Did the Pirates get their "postseason" roster right?

Today was the deadline for teams to add players to their 25-man roster in order for them to be eligible for the playoffs. Obviously, guys on the DL don't count, so there's some leeway here, but basically, what you see is what you get. So, the question is, did the Pirates get it right?

Today the Pirates added Kyle McPherson to their bullpen and Alex Presley to their outfield mix. In corresponding moves, Chase d'Arnaud was optioned to High-A Bradenton and Jeff Clement was outrighted there after clearing waivers. This means Clement was removed from the 40-man roster and would have to be added again before being recalled. The Pirates now have two open spots on their 40-man roster. Sending them to A-ball allows them to be recalled as early as Monday (rather than wait the usual 10 days) since Bradenton's season ends on Sunday.

Early indications were that Jeff Locke would also join the team this weekend as a starter once rosters expanded on September 1. Presumably, others would follow: Justin Wilson, Eric Fryer, etc. So, given what we know, how did the Pirates do? I think the general consensus is OK. Adding Presley makes sense as Jose Tabata is a giant question mark and more still needs to be seen from Starling Marte to be sure he's worth a playoff roster spot. Two of those three will likely be on the roster if the Pirates secure a playoff spot.

The McPherson move is solid, but a little puzzling. McPherson had a scoreless appearance in his first taste of the big-leagues earlier this month. He's a guy that could pitch either out of the bullpen or as a starter down the stretch. He's got nice swing-and-miss stuff and eventually profiles as a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Frankly, I'd rather have seen that spot go to Justin Wilson. Presumably, the Pirates feel that they're OK with lefties in the pen now that they've claimed Hinsanori Takahashi off of waivers, but Wilson profiles as a potential late-inning guy with a hard fastball and electric movement. Command has been an issue in the past, but he's looked sharp this year and also had a nice scoreless stint in the majors, striking out the side against the Padres. The other obvious choice would have been Bryan Morris. Folks have been clamoring for his call-up for ages now and he's another hard-throwing bullpen guy who could fill the void left by Brad Lincoln. In other words, a guy who could go multiple innings when needed or come in to put out a fire. He's an excellent strikeout guy and would have been a nice weapon come playoff time.

The other move I would have considered is adding Jeff Locke to the rotation now so he'd be eligible for the playoffs. Teams don't always need a fifth starter come playoff time, but he could also be used out of the pen. He had a couple scoreless appearances out of the pen in the majors earlier this year. I would have advocated dumping Kevin Correia in favor of Locke. Locke's a better pitcher right now and has plenty more upside. He probably profiles as a number four starter in the future. I doubt it will happen, but I'm still holding out hope that the Pirates make this move after they take on the Brewers tonight.

Overall, the Pirates improved their potential playoff roster with their moves today. I think Clement and d'Arnaud were smart call-ups at the time, but neither one of those guys belongs on a playoff roster, even taking into account d'Arnaud's ability as a baserunner. Presley gives the Pirates another outfield option and McPherson could be a nice addition to the pen. I just wish more consideration would have been given to guys like Justin Wilson and Bryan Morris who may actually profile as relievers long-term and who have electric stuff. Correia has kept the team in games this year, but he's nearing the end of his usefulness, especially with so many better potential options still sitting at AAA. Regardless, the focus now needs to turn away from roster construction and on to getting ready for a dogfight for one of the few available playoff spots.

Is Jason Grilli the key to the Pirates 'pen?

13.78

It's one of the most surprising numbers associated with the Pirates bullpen this season. That's the K/9 rate of 35-year-old set-up man Jason Grilli, fourth best among all qualified relievers in MLB. His other numbers are pretty great, too: a 2.20 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, a .180 BA against and a 4.41 K/BB ratio. He's been a 1.2 WAR player. By comparison, NL saves leader Joel Hanrahan has a WAR of 0.2.

There's no question Grilli has been a key cog in one of the National League's best bullpens. He has nailed down an 8th-inning role that was in flux for much of last season. The Pirates have lost only one game this season when leading after seven innings, a .984 winning percentage. There's a reason why fans clamor for Grilli to enter the game in any high-leverage situation. It's not a stretch to say he's the best set-up man in the league.

If the Pirates are going to make the playoffs, it's going to be on the back of their bullpen. Look at last night's game against the Cardinals, for example. If you get the game to the bullpen with a lead after six innings, the guys in the 'pen will take care of the rest. The Pirates trail only Cincinnati in terms of bullpen ERA this season. And the key to the pen, the stabilizing factor between the starters and the closer, has been Grilli.

Is Pedro Alvarez having a successful season?

Last night, Pedro Alvarez let loose his prodigious power with two monster home runs. The first was an opposite-field shot that cleared the Northside Notch in the deepest part of the park. Deciding that was not impressive enough, he followed it up with a herculean shot to right-center that went a stunning 469 feet. That mammoth blast was the longest home run by a Pirate in PNC Park history and, with it, Alvarez joined the 25-homer club for the first time in his young career.

Despite the fireworks, Pedro's season has been something of an enigma. It's not an understatement to say he's been one of the streakiest hitters in all of baseball. Alvarez was flat out of the gate only to get hot in mid-June. From there he went on an incredible tear until mid-July, when his production once again fell off a cliff. Recently, though he's been swinging the bat well and his 2-punch statement in an incredibly important game for the Pirates last night has been the pinnacle of his late-season resurgence. What are we to make of his overall season, then?

Well, a dream season for Pedro would be something like a .270 average and 35 homers. A  realistic breakout, then, might look something like a .250 season average and 25 homers. That, of course, is nearly identical to his current season totals. It's hard not to consider that a success. His overall line is .247/.327/.484 with 25 HR, 67 RBI and an impressive isolated power number of .237. The latter number is good for fifth in the National League. He's been a 3.0 WAR player this season according to Fangraphs. That's all fairly impressive and I'm sure the Pirates are happy with the overall production. Sure, the 31.8% K rate is a concern, but he's always going to strike out a lot. Pedro's value will always be judged by his power numbers and his run production and, for the most part, he's been strong in those areas this season. It's also true that the Pirates have played their best baseball when Pedro's been on, so hopefully this recent hot streak will translate into wins for the Bucs as they fight for their first playoff spot in 20 years.

