Williams to miss next start

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have adjusted their starting rotation in preparation for their highly anticipated upcoming road trip to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.
Dave Williams, who would have been slotted to start the series opener against the Yankees, will be pushed back until next Sunday in the series finale against the Red Sox. With a scheduled off-day Monday, the Pirates will be able to keep Kip Wells on normal rest and still have him pitch the opener on Tuesday in New York. Wells will be followed by Mark Redman on Wednesday and Oliver Perez on Thursday.

"With the day off, we had the chance to line up the rotation the way we wanted it. It just makes sense to put your best pitchers up against any team when you are going on the road -- guys that you think match up the best," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon.

McClendon said that Williams' last ounting, during which the southpaw surrendered four home runs in 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday night against the Orioles, had nothing to do with the decision to skip him.

"He could have gone out and thrown six shutout innings and we were going to still line up what we considered our best pitchers for the Yankees series," said McClendon.

Williams, the team's leader with five wins, took the news in stride.

"I was kidding with Kip that he was going to try to pass me now with the wins," said Williams. "But I knew going out of Spring Training that my role was to pitch when they asked me to pitch.

"I'm fine with it. I'm not worried about anything. I know what I am capable of doing. I know that my manager is behind me and he's just trying to set it up to give us collectively as a team a chance to win ballgames. It would be different if I wasn't pitching at all on the whole road trip.

Williams, who will start next Saturday on 10 days' rest, has been in this situation before. His second start of the season came eight days after his debut.

"I'm going to take the same approach I did before when I had seven days between starts," said Williams. "The biggest thing is to not feel too strong to where you feel like you're throwing hard and you're really not. I think you just need to stay within yourself. I'll just do some extra running and try to wear my body down like it would be leading up to a start."

McClendon said that Williams would probably be available to pitch out of the bullpen on Tuesday and Wednesday. Williams has approached the coaching staff about the possibility of throwing a simulated game between starts.

Doumit hits cleanup: Less than a week into his big league career, Ryan Doumit found himself batting cleanup for the Pirates on Saturday night against Devil Rays lefty Scott Kazmir.

"It's exciting. I'm looking at it as an opportunity to come in and make my mark," said Doumit, who entered the game 1-for-6 with a double. "That's where all of the RBIs are, and I think that I'm capable of doing that."

Despite Doumit's limited experience, McClendon believed the switch-hitting catcher/outfielder was the best option to bat behind Jason Bay.

"Ideally, I really don't want him in that [cleanup] position. But somebody's got to hit fourth against a left-hander," said McClendon. "I'm trying to maximize the protection for Bay with a right-hander hitting behind him."

While Doumit was accustomed to hitting fourth the past two seasons at Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona, getting used to playing right field in the big leagues will perhaps be a bit more challenging. The 21-foot right field wall at PNC Park is nothing like he ever saw in the Minor Leagues. Doumit took extra outfield practice with coach Rusty Kuntz on Saturday afternoon to prepare him for the odd caroms.

"I'm just getting used to getting balls off the wall," said Doumit. "It's a little different. In the Minor Leagues, you just have the strictly wooden walls, where the ball kits and ricochets 100 feet back."

Sanchez returns: Freddy Sanchez returned to the starting lineup at third base on Saturday against the Devil Rays after missing the previous four games with a sore groin. Sanchez batted leadoff in place of Matt Lawton, who was given the day off against the southpaw Kazmir.

"Freddy is healthy now -- we've got a left-handed pitcher going, so he's back in there," said McClendon. "He's not a typical leadoff hitter. But against left-handed pitchers, we put what we can out there."

Sanchez has batted leadoff five times this season. Although Sanchez doesn't have the speed of a prototypical leadoff hitter, McClendon has been impressed by the third baseman's ability to work the count and get on base consistently.

"He's the type of guy I would consider an on-base guy," said McClendon. "He takes the count deep. He's not afraid to hit with two strikes and he generally makes pretty good contact."

Wilson injury update: Craig Wilson, who has been on the disabled list for more than a month since undergoing surgery to repair torn tissue in the his left middle finger, will visit hand specialist Mark Baratz on Wednesday to determine the next step in his rehabilitation.

"Right now, we're working on range of motion because the hand has been immobile," said Wilson. "It's coming along pretty good."

Wilson hopes to be able to swing a bat in the next week to 10 days. After that, he'll likely go out on a Minor League rehab assignment. He expects to be back with the Pirates before the All-Star break.

On Deck: The Pirates will conclude their 13-game homestand on Sunday afternoon against the Devil Rays. Pirates right-hander Josh Fogg (4-3, 4.20 ERA) will be opposed by Tampa Bay southpaw Mark Hendrickson (2-3, 6.05).

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Pirates honor 1960 World Champs

PITTSBURGH -- It can certainly be argued that the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates were the biggest underdog winners in the history of the World Series.
On Saturday, the Pirates paid tribute to their unlikely heroes with a pregame ceremony in recognition of the 45th anniversary of the team's stunning upset of the mighty New York Yankees.

Prior to the Bucs' game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 1960 Pirates players El Roy Face, Bob Friend, Dick Groat, Vernon Law, Joe Gibbon, Bill Mazeroski, Bob Oldis, Dick Schofield, Mickey Vernon and Bill Virdon were introduced as part of an on-field ceremony.

Mazeroski, whose walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series will live forever in Pittsburgh sports lore, threw out the honorary first pitch.

Time has certainly not diminished the fond memories the players have for that season and for each other.

"There is something unique about a team that goes through a pennant race and goes on to win a pennant and a World Championship," said Groat, the 1960 National League Most Valuable Player. "You build up friendships that last the rest of your lifetime. We're still very, very close."

"When you play a season together and win a World Series, you get a bond together," added Mazeroski. "It's always something special to get back and see these guys again. You get a little chill up your back again."

What made the story of the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates so special was their ability to overcome long odds. Comeback wins were their specialty, so the fact that they were outscored, 38-3, by New York in their three World Series losses never led them to doubt their ability to pull out another improbable win.

"We weren't awed with the Yankee legend," said Law. "We felt that we could pitch to them, we could get them out. They're not superheroes, even though they had some great players on their ballclub.

"On paper they were much better than we were. But when you get in a tight ballgame, that's where our ballclub came through."

Of course, the lasting memory for every person fortunate enough to have been at Forbes Field on October 13, 1960, was Mazeroski's dramatic home run in the ninth inning of Game 7.

"I remember watching it going over the fence," said Virdon. "We knew that [Yogi Berra] wasn't going to catch it. You knew you were going to have the chance to win it."

"To win it against the New York Yankees in the fashion which we won it was something special," said Mazeroski. "Now it is a part of history here in Pittsburgh, and that's great."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Pirates reach .500 with rout of Rays

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates honored their 1960 team on Saturday night with an on-field ceremony celebrating the 45th anniversary of their improbable World Series win over the mighty New York Yankees.
The current Pirates' utter domination of the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays over the course of the subsequent three hours had to bring a smile to the face of Bill Mazeroski and the other Bucs old timers.

Pittsburgh's 18-2 trouncing of the Devil Rays before a crowd of 31,113 at PNC Park gave the Pirates a season-high four-game winning streak and enabled them to even their record (30-30) for the first time since Opening Day.

