Dodgers Interested in Maholm

It's that magical time of year when the Pirates start to shed some veterans, and to that point, Dejan Kovacevic of the PG is reporting that the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in a trade for pitcher Paul Maholm.

Maholm's salary of $4.5 million is the highest on the team's active roster, and second-highest in the organization behind only the immortal Aki Iwamura at $4.85 million. Maholm is 6-7 with a 4.03 ERA thus far in 2010. 

Kovacevic cited a Yahoo! Sports report from yesterday mentioning the Dodgers' desire to add pitching in advance of some difficult divisional games. They've recently made inquiries on hurlers such as Houston's Roy Oswalt and the Cubs' Ted Lilly.

The Dodgers have a number of financial constraints due to their owner's ongoing divorce, so Maholm's relatively affordable contract should be looked at as a positive for Los Angeles. I have not seen any scenarios mentioning the Pirates' demands in return, but I would expect them to be lofty if they're going to weaken an already-awful rotation. 

As you know, there is a recent history between the two teams, with the 2008 Jason Bay-Manny Ramirez-prospects deal and the 2009 Delwyn Young trade, in which the Dodgers received prospects Eric Krebs and Harvey Garcia from the Pirates. So if you're tossing around potential trade scenarios, I'd call this one extremely viable.

Not a Good Night for Pittsburgh

As the headline implies, last night did not go the way we would've hoped for the various Pittsburgh sports storylines that were in play. 

In Vegas, Sidney Crosby sat by while Henrik Sedin took the Hart Trophy and Alex Ovechkin won the Ted Lindsay Award. Meanwhile, Jordan Staal finished not first, not second, but third for the Selke Award, which was won yet again by Pavel Datsyuk. True, Sid did get a trophy named after Mark Messier as a consolation prize, but that wasn't what we were hoping for. 1-for-4 on the evening was far below our expectations. 

Sadly, 1-for-4 would've looked good for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who self-destructed in a 13-3 loss to the Texas Rangers last night. 

Paul Maholm pitched so bad that he apologized on Twitter, as he should've for anyone who actually had to watch it. One inning, seven hits, seven runs, four walks, and 55 pitches after he started, the Bucs would be in a hole that they could never get out of in their wildest offensive dreams. Even with the rest of the game to battle back, you knew the way this game was trending. The Pirates are a team that struggles to score three runs, let alone seven (or more). What happened next should be a surprise to no one.

Dana Eveland was called upon to stop the bleeding, and if you consider six more runs over 2 2/3 "stopping the bleeding", then I guess he did the job. The good news is that the Pirates have him under control for a few more years of this. Sorry, I had to say that.

Thankfully, a combo pack of four Pirate relievers shut down the Rangers the rest of the way, but the game had been decided long before they entered the picture. The meager Bucco offense managed just six hits and three runs, paced once again by Bobby Crosby. The shortstop is 8 for his last 11 and picked up two more hits last night, including a double. 

Delwyn Young had the only other extra-base hit, a double, and the Pirates struck out a total of 12 times on the night. Combine no pitching and no hitting and you get 10-runned like it was a Little League game. Unfortunately, they didn't stop this one in time. 

The three-game set wraps up tonight, as Jeff Karstens (2-2, 4.72) takes on the Rangers' Scott Feldman (5-6, 5.16) at 8:05 in Texas. Considering they've been outscored 19-6 so far, we might be best served to plead for mercy from Nolan Ryan's boys before the game starts tonight.

Maholm's career-worst start dooms Pirates, 13-3 [PG]
Crosby loses out on Hart Trophy, Lindsay Award [PG]

PIRATES LOSE...BUT IT WAS CLOSE!

The Pittsburgh Pirates finally "lost" close, falling to the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 last night at PNC. Somehow, this qualifies as a positive, given that 15 of the Bucs' 23 losses this season have come by five runs or more. But to me, they all count the same. Just like a win is a win, a loss is a loss.

This particular "L" falls under the "blown leads" category, as the Bucs went up 3-0 in the first on a two-run triple by Steve Pearce and an RBI double by Andy LaRoche. But the Pirates would squander later opportunities with baserunning that would make Little Leaguers blush, a hallmark of any John Russell-coached team.