Why are the Pirates so afraid of youth?

It's ironic that a team that has relied so heavily on the youth movement and home-grown talent would suddenly become allergic to rookies. After surprising rookie reliever Jared Hughes and his 48 appearances, the next highest total of any Pirates rookie this season is 30. That mark belongs to the long-forgotten Matt Hague. Sure the rookie position players haven't exactly inspired much confidence. The Bucs just haven't gotten much production out of the likes of Hague, Yamaico Navarro and Gorkys Hernandez. Still, Starling Marte showed real potential before landing on the DL. Plus, AAA is stocked with a bevy of arms ready to contribute at the Big League level.

Pitchers Jeff Locke, Justin Wilson and Kyle McPherson all had impressive, albeit brief, debuts, but they've been relegated mostly to fill-in duty for a game or two at a time. Indianapolis reliever Bryan Morris was called up for a day and didn't even get a sniff of game action. Instead, those major league bullpen spots have been filled by veteran journeymen like Juan Cruz and Chad Qualls. Likewise, the starting rotation has been clogged by Kevin Correia, Wandy Rodriguez and the recently-released Erik Bedard.

But Bedard's release presents a new opportunity to let the youth movement continue. As the veterans fade down the stretch, the opportunity is there for the Pirates to fill Bedard's spot with one of the more exciting AAA options. Wouldn't the rotation look better with a young lefty with hit-and-miss stuff like Jeff Locke than with another stretch of mediocrity by Correia. At the very least, call up Bryan Morris and let him fill a Brad Lincoln-type role if you're dead-set on putting Correia back in the rotation. It's time for this front office to stop thinking veterans are necessarily the solution when there are young, talented arms ready to contribute at Indy. Nothing against Hisanori Takahashi, but couldn't that bullpen role be filled just as easily with Justin Wilson? Their current strategy has them on the outside of the playoff race looking in. There's not much more to lose and a great deal to gain by seeing what kind of spark some of these young arms could provide.

Can Alex Dickerson stop the revolving door at first?

Today, we found out that Pirates farmhand Alex Dickerson was named the Florida State League Player of the Year. In his first full season, he hit .299/.358/.454 for the Bradenton Marauders with 12 HR and 88 RBI. He even added 12 SB for good measure.

Dickerson was the 2011 third round pick of the Pirates. He was considered a Top-50 draft talent, but fell to the third round due to concerns about his back. He has good power to all fields and projects as a potential 30-home run talent in the majors. He's got good plate patience and generally keeps strikeouts to a minimum. He played mostly in the outfield in college, but his lack of range and his injury history led the Pirates to move him to 1B. The former Big Ten Triple Crown winner is valued primarily for his bat, though. His award-winning season with Bradenton follows a nice showing in short-season ball in 2011. There, he managed a .313/.393/.493 line in 150 AB.

The Pirates have struggled to develop hitters of late, especially power hitters. Their revolving door at first base is well-known, too. The Pirates have penciled different names into their opening day lineup for four consecutive years. Since the departure of Adam LaRoche, we've seen the likes of Jeff Clement, Lyle Overbay, Garrett Jones, Steve Pearce, Derrek Lee, Matt Hague, Casey McGehee and Gaby Sanchez. There are a few promising first base prospects in the system (most notably Matt Curry and Jose Osuna), but none have the realistic potential of a guy like Dickerson. Hopefully, in a couple of years, the Pirates will be able to plug Dickerson's name into the lineup on a daily bases.

Are the PIrates a bad baserunning team?

It seems like every time I tune into the Pirates of late, somebody is making an out on the basepaths. In particular, speedsters Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen have been caught stealing with regularity and Garrett Jones has given a new face to the popular acronym TOOTBLAN (Thrown Out On Base Like A Nincompoop). But, what do the actual statistics tell us?

Well, it's a mixed bag really. Pittsburgh is really bad in the stolen base department. They are last in the NL in steals (56), first in caught stealing (43) and last in stolen base percentage (57%). They are also second in the league in being picked off when there's a stolen base opportunity (1.29%). They're pretty good at taking the extra base (43%), but last in the league in scoring from first on a double (21 times). Remarkably, they are the best in the league in outs on base (30), meaning they don't run into outs much aside from being picked off or caught stealing.

All in all, the Pirates are not as bad on the basepaths as I thought. They are woeful in the stolen base department, and that needs to change; but they aren't making a lot of careless outs beyond that. I feel like I've seen my share of them, but it's likely that the bad ones just stick out in my memory. Plus, you never think about baserunning when the players do what they're supposed to do. Beyond that, the Pirates are pretty good at taking the extra base, tied for fourth in the NL in fact. Hopefully, any missteps the Pirates have made lately are just drops in the bucket. Things better settle down soon, though, as the Pirates need to be firing on all cylinders if they're going to remain in the Wild Card race.

Why should you be happy about the Clement callup?

It's seems odd I would be so happy about this, doesn't it? After all, we're talking about Jeff Clement. The same Jeff Clement that crashed and burned as the Pirates starting first baseman back in 2010. The same Jeff Clement that struggled to stay above the Mendoza line and somehow managed only 12 RBI despite seven home runs. His OBP was .237; his OPS was .605. So, why on earth should I be happy about his call-up?

Well, a few reasons actually. First, he's been really good at AAA this year. He has 16 HR, 57 RBI and sports an .825 OPS. He's also been healthy all season, which is something you could not say at just about any other time in his career. He deserves a shot and could be nice left-handed power option off the bench.