The Bucs' 20-hit outburst included contributions from just about everyone wearing a sleeveless jersey. All nine members of the Pirates starting lineup had at least one hit, including starting pitcher Oliver Perez. Pittsburgh batted around twice.

"Hitting is contagious and we sure showed up with the bats tonight," said Pirates rookie Ryan Doumit, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs as the Bucs' cleanup hitter.

"Guys couldn't wait to get up there. We found holes and guys were hitting the ball hard. It's not many times you see 20 hits in a game. It was certainly fun to be a part of that tonight.

The Pirates staked Perez to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the real fireworks didn't come until the sixth. Jose Castillo's third home run of the season, a three-run shot to right field off of Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir, highlighted a six-run rally in which the Pirates sent 11 batters to the plate.

Castillo, who came into the night mired in an 0-for-18 slump, went 3-for-5 with five RBIs after making adjustments to his swing during batting practice.

"I stayed back on everything and stood up a little bit [straighter] and my legs were a little closer," Castillo explained. "I felt good today."

Castillo wasn't the only one. In addition to Doumit and Castillo, four other Pirates had at least two hits apiece. The 18 runs were the most scored by the Pirates since their 19-2 win over the New York Mets at Three Rivers Stadium on Sept. 26, 1992.

"I was really happy that everybody came out swinging the bats well," said Humberto Cota, who was 2-for-6.

"They made a lot of mistakes. A lot of pitches were down the middle. We took advantage of that. That's good. It gave us a big vote of confidence that we can have a good breakout like tonight.

Driving 'em home
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, June 11, 2005
Ryan Doumit, Daryle Ward and Jose Castillo combined for eight of the game's hits, six of its runs and 12 of its RBIs. Their lines:
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI
Doumit 5 3 3 1 1 0 3
Ward 5 1 2 0 0 0 4
Castillo 5 2 3 0 0 1 5
Totals 15 6 8 1 1 1 12

Perez, meanwhile, turned in one of his best outings of the year against a Devil Rays club that entered the game ranked second in the Major Leagues in team batting average.

The hard-throwing southpaw limited the Devil Rays to one run on five hits and a walk while fanning 10 in seven innings.

"[Perez] really had everything going for him," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. "The changeup was excellent, the slider was biting quite a bit. The fastball had good velocity, too."

Perez struck out the side in order in the sixth inning to reach double digits in strikeouts for the first time this season and the 15th time in his career. Many of Perez's strikeouts came as a result of his choice to go with his changeup when he expected the Devil Rays to sit on his fastball or slider.

"I was using more of my changeups. That worked tonight," said Perez. "You have to get a feel for the situation."

"I don't want to strike out a lot of guys. I just want to be out there in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and try to win the game."

Perez has gone 4-0 with a 3.26 ERA in five starts since returning from a two-week layoff to work on his pitching mechanics.

The Pirates are 9-3 on a homestand that has included consecutive series wins against the Devil Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins. They are at the .500 mark at the latest point in a season since they were 67-67 on September 1, 1999.

"We're happy to reach the .500 mark, but we're not satisfied," said Cota. "We want to get above .500 and compete with the big teams in our division. I think we've got a good shot."

McClendon agreed with his catcher.

"It means we've won half our games," said McClendon. "That's not my goal. My goal is to get better. I don't know the significance of [being .500] in June. It's nice, but we want to continue to get better."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Bucs may be deadline buyers

PITTSBURGH -- The month or so leading up to the July 31 trading deadline is always a busy time for Pirates GM Dave Littlefield.
In the past few seasons, other teams have contacted the Bucs' GM hoping to add a veteran to their rosters in anticipation of a playoff run. And while those calls haven't stopped, Littlefield's response to them is a little different this time around.

"I think there is a general feeling in the industry of, 'Let's check in with Pittsburgh. Maybe they're going in the same direction that they have the last couple of years,'" said Littlefield. "We relay that we're not."

It's not that Littlefield isn't open-minded about a deal, it's just that he's in a better position both financially and talent-wise now than he was during his previous years in Pittsburgh. There is no dire need to trade any of his high-priced players.

What could also be different about this summer is that the Pirates might be in a position to be buyers rather than sellers at the deadline. However, despite the team's recent surge to the .500 mark, Littlefield isn't sure they are at that point yet.

"Are we playing better? Sure," said Littlefield. "Do I want to be in that position to be a buyer? Absolutely. That's what we hope to have happen. But you've got to deal in reality. We're on a high, if you will, having played well the last four or five weeks. You've got to be objective with where you're at."

And what if the Pirates continue to play at their current level and remain within shouting distance of a Wild Card berth?

"You can come up with 10 different scenarios as to when you should be buyers or sellers. The biggest factor that will be driving us is our record and how we're playing as a team," said Littlefield. "It's hard to say where it all goes. We still have four or five weeks before we get to that point."

Littlefield also enters this with a chip he'd never had before -- the financial resources to add approximately $4 million to the payroll.

"It's definitely helpful," said Littlefield. "It's certainly nice to have."

Perez vs. Perez and Cota: Almost lost in the aftermath of the Pirates 18-2 pounding of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Saturday night was an odd confrontation in the top of the fourth inning between Pirates pitcher Oliver Perez, catcher Humberto Cota and Devil Rays veteran first baseman Eduardo Perez.

Eduardo Perez was annoyed by the pitcher's trademark "praying mantis" delivery and shouted something to out to the mound. Cota took offense at the batter yelling at his starter.

"He was just trying to get on Oliver saying, 'Stop all of the stupid things,' about the praying mantis Oliver sometimes does," said Cota. "I just didn't like it. I stood up and said, 'If you've got a problem with that and a problem with Oliver, you've got a problem with me.'"

Oliver Perez said he didn't even hear what Eduardo Perez was yelling.

"I don't know what he said," Perez. "I was trying to focus on the game and not think about what he said."

Cota wasn't buying his pitcher's story. He believes the hard-throwing southpaw reached back for a little something extra on the next pitch -- a called strike three on a mid-90 mph fastball that brought the 31,113 fans at PNC Park to their feet.

"Oliver probably got fired up with that and struck him out," said Cota.

The Pirates went on to outscore Tampa Bay, 15-2, after the incident.

"That confrontation with [Eduardo] Perez pumped us up," said Cota. "We've got this mentality that nobody is coming into our house and kick[ing] our butts down. We're going to fight back. We don't care if it's the Devil Rays or the Cardinals. We've got to play everybody the same way."

Outside the box: Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon came out to talk to home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman in between innings following the incident, but he wasn't looking for a clarification of the incident.

"I didn't ask him for an explanation," said McClendon. "[Breckman] tried to offer one, but they were speaking Spanish. He didn't know any more than I did."

However, McClendon did want to know why Eduardo Perez was granted three timeouts during his at-bat. McClendon said that the umpires informed managers during a recent discussion at the Winter Meetings that the practice of calling timeouts after two strikes would no longer be permitted without a valid reason.

"[Eduardo Perez] did it three times with no apparent reason to call a timeout. That was my concern," said McClendon. "It was agreed that umpires were not going to be granting timeouts. At what point do we stop granting timeouts just so a guy can step out and get back in the box? It doesn't make sense. This is not the first time it's happened to Oliver."