Paul Maholm allowed four hits, four runs, and three walks in his seven innings of work, whiffing seven Brewers. He absorbed the loss, dropping his record to 3-4 on the year. Milwaukee pitcher Chris Narveson surrendered seven hits and three runs to Bucco batters, upping his mark to 4-1.

The game had a 25-minute delay in the top of the second after ump John Hirschbeck was plunked with a Narveson pitch that Brewers catcher Gregg Zaun failed to catch. Hirschbeck left the game with concussion-like symptoms, and it continued with a three-man crew. Not to blame the delay, but Maholm was coincidentally touched for two runs in that frame after going 1-2-3 through the Brew Crew in the first.

The Pirates certainly had their chances to pull this one out, especially with the Brewers using a new closer (Carlos Villaneuva) in place of the looking-like-he's-totally-finished Trevor Hoffman, who was 5-for-10 in save opportunities this year.  But with the tying run on and one out in the ninth, Delwyn Young grounded into a double play, ending the game and ending any opportunity to gain the nickname, "Mr. Clutch".

Tonight, the Atlanta Braves come into town, and the pitching matchup pits Ross Ohlendorf (0-1, 3.00) against Tim Hudson (4-1, 2.41). Gametime is set for 7:05 at PNC, but you might want to arrive early and get a glimpse of Jason Heyward in BP.

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PIRATES CONTINUE DOMINANCE OF CUBS

I thought Tom Ricketts now owned the Cubs, but it appears I've been mistaken - they're obviously owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates, strange as that sounds.

After a 10-6 win over the Cubs on Friday, paced by five hits each from Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates jumped on Ryan Dempster for three runs in the top of the first on Saturday, and light-hitting Jeff Clement added a much-needed insurance home run in the 9th to upend Lou Piniella's team, 4-3, on Saturday. The win was the Bucs' seventh in a row against the Cubs, and their ninth win over Chicago in their last 11 meetings. I'd try to explain it, but frankly, I'm at a loss.

In this one, Octavio Dotel made it very interesting late in the game, but ultimately blew away Ryan Theriot and Marlon Byrd in succession to earn his seventh save. Paul Maholm gave up eight hits and two earned runs over six innings to raise his record to 3-3 on the year for Pittsburgh. 

The Pirate offense was far less potent than it was on Friday, yet was still efficient enough to pull this one out. Andrew McCutchen and Clement each had two hits for the Bucs, and Ryan Church drove in two on the afternoon.

The Pirates now sport a 16-20 record heading into Sunday's series finale, when Ross "Mr. Wonderful" Ohlendorf (3.00, 0-1) battles Ted Lilly (4.88, 1-3). The Buccos then travel to Philly for games on Monday and Tuesday, when the highly-anticipated faceoff of Roy Halladay and Charlie Morton goes down.

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CARDS FIND THEIR BATS, CRUSH PIRATES

The St. Louis Cardinals were held to four runs in their two previous games against the Pittsburgh PirateS, and we all knew it was a matter of time before the averages would play themselves out. That eventually happened on Sunday, as the Cards thumped the Bucs, 11-4, before a chilly Mother's Day crowd of 17,342 at PNC Park.  

The Redbirds lit up Paul Maholm for six hits and six runs (four earned) in 3 1/3 innings of work, and Brian Bass wasn't much better in relief, surrendering five earned runs in 2 1/3. The Cardinals would bat around twice in the blowout, which was the Pirates' 12th loss of six runs or more in 31 games. 

The Pirate offense got hits from seven different starters, but only one extra base hit, an Andrew McCutchen double off of Adam Wainwright. Wainwright had his way with Pittsburgh, striking out seven and allowing two runs in six innings of work. 

The 14-17 Buccos have a busy week ahead, with three games against Cincinnati starting on Monday and three at Chicago starting on Friday. Your Monday starters in Pittsburgh are Bronson Arroyo (6.14, 1-2) and Mr. Wonderful, Ross Ohlendorf (3.60, 0-0). Ohlendorf has only one start this season, allowing three runs in five innings against Los Angeles on April 7.

