Game 93: Cardinals at Pirates

Yoslan Herrera makes his major league debut vs. Todd Wellemeyer at seven.

Game 92: Cardinals at Pirates

Zambelli Fireworks!

But, you have to sit through a baseball game.

Kyle Lohse and Zach Duke at seven.

Game 91: Yankees at Pirates

The teams will try to make up that postponed game from last month.

Paul Maholm and Ed Asner at seven.

Game 90: Astros at Pirates

Scuffy Moehler and John Van Benschoten at 7.

Game 89: Astros at Pirates

Backe and Snell at 7. Snell, like Dumatrait yesterday, comes off some extra rest.

Game 88: Astros at Pirates

Runelvys Hernandez and Phil "Kama Sutrait" Dumatrait at 7. Dumatrait returns from the rest that he needed to recover from the strain of so many difficult positions.

And, the Brewers kick off the silly season by making a big trade.

Game 87: Pirates at Brewers

Duke and Suppan at 2.

Game 86: Pirates at Brewers

Maholm and Bush at 7.

Game 85: Pirates at Brewers

Tom Gorzelanny and Ben Sheets this afternoon.

Pirates are 40-44 but only 15-25 on the road this year.

Also curious in the standings right now: The Rockies are 35-51. We had a pretty interesting debate the other night about whether this Pirates team is underachieving or overachieving. Opinions were split down the middle.

I've always thought that it should be "not hard" to finish at .500, and that a .500 season should not be regarded -- all by itself -- as evidence that a .550 season was the inevitable next step. A .500 breakout could be followed by a .450 slump. It also seems to me that I can look around the league every year and see a bunch of .500 teams that are pretty sorry. Are they lucky or are they overachieving? Or, are the 67-win teams underachieving?

The recent history of the Rockies tells a story. I'm not sure what is that story, but it seems somewhat relevant. Colorado win totals from 2001-2008: 73, 74, 74, 68, 67, 76, 90. Hmmmmmmmm.

Off day

No game today. An orthopedic surgeon and a physical therapist offer their comments on internal rotation deficit. Meanwhile, Dejan discusses Capps, bunting, and stadium etiquette in today's Q+A.

Game 84: Pirates at Reds

John Van Benschoten and Daryl Thompson soon enough.

Matt Capps out for July and August and I guess, September as well. I'm not a medical professional, and I don't understand his injury, but as a fan I know that when they say "eight weeks" it usually means "rest of the season and maybe some of next season too."

Insert expletives here.

Game 83: Pirates at Reds

Zach Duke takes on Edinson Volquez tonight at seven. Six games under and back in the basement, the integrity of the travesty appears safe. For now.

Game 82: Pirates at Reds

Paul Maholm vs. the Harangutan starting soon. Paul Meyer notes that for the first time in 52 years, the Bucs' pitcher is not batting ninth.

Game 81: Rays at Pirates

Gorzelanny vs. Sonnanstine starting now. Bucs are on pace for 77 wins.

Game 80: Rays at Pirates

Edwin Jackson and Ty Taubenheim tonight.

Mid-season editorial

As they approach the mid-point in the season, the big story is the ineffectiveness of most of the pitching staff.

The Pirates are rolling with a few flat tires in the starting rotation, and the failures of the starters have taken a toll on the bullpen. Opponents are averaging about 8 runs per game over the last week or so.

Edwin Jackson will start against Ty Taubenheim, who has been called up to make a start for the Pirates tonight. Denny Bautista, who was acquired in a low-risk trade to provide some relief for the overworked mop-up crew, has gone on the DL. T.J. "Steely Mc" Beam and John Van Benschoten have been recalled to eat innings, if they can. Dejan Kovacevic reports for the Post-Gazette that the indestructible-looking "Franky Six Fingers" Osoria could also be headed to the DL. Kovacevic also reports that Cuban defector Yoslan Herrara could be called up to start next week. Rotoworld reports the Bucs just picked up Ryan Drese. I guess we'll see him on the big club pretty soon.

The Bucs are 37-42 and seven games back in the race for the wild card. Another loss tonight and they'll fall to that depressing depth, six games under. One measure published by Baseball Prospectus suggests the Pirates have a 1 in 200 chance of making the postseason.

Pirate fans may be asking themselves if they think the team should gun for a .500 season, thus breaking that depressing run of non-winning seasons, or if they should make roster moves and trades that sacrifice the present somewhat for the future. I see the distinction as a false one. On one hand, .500 is not satisfying. If they finish the year at .500, I expect most Pirate fans will feel silly for thinking it was going to feel like a big accomplishment. It won't land the Pirates in the playoffs. On the other hand, I'm deeply skeptical of plans that see much beyond next year. In most cases, I think the best decision for next year is also the best decision for the rest of this season. And plans for two years down are fool's gold. Of course the team should stockpile all the best young talent they can; what I object to, and scoff at, to some extent, are the kind of plans that spell out who is our CF, who is our ace pitcher, who is our clean-up hitter, etc., in years as far away as 2010 and 2011. If the team stockpiles all the depth and promise it can in the minor leagues, it's wise to believe that players will appear as needed. What's not wise is pretending you know exactly which prospects will pan out, or which veterans will pull up gimpy and ineffective.

So it's six of one, half dozen of the other. The Pirates need to make roster moves and trades that will make them a better team right now and for next year. .500 can't be a goal, and liquidating the roster talent in the belief that there will be, at some later date, stunningly effective ways to spend that saved salary, can't be the plan.

Game 80: Rays at Pirates

Jimmy Barthmaier vs. Scott Kazmir at seven. Rays are a half game out of first. Barthmaier, who broke out in Indy, makes his major league debut.

Game 79: Yankees at Pirates

Maholm, Mussina, and maybe 38,000 fans at seven.

Game 78: Yankees at Pirates

Zach Duke and Joba Chamberlain at seven. The Bucs are 7.5 games back in the wild card race.

Game 77: Yankees at Pirates

Beauty vs. the Beast at seven.

The starting pitchers will be Darrell Rasner and Tom Gorzelanny.