[ifspuds]

As we put May in the books in Time Warp Baseball, the Pirates find themselves kicking around the .500 mark and sit 10.5 games back of the juggernaut that is the St. Louis Cardinals. There are rumors out of Pittsburgh that the Pirates are shifting from buying mode to selling mode, especially with the trade deadline right on top of them. The early promise shown by rookies Perry and Vardaman hasn't quite panned out, and not enough of the veterans have stepped up to take their place. Ike Walker continues to pound the stuffing out of the ball, hanging a .331/.393/.600 line on the board, with an amazing ten home runs in his 145 at-bats. His outstanding May earned him Batter of the Month honors in the National League, for hitting .347 with 6 homers.

Bright Spots

Besides Walker? Well, there isn't much to say. Elmer Menard passed 1900 hits this month, and needs 97 more for 2000. If he stays healthy and continues hitting .322, he should pass that mark by season's end. At age 33, Menard has a good shot at reaching 2500 hits before he hangs it up.

The Pirates may not catch St. Louis for the pennant, but on one day, they got the better of the Cardinals. In a 10-9 win, Ike Walker doubled and homered and drove in 6 runs.

The Lowlights

For a man whose entire value is built around making contact and getting base hits, Bob Ferry's stock is about as low as you can get right now. The 26-year old left fielder, expected to be a standout #2 hitter, is rumored to be losing his job entirely. Hitting .211 with few walks and no power will do that to a player. It begs the question of who will replace him, likely either veteran Cecil Reed (.286/.428/.519 at AAA) or youngster Albert Huschke (.318/.389/.500 at AAA), both of whom spent time with the big club last season. Maybe one of them will catch fire like Ike Walker has done.

Are we seeing the beginning of the end for Pirates stalwart Vic Ullom? The big first baseman finally hit his first home run of the season, but his average has dipped to an uncharacteristic .286. With "Samoan Ben" Giordano coming up and taking over first base duties against lefthanders to the tune of .412/.421/.529, local observers have started to wonder if Giordano will be taking over full-time duties soon.

Other News
The trade deadline is fast approaching, on June 15th. The front office has been relatively quiet, but they're undoubtedly working the phones to try and pull off a deal or two. The organization is widely known to be pitching-poor in the minors, so it's expected that they'll try to move one or two of their hitting prospects to bring in some arms. With Ike Walker tearing up the National League, AA 3B Bill Reed could be on the block.