Game 157: Reds at Pirates

John Locke will try to BUNT the Bucs over the 70% winning percentage mark that they haven't touched since 2004. Good times.

Playoffs

Players and fans should use the off day to rest up for the Bucs' first round bye.

Game 156: Pirates at D-backs

Ohlendorf will clinch home field advantage this afternoon.

Game 155: Pirates at D-backs

Blissful rest to prepare for the playoffs continues.

The Bucs are just two games away from clinching a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Game 154: Pirates at D-backs

The Bucs will rest most of their starters tonight for the playoffs. Game starts at 9:40.

Off day

The Bucs take the day off today. Yeah, that's it.

NFL Game 1: Seahawks at Steelers

Steelers up 14-0 in the second quarter in the season opener.

Game 152: Pirates at Dodgers

McDonald and Lilly starting soon.

The Bucs are 10 bunts back and it feels like the season is starting to slip away.

Game 151: Pirates at Dodgers

There will be baseball tonight, in Los Angeles, after the children are all in bed.

Locke and Kuroda will start.

Game 150: Pirates at Dodgers

Ohlendorf just hit a three-run dinger, putting the Bucs up 4-1 in the second.

Game 149: Cardinals at Pirates

Late in a day game, and the Pirates are working on their 82nd loss 68th win.

Game 148: Cardinals at Pirates

Karstens and Carpenter at seven.

The Cardinals are 6.5 games back, passed out at a red light.

Game 147: Cardinals at Pirates

Lincoln and Lohse at seven. The Cards are six games back in the division and 4.5 games back in the wild-card, and unlike the Bucs, have not yet clinched a spot in the playoffs.

Game 146: Marlins at Pirates

Huntington extended three years. Bucs lose again.

Last preseason game

The Steelers will use today's last meaningless preseason game to experiment with different looks, like turning the ball over many many times.

Game 145: Marlins at Pirates

Troy Polamalu will retire a Steeler.

Game 144: Marlins at Pirates

Nolasco and Ohlendorf at seven.

Pirates are 66-77 with football season starting any day now.

Off day

Take a day off.

Game 143: Astros at Pirates

Burres and Happ at seven. If it wasn't for Happ, this entire contest would be hapless.

Game 142: Astros at Pirates

When Moskos strikes somebody out, even if no bunts are laid down the entire evening, the Bucs WIN in my book.

Game 141: Astros at Pirates

Sosa and McDonald after this delay.

Pirates are 64-76. Will need to finish 17-6 to break even.

Game 140: Pirates at Cubs

Morton and Wells at 2:20.

Welcome back, Long Balls.

Game 139: Pirates at Cubs

Ross Ohlendorf and Gary Coleman at one. Lee and McCutchen return.

Game 138: Pirates at Cubs

Brian Burres and Ryan Dempster at 2:20, with win #63 on the line.

Game 137: Dodgers at Pirates

Lincoln and Eveland at four.

The Bucs need to win one game to prevent another 100-loss season.

Game 136: Pirates at Astros

McDonald and Happ at eight. Happ has won 4 games and lost 15.

Advantage: Bucs (for being Happ-less).

Game 135: Pirates at Astros

Charlie Morton and Henry Sosa face off at eight. The maximum number of strikeouts per 9 inning game is 54.

Game 134: Pirates at Astros

Ross and Wandy at eight. The hapless Astros are 44-90.

Game 133: Pirates at Cardinals

Pirates down 5-4 in the fifth.

Game 132: Pirates at Cardinals

Lincoln and Carpenter at 4.

Pirates are 17 games out of first and 9 games under .500.

Game 131: Pirates at Cardinals

McDonald and Westbrook at eight.

After the game, maybe someone will take a nap in a car, at a stoplight.

Game 130: Pirates at Cardinals

Morton and Jackson at 8:15. The Bucs must win to keep playoff hopes alive.

Game 129: Brewers at Pirates

Aaron Thompson, seven year minor league veteran, makes his MLB debut at 12:35. Speaking of seven, the Pirates will try to not give up that many runs in one inning again this week.