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PIRATES' WIN STREAK REACHES TWO

The 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates are masters of the dramatic victory, and they would prove that again with a 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in 14 innings on Tuesday afternoon. Of the Pirates' nine wins, three of them on the game's final hit and six of them  came in the ninth inning or later, so this was basically par for the course.

Ryan Doumit hit a pinch-hit solo home run off of the detiriorating Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning to tie the game, and Garrett Jones hit a two-out, run-scoring double in the 14th to win it for the Bucs. DJ Carrasco closed out the Brewers in the bottom of the 14th frame for his first win of the season, wrapping up three innings of shutout relief.

The Pirates got four hits and two home runs from Andrew McCutchen, three hits from Aki Iwamura, and a two-run homer from Andy LaRoche to supply the bulk of the offense. They finished with a respectable 13 hits on the afternoon, keeping in mind that it did take them 14 innings to rack up that many.

Paul Maholm allowed seven hits and four earned runs over seven innings, and the bullpen did a tremendous job by allowing just one run in the last seven innings. Believe it or not, but these teams now have twin 9-12 records after 21 games in the 2010 season. Personally, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that fact.

The Bucs have a long flight to Los Angeles, where they meet the Dodgers for a four-game series. Brian "Don't Call Me Plaxico" Burres amd his 9.31 ERA faces off against Clayton Kershaw in the first game on Thursday night at 10:10.

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PIRATES HAVE GIVEN UP 43 RUNS IN 4 LOSSES

Yes, it's still VERY early - but the Pittsburgh Pirates are already flashing some of the same characteristics that have plagued them during their 17-year losing skid in their most recent loss, a 9-3 decision to San Francisco.

On Monday night, the Bucs were without Mr. Wonderful (Ross Ohlendorf), who was scratched due to back spasms. So pitching duties went to Brian "Plaxico" Burres, he of the 6.08 career major league ERA who was currently toiling at Indianapolis. This set off a minor flurry of mediocre pitcher roster moves, as Hayden Penn was designated for assignment (and destined for a place on a future list of worst all-time Pirates), Daniel McCutchen was sent to Indy to take Burres's spot, and Joel Hanrahan was activated from the DL.

But we move back to Monday night, where Burres found himself trailing 3-0 after one inning and 6-1 after four...and the Pirates aren't the kind of team that can usually rally from that kind of hole. The bullpen let three more runs in the rest of the way, and voila! The Pirates have now given up a whopping 43 runs in their four losses: 10-2 (Dodgers), 9-1 and 15-6 (D-backs) and 9-3 (Giants).

Usually, this is the point in a Pirate loss recap where I point out the positives, but that begins and ends with two hits each for Aki Iwamura and Andy LaRoche. Let's just forget about this one and quietly move on.

Tonight, it's Maholm and Cain 10:15 PM ET, so hopefully the Pirates can keep the Giants to single-digits (although that didn't help on Monday).

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REALITY SETS IN FOR THE PIRATES

So much for the 162-0 season. The Pirates came crashing back to Earth on Thursday (and so did their attendance) with a 10-2 blowout at the hands of the LA Dodgers, whiffing on an opportunity to start the season 3-0.

After more than 70,000 fans crammed their way into PNC Park for the first two games, only 9,352 were in the house for a Thursday afternoon matinee featuring Paul Maholm and Chad Billingsley on the hill.

Even worse, the Dodgers gave a day off to regulars Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier, Casey Blake, and Russell Martin, and still torched Pirate pitching for 16 hits and 10 runs on the afternoon. 2B Ronnie Belliard did the most damage, with a double, triple, home run, and four RBI, but he certainly had plenty of help from the James Loneys and Matt Kemps of the world.

The Pirates got six innings out of starter Paul Maholm, who allowed four earned runs, but things really headed south when newly-acquired Hayden Penn stepped in and was hammered for six hits and four runs in one inning of work.

The Bucs showed some plate discipline with five walks, but the offense was otherwise meek. Delwyn Young doubled twice, and there wasn't much to speak of beyond that.