McClendon admits that he hasn't seen the rule enforced much in the past two seasons, mostly because it only seems to happen when Perez is pitching, hoping to get the young lefty out of his rhythm.

"I haven't seen guys call timeout consistently unless it's Oliver Perez in there," said McClendon.

"Other teams are always looking for an edge. But I don't think it bothers Oliver."

Hot homestand: With a win on Sunday, the Pirates would have their first 10-win homestand since going 10-4 at Three Rivers Stadium from July 12-22, 1984.

The Bucs' consecutive series wins against the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Devil Rays have been highlighted by outstanding all-around play. In the first 12 games of the homestand, Pittsburgh batted .296 as a team and scored 68 runs, while posting a sparkling 2.39 ERA.

"We put ourselves in a position [Sunday] to be 10-3 on this homestand. That's just phenomenal," said McClendon.

"It's already a great homestand. We can top it off and make it fantastic."

On deck: The Pirates will begin their highly-anticipated three-game series at Yankee Stadium beginning on Tuesday night. Right-hander Kip Wells (5-4, 3.39), who has allowed just one run in 14 2/3 innings over his last two starts, will taken on Yankees veteran Mike Mussina (6-4, 4.33).

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Not daunted by Stadium

NEW YORK -- The Pirates' trip to Yankee Stadium is their first since the 1960 World Series, but the team isn't intimidated by the largess of their surroundings -- and it surprises even them.
"I thought I would be (daunted)," shortstop Jack Wilson said. "But when I got here, it was pretty much, 'Hey, it's 90 feet to first base and you play a game in the Stadium, just like everywhere else.' It's got some cool history behind it, and it's cool to be a part of that."

Wilson said he reported early to the Stadium on Tuesday to take photos from the field for family and friends and to read the plaques in Monument Park. But nostalgia isn't the only motivation for Wilson. He's ready to take on a team that he called the best in the Majors -- on paper -- despite its mediocre record.

"I wish this was a lot more than three games," he said. "It's fun to soak it all in and play against the best. This is a great test for our team. We'll see how good we do against the best."

Even so, the Pirate shortstop -- and several teammates -- noted that the team travels to New York every year to play the Mets, so the city isn't quite foreign to them. Wilson said he regularly takes the subway to the ballpark while in New York.

"It's fun for me. It's different," he said. "I grew up in California, so the only subways we saw were sandwiches."

Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon had a more businesslike attitude toward the series.

"It's nice to go to these places and take in the history, but my job is to win games," he said. "We're not going there as tourists."

Managing past history: McClendon is matched up against Joe Torre for the first time in his managerial career, but it's not his first encounter with the Yankee skipper. Torre was at the helm of the Mets during McClendon's first Major League camp in 1981.

Though McClendon never made the Mets -- instead reaching the bigs with the Reds in 1987 -- Torre left an indelible impression on McClendon when the current Bucs manager was smacked on the wrist by teammate Rick Sweet's backswing during batting practice.

"I tell people the story all the time of how I broke my wrist and [Torre] walked me to the clubhouse -- holding my arm the whole way," said McClendon.

Torre had kind words for McClendon before Tuesday's series opener.

"They play hard, and I think that's a credit to their manager," Torre said. "Lloyd McClendon is a special young man."

But the Pirates manager won't let any rose-tinted glasses shade his managerial vision. He downplayed any sense of direct competition with Torre.

"Joe and I don't play against each other. It's our teams," McClendon said. "He sits in the dugout just like I do and hopes that they go out and perform."

Well Wilson: Wilson started Tuesday despite having a swollen and painful left forearm after being hit by a pitch Sunday. X-rays were negative, and Wilson wasn't concerned about the injury, saying he'd just have to play through it.

Gauging the pain, Wilson said: "It's medium, not as much as yesterday, and that's the important thing. It's getting better."

Reliever relief: McClendon wasn't worried about going to his bullpen after Sunday's 13-inning loss to the Devil Rays. He cited Monday's off day as a factor in his favor. He also noted that he felt the two innings Jose Mesa pitched were good for the closer, due to the reliever's recent lack of work.

On deck: The Pirates play the middle game of their three-game set at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Southpaw Mark Redman, who has allowed two runs in 15 innings during his last two starts, takes on New York right-hander Kevin Brown.

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Cota's tater can't save Pirates

PITTSBURGH -- For two weeks, the Pittsburgh Pirates showed that they could beat some of the top teams in baseball.
On Sunday afternoon, the same Pirates team that had won nine of its previous 12 games showed that it could just as easily lose to a bottom-tier club.

The Bucs' 7-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 13 innings snapped Pittsburgh's four-game winning streak and gave the Devil Rays just their fifth win in 33 road games. Alex Gonzalez's two-run home run in the top of the 13th off Pirates reliever Brian Meadows proved to be the decisive blow.

"It was a very frustrating loss in a lot of different ways," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. "For as far as we've come, this type of game shows how far we have to go. When you become a championship type of club, you win these types of games. We just didn't execute."

One night after pounding the Devil Rays, 18-2, the Pirates never led during Sunday's four-hour marathon. Each of the first five Tampa Bay hitters of the game reached base safely, including Travis Lee, whose two-run double gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead. After the Bucs cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the first, Tampa Bay once again jumped out to a two-run lead on Toby Hall's two-run single after two outs in the seventh.

The Pirates pulled to within a run again in the bottom of the seventh. Down to their last out, the Bucs finally pulled even on Humberto Cota's pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth.

"It was one of those tough losses," said Cota. "We could have won the game and swept those guys.

"When we made it 5-4, we still had the feeling we could come back. We were kind of flat, and then we got that rally that inning."

After Pirates closer Jose Mesa tossed his second consecutive perfect inning in the 10th, the Pirates appeared primed to pull out a win in the bottom half of the frame. But with one out and the bases loaded, Jose Castillo grounded into an inning-ending double play.

"In that situation, I need a fly ball to win [the game]," said Castillo, who had a career-high five RBIs on Saturday night. "It wasn't my day. I don't feel good right now."

The missed opportunity proved costly when Gonzalez took Meadows (2-1) deep with one out in the 13th. "It was a fastball that kind of got away from me," said Meadows. "I left it out over the plate and [Gonzalez] hit it.

"We played hard. It just came down to one bad pitch."

It would be unfair to lay the loss at the feet of Castillo and Meadows. McClendon, who said that Sunday's game was "absolutely" the Pirates' most disappointing loss of the season, was quick to point out that there were plenty of bad plays that caused his team to lose.

"We did a lot of things wrong today, from defense to running the bases to pitching to situational hitting," said McClendon. "You name it, we did it."

McClendon declined to comment on the specific bad plays, citing a lack of sufficient time to go through them all.

"There were quite a few things in this ballgame today that led us not to win," said McClendon. "I certainly don't have enough time to go into them now. It would take until tomorrow's day off."

A pair of baserunning mistakes by veteran Matt Lawton helped to prematurely kill two Pirates rallies.

Lawton chased home Jack Wilson with Pittsburgh's fourth run on a bunt single in the eighth. The inning came to an end when Lawton was thrown out at second base after taking a wide turn on a Jason Bay infield single that had deflected off the glove Tampa Bay shortstop Julio Lugo.

