Dynasty Pirates 2003

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 14
This week the Pirates play three at home against Cincinatti, who are 35-46 and 3-0 against the Pirates. The Pirates then play host to the Astros who are 38-43 and 3-5 against the Pirates.

June Wrapup:
The Pirates went 8-17 in the month of June and now have a record of 29-51, still holding onto fifth place in the NL Central, five and a half games above the basement dwelling Brewers. D'Amico is the only player that stood out from the starting rotation this month, but only managed one win, going 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA. Fogg had an extremely disappointing month going 0-5 with an 11.28 ERA. Kotsay had a great month with the bat, hitting 0.400 with 9 RBI's and 14 runs. Craig Wilson also did fairly well, hitting 0.308 with 3 HRs and 14 RBI's. Bobby Hill had another poor month hitting the ball, with an average of just 0.200, and this time his on-base pct. was also a low 0.268. JR House in his first month of major league action didn't too well either, hitting just 0.172 with 1 HR and 6 RBI's. Since coming over from the Padres in a trade, Oliver Perez has gone 0-3 with a 5.53 ERA and Xavier Nady hit just 0.235 with 2 HRs and 11 RBI's.

Around the league, Boston is still atop the AL East with a record of 50-32 and are 3.5 games ahead of the Yankees. In the central, Cleveland trails the division leading Twins by 2 games. The Twins are 42-39. In the West, the race remains tight with Oakland, at 46-35, leading Seattle by two games and Anaheim by three. In the National League, Philadelphia now leads the east with a record of 45-36, just a half game above the Expos. The Central is lead by the Cardinals with a major league best record of 54-28. They are blowing eveyone else away and are now 9.5 games above the Cubs. The West still sees the Diamondbacks leading with a record of 53-29, 3.5 games above the Dodgers.

Pedro won his second straight pitcher of the month award for the AL, going 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA in 6 starts. Marlins Mark Redman had a great month going 5-0 with a 2.06 ERA, earning him the NL award for pitcher of the month. Albert Pujols had a hot bat this month hitting 0.406 with 6 HRs and 24 RBI's to earn batter of the month awards for the NL. In the AL, the award went to Blue Jay's Eric Hinske, hitting an amazing 0.521 with 16 HRs and 38 RBI's.

League Transactions:
Besides the Pirates/Padres trade, there were five other trades this month. The Padres picked up 2 star RF Dustan Mohr from the Twins in exchange for 2.5 star SP Kevin Jarvis and 3 star prospect SS Lance Zawadski. Cincinatti and Houston made a huge trade with Cincinatti getting 4.5 star prospect SP Roy Oswalt, 1 star prospect LF Mike Rodriguez and 3 star prospect 1B Ruben Glennon from the Astros in exchange for 5 star prospect RF Austin Kearns. The next day, Cincinatti turned around and traded Glennon along with 4 star reliever Gabe White to the Blue Jays in exchange for 2 star SS Mike Moriarty. The White Sox sent the Big Hurt, 2 star 1B Frank Thomas to Baltimore for 2.5 star prospect 3B Tripper Johnson. Lastly, the Yankees unloaded 1.5 star RF Mondesi on the Brewers in exchange for 4.5 star prospect LF Bill Scott and 1 star prospect C Florian Villanueva. Maybe this is why the Brewers suck so much.

The promotions for this month will be:
7/2 - Glove Day against the Reds
7/6 - Retro Game Day against the Astros
7/18 - Fireworks night against the Brewers
7/22 - Baseball Cap Day against the Astros
7/30 - Noddin Head Doll Day against the Padres

Game 81: Pirates 1 Reds 5
The Pirates bullpen lost yet another game. Starter Kris Benson went 7 innings giving up just one run. Reds starter Ty Howington did just as well giving up just one run in 6 innings of work. The Pirates bullpen held on until the top of the tenth. After getting one out, Jim Mann proceeded to load the bases and was pulled. Boehringer came in and promptly gave up a grandslam to Aaron Boone before getting two ground outs to end the inning. Williamson then pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning to pick up the win pitching two scoreless innings. The loss was charged to Jim Mann.

Game 82: Pirates 7 Reds 6 Glove Day at PNC Park
Reds starter Roy Oswalt didn't have his greatest game, as he gave up 4 runs in 7 innings of work. Pirates starter Oliver Perez had a good start giving up just two runs in his 7 innings. The Pirates seemed to have things secure heading into the ninth with a 4-2 lead. After giving up a lead off single to Dunn, Torres got Larson and Griffey to ground into fielder's choice. Torres then gave up a single to Casey and then a 3 run homer to LaRue to give the Reds the lead. Boehringer then came into the game and gave up a single to Larkin and then a triple to Aaron Boone, before getting Moriarty to fly out to end the inning. It looked as if the bullpen had blown another one, but the Pirate offense came in for the rescue. With two outs and a runner on first, Craig Wilson hit a homerun to deep left field off of Williamson to tie the game. Then the Pirates with two outs in the bottom of the tenth, and with runners on first and second, got a clutch single by pinch hitter Humberto Cota, scoring Aramis Ramirez for the win. Beimel picked up the win for the Pirates, and the loss went to Reidling.

Game 83: Pirates 1 Reds 4
Fogg's woes continue, but this time it wasn't because of pitching a poor game. Despite picking up the loss, Fogg pitched fairly well giving up just three runs in 7 2/3 innings. The bad news came in the eighth inning, when after getting LaRue to strike out, Fogg strained his back muscle landing awkwardly from his delivery of the pitch. He is expected to miss the next four weeks. Danny Graves pitched a superb game for the Reds giving up just one run in 8 innings of work and earning his 10th win of the season. Williamson picked up his 22nd save pitching a scoreless ninth.

Series Recap: The bullpen almost blew two games this time around, but luckily the Pirates offense woke up enough to win one of the games. At the midway point of the season, the Pirates were 29-52, well on pace for a 100-loss season.

Josh Fogg was placed on the 15-day DL, and Meadows was promoted and will take Fogg's place in the starting rotation.

Game 84: Pirates 5 Astros 2
The Pirates smashed nine hits and scored 4 runs in 3 2/3 innings of Astros starter Manny Santillan. Suppan pitched well giving up just two runs in 7 2/3 innings. Jim Mann picked up his 12th save of the season pitching a scoreless ninth.

Game 85: Pirates 0 Astros 1
This game was a definite pitchers duel. After giving up just one run in the top of the first inning, which was unearned, Jeff D'Amico proceeded to pitch the next six innings without giving up a single run. The Pirates managed 6 hits and one walk off of starter Wade Miller in 8 2/3 innings, but were unable to score a run, as Miller picked up the win. With a runner on first base, Astros closer Billy Wagner came in and got House to strike out and end the inning, picking up his 19th save of the year.

Game 86: Pirates 5 Astros 2 Retro Game Day at PNC Park
Benson pitched a superb game, giving up just one unearned run in 6 innings of work. The Pirates bats smacked around Astros starter Tim Redding, who gave up 5 runs off of 10 hits while walking none and striking out 7 in 5 2/3 innings of work. Mann pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his 13th save of the year.

Series Recap: The Pirates continue to give the Astros trouble as they are now 7-4 against them this season.

Around the league, on Wednesday, Dodger's Odalis Perez pitched a 2-hit shutout against the Padres. Marlin's pitcher Josh Beckett will miss the rest of the season with a torn tricep muscle that he got in a game against Philadelphia on Saturday. On Sunday, it was also announced that Seattle's Freddy Garcia will also miss the remainder of the season with bone chips in his shoulder. He had pain in the shoulder all year, but it became unbearable and he had to be pulled in the game against the Rangers. Also on Sunday, Rockies' starter Dennis Stark pitched his first career shut-out, a one-hitter against the Brewers.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 15
This week the Pirates travel to Milwaukee for a four-game series. The Brewers are 25-62 this season, and the Pirates are 0-3 against the Brewers. The Pirates then travel to Houston to face the Astros who are currently 41-46. The Pirates have had the Astros number this year, going 7-4 against them.

Game 87: Pirates 10 Brewers 6
Oliver Perez pitched a pretty good game today giving up two runs in 6 innings of work, and picking up his first win as a Pirate. Brewers starter Ben Sheets didn't fare as well, giving up 5 runs, 4 of which were earned, in 6 2/3 innings of work. The Pirates scored five insurance runs in the top of the ninth, which proved to be very necessary, as the Brewers scored four runs in the bottom of the inning off of Dennys Reyes by a grand slam by Keith Ginter. Rob Mackowiak had a career day, from the leadoff spot in the order, he went 4-5, hitting three homeruns and picking up 6 RBI's.

