Pirates win again 7-2 over Nationals

The Bucs prevailed over the Nats 7-2 Saturday night and have won 4 of their last 5 games. A big six run second inning got the Pirates most of their offense. Jack Wilson(22) and Freddy Sanchez(28) both had 2-RBI singles and Adam Laroche smacked a 2-RBI double(20) in the inning. Laroche added his 10th home-run in the 5th inning for the last of his 3 RBI's(45). Tom Gorzelanny(8-4) got the win after he went 7.1 innings 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out six batters. He gave up a RBI single in the first inning to Dmitri Young but after getting the 6 runs in the second he cruised to the victory. He also gave up a solo homer to Ronnie Belliard(3) in the sixth. Masumi Kuwata, a 37-yr old Japanese league star, got the last 5 outs for the Pirates. Kuwata has turned out to be pretty good, he has a 2.53 ERA. The Pirates are getting hot at the right time, in my opinion their last chance to turn it around is now, they start a series with Milwaukee,the division leader, on Monday. If they wanna have a respectful year they need to put together a winning streak now. They are 35-45 and 12 games behind Milwaukee who are 47-33.

The Countdown Begins/Why I'm still mad at Barry

Barry Bonds hit #750 last night and as he said earlier in the year, "the countdown should begin at #750". He hit the home run last night after a drunken fan trotted out to say hello to Barry in left field. The guy was from North Dakota, so maybe he didnt know he wasn't allowed to enter the field??? Yeah, I doubt it. Barry was nice to the man, put his hand on his shoulder and walked him to security personnel, the man was arrested. So the countdown and steroid debate begins, all his at-bats will be televised on ESPN soon and the critics will be out in full force. But, Barry Im not mad at you for doing steroids(allegedly) or that you are gonna break Aaron's record after being hopped up on the juice(allegedly) for many years at the start of this decade, after all most MLB'ers were probably on them. Barry, Im mad at you because you couldn't throw out that dinosaur named Sid Bream on that single to left field in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Braves 15 years ago, why Barry? Why? I'll never forgive you for that Barry, also you were horrible at the plate all 3 years in the playoffs for the Pirates. I still have nightmares of Sid Bream truckin around third and thinking Barry will throw him out, no he's safe!!!! Why Barry!?? Why!?

Pirates Win 3-2 over Nats

The Pittsburgh Pirates started a 3-game series at home with the Washington Nationals and won 3-2 on a Jose Bautista sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th inning. Ian Snell started the game and left after 7 innings down 2-0. The Pirates scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th on a Nate McClouth RBI triple(1) and Jose Bautista hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored McClouth. Then in the bottom of the 9th Ronny Paulino got a single to left field, then was bunted over to second by Jack Wilson, then he moved over to 3rd on a wild pitch while McClouth was batting. Paulino was then substituted by Castillo to pinch run. McClouth and Doumit both walked to load the bases. Jose Bautista then hit his second RBI(29) sacrifice fly of the game to end it. Ryan Langerhans(4) hit the only home run of the game off Ian Snell in the 3rd inning. Snell went 7 IP, with 2 ER on 5 hits, he struck out 5. His ERA is now 2.90. Matt Capps(4-4) pitched the top of the 9th to get the win. The Pirates are now 34-45.

NBA Draft

Here are the lottery picks(first 14) from yesterday's draft. Oden goes to the Trail Blazers but Seattle got Durant at #2 and Jeff Green(Georgetown)

#1 Portland- Greg Oden,C, Ohio State
#2 Seattle- Kevin Durant,F, Texas
#3 Atlanta- Al Horford,C, Florida
#4 Memphis- Mike Conley Jr., PG, Ohio State
#5 Seattle- Jeff Green, F, Georgetown
#6 Milwaukee- Yi Jianlian, F, China
#7 Minnesota- Corey Brewer, F, Florida
#8 Golden State- Brandan Wright, F, North Carolina
#9 Chicago- Joakim Noah, F, Florida
#10 Sacramento- Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
#11 Atlanta- Acie Law III, PG, Texas A&M
#12 Philadelphia- Thaddeus Young, F, Georgia Tech
#13 New Orleans- Julian Wright, F, Kansas
#14 LA Clippers- Al Thornton, F, Florida State

Seattle made a trade with Boston to get pick #5, Ray Allen will be in Boston next year.