"I saw it come off of his glove and I couldn't stop," said Lawton. "It just felt like I was on black ice. My cleats didn't catch on the ground. I kept sliding."

Lawton, who tied a career high with four hits, had also made a costly error on the basepaths in the third inning. After doubling with one out, Lawton was thrown out at third base on Bay's routine grounder to Gonzalez at shortstop. Ryan Doumit followed with a double, and the Bucs would strand both runners in scoring position.

"You go out there, you're aggressive and you try to make plays," said Lawton. "Sometimes you're just going to come up a little short.

If there was any good news that came out of the game for the Pirates, it was that Wilson was not badly injured after being hit by a pitch in the seventh inning. Wilson stayed in the game and scored a run but did not take the field in the eighth. X-rays taken of the All-Star shortstop's left forearm were negative, and he is expected to be ready to play on Tuesday when the Pirates begin their three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Fogg surrendered four runs on 11 hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He had allowed three runs or fewer in nine of his previous 11 starts.

Franklin Nunez (1-0) tossed 2 2/3 perfect innings for the win. Chad Orvella pitched a scoreless 13th inning to notch his first save.

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Pirates unable to withstand Yanks' rally

NEW YORK -- On Wednesday night, the Pirates, who have had 12 consecutive losing seasons, were as good as the Yankees, who have been in 10 consecutive postseasons -- for nine innings.
The Pirates staved off four Yankees attacks on their 5-1 lead before bending in the bottom of the ninth, when New York tied the game on Jorge Posada's RBI double.

The Bucs threatened in the 10th, but couldn't push a run across, and Yankee rally No. 6 did them in.

With a runner on second, Jason Giambi crushed a 2-2 fastball from Jose Mesa into the upper deck in right field for a game-winning two-run homer. The 7-5 loss in Yankee Stadium was the Pirates' third in a row.

"If you're playing the Yankees, who have one of the best lineups in the league, and you give them any extra outs, you see what happens," Daryle Ward said. "They come back in the game with the guys with the big sticks that they have. That was just something we were trying to keep from happening. We wanted the double play, and we had it. We just didn't get it."

The botched double play Ward referred to was crucial to the Yankees' game-tying rally in the ninth against Mesa (0-5).

After Bernie Williams worked a one-out walk, Gary Sheffield lined a ball off Mesa's leg. The ball ricocheted to shortstop Jack Wilson, who tossed it to second for one out. The relay throw to first arrived nearly simultaneously with Sheffield, who was ruled safe.

"I know it was an out," Mesa said. "It was an out -- you could see it on the replay. It was an out, I know it. Sometimes when you play the Yankees ... that's what happens."

Ward was less certain, but still felt it had been a game-ending third out.

"I can only catch it. I can't tell you exactly where he stepped on the bag," said Ward. "I know it was pretty close, but it felt like he was out and that we had the ballgame."

Ward refrained from arguing, citing his status as the only player who could play first at that point, and also noting that the Pirates still had a chance to close out the win.

Two batters, a single and a run-scoring double later, the game was tied and headed to extra innings. Despite the controversy, Mesa took the blame for the loss.

"No, I don't think I did my job, because I blew the save and I lost the game," Mesa said. "I don't think I did my job even though the umpire missed the play. It's plain and simple. If you lose the game, you didn't do your job."

But Mesa wasn't the only Pirates reliever to struggle. Rick White and Mike Gonzalez each allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning pitched. The struggles wiped out a strong start by Mark Redman, who allowed two runs and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings.

"[Redman] was outstanding," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He deserved to win a ballgame today. It's a shame he didn't get to."

Back spasms forced Redman's counterpart, Kevin Brown, from the game after 4 1/3 innings, with the Yankees trailing, 3-1. Buddy Groom followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, but Tanyon Sturtze allowed home runs to Wilson and Jason Bay, as the Pirates extended their lead to 5-1 and set the stage for the Yankees' late-inning heroics.

Wilson's homer was historic: the first long ball by a Pirate in storied Yankee Stadium. The Bucs didn't homer in five prior World Series appearances in the Bronx -- two games in 1927, and three in 1960.

The Pirates have now lost three games in a row for the first time since being swept by the Cardinals, May 23-25.

That sweep also marked the Pirates' last series loss; since then, they split a four-game series with the Reds, then took sets from the Marlins, Braves, Orioles and Devil Rays.

And yet, after two losses to the Yankees -- each demoralizing in a different way -- the Pirates' resilience was evident.

"Yesterday was yesterday, and today we played good baseball, good enough to win," said Redman. "We need to come out [Thursday] and play the same way, and be ready to play for nine innings."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Wells' first trip to Bronx a rough one

NEW YORK -- The Pirates arrived at Yankee Stadium as winners of nine of their last 13 games. They had yet to lose back-to-back games in the month of June. They were facing a Yankees team that was returning from a demoralizing 3-9 road trip.
Though they entered Tuesday's game relaxed, the Pirates were somewhat wary of a Yankees offense that sleepwalked through much of their recent trip. Manager Lloyd McClendon called a potential New York outburst a major concern, and hoped that the Bronx Bombers could get better -- as soon as the Pirates skipped town.

McClendon's hopes were dashed when the Yankees pecked their way to a 3-0 lead before collecting four runs in the fifth inning, carrying the home team to a 9-0 victory.

Pirate starter Kip Wells lasted just 4 1/3 innings and was rocked for eight hits and seven runs, six of them earned.

"They had me on the ropes pretty much from the get-go," Wells said. "The runs won't kill you for the most part if you can hold them to one when they have a chance to blow it open. That's what I was trying to take heart in -- the fact that I could have given up three or four in any of those innings before the fifth.

"Then, they beat me with small infield hits, and then they got the big base-clearer at the end that put the dagger in me."

His start starkly contrasted that of Mike Mussina, who tossed a five-hit shutout to earn his seventh victory and second complete game. Mussina was perfect until Daryle Ward ripped a two-out single down the right-field line in the fifth.

"He was outstanding, and that's the ballgame in a nutshell," McClendon said. "Their starter was on his game, and ours was not, and that was pretty evident early."

The Yankees opened the scoring in the second, when Hideki Matsui deposited a solo home run in the right-center field bleachers. The Yanks added an unearned run in the third, and tagged Wells with a third run in the fourth.

Wells allowed the Yankees to score for a fourth consecutive inning when Robinson Cano scorched a double to left-center, and Gary Sheffield drove him in with a single to right.

Wells then hit Alex Rodriguez with a pitch, and Matsui grounded into a double play to advance Sheffield to third. Williams walked for a second consecutive at-bat, Posada singled home Sheffield and Jason Giambi drove them both in with a towering double off the center-field wall.

"Kip got out of whack and couldn't get back in rhythm," McClendon said.

It was a simple statement, but one that completely summed up Wells' night. The pitcher owned up to his performance, and he and McClendon both downplayed the outburst by the recently subdued Yankees offense.

"It definitely feels like the majority of it was my doing," Wells said. "At times, you feel the pressure's on, and you try to make too good of a pitch."

Wells couldn't respond to that pressure, and as the Yankees battered Pittsburgh pitching -- they added two insurance runs in the eighth -- the Pirates' bats remained silent.

The credit for that goes to Mussina and his varied repertoire.

