THE BULLPEN

     The hard is what makes it great! Your Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their series in St Louie tonight against the NL Central-leading Cardinals. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With last night's 4-2 loss, the Pirates have dropped 2 straight to St Louie, scoring only 5 runs in the process. This after exploding for 31 runs during their recent 4-game winning streak. Now Mrs. Black-N-Gold understands that St Louie has been preventing runs at a record clip this year. But how do you expect to win the division if you can't beat the division leaders? To be the man, you have to beat the man! 2)Speaking of winning the division, the Bucs have fallen 7 games back of the top spot. Meanwhile, the 3rd place Cubbies are just 1.5 games behind us for the 1st Wild Card spot. Right the ship and raise the Jolly Roger! 3)You didn't think Mrs. Black-N-Gold would forget to mention the Pirates defense, or lack-thereof, did you? St Louie is a team that capitalizes on their opponents mistakes. The Buccos gave them many opportunities to do so last night. You can't let the ball touch the ground. It's that simple. You also must be able to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. Leaving 9 men on base and going 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position is not the way. Salvage a win in this series and get back in the win column. Flash the leather! Hit, Run, & Score! Take care of business! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!