THE BULLPEN

The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your Pittsburgh Pirates begin a 3-game set in the Windy City as they battle the Chicago Scrubs tonight. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates have beaten the Scrubs in 10 of 16 this season. However, the Pirates have also dropped 5 of their last 7 games. Something has got to give. The Pirates magic number for the postseason is down to 2 thanks to some help from the Gnats. You should never have to back into the playoffs. This series is a good chance for the Bucs to build some serious momentum for the postseason run. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! 2)The Pirates send RH Charlie Morton to the mound. Ground Chuck is 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA for the season. In his last 9 starts, Charlie is 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA. Make chopped liver of the Scrubs! 3)In his last start, Ground Chuck recorded a career-high 9 strikeouts while surrendering 1 run and 2 hits in 8 innings. Unfortunately, the bullpen wasn't able to hold the lead and the Pirates fell to the Padres 3-2. Don't forget to pack the Hit, Run, & Score with the Jolly Roger! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! I know it was a tough day for black-n-gold sports with the Bucs and Steelers both losing. There were a few silver linings, though. St Louie lost last night and the Gnats lost 1 game in their doubleheader. The Pirates and Cincy both trail St Louie by 2 games. The Gnats are 5 out in the wild card. Tonight the Mets travel to Cincy to play spoiler and the Gnats are in St Louie to keep their playoff hopes alive. Last week of the season. Make it count! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!