Game 128: Brewers at Pirates

Return of Ohlendorf at seven. Speaking of seven, the Brewers will try to not give up that many runs in one inning again this week.

Game 126 and 127: Brewers at Pirates

Don't untuck yet, doubleheader today.

Game 125: Reds at Pirates

Leake and McDonald starting any time now.

The start has been delayed, but it looks like they will get this one in.

Game 124: Reds at Pirates

Iron Balls and one of the Charlie Mortons try to derail the D-train starting soon.

Game 123: Reds at Pirates

Correia and Bailey at seven with third place on the line.

Off day

No game today. Reds this weekend at home, and then more Brewers.

Game 122: Cardinals at Pirates

Paul, please pitch around Pujols.

Game 121: Cardinals at Pirates

Karstens and Carpenter at seven. If Newly-Acquired-Upside somehow counted as runs, the Bucs win this game by 100.

Cole and Bell sign

SI's Jon Heyman reports. Wow. We are having a Slot-Busting Party on the roof of the Beer Fort. Upside for everyone!

Game 120: Cardinals at Pirates

McDonald and Westbrook at seven.

Meanwhile, the draft deadline hovers at midnight. Must. Sign. Upside.

Game 119: Pirates at Brewers

Morton and Marcum at two. From deep within the Beer Fort, I smell a WIN.

Game 118: Pirates at Brewers

Correia and Erik Estrada at four. Derrek Lee texts Armando Rios with his one good hand.

Game 117: Pirates at Brewers

Maholm and hidden vigorish take on Greinke at eight with the pennant on the line. Prepare to untuck.

Off day

The Bucs rest today, and watch video of Nyjer Morgan in preparation for the Brewers tomorrow.

The losing streak not surprisingly has hurt the playoff odds, which have dipped to 75.5%.

Game 116: Pirates at Giants

Karstens vs. Sanchez in a day game. Bucs must win to keep playoff hopes alive.

Game 115: Pirates at Giants

McDonald and Bumgarner at ten.

We shudder to think that before yesterday an entire cohort of zero-to-ten-day-olds had never tasted a WIN.

Game 114: Pirates at Giants

Charlie Morton swaggers into San Francisco to take on the New and Improved Ryan Vogelsong and Jeff Keppinger at ten. Playoff implications abound.

Game 113: Padres at Pirates

Correia and Latos this afternoon. The Bucs need to swagger and BUNT to victory.

Game 112: Padres at Pirates

Skyblast! Bad baseball to be followed by even worse music. Game starts soon.

Maholm and Iron Balls take on some no-name guy. Pedro gets the night off. Derrek Lee is busy in the trainer's room, reading texts from Armando Rios.

Game 111: Padres at Pirates

Karstens hosts the Harangutan and the last-place hapless Padres at seven.

We just got the Win Meter back from the shop, and it's glowing green and beeping loudly.

Game 110: Cubs at Pirates

McDonald and Lopez at seven.

It would be magically exciting to see Ludwick BUNT. Again.

Game 109: Cubs at Pirates

Home Run Derby, featuring only Derrek "Long Balls" Lee (aka Operation Moonshot), starts tonight at seven. One of the Charlie Mortons will pitch.

All four wings of the Beer Fort are either on fire or smoldering. Must. Win. Now.

Game 108: Cubs at Pirates

Derrek Lee Home Run Derby starts at seven.

We're still working on a new nickname for the 2011 World Series MVP. Leon? D-Manlee? D-Leong Ball? Jose DeLeeong Ball? Derrek Ballgame? Bill MazeroskLee? Roberto ClementLee? WilLee Stargell?

Game 107: Cubs at Pirates

Derrek Lee, Ryan Ludwick, and Maholm lead the new look Bucs vs. Zambrano at seven.

Game 106: Pirates at Phillies

Karstens and Worley starting now. Overbay gets his likely final start at 1B with Lee joining the team tomorrow. With the deadline approaching, no other trades reported yet.

Bucs trade for Derrek Lee

Bucs trade minor league 1B Aaron Baker to the Orioles for Derrek Lee and cash, the Baltimore Sun reports.