Tomorrow night, Charlie Morton tries to get the Pirates back on the winning side at Arizona against Rodrigo Lopez. Gametime is slated for 9:40 p.m. at Chase Field. The D-Backs opened 2010 by taking two of three from San Diego, getting four homers in their Wednesday night win over the Padres.

Loneliness, Thy Name Is Pirates Fandom [Deadspin]

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THE PIRATES WIN! THE PIRATES WIN!

I hope you're sitting down, because I'm about to deliver some shocking news: the Pittsburgh Pirates won a game. I know, I don't believe it either. But it's true. Pirates 2, Astros 1. Soak it in - days like these don't happen very often.

Having the misfortune of playing a game in direct competition with week one of NFL football did little to slow down the baseball-watching public in Houston, which inexplicably packed 34,405 into Minute Maid Park for an ultimately meaningless game. They were treated to a grand total of three runs scored in a pitcher's duel between the Pirates and Astros, with Paul Maholm outdueling Felipe Paulino for the win. Maholm threw eight innings of six-hit, shutout ball before turning the game over to Matt Capps in the ninth. That would turn out to be an eventful inning for the Pirates' closer, who gave up a homer to Lance Berkman and accused Miguel Tejada of stealing signs. Say what you will about the Pirates, but they're attempting to keep things interesting.

The difference in scoring would turn out to be Ryan Doumit's 8th inning home run, his ninth of the season. The Pirates had a balanced attack, as all position players had at least one hit. That's what it took to break a few awful streaks, including a five-game losing skid, 13 straight road losses, and 14 losses in their last 15 games. Aye caramba, have these guys been bad lately (and by lately, I obviously mean 17 years).

The schedule makers have the Buccos traveling next to Los Angeles, where they get to play some meaningful games against Joe Torre and the Dodgers in Mannywood. Daniel McCutchen and Jon Garland face off at 10:10 Eastern on Monday night.

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A DRAMATIC PIRATES WIN...ON TUESDAY NIGHT

Tuesday night's Pirates-Phillies game ended with Andrew McCutchen hitting a walk-off home run and following that with his best imitation of Michael Jordan at the 1988 NBA Dunk Contest as he crossed home plate:

Wednesday night's game? It had some Pirate heroics, including a game-tying home run in the ninth inning from Brandon Moss and Joel Hanrahan getting out of a bases-loaded jam earlier in the frame. Unfortunately for the Buccos, the biggest moment of the evening came from Ryan Howard, who pretended not like he was Michael Jordan, but himself at the 2006 Home Run Derby, when he made PNC Park look like a Little League field. Howard blasted a 10th inning Phil Dumatrait offering into the Pittsburgh night for a three-run blast, the difference in Philly's 4-1 win over the Pirates on Wednesday.

The Pirates' normal lack of offense wasted seven quality innings from Paul Maholm, whose only real mistake was a gopherball to Chase Utley in the first innning. Cole Hamels scattered seven Bucco hits over eight shutout innings, including two Lastings Milledge singles and doubles by Steve Pearce and Ronny Cedeno. A blown Ryan Madson save gave Madson the victory, as he closed out Pittsburgh in the 10th for his fifth win of the season in front of a Pittsburgh crowd with a heavy (and unfortunate) Philadelphia influence.

The two teams play the rubber match on Thursday night at 7:05, with J.A. Happ (10-2, 2.59) facing off against Charlie Morton (3-6, 5.21).

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PIRATE PLAYERS ARE SPEECHLESS

Neal Huntington took the wrecking ball to the worst organization in Major League Baseball, and many people in and around the team are treating it as if he broke up the 1927 Yankees. A few of the quotes from the locker room:

"All of us are kind of ... ," Maholm began yesterday at AT&T Park, amid a heavy day of trading that saw the front office deal Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez and Ian Snell for shortstop Ronny Cedeno and six prospects. "We don't know when it's going to be finally over, that we actually have the guys in here who are going to turn it around. Hopefully, it's soon. I think the guys that have been here four or five years, it seems like every trading deadline, we go through it. But we've got a job to do. We've got to play, and we've got to win games. ... Until we starting winning, this is going to continue to happen."

But wait...there's more...

