[Operation Shutdown]

Thanks, and it only took three years to make it, kinda gives me some hope for the actual Pirates in the coming years. If these propsects are as good as some think they are, then it quites possible, especially considering I've managed to build the team with a pretty low payroll of just $42 million, well within the Pirates budget. Anyway, now on to my wrapup

September Wrapup
The Pirates were red-hot in the month of September, going 17-8 and managing to clinch the wild card in the NL. Benson, VanBenSchoten and Williams all pitched well this month going 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA, 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA, and 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA respectively. Ponson really struggled this month, going just 2-1 with a high 5.17 ERA. Xavier Nady had a good month hitting 0.389 with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs, as did JJ Davis who hit 0.297 with 10 HRs and 25 RBIs. Bobby Hill rebounded nicely this month hitting 0.292 with a 0.418 OBP, while McDougall cooled off considerably, hitting just 0.153 with no homers and just 5 RBIs.

Boston's Eric Chavez won the BOM award in the AL, hitting 0.392 with 8 HRs and 31 RBIs in the month of September, while former Pirate and current Padre, Brian Giles won the award in the NL hitting 0.365 with 12 HRs and 25 RBIs. Tampa Bay's Aaron Rakers won his first ever POM award for the AL this month, compiling a record of 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA. Florida's John Rheinecker won the award for the NL, after finishing the month with a record of 3-0 and a 0.74 ERA, marking the second straight month that he won the award, and doing so with a sub 1 ERA both times.

The Pirates sent Zach Greinke and Vic Butler back to AAA and released OF Darnell McDonald and chose to keep OF Manuel Ravelo as part of their playoff roster.

Division Series
In the first series in the AL the Texas Rangers (87-75) battle the Boston Red Sox (99-63). The Red Sox finished with the best record in the AL and did so thanks in large part to a very balanced team, with good pitching and good defense. The Red Sox were 5th in batting average, 6th in HRs, and 5th in runs scored, while their pithing staff was 6th in ERA, 14th in OAVG, and 6th in runs allowed. The Sox have Odalis Perez (19-8 3.20), Eric Milton (11-13 4.69), and Casey Fossum (14-10 4.23) listed as their top three starters, but they also have Derek Lowe (14-11 3.76) available to start if need be. The Red Sox have a pretty spread out offense, but Eric Chavez is the big one to look out for as he hit 0.304 with 26 HRs and 98 RBIs this season. The Rangers on the other hand have a very potent offense, but a rather weak pitching staff. They were 6th in batting average, 2nd in HRs, and 1st in runs scored, while their pitching staff was 26th in ERA, 24th in OAVG, and 24th in runs allowed. Mario Ramos (13-11 4.66), Runelvys Hernandez (11-15 3.95) and Rich Harden (11-13 5.11) are listed as their top three starters. The Ranger lineup is strong at all spots, but obviously the guy to watch out for is Alex Rodriguez, who hit 0.326 with 49 HRs and 123 RBIs and is the favorite for AL MVP. Prediction: Red Sox in three games.

The other AL race features the matchup of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (90-72) versus the Minnesota Twins (91-71). The Devil Rays have a real good offense, mixed with a decent pitching staff. They finished first in team batting average, 12th in HRs and third in runs scored, while their pitching was 12th in ERA, 17th in OAVG, and 12th in runs allowed. Dewon Brazelton (13-12 3.90), Kevin Millwood (19-6 3.91), and Luis De los Santos (10-2 3.29) are listed as their top three starters and they also have Aaron Rakers (12-9 4.25) available to start if need be. Their lineup is pretty solid all-around with the likes of Ben Grieve (0.320 24 83), Michael Cuddyer (0.282 24 88), Erick Almonte (0.303 24 96), and Rocco Baldelli (0.308 25 107). The Twins feature a fairly average team, with slightly above average hitting, and average pitching. They finished 12th in team batting average, 25th in HRs, and thanks to their speed and plate discipline, managed to finish 7th in runs scored while their pitching was 16th in ERA, 19th in OAVg, and 18th in runs allowed. Wade Miller (14-12 4.71), Jon Pridie (11-14 5.45), and Beau Kemp (5-5 3.32) are listed as their top starters, but they also have Brad Thomas (12-10 3.52) available to start. Their offense is pretty average, but Todd Hollandsworth is the guy to watch for on this team as he hit 0.293 with 22 HRs and 109 RBIs this season. Prediction: Devil Rays in four games.