The only red flag here is that Derrek Lee has not laid down a bunt since 2004, and has only 2 in nearly 8000 plate appearances. As long as D-Lee is willing to work within the new system and work on his bunting game, this is a huge win for the Bucs and their playoff roster.

Game 105: Pirates at Phillies

McDonald and Lee at seven.

Iron Balls McKenry: 666 OPS on the season, 790 OPS in July, 935 OPS the last seven days.

Game 104: Pirates at Phillies

Roy Halladay and one of his clones, a Charlie Morton, at seven.

Andrew McCutchen #2 in NL for WAR.

Game 103: Pirates at Braves

Correia, Lowe, and (hopefully) the return of Iron Balls at seven.

Game 102: Pirates at Braves

Maholm and Jurrjens at seven.

Last night's six-hour, nineteen-inning game ended with the most egregious blown call, in any sport, I've ever seen. I've watched a lot of sports. Seriously, that has to be the worst call by a baseball umpire ever.

Game 101: Pirates at Braves

Karstens, Pedro, and Fort Iron City Balls take on the Hanson Brothers at seven.

Game 100: Pirates at Braves

McDonald and Hudson at seven.

First place again. Playoff odds rising.

Game 99: Cardinals at Pirates

Lohse and Morton at 1:30.

Kids Jose Tabata jersey day.

This is a real public service for all thirteen-year-old boys out to impress the college girls.

Game 98: Cardinals at Pirates

Garcia and Correia at seven.

Pirates will wear the Grays uniforms.

I will do the same in the beer fort, and juggle sparklers afterwards.

Game 97: Cardinals at Pirates

Friday at seven: Carpenter and Maholm.

Pirates are six games up, and they should be getting some players back over the weekend.

I am curious to see how anticipated whipping-boy Pedro Alvarez would fare if promoted to the Show to work on that 587 OPS. Any talk about bringing him up should be grounded in the fact that his 2011 season has been a huge bust to date. It's not Ryan Braun we'd be getting back.

That said, I was looking around at various pre-season projections and whatever he did in 2010, was clearly promising for a man his age. ZIPS suggested a 116 OPS+ and 116 RBI with 28 HRs in a near-full season. Alvarez looks like the kind of player a budget-minded team would trade for--the next Andy Laroche, maybe.

The Pirates should give him another shot with that in mind. Some of these guys will be for real, and the opportunity to be the team that finds out, is a valuable one that is not to be squandered, especially when Ronny Cedeno might be the third or fourth best hitter on the active roster. He's up to a 924 OPS at AAA. I'd like to see him recalled when hot and then, if he does not hit much in a week, sent down again. I'm not sure if that is practical in terms of minor-league options etc., but this team does not hit so well that they can afford to keep Alvarez down there, destroying minor-league pitching.

Game 96: Reds at Pirates

Cueto and Karstens at 12:30.

Game 95: Reds at Pirates

Leake and McDonald at seven.

Good $60 seats available in the baseball club level.

Standing tall

The Pirates not only in sole possession of first place -- a half game over the Brewers and the Cardinals -- they are also a good six games above .500.

Game 94: Pirates at Reds

Willis and McDonald at seven.

Pirates are 49-44, and a half-game back of the Cardinals.

The simulations give the Reds a greater chance (~81%) at the playoffs. The Reds are a little more worthy than the hapless Astros, making this series an important test.

It will help answer the question, never far from my mind: "Will the Pirates squeak into the playoffs, or will they win 105 games, like they did last year?"

Game 93: Pirates at Umps

Pirates could have done a lot of things better last night, sure.

Correia and Rodriguez at two.

Game 92: Pirates at Astros

Game on at seven.

Maholm and Norris to start.

First Place Party

Going on up here.

Game 91: Pirates at Astros

Karstens and Myers at eight. The Bucs are one game back.

Now that the burgeoning baseball market in Pittsburgh could support two MLB franchises, why not move the hapless 30-62 Astros to the AL, as the Pittsburgh Astros? We wouldn't cover them here, of course, but at least they'd have fans show up to make noise.