Longtime Pirates still standing? There aren't many. Maholm, Zach Duke, Matt Capps and Ryan Doumit -- "I don't have anything to say," was all he offered -- are in their fifth Pirates season, graybeard John Grabow his seventh. Grabow becomes the club's second oldest vet, at 30, behind only Ramon Vazquez, 32.

"Ever since I've been here, seems like we do it every year," Duke said after pitching seven shutout innings in what became a 1-0 Giants victory in 10 innings at AT&T Park yesterday. "You kind of get used to it."

One player swore he never saw so much movement in revolving-door Class AAA.

"Unbelievable," one muttered about the drastic change.

Maybe if these guys played better over the past 16 years (as Maholm alluded to), they wouldn't have to see buddies traded away every summer. But I digress.

Consider that the 2007 Pirates had the following players on board, players whose exits have now been mourned beyond anything reasonable: Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell and Nate McLouth. Their record that season? 68-94, and last place. That being said, I'm more than willing to take my chances with guys like Lastings Milledge and Tim Alderson going forward. They couldn't be much worse than anything else we've witnessed for the last decade and a half.

Players: 'It's like every other day we're trading' [PG]

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BREWERS CONTINUE TO OWN PIRATES

While most of Pittsburgh was busy watching Crosby-Ovechkin II, the Pirates quietly lost their 16th in a row to the Milwaukee Brewers by a count of 7-4, falling below .500 for the first time since they were 4-5 on April 16. That's six losses in seven games for the quickly-fading Buccos.

After seven-plus innings of Paul Maholm, who struck out seven and allowed just two runs, the buck stopped at the Pirate bullpen, which surrendered five runs in the final inning and two-thirds. Pirate-killer Ryan Braun rallied the troops with a pinch-hit double in the 8th, driving in two, and Rickie Weeks' three-run ding-dong in the ninth sent the Pirates to the loss column.

On the plus side, at least the Pirates managed seven hits and three runs off of the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo, who shut them out last week. Nate McLouth had three hits, Freddy Sanchez hit two more doubles (giving him a league-leading 12) and Adam LaRoche hit his sixth homer, but it simply was not enough.

Also worth mentioning: paid attendance (also known as tickets sold) was a mere 8,482. Bad weather, kids still in school, Penguin playoff game...the excuses are plentiful this time of year.

The two-game series wraps up Tuesday night at PNC. Ian Snell (3.72, 1-3) starts opposite former Bucco Jeff Suppan (5.88, 1-2).

Brewers 7, Pirates 4 [ESPN]

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PIRATES COMPLETE THE SWEEP

Break out the brooms, Pittsburgh, because the Pirates just completed a three-game sweep of the previously 11-1 Florida Marlins. They didn't shut out the fish, but they did get six innings from Paul Maholm, who allowed four runs while earning his third victory of the young season. It was Pirates 7, Marlins 4, before an announced crowd of 10,655. How many people were really there is open to debate, as is usually the case.

The Buccos were paced by A&A LaRoche, Inc.: Adam had four hits, including three doubles, and Andy contributed a double and two RBI. Adam has raised his average to .304, considerably higher than his career .179 mark in the month of April. And after a ssssslowwww start, Andy has raised his average to .225, which isn't great, but is also a long way from .050.

The 9-6 Pirates, 1/2 game out of the NL Central lead, are off until Friday, when they travel to sunny San Diego for a three-game set with the 9-5 Padres. Your pitching matchups will be Ian Snell-Kevin Correia on Friday, Zach Duke-Shawn Hill on Saturday, and Ross Ohlendorf-Jake Peavy on Sunday.

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UNDEFEATED

That's right, Bucco fans. You're in first place. It's OK to gloat - no one's going to begrudge you.

It wasn't the prettiest all-around win, but it was an exciting first day for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who got a two-out, two-strike, bases-loaded double from Jack Wilson to save the day, pushing the Bucs over the top in a 6-4 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. To see the dejected reaction of Cardinals manager/supervillain Tony LaRussa after Wilson's hit would've been well worth the price of admission and a plane ticket to St. Louis, but luckily TV captured it quite well.