Biggio gets 3,000 hits; Frank Thomas gets 500th HR

Thursday was a big day for milestones in Major League Baseball. Craig Biggio got his 3,000th hit as he went 5 for 6 in an 8-5 win in 11 innings over the Colorado Rockies that ended on a walk-off grand slam by Carlos Lee. Biggio has 3,002 hits now and got #3,000 off Aaron Cook. Biggio was thrown out at 2nd trying to stretch #3,000 into a double.

Frank Thomas of the Toronto Blue Jays got his 500th home run in Minnesota also on Thursday. "Big Hurt" got it off Carlos Silva in the 1st inning of an 8-5 loss to Minnesota. He has hit 10% of his 500(50) off of the Minnesota Twins where they were a division rival for most of his career while he was in Chicago playing for the White Sox. Then, in the 9th inning Thomas got ejected from the game for arguing balls and strikes with umpire Mark Wegner.

Pirates can't finish sweep, lose 9-7 to Marlins

The Pittsburgh Pirates could not get the series sweep of the Marlins, losing 9-7 today in a Thursday afternoon game. Zach Duke(3-7) started and got rocked(as usual) going 4 innings giving up 6 runs on 12 hits. Duke leads the majors in hits allowed as he did last year. Adam LaRoche hit his 9th homerun as he went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI's(42), he also got his 18th double. Freddy Sanchez was also 3 for 5 with a double(16) and 1 RBI(26). The Pirates are now 33-45. They start a 3 game series with the Washington Nationals Friday night in Pittsburgh where a mass walk-out is expected by the fans in between the 3rd and 4th innings to protest the state of the team.

Pirates Win 7-5 in 10 Innings

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Florida Marlins 7-5 in 10 innings Wednesday night. Xavier Nady(12,13) hit two homers, including the game winning solo shot in the 10th, Ryan Doumit(4) hit one the next at-bat to make the score 7-5. Jose Bautista(7) hit a two-run homer in the 3rd. Nady was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI's(45). Freddy Sanchez was also 3 for 5 and his average is now .297. John Van Benschoten started tonight but only lasted 4 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, but he also walked 5 batters. Shawn Chacon(4-1) got the win and Matt Capps pitched the bottom of the 10th to get his 7th save. Hanley Ramirez(11) hit a home run for the Marlins. Kevin Gregg(0-3) gave up the solo homers in the 10th for the loss. The Pirates are now 33-44 and 12.5 games back of Milwaukee.

Pirates Over Marlins 3-2

The Pirates took the first game of a road series in Florida 3-2. Paul Maholm(4-10) pitched great going 7.2 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits to get the win. Brett Carroll got a single in the first, Dan Uggla(16) homered in the third, and Jason Wood got a single in the eighth, Shawn Chacon got the last out of the 8th and Matt Capps got his 6th save after he pitched a perfect ninth. Jack Wilson was the star at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a RBI single in the first and his 4th home run in the 4th inning that turned out to be the game winner. The Pirates are now 32-44.

Ex-Mlb closer Rod Beck dead at 38

Rod Beck was found dead in his home on Saturday. There is no sign of foul play police say but his cause of death wont be revealed for a few days. Beck was a relief pitcher for 13 years, mostly as a closer. He played for the San Francisco Giants(1991-97), the Chicago Cubs(1998-99), Boston Red Sox(1999-2001), and the San Diego Padres(2003-04). He had 286 saves over his career, a 38-45 record, and a 3.30 ERA in 704 career ballgames. He had 48 saves for the Giants in 1993 and 51 saves for the Cubs in 1998. Many people will remember his handle-bar moustache from when he played.

Pirates swept by Angels

The Los Angeles Angels pulled out another extra inning win over the Pirates 4-3 in 10 innings, the two teams went to 11 innings on Friday. The win finished the sweep of the series for the Angels who are now 49-27 and have a big 8 game lead in the AL West. The Pirates on the other hand have now lost 5 straight and are 12 games out in the NL Central. They seem to be a better team than a lot of the other teams we have seen in the last 15 years but just cant put it together all at once.