"Tonight, he had everything," Matt Lawton said. "He's got five or six pitches and he was throwing them all for strikes, and he kept us off balance."

Said McClendon: "Pick your poison: the changeup, the breaking ball, the cutter and the 92-mile-an-hour fastball," McClendon said. "He had it all."

Mussina cruised, needing just seven more pitches than Wells to get through 4 1/3 more innings, and Wells was unable to get out of enough jams to keep the Pirates within striking distance.

"I needed to throw strikes as opposed to trying to make a power pitch early in the count," Wells said. "They laid off of them and got to me. They're good hitters, and you can't give them too many opportunities to blow a game open, or they will."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Batting Around with Kip Wells

The Vitals: 6-3, 205
DOB: April 21, 1977 in Houston, Texas

Childhood Heroes: "Well, I grew up in Houston. So I had a lot of Houston guys -- like Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, local guys that I was able to follow. Guys like Will Clark. And just random players, that for some reason, I took a liking to."

Nicknames: "Kipper I guess is the only name. My parents called me that."

Hobbies/Interests: "The normal activities, like golf, playing basketball, playing football, outdoors stuff. As you get older, your hobbies change. I just got married so I'll enjoy spending time with my wife."

Favorite Movies: "Got a lot of favorite movies. Probably 'Braveheart'. 'Gladiator'. 'Fletch'. 'Caddyshack'. Baseball movies -- I liked 'Field of Dreams'."

Musical Tastes: "I'm a big Dave Matthews fan, love Dave Matthews. Most of Pearl Jam. Variety of music. I listen to some rap, techno and some Christian music. All facets, so, I don't discriminate."

Early Baseball Memory: "Hitting my first home run was like my biggest childhood memory. I didn't start playing until I was 12. I missed out on a lot because I started late. Fortunately most of my good memories are more recent than past."

Pre-Game Feeling: "Just try to stay relaxed and go over who I'm facing. What I'm gonna do to them. And try to get myself prepared to go out there and win the game. Keep my team in the game as long as I'm out there. Not get too excited about anything. Because I need to stay within myself."

Favorite Meal: "Probably pizza. Pizza's always a winner."

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: "Anything sweet."

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "Cheesecake."

First Job: "Pizza place. Working at a pizza place. Making pizzas at CiCi's Pizza in Houston."

First Car: "A 1987 Chevy Blazer. (Color?) Like a two-tone black and gray."

Greatest Sports Moment: "Hmmm. I don't know, in all honesty. Probably giving up Barry Bonds' 600th home run. I gave up that one three years ago. That was a pretty special event -- even though I was the one that gave it up. I've had some great games that I've thrown, where I've hit a home run, had a shutout going, stuff like that. But as far as just the seriousness of the event -- that was a pretty unique situation."

Most Painful Moment: "I broke my arm when I was 16. Throwing a pitch. I had to have my arm cut on and fixed. It's called Little League elbow -- when your muscles are stronger than the bones. It just happened. That was probably my most devastating moment. Fortunately I was able to recover and get to where I'm at. That was pretty scary at the time."

Funny Baseball Memory: "There's been a lot of stuff that makes me laugh. Watching my teammate Josh Fogg try to take a guy out at third on a slide -- pretty hilarious incident. He was trying to come in hard, totally did a 360, tried to catch himself."

People Qualities Most Admired: "Just a good work ethic. Guys that don't talk too much. Let their work ethic and focus be the way they carry and present themselves. And someone who does what he says and he says what he does."

Scoop Malinowski is a contributor to MLB.com. He created the Biofile interview feature in 1992. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Doumit shows much polish

NEW YORK -- Ryan Doumit is a likeable, well-built 24-year-old with close-cropped hair and sideburns that jut just defiantly enough to hint at a conceited attitude.
But as manager Lloyd McClendon describes Doumit, the word "polished" comes out of his mouth often enough that you would expect to see your reflection when looking at the Pirates rookie.

"He's as polished as any hitter we've got," McLendon said. "If you didn't know him and he was in that box, you wouldn't think that he was as green as he was, as young as he was and so inexperienced. He really looks like a mature hitter in the box. He knows the strike zone, he uses the entire field -- and when I say entire field, I mean line to line."

Doumit's fine finish -- though surely this is only a primary coat -- has him planted firmly in the middle of the Bucs' batting order. Entering Wednesday night's game, Doumit had been the No. 4 or No. 5 hitter during 14 of his 20 Major League at-bats.

McClendon projected Doumit to be a middle-of-the-order hitter, and said necessity dictated that he slot Doumit there now.

"When you bring young kids to the big leagues, you don't ask them right off the bat to hit in the middle of the order," McClendon said. "You try and put them second, stick them eighth, seventh. Let them get their feet wet. We are what we are, and we need him to produce right away."

But Doumit doesn't shy from the challenge -- he's used to batting in run-producing positions.

"That's where I've always hit," he said. "Coming up through the Minor Leagues, I've always been 3-4-5. It's nice that I can continue that at this level. Of course I'm comfortable -- it's something I've always been used to."

The switch-hitting Doumit has more power from his natural side -- the right -- but is a more accomplished hitter from the left. Doumit attributes that to a higher number of repetitions from the left side.

"I've been switch-hitting since I was 4 years old," he said. "I didn't have any choice in the matter. My dad told me that he kind of willed me to be a switch-hitter. It's something I've always done. The left hand is probably my more natural side now."

McClendon likened Doumit to Chipper Jones, noting that both players easily transitioned to the Majors because of refined skills at the plate.

Doumit was blown away by the comparison.

"Chipper Jones is a great player," he said. "He should be one of those guys who, when it's all said and done, will go down as one of the greatest at his position. To be even mentioned in the same sentence as a guy like Chipper Jones is awfully flattering."

The master's apprentice: When Oliver Perez takes the mound against Randy Johnson on Thursday night, it will give the 23-year-old lefty a chance to see just how favorably he matches up with a pitcher whose game and name are often bandied about as comparable to his own.

"I like it," Perez said of the comparison. "That's a good baseball player, maybe someday a Hall of Famer. You have to be happy with that."

Perez admitted that he often watches Johnson pitch, but just for fun instead of for homework. McClendon certainly wouldn't mind if Perez studied up, citing Johnson's transition from out-of-control thrower to unhittable pitcher.

"I think it's the same pitches," McClendon said. "It's just a matter of much better control. He's doing with the ball what he wants to do, and Randy can do that. Oliver is learning how to do that and find the consistency of a guy like Randy Johnson."

Perez is excited to pitch in Yankee Stadium for the first time -- and his manager knows it.

"He loves that type of arena, that type of competition, and I think he thrives on it," McClendon said.

Said Perez: "It's a big deal. Lots of legendary people played here. It's my first time here, and I want it to be special to me."

"It should be a heck of a game," McClendon said. "Hopefully, it's a low-scoring game. I think that's more to our liking and gives us a better opportunity to win a ball game."

Historical context: Though the Yankees revealed plans for a new stadium Wednesday, the Pirates' reactions to the announcement were muted, largely due to the general lack of individual history with Yankee Stadium.

"I don't really have any ties to Yankee Stadium," McClendon said. "It's the first time I've ever been here. There's no history for me. You're asking the wrong guy."