Wilson's double off a 96-MPH fastball on an 0-2 pitch from new Cards closer Jason Motte contributed to a four-run ninth inning, and Matt Capps closed the door in the bottom half of the frame to lock up the Pirates' first win of 2009. Raise the Jolly Roger, Greg Brown.

Paul Maholm, just as SI predicted, had a decent outing, giving up just one run while working into the seventh inning. The Pirates also got a big game from the top of the lineup, as Nyjer Morgan had three hits in the leadoff spot and Freddy Sanchez two hits in the second spot. Even notorious slow-starter Adam LaRoche had two hits in the opener, which is usually his quota for the entire month of April.

There were a few ugly moments, particularly a hacky Andy LaRoche strikeout, to be added to his two fielding errors. And Ryan Doumit left five on base while going 0-for-5. But a comeback win on a cold day in front of a hostile crowd at 104% capacity is a welcome sight at any time of the year.

The Cardinals, who used Donora's Stan Musial alongside Red Schoendist to throw out the first pitch, fielded quite the interesting lineup. SS Khalil Greene was the head-scratching choice at cleanup, but this comes from the same manager who sometimes bats the pitcher eighth. LaRussa doesn't have much time to ponder any changes, because the two teams meet again on Tuesday. Ian Snell (7-12, 5.42 in 2008) meets up with Kyle Lohse (15-6, 3.78). Gametime is scheduled for 8:15.

Wilson, Pirates rally with 4-run 9th vs. Cards new closer Motte [ESPN]

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BIG THINGS PREDICTED FOR MAHOLM

On the brink of the Pirates' 2009 season, there's a ray of hope: pitcher Paul Maholm was recently named as the league's #1 breakout player by SI's Jon Heyman. Says Heyman:

1. Paul Maholm, Pirates starter: He was about the best starter down in Florida (2-0, 1.52). Apparently not at all affected by his big winter contract (three years, $14.5 million).

In the course of the past 12 months, Pirates fans have suffered through Losing Season 16.0, the trades of Xavier Nady and Jason Bay, the Pedro Alvarez saga, and recently, the Jose Tabata's wife kidnapping a baby. And that's piled on top of what's happened between 1993-2007. In short, any good news like this is gladly welcomed by the Bucco faithful. And I agree with the assertion that Maholm could have a big year, especially under the tutelage of Joe Kerrigan.

Maholm's had a bit of a roller-coaster ride following his selection as the eighth player overall in the 2003 draft. He was hit in the face with a line drive in 2004, pulverizing the orbital bone around his eye, as well as his sinus and nose. He was lucky enough to be alive, let alone to continue to play baseball, but he was pitching in the bigs a short time later. After a strong debut in the majors in 2005 (3-1, 2.18) in six starts, his ERA ballooned to 4.76 in 2006 and 5.02 in 2007.

2008 was a bounce-back year for the lefty, bringing his ERA down to 3.76 while tossing a career-high 206 innings. Today, he'll be the Pirates' opening day starter in St. Louis (preview) and hopefully he'll be able to expand upon a legacy that still ranks pitching to Billy Crystal among its most memorable moments.



Thirty breakout candidates, Peavy trade still possible and more notes [SI.com]

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SI ON THE PIRATES: "64-98"

Sports Illustrated came out with their 2009 MLB predictions yesterday, and if you're a Pirate fan, you might want to cover your ears. Why? Because they're guessing your Buccos will finish a league-worst 64-98 while setting the record for consecutive losing seasons. Which means we'll have some history to look forward to in 2009 at the very least.

The author of their Pirate preview, Albert Chen, zeroes in on a few individuals crucial to the team's success in 2009: new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who will try to turn an erratic pitching staff into a strength, and the Brothers LaRoche, who alternate between starting the year slow (Adam) and ending the year slow (Andy).

The Pirates' 2009 opening-day lineup features as many players who hit above .300 last year as hit below .200 last year: one of each (Ryan Doumit, .318, and Andy LaRoche, .166). They have just one starter with a sub-4.00 ERA in 2008 (Paul Maholm, 3.71). They will be sorely lacking in the longball department. And as ESPN: the Magazine recently pointed out, their defense is weak, too. So basically, all they need is better pitching, hitting, power, and defense, and they'll be much improved.