All Star Break

That's right, take a break.

Game 90: Cubs at Pirates

Last call before the All-Star break.

Old Ramon Ortiz and Paul Maholm at 1:30.

Also Kid's Peirogy Wind-Up Racer Day.

Game 89: Cubs at Pirates

The hapless Cubs will try again at 7.

Cryin' Dempster and Cy Correia to start.

After the game, more sparklers and an eight-track.

Beer Fort McHenry

Surprised but cannot disagree with Dejan Kovacevic's case that last night's homer was the best of the sad, short history of PNC Park.

Game 88: Cubs at Pirates

Last nights' loss mucked up my Skyblast. Hall & Oates tape would not play, and the sparklers burnt holes in both the carpet and the leather sofa. Not entertained.

Nevermind. More than 24 hours to prepare for the next game.

Friday at seven: Lopez and McDonald as the Pirates gun for their 46th win.

Game 87: Astros at Pirates

Norris and a Morton at seven.

After the win, here in the beer fort, our own private Skyblast (beer, Hall & Oates tape, juggling sparklers).

Game 86: Astros at Pirates

Wandy and Karstens at seven.

Pirates are a game and a half back of St. Louis and three games over .500.

Game 85: Astros at Pirates

Myers, Maholm, and a whole bunch of Chuck Tanner floppy hats at one thirty.

Game 84: Pirates at Nationals

Correia and Marquis at 1:30.

Pirates are 42-41, 2.5 games back of the Brewers and Cardinals.

Game 83: Pirates at Nationals

Game two in progress.

Bottom of the second with Brad Lincoln auditioning for a role on the playoff roster.

Nats up 1-0.

Game 82: Pirates at Nationals

It was a regular pistol-whipping as the Pirates took game one of this doubleheader.

Game 81: Pirates at Nationals

Coasting into the middle point of the season, the Pirates are on pace for 98 wins.

They take their big, powerful-looking big bats into Washington, where our starters will stand tall against the slouchy National pitchers.

One of the Charlie Mortons and Tom Gorzelanny at seven.

Game 80: Pirates at Blue Jays

After a minor setback, the Pirates continue their dominance of the hapless, banjo-hitting AL.

Karstens and Cecil to start. Game on at 7.

Game 79: Pirates at Blue Jays

This dominance of the hapless AL continues tonight at 7pm.

Maholm and Morrow will start.

Game 78: Pirates at Blue Jays

Top of the fifth, Pirates up 6-3.

Perez and Correia are pitching.

Off day

Pirates get a day off to pack things for the trip to Toronto.

Game 77: Red Sox at Pirates

McDonald and Miller starting soon.

The Bucs don't want to tip their hand since these teams will likely meet again in the playoffs, so some of the backups are playing.

Game 76: Red Sox at Pirates

Return of Wakefield tonight at seven.

Flattery is rooting around in somebody's dumpster, finding something you like, then using it for 17 years.

Game 75: Bucs 3, Red Sox 1

If the league was realigned into overall talent tiers, the elite teams like the Bucs, Red Sox, and Yankees would get to play each other more often.

Still three back.

Three back

The Bucs are off today, and just three out of first place.

Game 74: Orioles at Pirates

To have any chance for the Cy Young, Kevin Correia must beat Zach Britton today. Game starts at 12:35.

The latest odds of the Bucs winning the division have dipped to 30%. Again: Must. Win. Game.

Game 73: Orioles at Pirates

Pirates have four runs after 2, which is pretty impressive, the way they have been hitting.

Woody Guthrie and James McDonald are the pitchers.

Pirates are back to being two games under .500 and need the win, of course, as always.

Game 72: Orioles at Pirates

Another match-up I'd like to see much more often.

But not with this result. Orioles lead 7-0 in the bottom of the second.

Bad Charlie started. Jake Arrieta pitching for the 5's and 2's.

Game 71: Pirates at Indians

Karstens and Masterson starting soon. Offensive call-ups and trade acquisitions still en route.