We ain't afraid of no ghosts: McClendon disregarded the notion that playing in the legendary Stadium had any negative impact on his team during Tuesday's 9-0 series-opening loss. He pointed instead to the outstanding performance by Yankees starter Mike Mussina.

"The novelty of not knowing Mussina and the fact that he had his 'A' game, that was it in a nutshell," said McClendon. Everyone used to ask me about Houston (against whom McClendon has compiled a 25-42 record).

"Was it the stadium? It's not the stadium. It was [the Houston players].

"It's the same thing [here]," continued McClendon. "[Mussina] pitched a dominant game. It had nothing to do with Yankee Stadium."

On deck: The Pirates square off against the Yankees in the final game of their three-game series at 7:10 p.m. ET Thursday night, with Perez facing off against the Big Unit.

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Perez can't Buc Yanks, Johnson

NEW YORK -- For three days, the anticipation built for Thursday's pitching matchup between Randy Johnson and Oliver Perez.
Perez and Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon fielded comparisons and questions in the clubhouse before and after the first two games of the series.

When Thursday finally arrived, 54,734 fans were stoked for a pitching duel between a legend and a fourth-year player who has heard repeatedly that he has similar stuff.

But similar wasn't enough.

The Yankees battered Perez for seven hits and six runs in five innings, while Johnson dominated the Pirates' offense -- striking out a season-high 11 -- and the Pirates lost to the Yankees, 6-1. Johnson had lost his three previous games against the Pirates despite pitching well, mainly because his team scored a total of three runs in those games.

"[Johnson] was dominant from the start, and he pumped up with his fastball whenever he needed to," Daryle Ward said. "But he wore us out with his breaking ball, which is a very effective pitch, and we knew that coming into the ballgame.

"He can tell you that it's coming, but you don't know where it's going to end up. You're battling every at-bat. The guys battled hard, and we knocked him around a little bit, but obviously not enough."

Any thought that this game would be decided by the pitchers disappeared by the Yankees' second batter. Derek Jeter led off and one-hopped Perez's first pitch over the fence in left-center field for a ground-rule double. Hideki Matsui followed with a home run to the bleachers in right-center.

After that first inning, McClendon couldn't be certain of the game's outcome, but he had an idea of where it was headed.

"I'm not a mind reader, but I knew Randy Johnson was going to be good," McClendon said. "But I certainly didn't think that Ollie [Perez] would come out and elevate the ball the way he did. He just didn't have it tonight."

"That's part of the game," Perez said of the early deficit. "You just have to focus on the next batter and prevent them from scoring any more runs."

Perez couldn't contain the Yankees' offense and allowed two runs in the second and fourth innings. However, he somewhat limited the damage -- with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, he induced Ruben Sierra to pop up and end the inning.

Perez struggled with his control, walking five and hitting one batter. There were shades of a young Johnson in the performance, a comparison that came directly from the Yankees' left-hander.

"It's too bad it's getaway day, because I'd like to sit down and talk to him," Johnson said. "He has a lot of me in him -- when I was young. You can see he's on the edge of becoming a really good pitcher. He had a great year last year, but we all have to be consistent and throw strikes."

The Bucs' starter gutted out another inning before giving way to three Pirates relievers, each of whom pitched a scoreless inning.

"The guys that came in today did a nice job," McClendon said. "It was really encouraging the way [Salomon] Torres threw the ball. He had good sink, and we're going to need him to really get back on track. He's part of that equation, as far as winning games is concerned, and it was good to see a solid day from him."

Michael Restovich's solo home run in the fourth broke up the shutout and kept alive the Pirates' streak of consecutive games with an extra-base hit. The Bucs are the only team in the Majors to produce at least one extra-base hit in every game this season.

But Restovich had no secrets to pass on to the other hitters -- he struck out twice against Johnson.

"I didn't get him figured out or anything," Restovich said. "I got lucky with the home run, and obviously I was happy about it, but he pitched me well. Those at-bats I struck out, I kind of shook my head and said, 'Wow. That's impressive.'

"With his slider and [ability to] paint 96 [mph] on the corners, when he's pitching the way he can, there are not a lot of teams -- or a lot of players -- that are going to hit well off him."

The Pirates entered this three-game set as winners of nine of 14 games, hoping test themselves with a Yankees team they saw as superior. But they will head to Boston losers of four in a row.

"We wanted to come in and play better," McClendon said. "We didn't pitch well, and when you don't pitch well, you don't look good when you lose, and that's the way it is."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

McClendon plays it cool

NEW YORK -- After suffering a tough 10-inning loss to the Yankees on Wednesday, the Pirates still had to suit up and play Thursday's series finale.
But that doesn't mean manager Lloyd McClendon was any less steamed that Tony Randazzo, the first base umpire, called Gary Sheffield safe at first on what would have been a game-ending double play.

In a heated, though G-rated, tirade on Thursday, McClendon mused that he's earned himself a reputation that has soured his credibility with MLB umpires.

"I've probably been out of line a couple of times and as a result, I've paid the price for it," McClendon said. "Now I just keep my mouth shut and go about my business. I've learned that going out and jumping and arguing ... is not going to change the call.

"That's why I didn't go out and argue the call last night. What was that going to do other than get me thrown out of a ballgame? It wasn't going to change the score. Unless there's an opportunity for me to get an umpire to ask for help on a call, you probably won't see me go out there."

McClendon took particular issue because he felt Randazzo goaded him after the play and again after the game.

"When he made the call, he looked at me and shook his head," McClendon said. "If you made the call and you know you made the right call, why are you looking in my dugout? I didn't jump up and scream at him. I certainly didn't come out to argue to the call, did I?"

McClendon claimed that after the game ended, Randazzo stared him down from his position down the first-base line.

"Why would he be looking at me in the dugout when the game is over, when the only thing he has to do is make sure that runner touches first and then head off the field toward the umpires' room?" McClendon asked.

"You tell me that's not preconceived notions about how I'm going to react to a certain situation."

Review session: McClendon did propose a potential solution for late-game disputes: instant replay.

"I've been for it for quite a while, and I believe that in certain instances it should be used."

McClendon sees the merits of the instant replay systems utilized by the NBA and NFL. He likes the way the NBA only views replays that will affect the outcome of a game at the end of regulation (or quarter), and also believes the NFL's limited number of challenges are a good way to keep the system from being abused.

However, he doesn't know specifically how or when instant replay should be implemented in baseball.

"I'm sure it's something that's going to be talked about, but I don't have those answers," McClendon said. "I just think something should be in place."

Out of options: McClendon named Michael Restovich Thursday's starter in left field, and also pointed to him as the team's emergency first baseman. Restovich has struggled to break into the lineup, and McClendon said that Restovich is unlikely to do so any time soon.

"He's a guy that's out of options," McClendon said. "I think he's best served playing every day, but we don't have that option right now.

"But I think he's worth the risk of trying to hold on to and see if we can turn him around."

Knee-ding support: Reliever Mike Gonzalez has been bothered by a balky knee, and will wear a brace for the rest of the season, McClendon said.

The Pirates manager didn't believe the knee affected Gonzalez during Wednesday's outing, when the southpaw allowed a run and two hits in two-thirds of an inning.

"I just think it's a situation where he came in, and for whatever reason, couldn't get the ball down in the zone," McClendon said. "Every pitch was up, and he got away with a couple of them and there were a couple he didn't get away with.