Tom Gorzelanny started the game and gave up 3 runs in 6 innings pitched. He was set to take the loss until the Pirates came back to tie it in the 9th with some mistakes from the Angels closer(Rodriguez) and an RBI single by Xavier Nady. But the Angels won it in the 10th, Capps got the first batter Nathan Hayes to pop out to 3rd base. Then, Howie Kendrick hit a long double to the left field wall, Kendry Morales was intentionally walked, Capps got Gary Matthews Jr. to fly out to left, then Erick Aybar ended the game with a hit to right field to score Kendrick.

Pirates lose 10-1 to Angels

Ian Snell came back to the rotation after burning his fingers and missing his last start. Ian got rocked in the second inning for 5 runs to take his fifth loss(6-5). Vlad Guerrero was the star for the Angels going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI's(68) and a home run(14) off Tony Armas Jr. Chone Figgins was also 3 for 5 with 1 RBI. The Pirates are now 11.5 games behind first place Milwaukee. The Bucs' record is 31-43.

Angels take down Pirates in 11 innings

The Los Angeles Angels came back from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Pirates 5-4 in 11 innings. Zach Duke started the game and pitched 5.1 innings with 1 earned run on 9 hits given up. The Pirates got out to a 4-0 lead after 3 innings, Jason Bay hit a 2 run homer(12) in the 3rd. Jonah Bayliss(4-3) got the loss after giving up a triple in the 11th inning to Chone Figgins then Orlando Cabrera singled Figgins in for the game winning RBI. The Pirates are now 31-42.

Pirates shutout by Mariners again 3-0

The Pittsburgh Pirates were shutout again by the Mariners on Thursday, losing 3-0. John Van Benschoten pitched and took the loss for the Pirates(0-2). The Pirates are now 31-41.

The Parrot

Pirates Shutout 7-0 in Seattle

When I looked at the pitching matchups for Wednesday I thought the Pirates should win this game. Yes Paul Maholm who hadnt exactly pitched well this season, but Jeff Weaver was on the mound for the Mariners and he was 0-6 with a 10.97 ERA. Well, Jeff Weaver went out and pitched a 4-hit shutout, going all 9 innings and improving to 1-6 and a 8.56 ERA. Paul Maholm went 7 innings giving up 9 hits, 6 runs(4 earned), his record is now 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA. Richie Sexson(12) hit another home-run and so did Raul Ibanez(5). The Pirates are now 31-40 and 9.5 games back of Milwaukee.

Pirates take down Mariners 5-3

The Pittsburgh Pirates won the first game of the series with the Seattle Mariners 5-3. They did it without their closer Matt Capps who was finally ordered to start his 3-game suspension. Ian Snell was scheduled to make the start but had to be pushed back until Saturday because he scorched two fingers cooking. So, Tom Gorzelanny took the start and pitched a great game, going 7 innings giving up 2 earned runs on 8 hits, striking out 6 while walking no one. Gorzo is now 7-4 with a 3.01 ERA. Then it was bullpen by committee. John Grabow, Jonah Bayliss, Kuwata, and Damaso Marte all pitched one third of an inning and Jonah Bayliss gave up a solo bomb to Richie Sexson(11). Then Shawn Chacon came on to get the last two batters to strike out and get his first save since 2004. The Pirates are now 31-39 and are 8.5 games back of first place Milwaukee.

Pirates Win 8-7 over White Sox

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the White Sox 8-7 today to take 2 games out of 3 in the series at PNC Park. Zach Duke didnt pitch particularly well, giving up 5 runs in the top of the 4th inning . Jose Bautista led the game off with a home run(6) earning $20,000 for prostate cancer on Father's Day. Shawn Chacon(3-1) got the win pitching the 7th inning and the first 2 outs of the 8th inning, Damaso Marte(1.21 ERA) got the last out of the 8th. Then, Matt Capps came out for the 9th inning with a 8-5 lead and things got hairy but the Bucs held on, with a big catch by Jason Bay to rob a Jim Thome home-run at the left-field wall and Capps got the last batter to fly out to right field for his 5th save. The big star of the game was Nate McClouth though hitting 2 two run doubles for 4 RBI's. The Pirates are now 30-39 and have Monday off before heading to Seattle on Tuesday.

