Reed looks OK

Rick Reed came out throwing batting practice. At first it looked like Reed would cure everything that ails Cleveland. In the bottom of the second, Milton Bradley scorched one off Rick Reed – "as hard a hit ball as we’ve seen from Milton in a long time." Victor Martinez slapped one up the middle; Castillo and Wilson were caught looking at each other it shot straight between them. Travis Hafner smacked a curveball into centerfield. Then Castillo turned a big double play, killing the chance for a big inning. as Bradley scored the first run of the game.

Since then, Reed has been getting ahead of hitters and nibbling, nibbling, nibbling. Casey Blake just caught looking at strike three. The young pitchers can learn from Reed if Reed can pitch well enough to show them how his mound strategy gets something decent out of his mediocre repetoire. He's a pitcher, not a thrower. That doesn't mean he deserves a roster spot if Burnett has nothing to prove in the minors. Maybe the Pirates can keep Reed around as a coach.