Game 88: Pirates 4 Brewers 2
In his first start for the major league club this season, Brian Meadows pitched a great game giving up just two runs in six innings of work and picking up the win. The Pirates meanwhile scored four runs, three of which were earned, off of Brewers starter Ruben Quevedo, earning him the loss. Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to pick up his 14th save of the year.

Game 89: Pirates 9 Brewers 5 Baseball Cap Day at Miller Park
Pirates starter Jeff Suppan had a decent game, giving up five runs in 8 1/3 innings, picking up his 6th win of the year. Pirates bats were definitely alive again today, scoring 7 runs in 5 2/3 innings off of starter Francisco Campos, handing him his 12th loss of the season. Torres picked up the save getting Keith Ginter to ground into a double play with two men on and one out in the bottom of the ninth.

Game 90: Pirates 2 Brewers 3
The Pirates came close to sweeping the Brewers but lost the game in the bottom of the tenth. Both D'Amico and Mlicki lasted 7 2/3 innings and each gave up two runs. In fact, they also both gave up three hits and walked three. The only difference was D'Amico struck out 7 and Mlicki struck out just 4 hitters. The winning run came off of Mark Corey in the bottom of the ninth when with one out and a runner on third, Bill Hall singled through a drawn in infield to bring home Alex Sanchez. Corey got the loss and Vizcaino picked up the win for the Brewers.

Series Recap: It would have been nice to sweep the Brewers, but 3 out of 4 isn't bad. The Brewers snapped an 8 game losing streak with the win in the last game of the series.

Game 91: Pirates 2 Astros 1
Both Benson and Tim Redding pitched 7 innings, giving up one run, walking 1, and striking out 3. The only difference was that Benson gave up 5 hits, while Redding gave up 3 hits. Benson also picked up the win as the Pirates scored in the top of the eighth off of Astros reliever Bruce Chen when Mackowiak was walked with the bases loaded. The run and the loss were charged to Brandon Puffer, who gave the lead off walk to Matt Stairs. The Astros almost came back to tie it in the ninth, but with two outs and runners at the corners, Jim Mann got Vizcaino to ground out to second base to end the rally, and pick up his 15th save.

Game 92: Pirates 0 Astros 1
Another classic pitcher duel, as Perez gave up just one run in seven innings of work. His counterpart Peter Munro went 7 1/3 innings of shut-out work however, to pick up the win. The Pirates tried to mount a comeback in the ninth, but ended up just short. Kotsay lead off with a walk. After Reggie Sanders struck out, Kotsay was picked off at first base with Ramirez at the plate. Ramirez ended up reaching base on an error by the shortstop. Matt Stairs then singled and Ramirez moved to third. Wagner stopped the rally by getting Nady to strike out, picking up his 20th save of the season.

Oliver Perez was injured in the seventh inning after striking out the side. He has a strained elbow ligament, and will be out for 1-2 weeks. It is not sure whether he will miss any starts or not, since the all-star break is coming up next week.

Game 93: Pirates 4 Astros 5
The Pirates scored three runs off of starter Talbot, who pitched five innings. The Pirates also scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth off of Ricky Stone. Meadows had another real strong performance giving up just one run, a solo homer to Jeff Kent, in eight innings of work. However, the Pirate defense and bullpen blew up on themselves in the ninth. Jason Lane started the inning off by reaching on a throwing error by Ramirez. Jim Mann then walked Stanley, to put two runners on. Mann seemed to about out of the jam when he got Vizcaino to fly out to short right-center, and Brian Hunter to strike out swinging. Mann then gave up a single to Jeff Bagwell that scored Lane and moved Stanley to second. Boehringer then came in and gave up a three run homerun to Jeff Kent, to score the winning run. Boehringer got the loss for the Pirates while Stone got the win.

Series Recap: This was one close series, with each game decided by just one run.

The only other news this week in the league was that Twins right fielder Bobby Kielty will miss the rest of the season with a broken wrist, suffered when he was hit by a pitch by Rangers' Ismael Valdes.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 16:
To start the week off, the Pirates promoted LF Vic Butler from A to AA. Butler was hitting 0.333 as a Lynchburg Hillcat. The Pirates also promoted 3B Yurrendell DeCaster from A to AA. DeCaster hit 0.261 with 7 HR and 32 RBI's in Lynchburg.

In the majors, this week started off with the All-Star game being played in Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field. Mark Kotsay was the lone representative from the Pirates and went 3-4 with one walk in the game. The AL won the game 3-2.

The Pirates this week will play a four-game series at home against the Brewers.

Game 94: Pirates 4 Brewers 7
Suppan continues to rack up the innings pitching 7 1/3 innings, but giving up all seven Brewers runs, six of which were earned. The Pirates scored four runs of starter Glendon Rusch, who went 8 1/3 innings. The Pirates were threatening in the ninth, with runners at second and third, with one out, and one run already home, but Vizcaino entered the ball game and got Matt Stairs to strike out looking and Craig Wilson to pop out to the pitcher to end the rally and pick up his 14th save of the season.

Game 95: Pirates 7 Brewers 6 Fireworks Night at PNC Park
The Pirates got off to a hot start scoring six runs off of starter Wayne Franklin, who lasted just 3 1/3 innings. The Brewers staged a rally against Jeff D'Amico, scoring six runs against him in 6 2/3 innings. Both bullpens did well, not giving up a run until the bottom of the tenth inning. Craig Wilson doubled to lead off the inning against Dejean. After Nunez grounded out to the pitcher, Rob Mackowiak hit a single to left, and Craig Wilson beat the throw home to the plate by Geoff Jenkings, giving the Pirates the win. Mann picked up the win for the Pirates, while DeJean got the loss for the Brewers.

Game 96: Pirates 9 Brewers 4
With the score tied 2-2 heading into the seventh inning, Benson gave up a two run homerun to Raul Mondesi. Benson finished the inning and left the game having given up four runs in seven innings. The Pirates, however, answered in the bottom of the seventh. Sheets was pulled at the end of six innings, giving up just two runs in six innings. DeLosSantos was brought in and gave up a single to Ramirez to lead off the inning, and then Sanders homered to tie the game. Nance was then brought in and got Nady to ground out. He then gave up a single to House and walked Jack Wilson. After getting Matt Stairs to strike out, he seemed to be out of the jam, but then gave up a three run homerun to Mark Kotsay to give the Pirates the lead. Bobby Hill then grounded out to end the inning. The Pirates scored two more in the bottom of the eighth from a double by House that scored Sanders and Mackowiak, but the runs proved not to be needed as Sauerbeck, Corey, and Boehringer combined to pitch two scoreless innings of relief. Benson picked up the win, his 10th, while Nance got the loss for the Brewers.

Game 97: Pirates 6 Brewers 9
Salomon Torres started tonight's game, as Oliver Perez was still suffering from his injury. He faired rather poorly giving up five runs in just 1 2/3 innings. The real back breaker came in the top of the eighth inning as the Brewers managed to score four unearned runs in the inning, thanks to an error by Aramis Ramirez. It was especially heartbreaking as the Pirates managed to score five more runs, two in the eighth and three in the ninth. The Pirates had scored their three runs in the ninth, while Quevedo and DeLosSantos did not register a single out. Vizcaino came in with a runner on second base, but shut the Pirates down with the three sstraight outs. Ruben Quevedo went eight innings, giving up five runs for the win. Vizcaino picked up his 15th save of the year.

Series Recap: A split with the Brewers, ahhh, I guess that's all right.

On Thursday, Indian's first baseman Travis Hafner broke his knee while running the bases and will miss the remainder of the season. On Sunday, the Met's leftfielder hit for the cycle against Atlanta Braves pitching. Also on Sunday, Rockies starting pitcher Ruben Quevedo pitched a no-hitter, while walking just three in a 1-0 victory over the Giants.

[joncarlos]

Good stuff! Seems like you've had a lot of injuries (season-enders) in your league. And Ruben Quevedo with a no-hitter, wow!!

I love that you made a deal with the padres to give them Kendall and Giles. How is your team doing stats-wise?

[Operation Shutdown]

hey Jon, yeah, weird how that all worked out, I just went down the line with the teams offering just Giles and Kendall to start out, and the Padres were the only team to offer me a real good outfield prospect and a good pitching prospect with Kip added. As per your request, I've listed my team's stats through the season so far.

