The Bucs are off today and will resume play Wednesday Night. Mac Cliche of the Day: "That's what we're going to have to do for most of the year," Manager Lloyd McClendon said after the win gave the Pirates a 5-1 record and kept them in first place in the National League Central Division. "We're going to have to scrap and claw, do things that are fundamentally sound and pull out victories any way we can."

Bucs finish the weekend riding high!
Despite losing Sunday's game to rain, the Bucs had a great weekend and reside in 1st place with the opener at PNC Park scheduled for today at 1:35. As usual, starting pitching was the critical factor in the 2 game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley with the Bucs winning 2-1 on Friday and 6-1 on Saturday. Friday's starter, David Williams, was credited with 6 IP, allowing 1 run, 5 baserunners while striking out 8 Cubs. Once again, Mac mixed and matched his bullpen in the late innings using 6 relievers to get the final 9 outs with Mike Williams picking up his 3rd save of the year. Overall, Bucs pitchers K'd 11 and had a K/BB of 11/6. Saturday's pitching story came in the form of the least heralded of the 3 pitchers acquired from the White Sox in the offseason for Todd Ritchie. Josh Fogg, making his first big league start pitched 7 scoreless innings, allowing 7 baserunners and striking out 5. The Todd Ritchie trade is looking better every day!!! On the day the pitching ratio's were 8K/9 IP and 8/3 K/BB. The outstanding ratio's Buc pitchers have been racking up this first week point to continued success in the future; Hopefully this will prove true. Offensively, the weekend's star was Aramis Ramirez who was 5 for 9 with 3 runs scored. Other than that, it was a team effort with multiple guys chiming in here and there.
 Mac Cliche of the Day (4/5) "My guys have showed a lot of character. We've been beat down quite a bit. The experts have deemed us the lousiest team in the history of baseball. That lights a fire with them a little bit." Mac Cliche of the Day (4/6) "Given our record on the road last year, certainly this is a very positive start for us. Pitching is the name of the game, and we've gotten good pitching.. We can't lose focus. I like the direction this team is going. I like the effort.."

Bucs Go to 2-1 On The Young Season
Death, Taxes, Bucs win. For the 2nd time in as many days the Bucs earned a hard fought victory over the big budget boys from New York winning 3-2 at Shea. The win pushed the Pirates record over .500 for the first time since the summer of 1999. The clear stars of yesterday's game were Bucs starter Jimmy 'Pound Puppy' Anderson and the 3 relievers that combined to get the last 7 outs. Pound Puppy allowed only 4 baserunners and 2 solo HR's in 6 2/3. He only struck out 1 but that's not the portly portsiders game so we'll look past it for now. The Pirate relievers, Sean Lowe, Scott Sauerbeck, & 'Mississippi' Mike Williams came together for 2 1/3 shutout innings of relief with Williams picking up the headlines with his 2nd save of the young season. Continuing to track a trend, Bucs pitchers combined for 4 K's and a 4:1 K/BB ratio. The former is subpar but the 4:1 K/BB certainly offsets the low K mark. Offensively, the star was Kevin Young. KY reached base twice in 4 plate appearances, knocked in 2 runs, and hit his first HR of the season. Other than Aramis Ramirez' two hits, a run, and a SB and Armando Rios' rbi single it was a quiet day for the Pirate bats. One point of concern from yesterday's game which has plagued the team in the past is their low walk total - against LH Shawn Estes, who has always had control problems, they managed only 2 walks. For now though there's plenty of joy in Burghville. Mac Cliche of the Day: "We were probably overmatched, but our kids played with a lot heart and a lot of determination," McClendon said.

Game two: A Pirate Win!
The Bucs evened their record at 1-1 on the young season with a solid 5-3 victory over the Mets yesterday as Shea. The star of the game was newly acquired 2B Pokey Reese. Hitting out of the 8th spot again, Reese chimed in with 3 hits, 3 RBI, and a BB in 4 AB's which included a key 2 out 2 rbi single in the Top of the 6th that gave the Bucs their first lead of the season. Jason Kendall validated why he should be hitting from the 2 spot all year reaching base 3 times and scoring twice. His second run of the game came in the T9th and added much needed insurance for the Bucs and he did it in typical Kendall fashion - he manufactured it by drawing a walk, ssteealing 2nd, moving to 3rd on a fielders choice, and scoring on KY's 2nd hit of the day. Although Kip Wells started, pitched reasonably well, and got the win the real pitching story was the work of the bullpen. Five Pirate relievers combined to get the final 12 outs of the day and yielded just 4 baserunners and 1 run in doing so. Beimel, Boehringer, Sauerbeck, Fetters, and 'Mississippi' Mike Williams validated the Bucs decision to keep 12 pitchers allowing Mac to mix and match in the late innings to get the necessary outs. Could be a sign of things to come. Another note: Bucs pitchers K'd 7 and had a K:BB of 7/3 - both good signs. 
Mac Cliche of the Day: "Against a team like the Mets, for a franchise like us, we damn near have to play a perfect game. That was pretty close to a perfect game at this stage in the season. We executed well, ran the bases extremely well, played solid defense and we had good pitching."

Opening Day:

The eagerly awaited 2002 debut of 'BBS' is here. 'BBS' is now entering it's 3rd season. Yesterday the Bucs kicked off the new season with a 6-2 loss to the retooled Mets at sold out Shea Stadium as Al Leiter stifled the home team's bats and the Fets bullpen closed things out in the late innings. To me, the #1 spot goes to the decision to hit Jason Kendall 2nd instead of Pokey Reese - at least for a little while. Hitting Reese 2nd is run scoring suicide while if Kendall is suited to hit anywhere it's 2nd - a spot that ideally combines a high OBP hitter with gap power who can hit the ball to the right side when needed and also steal a base when needed. I think that's exactly what Jason Kendall is when he's healthy. Hopefully Mac will make this move permanent. Another thing I took from yesterday's game was that Ron Villone, although he needs to clean things up a bit, really didn't pitch that badly. By all accounts the Mets didn't hit him hard and his 7 K's is most likely a good sign for the future. Overall, the Bucs K'd 12 Met batters which hopefully signals a trend to more K/9 over last year's beleagured staff. Offensively, the only guy you can give props to was Armando Rios - who reached base 3 times. Finally, it's important to realize that this is just 1 game and hey, we're only 1 game under .500; That's not so bad. 
Mac Cliche of the Day: "I'd like to see him throw a few more first-pitch strikes," McClendon said. "He threw the ball better later in the game and seemed to settle down. We hope it's something he can build on."