And that's the second reason: he's a left-handed power hitter. Who is he replacing? A light-hitting, right-handed utility player with recent off-the-field problems. I'd much rather be giving Jeff Clement one more shot after he's worked his way back from injuries and disappointments than keeping a guy like Yamaico Navarro who's had no success at all at the major-league level this year and was arrested earlier this season for a DUI.

That brings me to my third and most important reason I love this seemingly insignificant move: it restores my faith in Neal Huntington. OK, so maybe that's a bit over the top; but after seriously bungling the bullpen situation in San Diego, Daniel McCutchen is back in the minors where he belongs and Huntington has now made a move which should improve the bench. Here's something you probably didn't know: until the Clement call-up, the Pirates did not have a left-handed hitter on the bench. None. If you consider Garrett Jones the starter at 1st and Travis Snider the starter in RF, then your bench consists of Gaby Sanchez, Michael McKenry, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer and, now, Jeff Clement. The move does lessen the team's defensive flexibility, but Jones can play OF, Harrison can play multiple positions and Mercer can play either middle-infield position. This team really needs to start hitting better and driving the ball and calling up Clement could really help.

Look, I know this move is not going to set the sports world on fire, but it's a shrewd move that should upgrade the Pirates bench. Many of us have been ragging on Huntington for his bullpen construction, so it's only right to applaud a move like this that should be a step toward putting the best 25 guys on the field.

Haven't we been here before?

Recently, Pirates fans have witnessed a 19-inning game, a Daniel McCutchen walkoff loss in extras and Andrew McCutchen go into a late-summer swoon. We've seen the starting pitching struggle, the bats fall silent and now the club is getting swept by bad teams. Sound familiar? It should. All of these things happened last year, too.

After being swept by the San Diego Padres, there was talk anew about whether this team actually had the staying power to compete for a playoff spot. Granted, the fall from grace last year was of epic proportions. A stretch of losing half that bad would be alarming. But even if this club doesn't falter as badly as that, it doesn't look good for their playoff chances. The latest Baseball Prospectus Playoff Odds Report has the Pirates playoff chances down to 27.8%. Their expected win percentage is down to .508.

Suddenly, the rhetoric from this club is changing. Rather than being sorely disappointed if they don't make the playoffs, there's already talk of being happy if they simply break the streak of 19-consecutive losing seasons. Expectations are changing quicker than a Justin Wilson big-league stint. John Perrotto recently asked Clint Hurdle if his team can still get to the postseason. Here was Hurdle's response:

"I have confidence in the men in our clubhouse," he said. "They've gotten this far and if you would have asked back in April if we would be happy with where we are now, the answer would have been yes."

Now, it's true that Hurdle's quote could be taken to mean the club is still fighting and that they are continuing to defy expectations, but this is coming from the mouth of the most over-the-top geyser of positive rhetoric in team history. Hurdle's primary function for this club has been as a motivator. There is rarely a hint of resignation in his voice. Until now. We can only hope that the players latch on to his more inspiring and helpful rhetoric from spring training:...finish.

Why on earth is Bryan Morris still in the minors?

There must be a reason why the Pirates have not added Bryan Morris to their bullpen, right? Maybe he offended someone's mother? Perhaps, he gave Neal Huntington a dirty look? It certainly couldn't be because of his performance at AAA. Morris sports a 2.51 ERA, a 1.128 WHIP and a dazzling 4.56 SO/BB ratio in 75.1 relief innings with Indianapolis. Has he been struggling lately? Not at all. In his last 10 games, Morris has a 2.33 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and a 4.0 SO/BB ratio. On the year, he's averaging almost a strikeout per inning. So, why haven't the Pirates called Morris up?

Perhaps, they don't need him? That argument might have stuck earlier this season, but not anymore. Most folks saw him filling a Brad Lincoln-type role: a guy who could go multiple innings or pitch in late-game situations. Once Lincoln was traded, it seemed only a matter of time before Morris was called up. But it hasn't happened. We've seen lesser options like Chad Qualls, Daniel McCutchen and the recently DFA'd Juan Cruz. We've seen all-too-brief stints by future starters Justin Wilson, Kyle McPherson and Jeff Locke in the Pirates bullpen; but there's been no sign of Morris, a power arm with a future as a late-game reliever. It's becoming inexplicable.

Morris is a big, strong righthander. He throws in the mid-90s out of the pen, with an upper-80s slider. There was talk of giving him a September call-up last year, but that never materialized either. Instead, the last remaining piece of the Jason Bay trade, has languished in AAA, proving that hitters at that level are no longer much of a challenge. Plus, Morris is on the 40-man roster, so there would be no need to clear a spot to bring him up. I can only hope that by week's end, lesser options like Qualls and McCutchen will give way to young guys with great stuff like Morris and Wilson. You think the Pirates are worried about how rookie pitchers will fare during a playoff race? Take a look at Jared Hughes.

Is Brock Holt the future at SS for the Pirates?

Brock Holt was drafted in the ninth round of the 2009 first year player draft out of Rice. The Pirates gave him a $125,000 bonus and probably thought his ceiling was as a utility infielder. Still, they've pushed him aggressively through the system and now he is thriving in AAA. He's lean and fast and fits the prototypical mold for a lead-off hitter: he gets on base and can steal bases. He has played primarily at short, but also at second, which might be his ideal position. The real question is, does he have what it takes to be a big-league regular?

Holt started the season in AA Altoona and hit .322 with a .389 OBP and 11 SB in 102 games. With Jordy Mercer becoming a fixture on the Pirates bench, Holt was promoted to AAA, where he has hit for a .423/.446/.577 line in his first 13 games. What's particularly remarkable about that is he showed almost no power to speak of in the lower minors. He still only has three homers combined on the season, but that's in addition to 29 doubles and six triples. Besides power, his defense is often cited as a drawback. He doesn't have the defensive skill at short that someone like Mercer has, but he's quick with a decent arm. He's also not a burner, so he needs to improve his reads if he's going to be effective as a basestealer in the majors. Right now he gets caught about as often as he makes it.