POS_____Name___________Avg___OBP_ HR_RBI_R_SB
C - JR House______________0.246 0.295 2 11 16 0
C - Humberto Cota_________0.304 0.313 1 7 9 0
1B - Carlos Rivera__________0.226 0.304 2 7 7 0
1B - Craig Wilson__________ 0.280 0.342 16 49 41 0
2B - Bobby Hill_____________0.225 0.335 5 19 25 19
2B - Abraham Nunez________0.263 0.333 0 9 15 2
3B - Rob Mackowiak________ 0.309 0.354 16 38 28 4
3B - Aramis Ramirez________ 0.248 0.279 11 50 39 0
SS - Jack Wilson___________ 0.255 0.297 2 28 28 0
LF - Xavier Nady___________ 0.282 0.320 3 22 14 0
CF - Mark Kotsay___________0.351 0.410 9 46 63 8
RF - Reggie Sanders________ 0.252 0.291 10 34 39 3
RF - Matt Stairs____________ 0.214 0.314 3 13 12 1

For my starting pitchers

Kris Benson 10-7 4.39 ERA
Oliver Perez 5-9 3.41 ERA
Brian Meadows 1-0 1.93 ERA
Jeff Suppan 6-9 5.28 ERA
Jeff D'Amico 5-6 3.93 ERA

Jim Mann 4-2 15 saves 4.31 ERA

First off, I've updated to the 5.13 patch starting this week.

Week 17
This week the Pirates have a two game series at home against the Astros, who are 45-53, and the Pirates are 8-6 against them. The Pirates then travel to Cincinatti for a two-game series against the Reds. The Reds are 46-52 so far this season, and the Pirates are 1-5 against them. The Pirates then travel to St. Louis for the start of a four game series against the Cardinals, who are 65-34, and the Pirates are 0-6 against them.

Game 98: Pirates 4 Astros 5
Pirates starter Brian Meadows had a decent game, giving up four runs in 7 innings of work. Astros starter Mitch Talbot went 7 2/3 innings without giving up a single run. However, in the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates scored four unearned runs off of Brad Lidge and Ricky Stone. The Astros scored a run off of Boehringer in the top of the 13th to get the win. Puffer got the win for Houston and Boehringer the loss.

Game 99: Pirates 6 Astros 7 Baseball Cap Day at PNC Park
Pirates starter Jeff Suppan only pitched one inning, and gave up six runs. Torres gave up the other run to the Astros. The Pirates tried to mount a comeback against the Astros, scoring four runs against starter Saarloos, who lasted five innings, and the others coming off Moreno and Wagner. The Pirates had a chance to score with runners at the corners and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Dotel came on and got Nunez to fly out to end the inning, earning Dotel his 1st save of the year. Saarloos got his first win and Suppan picked up his 10th loss.

Series Recap: The Astros finally won against the Pirates and have now evened up the series.

Game 100: Pirates 6 Reds 4
Jeff D'Amico pitched a good game today giving up four runs, three of which were earned in 7 innings of work, earning himself the win. Graves gave up four runs in six innings, but reliever Scott Sullivan picked up the loss giving up two runs in the top of the eighth. Ramirez and Sanders hit two run homers for the Pirates.

Game 101: Pirates 5 Reds 3
Kris Benson had a good game giving up just one run, but lasted only five innings, because of a 54-minute rain delay in the fourth inning, but long enough to pick up the win. Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 16th save of the year. Reitsma started for the Reds, giving up four runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Series Recap: The Pirates chip away against the Reds. Thanks to two good games by the starting pitchers, the Pirates were able to pick up the wins.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, I've added Kris Benson back to the trading block, along with Reggie Sanders and Matt Stairs.

Game 102: Pirates 1 Cardinals 5
The Pirates woes against the Cardinals continue. Oliver Perez lasted 5 2/3 innings giving up four earned runs. All of the runs scored by the Cardinals were off of homeruns. A two run shot by Tino Martinez, and solo shots by Alex Ochoa, Albert Pujols, and JD Drew. Cardinals rookie Jimmy Journell picked up his seventh win, giving up one run in seven innings of work.

Game 103: Pirates 2 Cardinals 9
Meadows pitched another decent game, giving up 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings, but earning his first loss of the season. The Pirates gave up any hope of a chance when Mark Corey and Torres combined to give up six runs in the bottom of the eighth. Cards starter Jason Simontacchi handled the Pirates batters quite well, giving up just 2 runs in eight innings.

Game 104: Pirates 4 Cardinals 0
Jeff Suppan had a great game, giving up just six hits, while walking none and striking out none, in a complete-game shutout. Brett Tomko lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up just one run, but he injured his elbow after giving up the run scoring single to Aramis Ramires. Luckily for the Cardinals, Tomko was not seriously injured, and is listed as day-to-day for the next few days.

Series Recap: The Pirates finally picked up a win against the might Cardinals, but at the cost of two more losses.

Around the league, on Wednesday Royal's Runelvys pitched a two hit shutout against the Minnesota Twins. On Friday, the Expos and all their fans received terrible news, when it was announced that Vlad would miss the remainder of the season after breaking his knee diving for a ball. On Saturday, Rockies rightfielder Larry Walker picked up his 2000th career hit against Brewers pitcher Valerio De Los Santos. On Sunday, White Sox starter Mark Buehrle shut out the Devil Rays, giving up just one run.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 18
The trading deadline will pass this week, so expect the Pirates to make a number of moves, trying to trade away veterans to the contenders, while adding some youth to the team. In other team news, the Pirates were unable to extend the contract of Abraham Nunez. Reports are that offers were in upwards of $900k per year for as many as four years. The Pirates are currently 41-63 and still in fifth place in the division. This week, they finish off the four-game series against the Cardinals. The Pirates then finish the month of July at home against the Padres. The Padres are currently 57-49, and the Pirates are 1-2 against them this year. The Pirates then remain home and open up the month of August against the Rockies, who are 58-50 and the Pirates are 0-3 against them this season.

Game 105: Pirates 1 Cardinals 2 Glove Day at Busch Stadium
A tough loss as Pirates errors figure into this one. D'Amico did fairly well giving up just two runs, only one earned, in 5 2/3 innings. Matt Morris sparkled in his start, giving up just one run in 7 innings of work. Izzy came in to close out the ninth and pick up his 11th save of the season.

Series Recap: The Pirates finally beat the Cardinals, but there's not much consolation in that, as they've only won one.

I got four offers for Benson today, but I wasn't too terribly interested in any of them. Offers came from Anaheim, who sent two, Texas, and Houston. If I don't get anything interesting I'll probably look to see what I can work out with those teams.

Game 106: Pirates 8 Padres 0
This game was a homecoming of sorts for Kip Wells, pitching against his old teammates, but the Pirates did not make it a pleasant one for him. They scored five runs, two of which were earned, off of him in 7 innings. Benson, on the other hand, sparkled once again in what many are speculating could very well have been his last start in Pittsburgh, pitching eight shut-out innings and picking up his 12th win of the season.

I got four offers for Benson today, but I wasn't too terribly interested in any of them. Offers came from Anaheim, who sent two, Texas, and Houston. If I don't get anything interesting I'll probably look to see what I can work out with those teams.

Game 107: Pirates 2 Padres 13 Noddin Head Doll Day at PNC Park
Just as the Pirates embarassed of Kip Wells, the Padres certainly embarassed former teammate Oliver Perez. Perez gave up 6 runs, four earned, in just 2 2/3 innings of work for his 11th loss of the season. Padres starter Sidney Ponson picked up his 11th win, his second as a Padre, pitching 7 2/3 innings and giving up two runs. Giles hit his 17th homer of the year, and Kotsay hit his 12th.

The Pirates made a couple of moves before today's trading deadline. They sent RF Reggie Sanders, 3B Aramis Ramirez, and C Ronny Paulino to the New York Yankees in exchange for 3B prospect Drew Henson. Henson was placed on the 40-man roster, and has three option years remaining. Mackowiak will now be the starting 3B for the Pirates. The Pirates also traded SP Brian Meadows and AAA 1B prospect Walter Young to the Rangers for SS prospect Marshall McDougall. McDougall was placed on the 40-man roster, with three option years remaining. The Pirates promoted CF Tony Alvarez from AAA Nashville to the major league club. Alvarez was hitting 0.329 with 16 HRs and 62 RBIs in 496 at-bats for Nashville before being called up. The Pirates also announced that they signed veteran 3B Robin Ventura for $320k for one year. Ventura will provide back-up duties for 3B Mackowiak. He was hitting 0.200 with 1 HR and 3 RBI's in 50 at-bats, before being released by the Yankees earlier this season.

