What Does Ugliness Get You? A 2.39 ERA

He may be ugly. He may not close his mouth. But Tom Gorzelanny leads the team with a 6-3 record, which puts him only one victory behind the National League lead of 7 wins. Plus, his 2.39 ERA, which he lowered in last night's 4-1 win, is good for 3rd in the NL, behind freak of nature Jake Peavy (who the Pirates miss on this homestand) and hottie-dater Brad Penny.

Read that again if you can't grasp the idea. A Pirates pitcher is 6-3. With a 2.39 ERA. And his name isn't Snell or Duke. That was kinda unthinkable before the season.

Last night's win was due mainly to Gorzo's ability to get outs when he needed. He got major help from Jason Bay, who was just named National League Offensive Player of the Week. It was the 4th time that Bay has been recognized for the award. He homered and doubled, which was really all the Buccos needed to beat David Wells and the Padres.

The aforementioned Jake Peavy will not pitch against the Pirates, which might be the greatest thing I've ever heard. The Pirates have been (sorry for the cliche) a Jekyll and Hyde team offensively this year. Peavy's road ERA is 0.33. The Buccos would have no chance with Peavy on the mound in Pittsburgh.

The Buccos have won 4 of their last 5 after their 5 game losing streak. Paul Maholm (2-6 5.43 ERA) pitchers against Chris Young (5-3 2.70 ERA) at 7:05 tonight. Pittsburgh is now 2nd in the NL Central, only 5.5 behind April/May flare Milwaukee.

Please Demote Tony Armas Jr.

How can a 7-2 win spell the end for a game’s starting pitcher? Well, if your name is Tony Armas Jr., you only pitch 3 innings (again) and the guy who relieves you pitches well above your stats, then demotion might just be in the works.

Ronny Paulino came through with 3 RBIs against the Marlins, and Shawn Chacon pitched 5 scoreless innings in relief of Armas to record the win. Armas allowed 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in 3 innings. Jim Tracy, who has been dodging questions about Armas’ possible demotion, can elude the hounding no further. He’s come out and said that it isn’t good when you have to ask your starter for the ball in the 2nd or 3rd inning. Tracy had to do just that yesterday. Luckily, the move paid off, and Chacon pitched well enough to allow the Pirates’ offense to kick into gear.

Chacon only allowed 1 free pass, induced 6 groundouts, 6 flyouts and 3 strikeouts. Could Chacon take Armas’ place in the rotation? Very possible. Or, Bryan Bullington (6-1 2.40 ERA) or John Van Benschoten (3-3 2.47 ERA) could fill that spot. Even if one of those two who are currently in Triple-A Indianapolis don’t make the starting rotation, they could move to the bullpen, giving Chacon a chance to start again. I would be pleased with either decision. Chacon is clearly a better talent than Armas, and a demotion for Armas would mean that Bullington or Van Benschoten would be able to face some major league hitting in some capacity.

One reason for the past 14 losing seasons, is that the Buccos constantly stick with bad pitchers, mainly because there is no other option. Over the past 3-4 seasons, our current starters were all too young and inexperienced to be called up to the bigs. With a tiny payroll, Pittsburgh couldn’t afford to spend lavishly on free agents either. This year, the Pirates tried to get into a bidding war for former Buccos starter Jeff Suppan, but couldn’t match Milwaukee’s offer. Instead, Pittsburgh settled for Washington castoff Tony Armas Jr. This decision is obviously not working out. Luckily, the Pirates finally have some young pitching in the minors who are just waiting for their chance to start in a Pittsburgh uni. Bullington has been putting up some ridiculous numbers, and Van Benschoten, at the very least, is a better fit than Armas.

Chacon, Bullington or Van Benschoten? I’d be pleased with either as our 5th starter. I’d also like to see Maholm demoted, so maybe a couple of these guys are about to get their first chance of 2007.

Maholm Tosses a Beauty, Paulino Homers as Bucs Beat Astros

Paul Maholm, looking very un-Paul Maholm-like, blanked the Astros as the Bucs beat the Astros 3-0. Maholm allowed only 3 hits, earned his first career shutout, and lowered his ERA from slightly above 6 to slightly below 4.

Ronny Paulino homered, most likely because I tagged him as a potential star earlier in the day. He was able to complete his rookie season hitting respectively over .300, and power is something he's been working on. His first dinger of the year helped the Pirates win their 4th straight against Houston and first win at home this season.

The 8-10 record looks a little better, and the team is threatening to get back to .500 (oooh..these are exciting times). I'm going to have to update my "7 Reasons to Keep Watching the Bucs" post with reason number 8. I'll celebrate any Pirate win, since those have been as rare as a Michael Keaton compliment to the Pirate's management. I can't say I'd mind growing my list to "82+ Reasons to Keep Watching the Bucs."