THE BULLPEN

"Raise the jolly roger". Will Pittsburgh Pirates fans get to hear that victory cry tonight? The Battlin' Bucs are in the desert tonight to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates have suffered 4 losses in a row, getting swept in 3 in LA. They were shutout in the first 2 games. Good news! They managed to plate 2 runs yesterday. Bad News! The Codgers scored 6. You don't win ballgames like that! 2)The only Pirate pitcher to record a victory, Wandy Rodriguez, is on the mound tonight. Help us, Wandy! 3)I had feared going into this season that the Bucs would falter due to their method of selecting players to make the team: by default. Let's see, Tabata is out of options, so he makes the team. Locke didn't lock down a starter's spot but no one else did, either, so he makes the team. Opponents won't default the Pirates wins, will they? I suppose the Pirates have the fans best interests at heart.....Instead of waiting until the second-half of the season to collapse, they're trying to be more efficient and get the collapse out of the way now. Where, oh where, is the Hit, Run, & Score? Maybe we should put it on the side of a milk carton. Turn this ship around, fellas. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!