Game 108: Pirates 4 Padres 10
With Fogg still not able to make a start due to his injury, and the recent trade of Meadows, Salomon Torres had to make an emergency start and didn't do well, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings for the loss. Jake Peavy went 6 2/3 innings giving up four runs for the win. Former Pirate Kenny Lofton had the hot bat going 2-5 with 3 RBI's. Alvarez went 1-5 with a triple in his first appearance this season.

Series Recap: The Pirates didn't fare too well against a much revamped Padres team. Pretty much what I was expecting.

July Wrapup
This month, the Pirates went 13-15, and now have a record of 42-66, good for fifth place in the division, ahead of the Brewers by 11 games. Benson had a superb month going 5-0 with a 1.58 ERA in 6 starts. Jeff D'Amico also had a decent month, going 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA. Suppan, while not doing horrible, didn't do all that great this month going 3-2 with a 5.13 ERA. Kotsay continued to have a hot bat this month, hitting 0.327 with 5 HR, 15 RBI's, scoring 17 runs, and stealing 4 bases. Mackowiak also had a strong month hitting 0.383 with 3 HRs and 16 RBI's this month, earning him a look as the Pirates new starting 3B. JR House seems to be settling into the major leagues now, as he hit 0.309 with 2 HR and 7 RBI's this month. Jack Wilson was the only Pirate batter to hit poorly this month, hitting just 0.198.

Around the league, the Red Sox are still atop the AL East with a record of 65-44, but now only find themselves one game ahead of the Yankees. In the central the Twins, with a record of 56-51, are now 5 games ahead of the Tigers. In the West, the Mariners, at 64-44, have taken the lead over from the A's who trail by one game. Montreal with a record of 61-48, have taken over the lead in the NL East from the Phillies who now trail by 1.5 games. The central is still led by the Cardinals with a league-best record of 70-39, nine games ahead of the Cubs. Arizona now leads the west division by 10 games over the Padres, with a record of 69-40.

Blue Jays' Roy Halladay took over the POM award from Pedro. In 7 starts Halladay went 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA. Cardinals starter Matt Morris just won out over Pirates' Kris Benson for the award in the NL, going 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 6 starts. White Sox right fielder Magglio Ordonez hit 0.316 with 11 HRs and 30 RBI's this month, good enough to earn him the BOM award for July. Rockies' shortstop Jose "K" Hernandez won the award in the NL, hitting 0.411 with 6 HRs and 26 RBI's.

League Transactions: There were too many trades made for me to post them all here, so I just included a link to the players transaction page from the league if you want to look. transactions

Promotions for August:
8/1 - Fireworks Night against Rockies
8/16 - Noddin Head Doll Day against the Brewers
8/27 - Glove Day against the Mariners

Game 109: Pirates 6 Rockies 8 Fireworks Night at PNC Park
Suppan gave up 5 runs, 4 of which were earned, in five innings of work. Chin-Hui Tsao gave up five runs, three of which were earned, in 4 1/3 innings. Neither starter got the win, as heading into the seventh the score was tied at 5. Boehringer gave up three runs in the top of the inning and got the loss. The win went to Ugueth Urbina. The Pirates attempted a comeback in the ninth, when with two outs, Cota hit a pinch hit double. Craig Wilson then singled, bringing home Cota. Mackowiak reached on an error, and Matt Stairs was walked. Xavier Nady flew out on a spectacular catch by the left fielder in shallow left field, to end the game, and leave the bases loaded. Jimenez picked up his 18th save.

Game 110: Pirates 2 Rockies 3
Both starting pitchers did very well in this game. D'Amico gave up two runs in 7 innings, and Dennis Stark gave up just one run in 6 innings. The Pirates, down 2-1, managed to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth when Carlos Rivera hit a solo homerun with two outs against Ugueth Urbina. The Rockies scored the game winning run in the top of the 12th with a single off of Dennys Reyes that scored Preston Wilson. Torres, however got the loss as he was the one that put Wilson on. The Pirates once again threatened with runners at the corners and two outs, but Bobby Hill struck out to end the game. Jimenez picked up the win pitching scoreless 11th and 12th innings.

Game 111: Pirates 6 Rockies 3
Benson continued his string of consecutive good outings, giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings for his 13th win of the year, and his seventh consecutive win. He also helped himself with the bat, hitting a solo homerun in the fourth. Jason Jennings gave up six runs, four of which were earned, in just 3 1/3 innings. Mann pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17th save of the year.

Around the league on Tuesday, Red Sox starter Derek Lowe fired a two-hit shutout against the Blue Jays. On Saturday, Dodgers Odalis Perez also fired a two-hit shutout against the Atlanta Braves.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 19
The Pirates are currently 43-68, still in fifth place in the central division. This week they play three games in San Francisco, against the Giants who are 53-59 this season, and whom the Pirates are 0-3. The Pirates then travel to Denver for a three game series against the Rockies, who are 61-53 and whom the Pirates are 1-5 against this season.

Game 112: Pirates 1 Giants 3 Glove Day at Pac Bell Park
Perez had himself a pretty good outing, giving up just three runs in seven innings of work, but it wasn't good enough as he picked up his 12th loss. However, Giants pitchers held Pirate hitters to just three hits, and only one run, a solo homer by Craig Wilson with two outs in the ninth inning. Giants rookie Jessie Foppert got his 7th win, giving up no runs in seven innings. Despite giving up a run in the ninth, Felix Rodriguez picked up his third save of the year.

Game 113: Pirates 5 Giants 3
In his first start since returning from his injury, Josh Fogg gave up three runs in six innings, to pick up his fourth win of the season. Giants starter Jerome Williams gave up four runs in seven innings for the loss. Despite putting two people on in the bottom of the ninth, Jim Mann closed out the game not giving up any runs in the inning, to pick up his 18th save of the year.

Game 114: Pirates 1 Giants 3
Suppan gave up three runs in the first inning, but then pitched the next five innings, scoreless, however the damage had been done, and he picked up his 11th loss of the season. Giants Jason Schmidt had a great outing, giving up just the one run in eight innings. Felix Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 4th save of the year.

Series Recap: A very low scoring series. Pirates starters did very well, giving up just three runs per game, but the offense was lacking, scoring just seven runs in the three games.

Game 115: Pirates 7 Rockies 4
The Pirates got to Rockies starter Dennis Stark very quickly, scoring seven runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Jeff D'Amico did fairly well, giving up four runs in 7 2/3 innings of work, to even his record at 7-7. Jim Mann closed out the ninth, to pick up his 19th save of the year. Larry Walker extended his hitting streak to 19 games.

Game 116: Pirates 3 Rockies 4
Kris Benson had another good outing giving up just two runs in seven innings of work, but did not figure in the decision. Sauerbeck and Mann combined to give up, two hits and four walks, allowing the Rockies to score two runs, both charged to Sauerbeck, in the bottom of the eighth, just after the Pirates had managed to take the lead 3-2 in the top half of the inning. Jason Jennings went eight innings giving up three runs, for the win. The Pirates threatened in the ninth, but with runners at the corners and two outs, Steve Reed got Craig Wilson to strike out swinging, picking up his first save of the season. Walker extended his hitting streak to 20 games.

Game 117: Pirates 3 Rockies 4
Oliver Perez did decent this outing, but he still managed to pick up the loss, his 13th of the season. He worked 6 2/3 innings, giving up all four Rockies runs. The Pirates scored two runs against Chacon, who picked up the win in his 7 2/3 innings of work. The Pirates again threatened in the ninth when Nady doubled down the line scoring Matt Stairs. With two outs and Nady on second, Todd Jones got JR House to strike out swinging, ending the threat, and earning Jones his 4th save of the year. Walker extended his hitting streak to 21 games.

Series Recap: A bunch of really close games, but the Pirates just barely didn't have enough to get it done.

Around the league on Friday, Twins Eric Milton pitched a two-hit shutout against the Tigers, and helped out his own cause with 2 RBI's in a 9-0 rout.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 20
Another exciting week in store for Pirates fans. 3B Drew Henson was promoted from AA to AAA after hitting 0.277 with 17 HR and 62 RBI's this season with time split between the Altoona Curve and Yankees AA affiliate Trenton Thunder. This week the Pirates are at home, with a four game series against the Cardinals. The Cards are 77-41 this season, and the Pirates are 1-9 against them. The Pirates then play host to the Brewers in a three game series to end the homestand. The Brewers are 36-81 this season, and the Pirates are 5-6 against them.