Pirates Lose 6-1 to White Sox

The Pirates lost 6-1 Saturday to the Chicago White Sox. John Van Benschoten was called up to make his first start, He went 5 and 2/3 innings giving up 3 hits and 2 ER's and he took the loss(0-1). Mark Buehrle(4-3) got the win for the Sox. Adam LaRoche hit 2 doubles(16) for the Bucs. The Bucs are now 29-39 and are tied for 4th in the NL Central with the Houston Astros. They are 9 games back of the first place Milwaukee Brewers.

Pirates Win 4-2 over White Sox

The Pirates beat the White Sox 4-2 Friday night at PNC Park. Paul Maholm pitched a great game going 7 innings, giving up one run on 3 hits. He lowered his ERA to 5.00 and his record is now 3-9. Matt Capps got his 4th save despite loading the bases and walking a run in, Capps isnt known for walking batters. Jack Wilson was back in the lineup tonight after being benched for 4 games and he went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and made a great backhand grab and throw to get a runner out in the 8th inning. Jose Bautista was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's and Xavier Nady was also 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's. Jon Garland took the loss for the White Sox(4-4). Former 1st rounder John Van Benschoten is being brought up to take Shawn Chacon's spot in the rotation and will make his first start tomorrow. Chacon is being moved back to the bullpen and pitched a perfect 8th inning tonight. The Pirates are now 29-38.

Spurs Sweep Cavs to Win NBA Title

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 83-82 to finish the series sweep and win the NBA title. This is their 4th title in 9 years and cements them as a dynasty. Tony Parker was named the Finals MVP. Tim Duncan had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Parker had 24 points. This is the first time Duncan hasn't won the MVP award for the Spurs in the Finals.

Pirates get shutout 6-0

The Pittsburgh Pirates couldnt finish the sweep of the Texas Rangers, losing 6-0 in the last game of the series. Tom Gorzelanny did pitch pretty well but gave up 3 home runs to take the loss(6-4), his ERA is now 3.04. The Pirates are now 28-38 and will take on the Chicago White Sox this weekend at home.

Pirates Win 8-1

The Buccos won again tonight 8-1 and Ian Snell(6-4, 2.63 ERA) got his first career complete game. Jose Bautista had another big night, going 3-4 with 4 RBI's. Jose Castillo also played well at shortstop and went 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 RBI's. Jack Wilson has been on the bench for 3 straight games. The Pirates are now 28-37 and still 7 games behind Milwaukee. Tejeda(5-7) took the loss for the Texas Rangers in tonight's game.

Pirates beat Texas 7-5

After having Monday off, the Pittsburgh Pirates came home to Pittsburgh and got off to a great start in the early innings and holding on late to beat the Texas Rangers 7-5. The Pirates got a lead off home run from Jose Bautista(5) and 3 runs in the first inning to help get struggling starter Zach Duke off to a good start. Duke(3-6) pitched well getting the win, especially early getting the Rangers to hit into a double play the first 4 innings, the Pirates pulled 5 double plays in all. The bullpen was shaky but Matt Capps ended up getting the save(3). Xavier Nady(11) and Adam LaRoche(8) also hit homers. Kevin Millwood(2-6) took the loss for the Rangers. The Pirates are now 27-37 and 7 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers who got no-hit by Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers 4-0. Verlander's no-hitter was the first in Comerica Park history in Detroit.

Yankees Finish Sweep with 13-6 Win

The Pittsburgh Pirates have still not beat the New York Yankees since Bill Mazeroski hit his walk-off homer in Game 7 of the World Series in 1960. Today, the Yankees trounced the Pirates 13-6 and extended their winning streak to 6 games and complete the sweep of the Pirates. Alex Rodriguez hit 2 home runs(23,24) and had 5 RBI's(63). Shawn Chacon(2-1) got the loss for the Bucs. He gave up 7 runs in 3 and third innings. Bobby Abreu was 4-4 with a double, triple, and 3 RBI's for the Yanks who are now 1 game under .500(30-31). The Pirates are 11 games below .500(26-37).

Pirates lose 9-3 to Yankees

The Pirates lost 9-3 yesterday to the Yankees in Roger Clemens season debut, he got the win, going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 7. Paul Maholm continued his losing streak, his record is now 2-9. The Pirates are now 10 games under .500(26-36) but are still only 7 games out of first place. The Yankees are on a 5 game winning streak.