All kidding aside, I like the direction the team is headed in for a few years down the road, but I can also understand the other side of that argument. You know, the impatience with the whole "16 years and counting" thing. Banking on Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen is very similar to that nucleus of uberprospects Chad "Walks on Water" Hermansen and J.J. Davis we were sold on about 10 years ago. Or the future pitching staff anchored by Bobby Bradley, Sean Burnett, and John Van Benschoten. Pirate fans have heard some variation of this story before. Excuse us for being at least a little jaded. For the eternal optimists who are appalled at said jaded fans, you need a reality check. People have every right to be turned off by the past management gaffes of this franchise. And contrary to popular belief, being upset with the team is not a capital offense as a fan. That would be apathy, which is the official last nail in a team's fanbase. No one cared what the Pittsburgh XPlosion's record was. No one was outraged when they couldn't make things work with Kevin Pittsnogle. Because people just didn't care. Now, they're not around. And no one cares that they left.

But I digress. Back to the prospects. While Alvarez is as close to a can't-miss as you will ever find, the fact remains that at least some possibility exists that he won't pan out, such as his suffering a major injury. His mere presence in a Pirate uniform in a few years guarantees nothing. Especially because (at least the last time I checked), he's not a dominant pitcher, and you'll also need a few of those to succeed in this sport. One or two stars alone does not automatically clinch a pennant. If you don't believe me, ask the Yankees. But your odds of winning are certainly better if guys like Alvarez and McCutchen play up to their potential.

So is SI's outlook depressing? Sure it is. But it's probably realistic. This is not a 100-win team. This is not a 90-win team, or even an 81-win team. How far they fall below that magical number will be the ongoing story of the year, for historical purposes. I'm hoping all these prognosticators are wrong, but if they're not, I'd like to think the misery on some level will end in the near future.

SI's 2009 MLB Scouting Reports [SI.com]
SI's 2009 MLB Scouting Reports: Pirates [SI.com]

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TRADE! UPDATED: PIRATE NEWS AND NOTES

I know there's about two of you left who care about the Pirates, so consider this a favor to the both of you: here's a brief update on the Pirate-related happenings of the past 24 hours.

--Mark Loretta signed with LA, which means he's not coming to Pittsburgh. Yeah, Pirates vs. LA is usually a tough faceoff to win. [USA Today]

--The Buccos are talking to Florida about SS Robert Andino, who's hit .201 in 79 career games. The Marlins might be interested in Ronny Paulino, who hit .212 last year. So it looks like a fair trade from my viewpoint. [PG]

--The Pirates have the best medical staff in the majors. Practice makes perfect, I suppose. [PG]

--The Pirates are talking extension with McLouth, Doumit, and Maholm; in the meantime, Atlanta has inquired about the availability of Maholm and McLouth as they do their best to keep the Pirates in the baseball purgatory they helped send them to. And the Buccos are talking about David Eckstein, who hit .265 while earning $4.5 million last year. Awesome. [PG]

--Former Pirate Cesar Izturis is now a Baltimore Oriole, which will surely swing the balance of power in the AL East now that CC Sabathia signed with the Yankees. [ESPN]

--Indian Pirates Rinku and Dinesh write more on their blog than I do. And they have a priceless entry just posted:

"One very, very bad thing about the news is that they say I on the BABEWATCH. This not true. i not watching girls. i only pitching, training, eat, watch baseball/Movies and sleep. American women very dangerous and very crazy. I like only Indian woman. Dinesh and JB, Sir have been harrassing me about this BABEWATCH. I do not like the BABEWATCH."

Got it. Note to self: never confuse Rinku with Joe Namath.

UPDATE:
A few new related links...

--Looks like Ronny Paulino's not going to be a Florida Marlin....he's actually joining the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Pirates get catcher Jason Jaramillo, who was managed by John Russell at AAA Ottawa in 2007. Jaramillo was rated as one of the Phillies' top 10 prospects...in 2005. Of course, we weren't exactly lighting the world on fire with Paulino. [PBC Blog]

--A few teams seem interested in Matt Capps, including the Mets and Cardinals. No matter how awful the team's been over the last 16 years, people always seem to want the Pirates' relievers. It's a freak of nature. [SI]

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NEWS AND NOTES

--Here's a greater discussion of the 2008-09 Penguins schedule, which opens in Stockholm, Sweden against the Stockholm Ottawa Senators.