Game 118: Pirates 5 Cardinals 3
Pirates starter Josh Fogg had his second good game since coming off the DL, giving up just three runs in seven innings of work. Pirates hitters managed to chase Cardinals starter Jasonn Simontacchi after 4 1/3 innings of work, giving up all five Pirates runs. Jim Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 20th save of the year.

The Pirates promoted CL Henry Owens from A to AA after Owens went 5-4 with 27 saves and a 2.17 ERA in 43 appearances for the Hillcats.

Game 119: Pirates 0 Cardinals 1
Suppan had a superb game, giving up just one run in eight innings to the Cardinals, but it wasn't good enough as he picked up his 12th loss. Pirate bats could not score home a run against Cards starter Matt Morris who only gave up 3 hits in eight innings. Isringhausen picked up his 16th save, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

Game 120: Pirates 6 Cardinals 7
Jeff D'Amico had a disappointing start, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings to the Cardinals. Pirates bats finally got to the Cardinals pitching staff, scoring five runs off of starter Woody Williams in six innings. However reliever Lidge gave up just one more run in two innings of work, and closer Isringhausen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 17th save of the season.

Game 121: Pirates 0 Cardinals 2
Benson had another good start, giving up just two runs, only one of them earned, in 8 1/3 innings, but got the lost. Cardinals pitching proved to be too much for the Pirates bats once again, as starter Brett Tomko went six innings giving up just one hit. The Pirates managed another hit against Isringhausen, a two-out double by Alvarez, but Izzy shut them down in the ninth, to earn his 18th save of the season.

Series Recap: A couple of close, tough losses against a very good St. Louis team. The Pitching, with the exception of D'Amico, was superb, but the Pirates bats just weren't awake in any of the low scoring games.

Game 122: Pirates 8 Brewers 4
Pirates starter Oliver Perez entered the eighth inning with a 3-0 lead. He was pulled, after giving up a double and a walk. Sauerbeck came in and struck out Hammonds, and was then pulled in favor of Mann. Mann gave up a walk to Helms and then got Gonzalez to strike out. With the bases loaded and two outs, Mann gave up a grand slam to Kelly Grams, to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead. Two of the runs were charged to Perez and the other two to Mann. Mann ended up picking up the win, as the Pirates answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning against relievers, DeJean, Leskanic, and Nance. Glendon Rusch pitched seven innings giving up just three runs, two of which were earned, but got the no-decision, as Leskanic picked up the loss.

Game 123: Pirates 2 Brewers 3 Noddin Head Doll Day at PNC Park
Fogg picked up his 13th loss of the season, giving up three runs in 7 innings. Ben Sheets picked up just his fourth win, giving up just two runs in six innings of work. The Pirates threatened in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and one out, but Leskanic got out of the jam getting Bobby Hill to fly out to the gap in right-center, a play which should have netted a runner if not for the poor base running of JR House at third base, and getting Craig Wilson to fly out to left center to end the threat and earning Leskanic his 20th save of the season.

Game 124: Pirates 7 Brewers 0
Suppan had a superb giving up no runs and scattering just five hits in 7 innings of work, earning his 8th win of the season. Quevedo gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings, though he didn't give up a single run until the sixth inning.

Series Recap: The Pirates did fairly well against the Brewers, losing just the one close one that they should have won. They've evened their series against the Brewers for the season.

Around the league on Thursday, Angels' DH Robb Quinlan smacked three homeruns off of White Sox pitching in a 16-3 rout. On Saturday Yankees fans got bad news as they learned that 1B Jason Giambi will miss the next 4-5 weeks with a strained Posterior Cruciate Ligament.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 21
The Pirates announced that they have promoted 2B Jose Bautista from A to AA today. Bautista was hitting 0.299 with 17 HRs and 51 RBIs this season.
The Pirates this week go on the road to St. Louis for a three game series against the Cardinals. The Cards are 81-44 this year, and the Pirates are 2-12 against them. The Pirates then travel to Milwaukee for a three game series against the Brewers, who are 37-86 this year, and whom the Pirates are 7-7 against. This will be the last time the Pirates face both teams.

Game 125: Pirates 3 Cardinals 6
The Pirates seemed to be in the driver seat in this game, with the score 3-2, with the runs coming from a solo homer by Rob Mackowiak, and a two run homer by Jeff D'Amico. However, D'Amico imploded on himself in the eighth inning giving up four more runs without recording a single out. D'Amico went a total of 7+ innings giving up all six runs for the loss. Woody Williams went seven innings, giving up three runs, one of which was earned, but got a no-decision. Crudale picked up the win, pitching a scoreless eighth, and Izzy picked up his 19th save pitching a scoreless ninth.

Game 126: Pirates 8 Cardinals 4
This game took 15 innings to decide. Benson had another superb giving up just one run in 6 innings of work. Jimmy Journell went 8 innings, giving up three runs for the Cardinals. The Pirates were winning this game 3-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. However, Boehringer, after pitching a scoreless seventh, came in and gave up a three run homerun to Albert Pujols without recording a single out to give the Cards a 4-3 lead. The Pirates answered back in the top of the ninth, when with two outs, Carlos Rivera hit a pinch hit solo homerun to tie the game at 4 a piece. The Pirate and Cardinals bullpen went head to head, with neither of them flinching and not giving up a single run until the 15th inning. That's when with the Pirate runners on first and second, with two outs, and one run already in off a single by Nady scoring Stairs, House came to the plate and launched a three run homerun to deep left field off of Brad Lidge, giving the Pirates an 8-4 lead. Reyes pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning and picked up the win, while Lidge got the loss.

Game 127: Pirates 2 Cardinals 4 Fireworks Night at Busch Stadium
Perez had another good outing for the Pirates, giving up just one run in six innings of work, but the bullpen blew another lead. The Pirates entered the seventh with a 2-1 lead, but with one out and nobody on, Jim Edmonds tied the ballgame up with a solo homerun off of Boehringer. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Boehringer gave up a lead-off double to Rolen and was then pulled in favor of Mark Corey. After getting Jim Edmonds to line out to third and Kerry Robinson to strike out looking, it looked as if the Pirates might work their way out of the jam. However, Scott Rolen stepped up to the plate and launched a two-run walk-off homerun to win the game for the Cardinals. Starter Jason Simontacchi went eight innings, giving up two runs, but the win went to Brad Lidge, who pitched a scoreless ninth. The loss went to Boehringer.

Series Recap: Some more real close ones to a much better team, but the Cards were able to come out on top in two out of the three. The Pirates finished the season 3-14 against the Cardinals, easily the worst record for any interdivisional matchup.

Game 128: Pirates 1 Brewers 2
Josh Fogg pitched another great game giving up just two runs in seven innings, but it again wasn't good enough as Fogg picked up his 14th loss of the season. Pirates hitters managed just one hit, and one unearned run against Ben Sheets, who went 8 innings for only his fifth win of the year. Vizcaino worked a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 21st save of the year.

Game 129: Pirates 6 Brewers 2
The Pirates won this game, thanks to a strong outing by Jeff Suppan, who went six innings, and giving up two runs to earn his 9th win of the season. Ruben Quevedo surpassed Josh Fogg with the lead for the most losses the season, picking up his 15th while giving up six runs, five of which were earned, in seven innings of work.

Game 130: Pirates 8 Brewers 2 Fireworks Night at Miller Park
Jeff D'Amico had another great outing and is probably one of the better #5 starting pitchers in the league this season, picking up his eighth win, giving up just one run in six innings of work. Campos joined Quevedo for the lead in losses, picking up his 15th loss of the season, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up five runs. Kotsay had a big day offensively going 4-5 with 3 doubles, and while not getting any RBI's, he did manage to score 3 runs.

Series Recap: Pheww!! Good thing that I pulled that series out, putting me just one game above the series between us to finish 9-8 against them.