"It had nothing to do with his knee -- he just made some bad pitches."

Leading man: McClendon said that Freddy Sanchez has earned a spot as the Pirates' leadoff hitter against left-handed pitchers. Sanchez is batting .328 (19-for-58) with six doubles in his last 15 games. Matt Lawton will bat second when Sanchez is atop the order.

On deck: The Pirates travel to Boston on Friday for the first game of a three-game series with the Red Sox. Josh Fogg (4-3, 4.33 ERA) starts for the Pirates and will be opposed by right-hander Wade Miller (2-2, 5.03 ERA).

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Cota's tater can't save Pirates

PITTSBURGH -- For two weeks, the Pittsburgh Pirates showed that they could beat some of the top teams in baseball.
On Sunday afternoon, the same Pirates team that had won nine of its previous 12 games showed that it could just as easily lose to a bottom-tier club.

The Bucs' 7-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 13 innings snapped Pittsburgh's four-game winning streak and gave the Devil Rays just their fifth win in 33 road games. Alex Gonzalez's two-run home run in the top of the 13th off Pirates reliever Brian Meadows proved to be the decisive blow.

"It was a very frustrating loss in a lot of different ways," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. "For as far as we've come, this type of game shows how far we have to go. When you become a championship type of club, you win these types of games. We just didn't execute."

One night after pounding the Devil Rays, 18-2, the Pirates never led during Sunday's four-hour marathon. Each of the first five Tampa Bay hitters of the game reached base safely, including Travis Lee, whose two-run double gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead. After the Bucs cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the first, Tampa Bay once again jumped out to a two-run lead on Toby Hall's two-run single after two outs in the seventh.

The Pirates pulled to within a run again in the bottom of the seventh. Down to their last out, the Bucs finally pulled even on Humberto Cota's pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth.

"It was one of those tough losses," said Cota. "We could have won the game and swept those guys.

"When we made it 5-4, we still had the feeling we could come back. We were kind of flat, and then we got that rally that inning."

After Pirates closer Jose Mesa tossed his second consecutive perfect inning in the 10th, the Pirates appeared primed to pull out a win in the bottom half of the frame. But with one out and the bases loaded, Jose Castillo grounded into an inning-ending double play.

"In that situation, I need a fly ball to win [the game]," said Castillo, who had a career-high five RBIs on Saturday night. "It wasn't my day. I don't feel good right now."

The missed opportunity proved costly when Gonzalez took Meadows (2-1) deep with one out in the 13th. "It was a fastball that kind of got away from me," said Meadows. "I left it out over the plate and [Gonzalez] hit it.

"We played hard. It just came down to one bad pitch."

It would be unfair to lay the loss at the feet of Castillo and Meadows. McClendon, who said that Sunday's game was "absolutely" the Pirates' most disappointing loss of the season, was quick to point out that there were plenty of bad plays that caused his team to lose.

"We did a lot of things wrong today, from defense to running the bases to pitching to situational hitting," said McClendon. "You name it, we did it."

McClendon declined to comment on the specific bad plays, citing a lack of sufficient time to go through them all.

"There were quite a few things in this ballgame today that led us not to win," said McClendon. "I certainly don't have enough time to go into them now. It would take until tomorrow's day off."

A pair of baserunning mistakes by veteran Matt Lawton helped to prematurely kill two Pirates rallies.

Lawton chased home Jack Wilson with Pittsburgh's fourth run on a bunt single in the eighth. The inning came to an end when Lawton was thrown out at second base after taking a wide turn on a Jason Bay infield single that had deflected off the glove Tampa Bay shortstop Julio Lugo.

"I saw it come off of his glove and I couldn't stop," said Lawton. "It just felt like I was on black ice. My cleats didn't catch on the ground. I kept sliding."

Lawton, who tied a career high with four hits, had also made a costly error on the basepaths in the third inning. After doubling with one out, Lawton was thrown out at third base on Bay's routine grounder to Gonzalez at shortstop. Ryan Doumit followed with a double, and the Bucs would strand both runners in scoring position.

"You go out there, you're aggressive and you try to make plays," said Lawton. "Sometimes you're just going to come up a little short.

If there was any good news that came out of the game for the Pirates, it was that Wilson was not badly injured after being hit by a pitch in the seventh inning. Wilson stayed in the game and scored a run but did not take the field in the eighth. X-rays taken of the All-Star shortstop's left forearm were negative, and he is expected to be ready to play on Tuesday when the Pirates begin their three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Fogg surrendered four runs on 11 hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He had allowed three runs or fewer in nine of his previous 11 starts.

Franklin Nunez (1-0) tossed 2 2/3 perfect innings for the win. Chad Orvella pitched a scoreless 13th inning to notch his first save.

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Bucs may be deadline buyers

PITTSBURGH -- The month or so leading up to the July 31 trading deadline is always a busy time for Pirates GM Dave Littlefield.
In the past few seasons, other teams have contacted the Bucs' GM hoping to add a veteran to their rosters in anticipation of a playoff run. And while those calls haven't stopped, Littlefield's response to them is a little different this time around.

"I think there is a general feeling in the industry of, 'Let's check in with Pittsburgh. Maybe they're going in the same direction that they have the last couple of years,'" said Littlefield. "We relay that we're not."

It's not that Littlefield isn't open-minded about a deal, it's just that he's in a better position both financially and talent-wise now than he was during his previous years in Pittsburgh. There is no dire need to trade any of his high-priced players.

What could also be different about this summer is that the Pirates might be in a position to be buyers rather than sellers at the deadline. However, despite the team's recent surge to the .500 mark, Littlefield isn't sure they are at that point yet.

"Are we playing better? Sure," said Littlefield. "Do I want to be in that position to be a buyer? Absolutely. That's what we hope to have happen. But you've got to deal in reality. We're on a high, if you will, having played well the last four or five weeks. You've got to be objective with where you're at."

And what if the Pirates continue to play at their current level and remain within shouting distance of a Wild Card berth?

"You can come up with 10 different scenarios as to when you should be buyers or sellers. The biggest factor that will be driving us is our record and how we're playing as a team," said Littlefield. "It's hard to say where it all goes. We still have four or five weeks before we get to that point."

Littlefield also enters this with a chip he'd never had before -- the financial resources to add approximately $4 million to the payroll.

"It's definitely helpful," said Littlefield. "It's certainly nice to have."

Perez vs. Perez and Cota: Almost lost in the aftermath of the Pirates 18-2 pounding of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Saturday night was an odd confrontation in the top of the fourth inning between Pirates pitcher Oliver Perez, catcher Humberto Cota and Devil Rays veteran first baseman Eduardo Perez.

Eduardo Perez was annoyed by the pitcher's trademark "praying mantis" delivery and shouted something to out to the mound. Cota took offense at the batter yelling at his starter.

"He was just trying to get on Oliver saying, 'Stop all of the stupid things,' about the praying mantis Oliver sometimes does," said Cota. "I just didn't like it. I stood up and said, 'If you've got a problem with that and a problem with Oliver, you've got a problem with me.'"

Oliver Perez said he didn't even hear what Eduardo Perez was yelling.

"I don't know what he said," Perez. "I was trying to focus on the game and not think about what he said."

