Thursday, June 14th, 2007 by Adam Wagner
What Became Obvious
It’s late and the Pirates came through big tonight, so I’m going to keep this rather short. The 8-1 victory brought the Pirates to 28-37, or nine games under .500. It also moved them to 2-3 in interleague play. Also of note, the Pirates are now 2-8 in home series and 8-0 against teams from the Lone Star State (in other words, they’re really lucky the Astros suck). Other observations:
-Ian Snell continued to solidify himself as ace of the staff with his complete game. The stories about him refusing to be taken out reveal another thing about him that this team seems to lack as a whole: guts. He wasn’t afraid of getting hurt or anything, he just wanted to prove that he could do something he had never done before and came through with it. That is impressive.
-Jose Castillo continued to impress, going 2 for 3 and scoring twice with an impressive RBI double mixed in. So, Jim, does his playing still have “nothing to do with Jack [Wilson]?” Because if that is true then you are even dumber than your general manager sounds. Jose Castillo should be playing because he is the best option, plain and simple. Tracy should be honest with the fans and the press and put that out there.
-The contributions came from the entire lineup tonight, as every starter but Ronny Paulino got a hit and Castillo was able to be the catalyst from the 7-hole.
-The Rangers are really awful. For a team that should be an offensive powerhouse they really struggle. You look at them and think, “What went so wrong?” That’s not a good situation with a first-year manager. I think Art Howe will be the acting manager by the end of the season.
-Please, God, don’t let this success be another flash in the pan. If Jose Castillo is the sparkplug this team needs, don’t let him lose interest. If Ian Snell is an ace, prevent his arm from pulling a Pirate and destroying itself. If this lineup is beginning to gel, as it is appearing to be, leave Jim Tracy’s hand away from the pen for a very long time.
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