Around the league, on Thursday, the Twins learned that they will miss Juan Gonzalez for the next 6-7 weeks after he left the game with back spasms, after diving to try and catch a ball off the bat of Luis Castillo. On Saturday, the Reds learned that Griffey will be out for the next five weeks, with a fractured hand that he got after getting hit by a pitch by Astros Kirk Saarloos in the first inning.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 22
The Pirates have announced the promotion of SP Sean Burnett from AA to AAA. Burnett was 11-11 with a 3.36 ERA in 25 starts for the Altoona Curve. Burnett will replace Reid in the rotation as Nashville seeks to have the best record in AAA this season. John Grabow will move from the bullpen to the starting rotation in Altoona to take Burnett's spot.
The Pirates are currently 51-79 and this week they return home to close out the month of August. They start with a three game series against the Marlins, who are 58-72 this year, and whom the Pirates have not yet played against this year. The Pirates then play host to the Braves who are 67-64 this year, while the Pirates are 2-1 against them.

Game 131: Pirates 6 Marlins 4
Kris Benson had another stellar game, giving up just one run in seven innings of work, but the bullpen prevented him from getting the decision in this game. With the Pirates leading 4-1, Mark Corey came in in the eight inning, and Ivan Rodriguez lead off reaching first base on an error by the second baseman. He then moved to second on a Corey wild pitch. Corey got Derrek Lee to strike out, and then Beimel came in and got Jason Stokes to strike out, which would have ended the inning if not for the error. Torres then came in and gave up a double to Lowell, scoring IRod. He then walked the other Abraham Nunez and hit Encarnacion with a pitch to load the bases. With pitcher Brad Penny up and the bases loaded, Torres gave up a single scoring Lowell and Nunez. Boehringer then came in and got Andy Fox to strike out. The Pirates though, got two of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning, when with two outs and runners at the corners, Alvarez hit a pinch-hit double to left-center, scoring Cota and Carlos Rivera. The Marlins almost came back in the ninth, when they had runners at the corners and two outs, thanks to three walks by Reyes, but Reyes got Nunez to strike out looking to end the threat. Cordero got the loss for the Marlins, while Boehringer got the win and Reyes the save.

The Pirates promoted John Grabow from AA to AAA. Grabow was 3-6 with 3 saves and a 3.44 ERA in 51 appearances, thirteen of which were starts for the Altoona Curve. Grabow will replace Shaffar in the rotation in Nashville, as Shaffar was moved to the bullpen.

Game 132: Pirates 7 Marlins 6 Glove Day at PNC Park
This game was another thriller with the Bucs coming out on top. Perez did not have the greatest outing, but did OK giving up five runs, only one of which was earned, in 4 1/3 innings. Redman, the Marlins starter, went 6 innings also giving up five runs, four of them earned. With the score 5-4 Marlins, the Pirates managed to pick up the tying run in the bottom of the seventh when Craig Wilson singled home Mark Kotsay. The Marlins answered right back in the top of the eighth, when Derrek Lee scored on a sac fly by Ivan Rodriguez. The Pirates then tied things right back up in the bottom of the eighth, when with the bases loaded and one out, Mark Kotsay grounded out on a fine play by the shortstop who ran up across the middle and grabbed the ball on the first base side of second and then fired the ball to get Kotsay out. Hill then struck out looking to end the threat. It did not matter however, because in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Matt Stairs hit a walk off solo homerun to win the game for the Pirates. Beimel got the win for the Pirates and Spooneybarger the loss.

Game 133: Pirates 6 Marlins 4
This one wasn't as much of a nailbiter as the other two, but it was a close game. Josh Fogg did OK, giving up four runs in seven innings, and picking up his 6th win of the season. Goetz got the loss pitching 6 2/3 innings and giving up five runs. Boehringer picked up his second save of the season pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

Series Recap: Wow, the Bucs swept the Marlins in three very exciting games. Just proves that these guys still have some fight in them. They mustn't get a 100 losses.

Game 134: Pirates 1 Braves 6
The Pirates' five game winning was snapped, as Jeff Suppan picked up his 13th loss of the year, pitching 7 innings and giving up four runs. Byrd held the Pirates to just one run in seven innings of work for his 8th win of the season.

Game 135: Pirates 1 Braves 7
The Braves this time got to Jeff D'Amico as he gave up five runs in five innings of work, getting his 10th loss of the season. The Pirates were again held to just one run in nine innings off of Braves starter Billy Sylvester.

Game 136: Pirates 4 Braves 3
Both starters, Benson for the Pirates and Wainwright for the Braves, pitched six innings and gave up three runs and neither got a decision. The deciding run came in the bottom of the ninth, when Tony Alvarez doubled home Mark Kotsay off of John Smoltz. Smoltz got the loss and Boehringer picked up the win for the Bucs.

Series Recap: The Pirates managed to make the last game close and picked up the win. They finished the season even with the Braves at 3-3.

Around the league, on Monday the Orioles had no chance against the Yankees as Wade Miller pitched a two-hit shutout in a 5-0 win. On Saturday, Zito layed the smack down on the Devil Rays, giving up just one-hit for his second shutout of the season.

August wrapup
The Pirates this month matched last month's record at 13-15. They are currently 55-81 this season and still in fifth place in the division, 14 games ahead of the lowly Brewers. Benson had another good month, while only 1-1, he had a nice ERA of 2.47 in six starts. Perez also had a decent month, and while going 0-2, he had an ERA of 3.19 in five starts, his best month since becoming a Pirate. Fogg also did decent, finishing 3-2 with a 3.97 ERA in five starts since coming off the DL. Suppan also did decent, going 2-3 with a 3.23 ERA in six starts. D'Amico was the only starter without a good month, going 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA. A number of Pirates also had a good month at the plate. Bobby Hill lead the way with an average of 0.325 and hitting one homerun, knocking in 10, scoring 15, and stealing 10 bases. Rob Mackowiak had a poor month, after earning the starting 3B job, hitting just 0.238 with 5 HRs and 11 RBI's. Also, after one good month, JR House had another poor month, hitting just 0.179 with 4 HRs and 10 RBI's.

Around the league, the Red Sox with a record of 83-54 still lead the AL East by 5 games over the Yankees. The Twins seem close to locking up the central with a 10.5 game lead over the White Sox and have a record of 77-59. Oakland and Seattle are still battling out in the west, with Oakland at 78-59, leading Seattle by 2 games. In the NL, the Phillies have a commanding 9.5 game lead over the Expos, with a record of 81-56. In the central, Houston still has the best record in the majors at 91-46 and lead the Cubs by 17 games. The magic number for the Astros is already down to 9. The West is being led by the Diamondbacks with a record of 83-54 and have a 8.5 game lead over the Dodgers. In the AL wildcard, the Yankees with a record of 78-59, lead the Mariners by two games and the Blue Jays by five games. In the NL wildcard, the Dodgers with a record of 74-62, lead the Cubs by a half game, the Padres by 2.5 games, the Expos by three games, and the Braves by 3.5 games.

A's starter Tim Hudson had a great month, going 5-0 with a 1.81 ERA in 6 starts earning him the POM for the AL. Cardinals Matt Morris won the award in the NL after going 5-0 with an ERA of 1.52 in six starts. Yankees Alfonso Soriano hit the ball well, hitting 0.392 with 8 HRs and 26 RBIs and won BOM award for the AL. In the NL, Pat Burrell went 37 for 104 (.356) with 11 HR and 37 RBI's to win the award.

League transactions: There were a number of contract extenstions this month, and I'll list the more notable signings.
NYY - Andy Pettitte $5.95M for four years
TOR - Roy Halladay $5.4M for three years
OAK - Keith Foulke $5.94M for three years
SEA - Mike Cameron $6.06M for three years
MON - Vlad Guerrero $14.535M for four years
MON - Orlando Hernandez $5+M for three years
NYM - Armando Benitez $5.46M for three years
NYM - Roberto Alomar $5.7M for four years
CHC - Sammy Sosa $17.67M for five years
CHC - Mark Bellhorn $4.31M for three years
ARZ - Randy Johnson $6.99M for two years
COL - Jose Hernandez $5.1M for three years
LA - Hideo Nomo $4.04 for three years

The Yankees also released Roger Clemens, who finished with 301 career wins, and David Wells who finished with 191 career wins this month.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 23
The Pirates are not planning on calling up any prospects until the minor legue season is over. This is due to the fact that every one of the teams are in the pennant race, and we'd like the players to have a feel for what playing for a pennant race is like. The Pirates have promoted MR Kurt Shafer from A to AA. With the Lynchburg Hillcats, Shafer went 5-2 with 1 save and a 2.65 ERA in 43 appearances. The Pirates this week travel to Florida for a three game series against the Marlins, who are 61-76 and whom the Pirates are 3-0 against. They then travel to Atlanta for three games against the Braves who are currently 72-66 and whom the Pirates are 3-3 against. The promotions for September will be as follows:
9/12 - Fireworks Night against the Phillies
9/16 - Glove Day against the Reds
9/18 - Baseball Cap Day against the Reds
9/20 - Noddin Head Doll Day against the Cubs

Game 137: Pirates 5 Marlins 4
Perez had an amazing game today, pitching a complete game shutout, giving up just four hits and three walks, for his 6th win of the season. Geoff Goetz gave up five runs, four earned, in 5 2/3 innings.

