Pirates do the Sanchez Sweep

I heard today that General Mills is going to place a call to Freddy Sanchez and ask him to be on the box of Wheaties next year. No wonder..

In Sanchez's last 192 games, he has mashed 29% of his 251 hits for extra bases, has a .318 batting average, and brought home 102 pieces of bacon (rbi).

And get this - every team in baseball continues to pitch to him.

Ask Elizardo Ramirez who had no choice in game one Tuesday when he walked Bautista to load the bases with two outs and Sanchez took him yard for his first career grand slam that put the game out of reach.

Or ask Reds reliever Bill Bray who Sanchez tripled off in the 8th inning a tied game two and then scored the winning run on a LaRoche line drive single back thru the box.

Maholm threw batting practice the first two innings and then settled down allowing just 4 hits to the next twenty batters. His problem didn't look mechanical - it looked more to me like a game management issue because he came out throwing a lot of fastballs early and was getting crushed. The first time through the lineup the Reds went 6 for 9. After he started going to his offspeed stuff, he was nearly unhittable.

Gorzelanny actually looked a tad better on the mound this time out than he had his last three, although that still isn't saying much, but you could see his legs were toast after the 5th, he labored hard in the 6th, and he couldn't even record an out, much less find the plate, in the 7th.

By the looks of things, the Pirates are setting up Zach Duke's return to take Gorzelanny's spot in the rotation after one or two more starts and will then probably shut him down be my guess. Thank goodness.

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Ronny Paulino looked like incurred an injury in the 9th inning of game two. He reached his glove hand across his body to snag a Capps heater 20" from his glove and it looked like he pulled something in his left shoulder area. We'll have to see if he sits Wednesday or not.

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The Pirates are the hottest team in baseball last ten games and have now won 10 of their last 13, 14 of their last 20, and have outscored their opponents 266-264 since the end of May but are still running -2 pythagorean wins during the period since they have only won 24 of 51.

The Pirates are 8.5 games out and Vegas says they have a 0.25 chance to win the division. Yep - one-quarter of one-percent chance.

So much for Jim Tracy's recent revelation that "anything can happen" when your team is 9 games out with a month to go. Well, maybe someone believes the spin. It's not impossible but..

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The Pirates are going with Armas and then Youman in the first two games against the Brewers starting Friday. Man.. maybe Gorzy can hold his arm in his socket in Sunday's game for us.

I sure hope we keep mashing.

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ERA last three for Matt Morris: 3.38

Looks like a Biblical quote, doesn't it?

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Pirates hosted Philly and boxed their ears off leaving them 6 games behind the Mets.

Pirates rode into Denver and took the Mile High grin off the Rockies playoff chances.

Pirates rode into Houston and promptly dumped them into the cellar causing McLane to fire their GM and manager.

Pirates are hosting the Reds, swept a double-header from them and now eye sending them into 5th place with a win Wednesday night.

Pirates head off to play the Brewers this weekend for three and could conceivably leave being one game from removing them from their third place hold in the division.

Then the Pirates head off to St. Louis and. . .

The Cubs owe us.