In the NL, the first series sees the Braves (101-61) going against the Padres (79-84). The Braves have rather average hitting, but probably the best pitching staff in the majors. They finished 21st in team batting average, 10th in HRs, and 12th in runs scored, and their pitching was 1st in ERA, 3rd in OAVG, and 1st in runs allowed. Matt Wright (8-8 3.67), Jung Bong (4-1 2.53), and Horacio Ramirez (13-7 3.92) round out the top of the rotation, but they also have Wes Littleton (9-8 3.70) available if need be. The Braves rotation is very young, with Ramirez as the oldest at 25 years of age but will turn 26 this offseason. The Brave lineup is filled with power, but doesn't hit much for average, as not a single player hit above .300 this season, but they had 5 players with 20+ homeruns. Possible Cy Young candidate Adam Wainwright will likely miss the entire playoffs for the Braves. The Padres made it to the playoffs thanks in large part to a very weak division, but also some good pitching. They ranked 24th in team batting average, 16th in HRs, and 18th in runs scored, while their pitching staff was 8th in ERA, 9th in OAVG, and 8th in runs allowed. Mike Nicolas (9-6 2.69), Kip Wells (12-16 4.20), and Kyle Lohse (10-8 5.03) are listed as their top starters, but they also have Randy Keisler (6-9 4.03) to start if need be. Brian Giles (0.288 30 84), Jayson Werth (0.260 33 113), and Dmitri Young (0.300 19 95) are the hitters to watch for. Prediction: If the Braves played anyone but the Padres, I'd have picked them to lose, but I still think the Padres will give the Braves a run for their money, but even with Wainwright out, the Braves will win the series in five games.

The last series involves two central division foes competing against each other, with the Pirates facing the Cubs. The Pirates are a well-balanced team with above average hitting and above average pitching. They finished second in batting average, 18th in HRs, and 10th in runs scored while their pitching was 10th in ERA, 7th in OAVG, and 10th in runs allowed. Ponson (16-8 4.04), Benson (14-9 3.44), and VanBenSchoten (17-9 3.63) are listed as their top starters, but they would be crazy to not use Williams (19-6 3.08) as well. Their lineup is pretty well rounded with every hitter hitting above 0.270, and their middle three of Nady (0.312 24 102), Craig Wilson (0.281 22 120), and JJ Davis (0.292 40 111) are the players to really keep an eye on. The Cubs on the other hand have just an average offense, but a really good pitching staff. They ranked 19th in batting average, 4th in HRs, and 14th in runs scored, while their pitching was 4th in ERA, 5th in OAVG, and 5th in runs allowed. Mark Prior (15-7 2.52), Joe Kennedy (18-10 2.96), and Steve Smyth (14-8 3.74) are listed as their top three starters, but John Thomson (15-7 3.73) is also available. The Cubs don't have as well rounded of a lineup, but their middle three hitters are just as deadly, with Choi (0.280 29 80), Sosa (0.295 40 113), and Kelton (0.273 39 109) leading the way. Prediction: Gotta root for the home team, so I'm gonna say the Pirates in five games.

Game 1: Pirates 2 Cubs 4
The long ball really hurt Benson, as Choi, Sosa and Bellhorn all hit solo homeruns off of Benson, as he gave up four runs in six innings for the loss. The Pirates managed to pick up nine hits off of Prior, but scored just one run off of him in 6 2/3 innings. they scored one more in the ninth off of Kolb, but he held on for the save.

Other games:
TEX 1 BOS 0 WP - Ramos LP - Perez SV - Zimmerman
TBA 8 MIN 7 (11) WP - Standridge LP - Guardado
ATL 3 SDP 0 WP - Wright LP - Wells SV - Vizcaino

Game 2: Pirates 7 Cubs 10
This game was a real slugfest, as VanBenSchoten gave up 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings and Kennedy gave up 7 runs, five of them earned in 6 2/3 innings. The Pirates were trailing 6-0 heading into the seventh, but they managed to score seven runs off of Kennedy in the top of the seventh to take the lead. The Cubs tied things back up scoring a run off of Shields in the bottom half of the inning. They then scored three more in the bottom of the eighth, two off Shields and one off Jimenez to take the lead and they never looked back. Kolb pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. Shields got the loss and Ohman got the win.

Other games:
TEX 11 BOS 4 WP - Hernandez LP - Milton
MIN 4 TBA 0 WP - Pridie LP - Millwood
SDP 3 ATL 2 WP - Looper LP - Mallette SV - Speier

Game 3: Pirates 3 Cubs 4
The Pirates were swept by the Cubs and ace starter Ponson didn't even get a chance to start. Williams gave up four runs, three of them earned, in 8 1/3 innings of work for the loss. Smyth gave up just three runs in six innings for the win. The Cub bullpen did very well, giving up just two hits in three innings, and Kolb pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

Other games:
TEX 7 BOS 6 (10) WP - Lundquist LP - Wagner
TBA 2 MIN 1 WP - De los Santos LP - Kemp SV - Duckworth
SDP 3 ATL 2 (11) WP - Peavy LP - Eaton

A real shocker as the Rangers swept the Red Sox and continue on to the league championship series to face either Tampa Bay or Minnesota.

Game 4
TBA 5 MIN 4 WP - Zambrano LP - Kim
SDP 5 ATL 0 WP - Wells LP - Wright SV - Speier

Another shocker as the Padres do in fact upset the Braves in four games. The Devil Rays won in four as I predicted. I'll do the rest of the playoffs tomorrow, along with a team season wrapup and upload all of the files to the website as well.