Today against the Cubs, Cardinals' Brett Tomko had a no-hitter broken up by a Sammy Sosa homerun with two outs in the ninth.

Game 138: Pirates 5 Marlins 7
Fogg had a poor outing tonight, giving up five runs in just 1 2/3 innings, picking up his 15th loss of the season. Marlins' Burnett won his 13th of the year, giving up five runs in six innings of work. Fox and Hollandsworth hit homers for the Marlins.

The Nashville Sounds finished their season in second place with a record of 86-52, just two games behind Montreal affiliate Edmonton Trappers. The Altoona Curve finished their season in second place with a record of 80-58, just four games behind Milwaukee affiliate Huntsville Stars. Lastly, the Lynchburg Hillcats finished their season in second place with a record of 81-57, just one game behind St. Louis affiliate Palm Beach Cardinals. At the conclusion of the season, the Pirates called up RF JJ Davis (0.281 34 HR 101 RBI), SS Jose Castillo (0.318 28 HR 97 RBI), SP Dave Williams (2-5 4.98 ERA in 9 starts), and MR Ryan Vogelsong (6-3 1 save 2.93 ERA in 13 starts and 10 relief appearances) and added them to their major league roster. Castillo and Davis will each get a chance to start the majority of the games in September, Williams will be a spot starter and work out of the bullpen, and Vogelsong will work out of the bullpen.

Game 139: Pirates 6 Marlins 7
Suppan gave up 4 runs in six innings of work, but got the no-decision. Hernandez gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings and also got a no-decision. The Marlins won in the bottom of the tenth inning when Ivan Rodriguez singled off of Jim Mann with the bases loaded. Mann picked up the loss for the Pirates, and Spooneybarger got the win.

Series Recap: A couple of real close ones, and the Marlins were able to beat the Pirates two out of three, but the Bucs won the seasonal series 4-2.

Game 140: Pirates 3 Braves 1
Jeff Suppan had another superb game, giving up just one run in 7 innings of work, picking up his 9th win of the year. Billy Sylvester went seven innings without giving up a single run, until the eighth inning, when he gave up three runs. He pitched a total of 7 2/3 innings picking up the loss. Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to get his 21st save.

Game 141: Pirates 10 Braves 4
Kris Benson picked up his 14th save of the year, giving up four runs, three of which were earned, in seven innings. The Pirates offense exploded against the Braves pitchers scoring eight runs in two innings off of starter Mike Hampton. Jose Castillo hit his first career homerun, a two run shut off Hampton in the first inning.

Game 142: Pirates 2 Braves 4
Perez pitched well, giving up four runs in six innings, but picked up his 14th loss of the season. Despite giving up eight hits to the Pirates, Adam Wainwright gave up just two runs in eight innings, earning his fourth win of the season. Smoltz pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 25th save of the year.

Series Recap: The Pirates just missed sweeping the Braves thanks to some great starting pitching. The Pirates did finish 4-2 against the Braves this season.

Around the league, on Monday Braves' first baseman Matt Franco got five hits against the Mets.

BOS 86-56 *13
NYY 7.5 GB
TOR 9.5 GB

MIN 80-62 *11
CHW 10 GB

OAK 82-61 *18
SEA 2 GB
ANA 11 GB

SEA 80-63
NYY 1 GB
TOR 3 GB
ANA 9 GB
CHW 9.5 GB

PHI 84-59 *10
MON 9.5 GB
ATL 10 GB

STL 95-49 *1
CHC 18 GB

ARZ 86-57 *12
LAD 8.5 GB
SDP 10.5 GB

LAD 77-65
CHC 1 GB
SDP 2 GB
MON 3 GB
ATL 3.5 GB
COL 7 GB
HOU 7 GB
CIN 9 GB
NYM 9.5 GB

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 24
The Pirates are currently 58-84 and still in fifth place in the central. This week the Pirates travel to Cincinatti for a four game series against the Reds who are 68-74 this season, and whom the Pirates are 3-5 against. They then come home for a three game series against the Phillies who are currently 84-59 and whom the Pirates are 1-2 against this season.

The Pirates promoted SP Ian Oquendo from AA to AAA. Oquendo was 10-8 with a 3.45 ERA in 22 starts for the Curve this season. They also promoted LF Manuel Ravelo from A to AA. Ravelo hit 0.308 with 12 HR and 85 RBIs in 523 ABs for the Hillcats this season.

Game 143: Pirates 4 Reds 8
Fogg picked up his 16th loss of the season, giving up five runs in four innings. Bobby Basham gave up four runs in just 1 1/3 innings and got a no decision. Riedling picked up the win, pitching three scoreless innings for the Reds.

Game 144: Pirates 3 Reds 5
Suppan gave up all five Reds' runs in eight innings, pitching a complete game, but picking up his 14th loss of the season. Roy Oswalt pitched a gem, giving up just one run in seven innings of work, for his 10th win of the year. Williamson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 37th save of the year.

Game 145: Pirates 14 Reds 2
In his first start of the season, Dave Williams gave up just one run in five innings, earning himself the win. The Pirates smashed Danny Graves scoring 6 runs off of him in 1 2/3 innings.

Game 146: Pirates 6 Reds 1
Benson pitched a gem of a game, giving up just one run in six innings and picking up his 15th win of the season. Reitsma picked up his 15th loss, giving up two runs in six innings. The Pirates sealed the deal by scoring four runs in two innings off the bullpen.

Series Recap: The Pirates managed to split the series by winning the last two-games of the four-game series. They still trail the Reds 5-7 for the season series.

Game 147: Pirates 5 Phillies 2 Fireworks Night at PNC Park
Perez had another great game, giving up just one run in seven innings, and picking up his 7th win of the year. Myers gave up just two runs, one earned, in six innings but picked up the loss, his 12th of the year. The Pirates scored three runs in two innings against the Phillies bullpen, to seal the deal.

Game 148: Pirates 1 Phillies 6
Josh Fogg had a very poor outing, giving up six runs in 3 2/3 innings, and picked up his 17th loss of the season. Terry Adams pitched a complete game for the Phillies, giving up just one run, and earning his 14th win of the season.

Game 149: Pirates 7 Phillies 2
Joe Beimel made the start for the still injured Jeff Suppan today, and did very well giving up just two runs in five innings, despite giving up eight hits. Wolf got the loss for the Phillies, giving up five runs, three earned, in five innings of work.

Series Recap: The Pirates won 2 out of 3 of this series and managed to split the season series three games a piece against the Phillies.

Around the league, on Sunday Yankees Bernie Williams collected his 2000th career hit in the eighth inning against Devil Rays' John Stephens.

BOS 91-57 *8
NYY 6.5 GB
TOR 9.5 GB

MIN 87-62 - clinched the AL central

OAK 85-65 *12
SEA 1.5 GB
ANA 10 GB

NYY 85 -64
SEA 2 GB
TOR 3 GB


PHI 85-65 *6
ATL 7 GB
MON 7 GB

STL 98-52 - clinched the NL Central

ARZ 89-61 *5
LAD 8.5 GB
SDP 9 GB

LAD 80-69
SDP 0.5 GB
CHC 0.5 GB
ATL 2.5 GB
MON 2.5 GB
HOU 6 GB
COL 7.5 GB
NYM 8 GB
CIN 9 GB

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 25
The Pirates are currently 62-87 and are still in fifth place in the central division. This week the Pirates come home and have a four game series against the Reds who are 71-78 and whom the Pirates are 5-7 against this year. The Pirates then stay home and have a three game series against the Cubs who are 80-70 and whom the Pirates are 6-6 against this year.

Game 150: Pirates 1 Reds 3
Jeff D'Amico pitched another good game, going eight innings, giving up three runs, but picking up his 11th loss of the season. The winning runs for the Reds came in the eighth inning, when after two outs, Wily Mo Pena doubled, and Greg Colbrunn followed with a homerun. Reds starter Danny Graves went seven innings and gave up just one run and picking up his 16th win of the season. Williamson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 38th save of the season.