There's a lot to like about Holt as a ballplayer though. He's a lifetime .312 hitter in the minors with a terrific .376 OBP. He has been aggressively pushed through the system and has responded at every single level. He has been a mid-season All-Star every single year. Pirates Prospects had him listed as the 32nd best prospect in the system prior to the season and he's listed as having just missed the Top 20 in their post-trade-deadline update. I've heard some folks compare him to current Pirates utility man Josh Harrison, but Harrison had to exceed expectations just to get to the Bigs; Holt can be even better, though perhaps with less positional flexibility. There's no obvious long-term solution at shortstop for the Pirates, so Holt may eventually get his shot. With second base blocked by Neil Walker and Clint Barmes signed for another season, Holt's immediate future is likely as a utility guy, but it would not surprise me at all if he wrested control of the shortstop job for at least part of the year in 2013. Either way, given how successful he's been of late, he's certainly someone to keep an eye on.

What's up with Cutch?

After a brutal game with lots of missed opportunities, all eyes were fixed firmly on MVP-candidate Andrew McCutchen. With no outs in the ninth and the bases loaded, McCutchen stepped to the plate wearing an 0-4 collar and looking for redemption. Instead of a game-tying base hit, Cutch managed a soft grounder for a forceout. A strikeout by Garrett Jones and another groundout by Josh Harrison ended the game. The Pirates lost to the Cardinals 5-4. Immediately, the questions surfaced: what's up with Cutch?

After some recent struggles, some have speculated that he's been unlucky. After all, his BABIP was pretty unsustainable for most of the season. Others surmised that he is still shaken from the beaning he got in Cincinnati by Aroldis Chapman, which, as the story goes, makes him susceptible to balls down and away. Here's the thing, McCutchen has struggled with pitches down and away all season, especially good sliders. That was true in July when he hit .446 the same as it's true in August when he's "only" hitting .286. Pitchers are simply working him down and away more often and with increasingly positive results. That's why Cutch has been complaining about the strike so often recently. He knows he has trouble getting good wood on those pitches, so he's looking for them to be called balls. And you know what? Sometimes they are called balls. In fact, McCutchen has walked 12 times this month, which is tied for his best monthly total only 18 days into August. Remember earlier this year when we wondered why they still pitched to McCutchen? Well, this is them learning their lesson. Pitch McCutchen hard away, and if you walk him, well at least he didn't beat you.

What McCutchen needs to do is find a way to adjust. He's got to find a way to drive the ball the opposite way and crush mistakes. His OBP is an impressive .420 this month, but it's his slugging that has suffered. He's managed only a .446 rate this month. He's walking, poking singles the other way or buggy-whipping balls over the third baseman; but he's not driving through the ball and generating power. His isolated power is under .200 for the first time since April and he's managed only 5 extra-base hits this month. That's simply not good enough for an MVP. I'm sure he's fatigued; I'm sure he's frustrated; but if this team is going to make the playoffs, he needs to make an adjustment. It's a lot of pressure for a young man, but that's what teams expect from their MVP, let alone the MVP of the league.

Can we expect JMac to get back on track?

Today begins an extremely important series for the Pirates against the division-rival Cardinals. St. Louis begins the day just one game back of the Pirates and the final Wild Card spot. Taking the bump for the Pirates is first-half ace James McDonald. But that makes the Pirates faithful more uneasy than confident. No Pirates starter has struggled as much as JMac since the All-Star break.

The numbers are ugly: an 8.71 ERA, a .321 BA against and 21 walks in 31 innings. Things have gotten so bad that there was some talk of moving the erstwhile ace to the bullpen. Still, the struggles seem more mental than mechanical. McDonald will breeze through a couple of innings before losing concentration and giving up a big hit. Then, things fall apart. It reminds one of the pre-2012 James McDonald: lots of promise, very little consistency.

McDonald addressed this in a recent interview with Pirates Prospects' Kristy Robinson:

“I just got to keep focused throughout the entire start,” McDonald said. “I can’t lose focus. That one pitch might be a game changer. Just really try to keep focused on every pitch one pitch at a time, one batter at a time. Don’t try to get ahead of myself.”

As I mentioned in my recent post discussing the staff's collective issues in August, there are two men that can help JMac right the ship: pitching coach Ray Searage and fellow starter A.J. Burnett. Searage put McDonald through an extra side session recently and focused on rhythm and timing. The hope being that JMac can get into a flow on the mound and not get distracted as easily or thrown off his game. Burnett, in the meantime, called a clubhouse meeting the day before his most recent start to help re-focus the whole team and regain a winning mentality. Burnett pitched a gutsy game yesterday, earning a win and being a stopper for the Pirates, despite not having his best stuff. That kind of performance doesn't look great in the stat books, but it can help motivate a floundering team. JMac was pitching best when he was going back-to-back with Burnett in the rotation. Burnett has become a real mentor for McDonald and and he attributes much of his early-season success to Burnett's influence. Maybe following Burnett's gritty win will help JMac get back to his dominant self. The Pirates could sure use that kind of a boost going into their biggest series of the season. Their 20-year playoff hopes hang in the balance.

Should MLB disqualify Cabrera from batting title?

As of this writing, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen still holds a healthy lead in the NL batting title race. His .359 average is 13 points higher than Melky Cabrera's .346. Still, as McCutchen has realized lately, it's hard to maintain that kind of an average, even when you're seeing the ball well and squaring it up. That's because in order to hit that well, a player usually has to have a BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) that is unsustainable over the long haul.

Now, the same would be true of Melky Cabrera, except his average is effectively locked in now that he's been suspended for 50 games for PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) usage. Cabrera admitted he took a banned substance in a statement released today. To qualify for the batting title, a player must have a minimum of 502 at-bats; Cabrera currently has 501. Of course, there's a loophole. MLB can award a player "hitless at-bats" to bring the total to 502. Thus, Melky Cabrera would end the season with a .345652 batting average. The real question is, will Major League Baseball prevent this from happening?