Cota wasn't buying his pitcher's story. He believes the hard-throwing southpaw reached back for a little something extra on the next pitch -- a called strike three on a mid-90 mph fastball that brought the 31,113 fans at PNC Park to their feet.

"Oliver probably got fired up with that and struck him out," said Cota.

The Pirates went on to outscore Tampa Bay, 15-2, after the incident.

"That confrontation with [Eduardo] Perez pumped us up," said Cota. "We've got this mentality that nobody is coming into our house and kick[ing] our butts down. We're going to fight back. We don't care if it's the Devil Rays or the Cardinals. We've got to play everybody the same way."

Outside the box: Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon came out to talk to home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman in between innings following the incident, but he wasn't looking for a clarification of the incident.

"I didn't ask him for an explanation," said McClendon. "[Breckman] tried to offer one, but they were speaking Spanish. He didn't know any more than I did."

However, McClendon did want to know why Eduardo Perez was granted three timeouts during his at-bat. McClendon said that the umpires informed managers during a recent discussion at the Winter Meetings that the practice of calling timeouts after two strikes would no longer be permitted without a valid reason.

"[Eduardo Perez] did it three times with no apparent reason to call a timeout. That was my concern," said McClendon. "It was agreed that umpires were not going to be granting timeouts. At what point do we stop granting timeouts just so a guy can step out and get back in the box? It doesn't make sense. This is not the first time it's happened to Oliver."

McClendon admits that he hasn't seen the rule enforced much in the past two seasons, mostly because it only seems to happen when Perez is pitching, hoping to get the young lefty out of his rhythm.

"I haven't seen guys call timeout consistently unless it's Oliver Perez in there," said McClendon.

"Other teams are always looking for an edge. But I don't think it bothers Oliver."

Hot homestand: With a win on Sunday, the Pirates would have their first 10-win homestand since going 10-4 at Three Rivers Stadium from July 12-22, 1984.

The Bucs' consecutive series wins against the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Devil Rays have been highlighted by outstanding all-around play. In the first 12 games of the homestand, Pittsburgh batted .296 as a team and scored 68 runs, while posting a sparkling 2.39 ERA.

"We put ourselves in a position [Sunday] to be 10-3 on this homestand. That's just phenomenal," said McClendon.

"It's already a great homestand. We can top it off and make it fantastic."

On deck: The Pirates will begin their highly-anticipated three-game series at Yankee Stadium beginning on Tuesday night. Right-hander Kip Wells (5-4, 3.39), who has allowed just one run in 14 2/3 innings over his last two starts, will taken on Yankees veteran Mike Mussina (6-4, 4.33).

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/

Williams to miss next start

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have adjusted their starting rotation in preparation for their highly anticipated upcoming road trip to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.
Dave Williams, who would have been slotted to start the series opener against the Yankees, will be pushed back until next Sunday in the series finale against the Red Sox. With a scheduled off-day Monday, the Pirates will be able to keep Kip Wells on normal rest and still have him pitch the opener on Tuesday in New York. Wells will be followed by Mark Redman on Wednesday and Oliver Perez on Thursday.

"With the day off, we had the chance to line up the rotation the way we wanted it. It just makes sense to put your best pitchers up against any team when you are going on the road -- guys that you think match up the best," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon.

McClendon said that Williams' last ounting, during which the southpaw surrendered four home runs in 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday night against the Orioles, had nothing to do with the decision to skip him.

"He could have gone out and thrown six shutout innings and we were going to still line up what we considered our best pitchers for the Yankees series," said McClendon.

Williams, the team's leader with five wins, took the news in stride.

"I was kidding with Kip that he was going to try to pass me now with the wins," said Williams. "But I knew going out of Spring Training that my role was to pitch when they asked me to pitch.

"I'm fine with it. I'm not worried about anything. I know what I am capable of doing. I know that my manager is behind me and he's just trying to set it up to give us collectively as a team a chance to win ballgames. It would be different if I wasn't pitching at all on the whole road trip.

Williams, who will start next Saturday on 10 days' rest, has been in this situation before. His second start of the season came eight days after his debut.

"I'm going to take the same approach I did before when I had seven days between starts," said Williams. "The biggest thing is to not feel too strong to where you feel like you're throwing hard and you're really not. I think you just need to stay within yourself. I'll just do some extra running and try to wear my body down like it would be leading up to a start."

McClendon said that Williams would probably be available to pitch out of the bullpen on Tuesday and Wednesday. Williams has approached the coaching staff about the possibility of throwing a simulated game between starts.

Doumit hits cleanup: Less than a week into his big league career, Ryan Doumit found himself batting cleanup for the Pirates on Saturday night against Devil Rays lefty Scott Kazmir.

"It's exciting. I'm looking at it as an opportunity to come in and make my mark," said Doumit, who entered the game 1-for-6 with a double. "That's where all of the RBIs are, and I think that I'm capable of doing that."

Despite Doumit's limited experience, McClendon believed the switch-hitting catcher/outfielder was the best option to bat behind Jason Bay.

"Ideally, I really don't want him in that [cleanup] position. But somebody's got to hit fourth against a left-hander," said McClendon. "I'm trying to maximize the protection for Bay with a right-hander hitting behind him."

While Doumit was accustomed to hitting fourth the past two seasons at Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona, getting used to playing right field in the big leagues will perhaps be a bit more challenging. The 21-foot right field wall at PNC Park is nothing like he ever saw in the Minor Leagues. Doumit took extra outfield practice with coach Rusty Kuntz on Saturday afternoon to prepare him for the odd caroms.

"I'm just getting used to getting balls off the wall," said Doumit. "It's a little different. In the Minor Leagues, you just have the strictly wooden walls, where the ball kits and ricochets 100 feet back."

Sanchez returns: Freddy Sanchez returned to the starting lineup at third base on Saturday against the Devil Rays after missing the previous four games with a sore groin. Sanchez batted leadoff in place of Matt Lawton, who was given the day off against the southpaw Kazmir.

"Freddy is healthy now -- we've got a left-handed pitcher going, so he's back in there," said McClendon. "He's not a typical leadoff hitter. But against left-handed pitchers, we put what we can out there."

Sanchez has batted leadoff five times this season. Although Sanchez doesn't have the speed of a prototypical leadoff hitter, McClendon has been impressed by the third baseman's ability to work the count and get on base consistently.

"He's the type of guy I would consider an on-base guy," said McClendon. "He takes the count deep. He's not afraid to hit with two strikes and he generally makes pretty good contact."

Wilson injury update: Craig Wilson, who has been on the disabled list for more than a month since undergoing surgery to repair torn tissue in the his left middle finger, will visit hand specialist Mark Baratz on Wednesday to determine the next step in his rehabilitation.

"Right now, we're working on range of motion because the hand has been immobile," said Wilson. "It's coming along pretty good."

Wilson hopes to be able to swing a bat in the next week to 10 days. After that, he'll likely go out on a Minor League rehab assignment. He expects to be back with the Pirates before the All-Star break.

On Deck: The Pirates will conclude their 13-game homestand on Sunday afternoon against the Devil Rays. Pirates right-hander Josh Fogg (4-3, 4.20 ERA) will be opposed by Tampa Bay southpaw Mark Hendrickson (2-3, 6.05).

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/