Bucs lose to Yanks in 10 innings 5-4

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped the first game of a 3 game interleague series in New York. The Pirates had a couple 2 run leads during the game but the Yanks proved to be too much and the Bucs gave up some late runs to let them in the game. Matt Capps(3-3) got the loss after giving up a lead off double to Robinson Cano, a Melky Cabrera sacrifice bunt got Cano to third, Miguel Cabrera got a infield single because Bautista was worried about Cano on third. After an intentional walk to Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter hit a grounder to Freddy Sanchez but the throw to home was not in time to get Cano. Xavier Nady hit his 10th homer of the year and Chris Duffy hit a two-run inside the park home run(3) in the 7th. Hideki Matsui(6) hit a two run homer off Tom Gorzelanny who pitched well for such a potent Yankee lineup. The Pirates are now 26-35 and they better bring their A-game tomorrow when Roger Clemens is expected to start for the Yanks.

Pirates draft Clemson Pitcher in 1st round

The Pirates drafted left-hander Daniel Moskos 4th overall from Clemson today. He appeared 26 times so far, 9 of them starts, he is the Clemson closer.Moskos is still pitching for the Tigers, who moved on to the NCAA Super Regionals earlier in the week. Through the first round of the postseason, the 21-year-old southpaw has the sixth-best ERA in the ACC this season at 2.91, and he is 3-5 with 74 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings.

Other Pirates draft picks:

Second round (No. 68 overall): Matthew (Duke) Welker Scouts say that the right-handed Welker from the University of Arkansas has an above-average fastball that clocks in at the mid-90s, along with an average slider that could make him a solid No. 4 or No. 5 starter in the future. The 21-year-old junior went 7-5 with a 3.59 ERA for the Razorbacks this season, with 80 strikeouts in 97 2/3 innings. Welker was a 34th-round pick by the Seattle Mariners out of Woodinville (Wash.) High School in 2004.

Third round (No. 98 overall): Brian Friday The Rice University right-handed-hitting shortstop has garnered attention with his above-average speed and strong throwing arm. Friday's numbers dropped slightly after a breakout sophomore season in which he was named a first-team All-American. However, the 21-year-old junior still led the Owls with 14 stolen bases, while hitting .341 with 28 RBIs.

Fourth round (No. 128 overall): Frederick (Quincy) Latimore After selecting three college players with their first three picks, the Pirates chose Latimore, a senior center fielder at Middle Creek (N.C.) High School. The 18-year-old, with above-average speed and power, was recently among 144 high school baseball players invited to take part in USA Baseball's Tournament of Stars to be held later this month.

Fifth round (No. 158 overall): Andrew Walker The right-handed-hitting catcher from Texas Christian University finished second on the Horned Frogs with a .328 average and knocked 12 home runs and 58 RBIs. Scouts have been impressed with the 21-year-old's approach at the plate and the power potential in his swing. The Houston native was named to the Conference USA first team as a catcher last season, and he then participated in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .271 with two home runs and 19 RBIs.

Pirates win on Jason Bay Homer in the 9th

The Pittsburgh Pirates took 2 out of 3 in the series with the Washington Nationals, today they won 3-2 on a solo homer by Jason Bay(11) in the 9th inning . Ian Snell pitched a great game as usual after giving up a 2-run homer in the first inning to Dmitri Youung. Snell went 7 innings allowing 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 BB's, while striking out 7 batters. His ERA is now 2.91. Matt Capps(3-2) pitched the 8th and 9th innings and got the win. Chad Cordero(1-1) picked up the loss for Washington. Freddy Sanchez hit his first home-run of the season in the 3rd inning, a two run shot. The Pirates are now 26-34 and in 4th place in the Central, 7 games back of Milwaukee. The Pirates are now 15-15 on the road.