Major League Baseball has not shown much stomach for cracking down on PED users outside of suspensions. In fact, MLB ended up reducing the Manny Ramirez suspension by half when Ramirez sought to be reinstated prior to this season. Think about that. Ramirez retired suddenly when he had a second positive PED test rather than face discipline. Then, he was allowed to come back a year later at half of the suspension because some time had passed. It was Manny's decision to buck the system and retire, rather than face a 100-game ban; yet, he was rewarded by choosing the cowardly path. This leniency was granted to a multiple offender of the program.

MLB should be proud of its drug testing program. It works. It has stamped out a lot of the PED use in the game and those still trying to buck the system get caught eventually. But rather than stand proudly by it, MLB gets embarrassed when stars test positive and back off. Well, this is not the time to back off. Cabrera has put up career numbers this year, winning the MVP of the All-Star game and helping to keep his team in playoff contention. That's impressive, but if it was gained improperly, it should not be celebrated. MLB should take a stand and refuse to allow Cabrera to qualify for the batting title. It would be incredibly embarrassing to allow someone who tested positive during the season to win the title with tainted results. I hope Bud Selig is listening, because this is his legacy.

Are Pirates pitchers having another Dog Days dip?

Last year, the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates were in first place as late as July 25. Then, came the epic collapse, Jerry Meals and all. The face of the Pirates' struggles was the pitching staff. Injuries and inconsistency plagued a staff that had carried the Pirates from pretender to contender and allowed the front office staff to be buyers at the trade deadline for the first time in nearly two decades. The ineffectiveness of that staff during the Dog Days of August made the team pretenders once again.

This year's team has followed a similar pattern. Strong pitching led the team into contention, but struggles on the mound have muddied the waters in August. The Pirates are still clinging to the last Wild Card spot, but they've been losing ground quickly. The starters have struggled collectively since the All-Star break. Only A.J. Burnett has consistently delivered. Erik Bedard has showed some signs of improvement, but has been wildly inconsistent. Jeff Karstens and newcomer Wandy Rodriguez have also struggled to find consistency. Worst of all, first-half ace James McDonald has had a disastrous second half, leading some critics to call for his removal from the rotation. Kevin Correia, relegated to bullpen duty upon the arrival of Rodriguez, has now been inserted into an expanded six-man rotation to take some pressure off of the struggling rotation during a brutal stretch of 20 consecutive games without an off-day in August. That, of course, leaves a hole in the bullpen, meaning the Pirates are forced to keep a long man like Jeff Locke around at the expense of a solid middle-man like impressive rookie Jared Hughes.

Last season, the Pirates pitching staff posted a 4.04 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP overall. During their drudge through August, they managed only a 5.36 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. This season, the results are similarly disconcerting. The staff has an impressive 3.66 ERA on the season, but only a 4.58 ERA in August. There are some encouraging signs, though, unlike last season. Pirates pitchers have posted a 1.18 WHIP this month, as opposed to their 1.26 WHIP on the season. They've also continued to post a nice K/9 rate of 7.81. The real trouble has been home runs. The staff has already allowed 18 HR this season. That's more than they allowed in the entire month of April (13). Instead of stranding runners, they're giving up big longballs in unfortunate situations. So, beneath the surface at least, it seems the staff has been a bit unlucky and could round back into form at any moment.

It's appropriate to be concerned about the rotation, especially after what happened last year; but, this is a more veteran staff and some of the peripheral numbers indicate that things aren't quite as bad as they may seem. I expect Ray Searage, along with clubhouse leader A.J. Burnett, to help right the ship and that we will soon be thinking of this early-August dip as merely a slump. Still, it would be wise for everyone in the Pirates clubhouse to heed the season-long advice of their skipper and get focused on one word: finish.

Should Justin Wilson be in the pen?

Just a few days ago, the Pirates announced that AAA Indianapolis pitcher Justin Wilson would be moved to the bullpen for the rest of the season. The organization stressed that the move would be temporary, as they feel his long-term role will be as a starter. The assumption was that Wilson might be able to help the Pirates out of the pen down the stretch, as he is a lefty with a live arm in a system bereft of major-league-ready lefty options.

Then, the Pirates called up Jeff Locke to serve as a long man/emergency option while Kevin Correia temporarily moved back into the rotation. Wilson was therefore left in the Indy Indians rotation for at least one more start. He responded by pitching eight innings of hitless, runless ball in a rain-shortened no hitter. His final line was 8.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO. Here's the kicker: it wasn't the first time he was part of a no-hitter this year. On April 29 of this year, Wilson pitched 7.1 innings, giving up no hits, no runs, walking two and striking out nine batters. For the season, Wilson is 9-5 with a 3.88 ERA and a 2/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Does that sound like a guy who should be moved to the pen?

Well, let's take a look at why the Pirates want to put Wilson in the pen. Despite his healthy K/BB ratio, he walks a lot of batters. Before the most recent no-hitter, Wilson was walking 4.6 batters per nine innings. That's awfully high, but it's in line with his career averages. Wilson has excellent movement on his pitches, but he hasn't been able to control them with any regularity throughout his minor league career. The move to the pen might not help his control (it hasn't in the past), but it does limit the potential damage. A move to the pen helps Wilson in another way, too. He normally sits in the low 90s with his fastball, but in relief he has been regularly clocked in the upper 90s, sometimes hitting 99 on the gun. That's a tremendous weapon that could help the Pirates bullpen in a pennant race.