--The Pirates returned from the All-Star break and promptly dropped a 5-3 decision to the Colorado Rockies, who entered the game with the third-worst record in the majors. Paul Maholm gave up five runs in six innings and Adam LaRoche added two hits and two RBI. It was your typical, uneventful, leading-up-to-the-trade-deadline Pirate game.

--Greensburg's Rocco Mediate [legal name] is tied for the lead at the British Open with Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby after one round of play. One shot back is Greg Norman (Greg Norman!), whose eventful summer included marrying Chris Evert and a $103 million divorce settlement from his ex-wife Laura Andrassy.

--The leaders of an investment team that soon could have a 75 percent stake in the upcoming downtown casino donated more than $200,000 to Governor Ed Rendell from 2000 to 2006.

--Juan Marichal is in town as the keynote speaker at a Negro League All-Star Gala.

--Don't forget, today is the semi-finals of ESPN 1250's Top Fan Contest at Mario's in the South Side from 3-7 PM. Show your support for Mondesi's House reader and contestant Marky Billson.

--A gay dating website has been using pictures of a bare-chested Brady Quinn in their ads without his knowledge. The hits just keep on coming for this guy, no?

SILVERBACK PLAYED TWO

Big Ben: too cool for socks

For all of you concerned, the Steelers' softball extravaganza went off as planned on Saturday.

The "early" game at North Allegheny High School featured big names such as Hines Ward, Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Nate Washington, Deshea Townsend, James Harrison, Max Starks, Larry Foote, WDVE's Jim Krenn, KDKA's Sonni Abata, and WTAE's Jon Burton AND Sally Wiggin, who undoubtedly drew the biggest cheering section.

No one ever gave him a chance as a softball player

Santonio Holmes also suited up and delivered on a called shot, joining Babe Ruth and Petr Sykora in the annals of sports history.

The "late" game in Washington, PA, didn't have quite the same level of star appeal, but it managed to snag James Harrison (who appears to have played in both games), Chris Hoke, insurance salesman/TV analyst/former Steeler Edmund Nelson, and the omnipresent Louis Lipps, among others.

The Steelers, apparently wearing the same uniforms they recently donned in their charity basketball tour, ultimately dropped this one, 14-6, to the Wild Things alumni. As shown, a good time was had by all.

And before you ask, yes, I felt this recap was more relevant than the Pirates' incredibly disappointing 7-6 loss to the lowly Nationals, which featured Paul Maholm allowing four home runs (including three in one inning) and Matt Capps serving up a gopherball to Lastings Milledge in the 9th inning. Bob Smizik is not happy. Then again, he rarely is.

HINES WARD CELEBRITY SOFTBALL RECAP [Kiss 96.1]

[Thanks to Shawn Jurik of Washington, PA for the photos and recap from the Wild Things game]

.500 STILL A DREAM

CARDINALS 5, PIRATES 1

John Russell insists that the Pirates have a greater goal than to merely reach the long-unattainable .500, but the team's performances in such games would prove otherwise. Last night was another example, as they were limited to just four singles by four St. Louis Cardinals pitchers in a 5-1 loss.

When you're outhit 15-4 you're usually going to end up on the losing end; I'm only surprised the final score wasn't worse, considering the Cardinals left 15 runners on base.

To add insult to injury, the Pirates offense was nearly matched by one Cesar Izturis, who brought three hits to the table - approximately three more than he brought during his Pirate career.

There's not much more to add, other than to point out that Maholm is 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA at PNC Park and 0-4 with an 8.58 ERA on the road. He's pretty much like the Boston Celtics of MLB pitchers.

Today's afternoon matchup is RHP Ian Snell (2-2, 4.53) vs. RHP Joel Pineiro (2-2, 4.05) at 1:15.

Pirates fall flat in bid for .500, lose, 5-1 [PG]