Pirates Lose Another in the 9th(6-5)

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost another one late in the game, this time to the Nationals 6-5. This time on a wild pitch by Salomon Torres in the 9th inning. Christian Guzman hit a one out single to right field, then Ryan Zimmerman got an infield single on a soft grounder to 3rd base, Toress struck out Ronnie Belliard then walked Austin Kearns to load the bases. Then with 2-1 count to Ryan Church, Torres threw a wild pitch scoring Guzman and ending the game. Chad Cordero(1-0) go tthe win for the Nationals and of course Torres(0-3) picked up the loss for the Bucs. Adam LaRoche hit his 7th homer. The Pirates are now 25-34

Pirates Win 7-6 over Nationals

The Pittsburgh Pirates won the first game of a three game series with Washington Nationals tuesday night 7-6. Shawn Chacon(2-0) picked up the win and Ronny Paulino(5) and Jack Wilson(3) both hit home runs. Matt Capps got his 2nd save. The Pirates are now 25-33 and are now 7.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. Xavier Nady had 4 RBI's. Zach Duke(2-6) is expected to pitch tonight for the Pirates in the second game of the series.

Bucs lose again 6-5

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped another one to the LA Dodgers 6-5 to lose 3 games out of the 4 game series in Pittsburgh. Paul Maholm(2-8) got the loss. Derek Lowe(6-5) got the win for the Dodgers who are now 34-23 and hold a 1/2 game lead in the NL West. The Pirates dropped to 24-33 and are now 8 games back of the Brewers and in 4th place in the NL "Comedy" Central. Xavier Nady hit his 9th home run and Jose Bautista hit his 4th home run. The Pirates go on the road to Washington D.C. to play the Nationals for 3 games, then head to New York to take on the Yankees this weekend in interleague play.

Pirates Blow 4 Run Lead

The Pirates were up 4-0 in the 7th inning before giving up 5 runs in the 7th&8th innings to lose 5-4 to the LA Dodgers. Tom Gorzelanny pitched great until the 7th inning when he gave up 3 runs before being pulled. Then, Salomon Torres gave up 2 runs in the 8th inning to pick up the loss(0-2) and 5th blown save. Jason Bay hit his 10th home run. The Pirates are now 24-32.

Cavs Vs Spurs in NBA finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 98-82 to advance to the NBA finals, their first in franchise history. The Cavs lost the first 2 games of the series, then rattled off 4 wins in a row to take the series 4-2. Rookie Daniel "Booby" Gibson led the scoring attack with 31 points, the kid was on fire tonight, hitting almost every 3-point attempt he took. Of course LeBron James also played a great game with 20 pts and 13 boards. I cant wait to watch Game 1 Thursday night.

Bucs Win 3-1

The Pittsburgh Pirates won tonight over the Dodgers 3-1, snapping a 3-game losing streak. Ian Snell(5-4) pitched a great game, going 8 innings allowing six hits, one run, while striking out 6. He lowered his ERA to 2.94. Matt Capps pitched a perfect ninth inning to get his first save in his new closer role. Xavier Nady hit his 8th home run. The Pirates are now 24-31 and have retaken 2nd place by percentage points over the Cardinals who are 23-30. Both teams are 6.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers(31-25).

Tracy Shakes up Bullpen/Bucs lose 3rd Straight

Jim Tracy announced tonight that Matt Capps will be the closer and Salomon Torres will go back to being the set-up man before the Pirates lost 5-4 to the LA Dodgers. Torres is a better pitcher when he pitches everyday in my opinion and Capps is a power pitcher who throws strikes consistently. I think this is a good move. Torres pitched 2 scoreless innings tonight.

As for the game, sigh, the Bucs lost 5-4 to the Dodgers and Zach Duke(2-6) pitched bad again giving up all 5 runs in 6 innings pitched. Randy Wolf(7-3) got the win for the Dodgers and Saito got the final 5 outs for his 16th save. The Bucs left 16 men on base. Lone bright spot was Jason Bay hit his 9th home run. The Pirates are 23-31 and fell to 3rd place in the NL "Comedy" Central. What a horrible division!

Donovan takes Magic Job

Billy Donovan was announced as the Orlando Magic's new head coach this morning. Donovan's Florida Gators won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. So, what gets me is why did he leave? He idolizes Rick Pitino and after seeing all the failures Pitino had in the NBA, why would he leave? The Magic are young and have talent. My prediction is after 4 to 5 years he will be back in the college game. He's a great motivator but NBA players shouldn't need motivation, they are professionals. It shouldn't be hard for him to get the Magic in the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference but winning the conference and winning an NBA championship will be next to impossible in Orlando.