Some folks think a permanent move to the pen is in the cards for Wilson as he has shown little progress in harnessing his control. The Pirates front office was even shopping him to other teams at the deadline as a future-closer type. One look at what Aroldis Chapman has done this year and it's easy to see why teams would consider Wilson a legitimate back-of-the-bullpen option despite his wildness. Still, most teams would prefer to give a guy with Wilson's stuff every possible chance at starting. His stuff is good enough that he could eventually become a number 2 starter, but he's so erratic at present that he's looking more like a back-of-the-rotation option. My guess is that he is a future closer in the Carlos Marmol mold. I'm sure that doesn't inspire a ton of confidence in Pirates fans, but we're talking about a live arm with great velocity and diabolical movement. I understand why the Pirates want to keep trying him as a starter, but after two seasons of sometimes electric but often erratic pitching at AAA, I'd make the move to the pen permanent.

Do the Pirates have a "left on base" problem?

One thing that gets overlooked about this year's Pirates team is their ability to capitalize on opportunities when presented. Even when they're not hitting terribly well, they're not leaving ducks on the pond, so to speak. On the season the Pirates rank first in the majors in both left on base (totaling each individual player's LOB per game) and team left on base (totaling the number of players left on base at the end of each inning per game). Pirates batters are leaving a total of 12.49 runners on base per game. They're the only team that's under 13. As a team, they leave only 6.11 runners on per game. Cincinnati, by comparison, ranks 16th, leaving 6.82 runners per game. St. Louis ranks last in the majors with 7.45.

Lately, though, the Pirates have been noticeably worse in these categories. They are squandering far too many run-scoring opportunities. Over the last three games, for instance, the Pirates as a team have left an average of nine runners on base per game. That's good for 27th in the majors. Over that same span, Pirates players are leaving 16.33 runners on base per game. That's over four runners worse than their season average. It has to be a concern.

It's also correlating to a similar discrepancy in runners left in scoring position. Over the last three games, the Pirates are leaving four runners in scoring position a game. That puts them in the bottom half of the league, whereas on the season they rank a healthy fifth. Part of what has contributed to the problem is an increase in hitting into double plays. There have been plenty of the rally-killing variety of late, at least a couple of times with the bases loaded and one out.

The Pirates have been remarkably good in this area on the season, but it's really hurt them since the All-Star break and has prevented them from building big leads or mounting late-game comebacks. If the Pirates are going to hold off the Cardinals and make the playoffs, they'll need to maximize their opportunities because they're simply not built to out-slug their division opponents.

What's the concern with Travis Snider?

Since coming over from the Blue Jays in a deadline deal, Travis Snider has, on the surface, looked pretty good. He's hit .267 with three runs and two RBI in 19 plate appearances. He also has one stolen base, two walks and three strikeouts. Those last two numbers are important as plate discipline in the majors was the primary concern in his major league career to this point.

I think there's another problem lurking just under the surface of those numbers, though. All four of his hits were singles and three of four were pulled to the right side. In fact, a look at his spray chart is fairly alarming. According to Fangraphs, Snider has pulled the ball 54% of the time this year for a .211 average. He's gone to center 34% of the time for a .411 average and he's gone the opposite way only 4 times for a 1.000 average. It shows you that he's quite effective as a hitter when he stays up the middle or drives the ball to the opposite field, but he's become a mostly pull hitter and it has hurt his effectiveness.

In his short Pirates career, Snider has gone the opposite way only once and it resulted in a hit. Most of the time he rolls over and pulls the ball on the ground to the right side. So far, teams have played him pretty straight up, but you can expect that to change if Snider's tendencies don't. If he can no longer poke the ball through a hole on the right side, he's going to be in serious trouble. I'm sure Pittsburgh's hitting coach Gregg Ritchie has been working with Snider to stay through the ball and drive it the other way, but the results have not been there to date. He did noticeably sit out the last couple of games, so hopefully he and Ritchie and Hurdle are working on things.

The bottom line is, if the Pirates are going to contend down the stretch, they need Snider to turn it around. They need him to flash that incredible power potential; they need him to continue to be patient at the plate; and most of all, they need him to start driving the ball up the middle or going with pitches and driving them the other way.

How should Pirates fans feel about Erik Bedard?

Last night, Erik Bedard was brilliant for the Pirates, giving up only two hits in seven scoreless frames while striking out five and walking none. In fact, since the All-Star break, Bedard has been mostly stellar, posting 3 quality starts in four chances and averaging only a run per game over those outings. His other outing was one to forget, though. On July 30, he gave up nine runs (eight earned) in 4.1 innings on the road against the Cubs.

That's been the pattern for Bedard most of the year: solid for awhile and then some really rough patches. He started off the year strong, but stumbled badly from mid-May to early-July. Given his injury history, many folks feared the worst. And then came this stretch of mostly terrific work. Even in the blowout in Chicago, he looked sharp at times, striking out seven batters in his shortened start. So, what are Pirates fans to make of Bedard? Can he be counted on down the stretch?

Well, let's look at the numbers. On the surface, they're not great. He's got a 6-12 record with a 4.83 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. I'm always surprised when I see those numbers, though, because I feel that he's pitched better than that this season. That's where advanced metrics fit in. Despite his bloated ERA, he has a much better xFIP of 4.06. He also has a healthy 8.63 K rate, which is right around his career average. His walk rate is a bit high, but overall, he has a decent 1.3 season WAR.

Most importantly, Bedard passes the eye test. He keeps hitters off balance, he knows when and how to pitch inside, and there's great life on his curve. Assuming he can stay healthy, he'll be a valuable pitcher for the Pirates down the stretch. Last year, Bedard reached 20 starts and 100 innings for the first time since he was an Oriole back in 2007. He's done it again this year and there's reason to believe he's finally moved past the debilitating injuries that derailed his promising career. Bedard has been no picture of health of late, but if I were a betting man, I'd lay my money down.

Has the competitive balance changed?

