THE BULLPEN

The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates are on a west coast swing as they begin a 3-game series tonight against the San Diego Padres. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates start LH Francisco Liriano, 13-5 with a 2.68 ERA. Frankie is coming off of a complete-game 5-1 victory over St Louie on Wednesday. We need Frankie to be that guy again tonight. Shut 'em down, Frankie! 2)The Pirates are clinging to their lead in the NL Central. They lead St Louie by 1 game and Cincy by 2.5. The Bucs are slumping right now as they've dropped 7 of their last 9 games. Pack up the Hit, Run, & Score and don't forget the Jolly Roger! 3)Tonight the Padres go for their third win in a row. I say, "No, No, No"! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!