The trade was so insignificant it probably passed most baseball fans without notice, just a blip on their trade-deadline radar. The deal went down just as the trade deadline hit. Casey McGehee was traded to the Yankees for Chad Qualls. If anything, it irked some Pirates fans who saw Qualls as some kind of bullpen pariah, a bad-luck charm for the team. On the surface, it was just a trade involving two guys who were soon to be designated for assignment, instead going to clubs who demonstrated a need at their primary position. The Yanks need help at third base with A-Rod on the shelf and the Bucs needed to fill a spot in the bullpen with Brad Lincoln being shipped to Toronto in the Travis Snider deal. But looks can be deceiving. There was something rather significant about the deal that many folks were not aware of: along with infielder Casey McGehee, the Pirates also sent cash to the Yankees.

It was not the amount of cash that would be of great significance to a team, nor was it an amount that needed to be approved by the Commissioner's office; yet, a reported $225,000 did exchange hands. What's remarkable about it is that the money went from the small-market, low-revenue Pirates to the big-budget juggernaut known as the New York Yankees. Think about that for a minute, the Pirates were sending salary relief to the Yankees.

Now, on its own, it is of no great significance, but it is a symbol of change in baseball, albeit tiny. The Yankees and other teams are anxious to get under the luxury tax, so they're becoming more cost-conscious. Owner Hal Steinbrenner is reportedly determined to get the team under the luxury threshold by 2014. Part of the reason for this is that the luxury tax rates are going up under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This year, the tax is 42% of anything spent over $178 million. In 2013, that number jumps to 50%. There's another motivation for getting under the threshold, though. Starting in 2014, the luxury tax threshold becomes $189 million. With some clever cutting, the Yankees might well be able to sneak under the limit. And that could be very profitable for them. You see, the new CBA also has a tiered system for paying luxury tax. First-time offenders pay only 17.5% in tax. Second-time offenders pay 30%. The third time is 40% and the fourth time or higher is that dreaded 50%. But again, there's a catch. The rate you pay is based on how many consecutive years you've exceeded the threshold; drop under the line even once and your rate re-sets. That could amount to millions of dollars in savings for teams like the Yankees. So, for the time being at least, there's a real incentive for the Yankees to work to get under that limit.

And it's not just the Yankees, either. The Phillies had the second-highest Opening Day Payroll and with the team now out of playoff contention, they are actively trying to shed salary. Nobody was surprised that Shane Victorino was traded at the deadline since his contract expires at the end of the season. Many folks raised their eyebrows, though, when the Phillies also shipped out Hunter Pence who had another year of team control. Pence, however, is expected to make around $14 million in his last year of arbitration next year, so with the luxury tax in mind, the Phillies decided they didn't have that money to spend. The recent extension signed by Cole Hamels is also causing some ripples in Philly. Again, it was no shocker when Joe Blanton was moved in a waiver-trade with the Dodgers, but what is surprising is that the Phillies even contemplated trading Cliff Lee. Lee is a huge part of that Philly rotation, but he has over $90 million left on his contract and the Phillies are butting right up against the luxury tax threshold.

So what exactly does this all mean for a team like the Pirates? Well, not much at present, but it could mean that teams start to readjust how they approach free agency. You may see a lot fewer mega deals or spending sprees like you saw with Miami this year. Did you notice what the Marlins did at the deadline? They were in full fire-sale mode, trading away the likes of Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante, Edward Mujica and, most notably, Hanley Ramirez. They even traded struggling first basemen Gaby Sanchez to your Buccos, if you recall. They were banking on a contending team and expanded revenues from their new stadium to cover their above-market-value contracts; but as the team struggled and the seats weren't filled, they needed to free up cash.

The Pirates, meanwhile, took on some salary at the deadline, especially in the Wandy Rodriguez deal. They also traded away their Competitive Balance Lottery Pick, meaning they shrunk their pool of money that they will have to sign picks in next year's draft. Part of what allowed them to feel comfortable doing so was the extra first-round pick they have due to their inability to sign Mark Appel, but they also are looking at increased revenue at the ballpark. Attendance is up around 7,000 per game this year at PNC Park and they've set a series of weekday/daytime attendance records this summer. General Manager Neal Huntington said that he had approval from owner Bob Nutting to add payroll at the deadline, if necessary. Pirates fans are coming out of the woodwork to support a winner and that contributes to a slightly deeper pocketbook.

For a team like the Pirates, though, who have been mired in a record-setting streak of losing seasons, these things take time. Similarly, teams like the Yankees and Phillies will continue to use their revenues to attract big-money free agents, even if they feel a little constrained by the luxury tax. You also can't overlook a team like the Dodgers who, with new ownership, are pumping money into the club like crazy. So, no, the competitive balance really hasn't changed, but it's still nice to see the Pirates' willingness to spend a little more and it still raises a jolly laugh out of me to see the Pirates providing salary relief to the Yankees.

Why should you care about Gregory Polanco?

As we approached this year's non-waiver trade deadline, we kept hearing that Neal Huntington was reluctant to part with a Top-6 prospect in a trade. Most folks assumed that it meant that Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Starling Marte, Josh Bell, Luis Heredia and Alen Hanson were off the table. There is one name that did not get bandied about much, though, that could have been part of that conversation: Gregory Polanco.

Like Alen Hanson, Polanco is having a breakout year in low-A ball in West Virginia. Also like Hanson, he was signed as an International Free Agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2009. As a shortstop in a system barren of middle infielders, Hanson has understandably gotten more of the attention, but Polanco, a center fielder, is another 5-tool talent on the rise. This year he is hitting .326/.389/.511 with 13 home runs, 76 runs batted in and 40 stolen bases. Those are video game numbers. He's also just 20 years old, so he still might be growing physically. He has even shown considerable plate patience this year with 40 walks and only 61 strikeouts in 436 plate appearances.

Writers and analysts are starting to take notice, too. Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects was one of the first to praise him and currently has Polanco ranked fifth among all pirates prospects. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus was asked on Twitter recently if he considered putting Alen Hanson in his midseason Top-50 list. He indicated that he did consider Hanson, but also Polanco. He later confirmed that he currently rates Gregory Polanco ahead of Hanson.

Polanco and Hanson are both products of the new Dominican Academy that was built by the Pirates at the urging of owner Bob Nutting. Starling Marte, who recently homered in his major league debut, was the first "graduate" of that academy. The Pirates have not had this kind of influence and success in Latin American in decades and hopefully Marte, Polanco and Hanson are just the tip of the iceberg. I think you'll be hearing a lot more of Polanco in the not-too-distant future and that's a real testament to the investment the Pirates have made in recent years in the Dominican Republic.

What does a true fan look like?

Monday night, I made the trek down to Wrigley Field to see my beloved Pirates take on the Chicago Cubs. It was the night before the trade deadline, so I spent the first few innings obsessively checking my Twitter feed to see if the Bucs had made any moves. After Reed Johnson was pulled from the game, I spent nearly a half hour trying to figure out if he was headed across the diamond to the visitor's dugout. As is traditionally the case, I was also busying myself with keeping score. My wife was with me, too, but her attention was understandably occupied by the adorable baby in Cubs gear sitting directly in front of us in the nosebleed section.

While all of this was going on, I began to notice that there were some Pirates fans sitting a couple of seats down, but I was so preoccupied with everything else, I didn't really pay them much mind. Then, the unexpected happened. The Cubs scored nine runs in one inning. Already down 4-2 in the fifth inning, Erik Bedard and Chris Resop combined to give up nine runs on eight hits to the lowly Cubs. A wave of disbelief washed over me. I stopped checking Twitter. I stopped making faces at the baby. I just tried to process what had happened on the field.

Then, I noticed him. The patriarch of the family donning Pirates gear just a couple of seats over. He was smiling. He turned to me and said, "I see you wearing the gold 'P' on your chest. Have you been a Pirates fan for long?" His accent startled me. He spoke in a deep Texas drawl. His conversation was folksy, but intelligent. We began chatting. I told him that I had been born and raised in Pittsburgh and that the Pirates had always been my team. He told me that he grew up on a farm near the small city of DeKalb, Texas. He became a Pirates fan as a youngster just after WWII. There was not a local team at the time, but he loved baseball. In the evenings, on a good day, his family could just make out the Pirates broadcasts beamed halfway across the country by the powerful KDKA signal.

In Little League, he and his friends dreamed of becoming Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a catcher and one of his battery mates was a young man named Luke Walker. For Luke, that dream came true. Those into baseball trivia might remember that Walker threw the first pitch in a night game in World Series history. That was game four of the 1971 Worlds Series. My friend at the game chats about Walker in an easy and proud manner. There is no hint of jealously or sarcasm in his voice. He was happy Luke made it to the show and was proud to have caught him.

Through the years, my friend closely followed his beloved Buccos. He talked lovingly of Clemente and Stargell and especially Mazeroski. "You see Walker out there?" He was now talking about current Pirates second baseman Neil Walker. "The Pittsburgh kid. Great Athlete. I hear he was a terrific football player in high school. He's a pretty good defender now. That's because of Maz. You can't find a better person to teach you how to play second. There was nobody like him." My friend shared with me that he had made the trek to Pittsburgh just a few times. He lamented that he never got a chance to see Forbes Field in person, but he went to Three Rivers Stadium a couple of times and make his first trip to PNC Park just last year. "Beautiful stadium." I asked him about the Mazeroski statue. "Have you seen it? You've got to get back home to see it. Amazing."

The word "home" struck me. Here was a man from Texas sitting next to me at Wrigley Field rooting on the Pirates. I asked him if he was in town for some special reason. "Of course. I came to see the Pirates. I've never been to Wrigley Field. Seemed like a good time to come." This man traveled over 800 miles to a city he'd never been just to see the Pirates play. He wasn't alone either. "I brought my grandson." He was beaming at this point. "Three generations of men in my family here to root on the Pirates. Happy to be here." And he was. It didn't matter that his team was on its way to losing 14-4. It was spending time with his Pirates that he cherished.

Casey McGehee was pinch-hitting in the sixth. "I can't figure this guy out," he muses. "He looked real good for a couple of weeks, but he's just not doing it for this team. A shame." McGehee promptly killed a potential rally by grounding into an inning-ending double play. The next day, McGehee was gone in a trade to the Yankees. My friend went on to say that he hoped the Pirates picked up a right fielder at the trade deadline. "This team's got a history of great right fielders. It's important. Dave Parker was one of the best. Pittsburgh never really took to the guy. Maybe it's because he was cocky and wore an earring. All I know is he had a cannon of an arm. A lot like the guy he replaced." He paused. "That's the problem, though, nobody was going to be able to replace Clemente in that town. Too bad." It was fascinating to hear him talk about generations of Pirates players. He was a fan, a true and loyal fan, but he grew up somewhere else. He had a perspective that very few people have. "Remember Dale Berra? I bet you were just old enough to have remembered Dale Berra." I assured him that I did remember Berra, though I was pretty young. I mentioned that Berra was one of the first players I had a baseball card of. "I always liked Dale Berra. He played hard, with an edge, sorta. Nice infielder. Seemed a little high-strung maybe. Then years later, you find out he's on drugs...cocaine. I guess we should've seen it coming. Made sense, though. Really did."

The openness with which my friend expressed his feelings about his team, its history and its players was refreshing. The love he showed for his team was profound. The patient hunger he displayed for his team to be back on top was moving. You know what? He could have been my dad. He's probably about my dad's age. Talking to him, I found myself sharing stories about my dad. I told him how my dad would pick my mom up after school and they'd walk down to Forbes Field and catch a game. I told him how my dad and I would go to Pirates games together all the time, especially when PNC Park opened. I told him stories my dad told me about Clemente and Stargell and Mazeroski. The only difference is, he grew up over a thousand miles from Pittsburgh, in a small Texas town. But they both listened to Bob Prince call the games on KDKA as youngsters and they both developed a passion for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are both true fans.