Game 151: Pirates 1 Reds 3 Glove Day at PNC Park
Benson had yet another great game, giving up just one run in 7 1/3 innings. However, neither starter got the decision as Reds' starter Reitsma pitched just as great a game, giving up just one unearned run in 7 2/3 innings. The Pirates won the game in the bottom of the ninth when Mackowiak lead off with a walk, and then stole second. Scott Williamson then came in and gave an intentional walk to JJ Davis, and then a pinch-hit single by Robin Ventura scored Mackowiak for the game winning run. Mann picked up the win for the Pirates and Riedling got the loss for the Reds.

Game 152: Pirates 2 Reds 5
Perez pitched a decent game, giving up two runs in 5 2/3 innings. Reds starter Paul Wilson went 6 innings, giving up two runs and earning his 10th win of the season. The game winning runs came in the top of the seventh from a solo homerun by Sean Casey and a two-run homer by Reggie Taylor, both of them off of Ryan Vogelsong, who got the loss. Despite walking two in the bottom of the ninth, Williamson held on for his 39th save of the year.

Game 153: Pirates 4 Reds 6Baseball Cap Day at PNC Park
Both starters lasted 6 2/3 innings, with Josh Fogg giving up four runs, and Howington giving up just two runs in that period. Neither starter got the decision, as the Pirates managed to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, scoring two runs against Heredia. The joy was shortlived however, as in the top of the ninth, when with one out and one on, Jim Mann gave up a two run homer to Ruben Mateo. Mercker pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

Series Recap: All of these games were pretty close, but the Reds were more hungry and came out on top. The Pirates finish the season 6-10 against the Reds.

The Diamondbacks clinched the AL Western division with a win over the Dodgers. Philly's magic number is now 3. The Cubs lead the wild card by 1.5 games over the Dodgers and Padres and 2.5 games over the Expos. In the AL, Boston's magic number is 5 in the east and Oakland's is 8 in the west. The Yankees lead the wild card by four games over the Mariners and by 5.5 over the Blue Jays.

Game 154: Pirates 1 Cubs 3
Suppan pitched well today, giving up just 3 runs in seven innings of work, but it wasn't good enough as he also picked up his 15th loss of the season. Zambrano gave up just one run in six innings to earn his 10th win of the season. Remlinger pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 38th save of the season. All of the Cubs runs came off of homers, a solo shot by Patterson and a two-run shot by Choi, each coming off of Suppan.

Game 155: Pirates 1 Cubs 6 Noddin Head Doll Day at PNC Park
D'Amico did pretty well today, giving up three runs in seven innings of work, but picked up his 12th loss of the season. Cubs starting pitcher phenom Mark Prior had a great game, giving up just one run in seven innings, earning his 12th win of the season.

Game 156: Pirates 4 Cubs 1
This game was a matchup of two ace starters. Kris Benson won the matchup, winning his 16th of the season, giving up just one run in 8 2/3 innings. His counterpart, Wood, did decent giving up four runs in seven innings, but picking up his 9th loss of the season as well. Mann picked up the last out in the bottom of the ninth for Benson, earning his 23rd save of the year.

Series Recap: The Pirates managed to pull off one win out of three to try and spoil the Cubs' playoff hopes. The Pirates have one more series against the Cubs to end the year.

Around the league, on Tuesday, Oriole's first baseman Frank Thomas roped his 2000th hit in the eighth inning off of Yankees reliever Steve Karsay.

The Phillies clinched the NL Eastern with an 18-2 win over the Reds, ending all of the division races in the NL. The Cubs lead the wildcard by three games over the Braves, and 3.5 games over the Dodgers and Padres. In the AL, only the Twins have clinched the division title. Boston's magic number is now 3 in the east, and Oakland's is 6 in the west. The Yankees lead the wild card by 5 over the Mariners and by 6.5 over the Blue Jays.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 26
The Pirates are currently 64-92 this season, and are heading into what will be their final week of baseball this season. They go on the road to New York with a three series against the Mets, who are 76-80 this season, and whom the Pirates are 2-1 against. They then travel to Chicago for the final three game series against the Cubs, who are currently 84-72 and leading the wild card, and whom the Pirates are 7-8 against this season.

Game 157: Pirates 3 Mets 7
Perez picked up yet another loss, his 15th of the season, giving up six runs in 5 1/3 innings. Franklin Nunez picked up the win, giving up three runs in five innings.

The Yankees have clinched at least the wild card with a win against the White Sox.

Game 158: Pirates 4 Mets 2
In his last start of the season, Fogg pitched a beauty, giving up just two runs in seven innings of work and picking up the win, his seventh of the season. The Pirates got to rookie starter Phil Seibel, scoring four runs in four innings against him. Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, to pick up his 24th save of the year.

The Red Sox clinched the AL East with a 7-3 win over the Orioles.

Game 159: Pirates 6 Mets 3
Jeff Suppan pitched a good game in his last outing of the year, giving up 3 runs, two of which were earned, in six innings of work, for his 10th win of the season. Tom Glavine gave up six runs, four of them earned in 6 2/3 innings, picking up his 13th loss of the season. Mann pitched a scoreless ninth for his 25th save of the season.

Series Recap: This series really didn't mean a whole lot, but after that first game, the Pirates pitching and hitting did well and took care of the Mets.

There are two races remaining, heading into the final series of the season. In the AL, Oakland is leading Seattle by two games, as Oakland travels to Seattle for a three game series. All Oakland needs to do is win one of those three games. In the NL, the wildcard race is the only race remaining, with the Cubs and Padres tied at the top. Atlanta, Montreal, and Colorado are still in the race, with Atlanta and Montreal two games back and Colorado three games. The Cubs host the Pirates, the Padres host the Rockies, the Braves play in Philadelphia, and Montreal plays in Cincinatti to finish off the season.

Game 160: Pirates 2 Cubs 5 Glove Day at Wrigley Field
The Cubs snapped their four game losing streak scoring 5 runs in five innings off of Jeff D'Amico, who picked up his 13th loss of the season in his last start. Mark Prior went 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one run. Remlinger picked up his 39th save, recording the final out in the ninth inning.

Colorado has been eliminated due to the Cubs winning, and Montreal has been eliminated due to the Cubs winning and the Expos losing. The Cubs and Padres remain tied for the wild card with Atlanta two games back. Seattle creeped to within one game of Oakland, beating the A's 3-1.

Game 161: Pirates 4 Cubs 10
Once again Wood and Benson came head-to-head, but this time Wood was the one that came out on top. Benson did terrible, giving up 7 runs in just 5 2/3 innings of work to pick up his 9th loss of the season. Wood did decent, giving up four runs in 8 innings of work, for his 12th win of the season.

With the win by the Cubs, the Braves were eliminated from the wild card race. The Padres lost their game to the Rockies in extra innings 4-3, meaning the Cubs now have a 1 game lead on the Padres. The Mariners have managed to stay alive, once again beating the A's, this time by a score of 1-0. The winner of the next game will go on to the playoffs.

Game 162: Pirates 3 Cubs 2
Perez pitched a great game, giving up no runs in 6 1/3 innings of work to earn his 8th win of the season. The Pirates managed to score three runs in seven innings off of Joe Kennedy, who picked up his 14th loss of the season. The only runs given up the Pirates were two unearned runs off of Boehringer in the eighth inning. Jim Mann shut down the Cubs 1-2-3 in the ninth for his 26th save of the year.

Series Recap: The Bucs won one game against a team that was desperate to win as many games as they could. It was good to see the Pirates not roll completely over and play dead.

Though the Pirates did their part in playing spoiler, the Rockies also played their part, defeating the Padres by a score of 7-5, making the Cubs the wild card champs. The Mariners did the almost impossible, sweeping the A's in the final series of the season by winning the last game 9-8, to win the AL west and to move on to the postseason.

Around the league this week, on Tuesday, Cardinals' Brett Tomko pitched a one-hit shutout against the Brewers. On Wednesday, Blue Jays' DH Dewayne Wise smashed five hits against Tampa Bay. Also, on Wednesday, it was announced that Houston's Octavio Dotel would miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured tricep tendon. Arizona also got bad news, as Curt Schilling will miss the remainder of the season, including the post-season, with a strained elbow ligament. On Thursday, Pedro gave up just two hits, and got his fourth shutout of the season, in a 3-0 win against the Orioles. On Friday, Padres' Sidney Ponson pitched a two-hit shutout against the Rockies. Then on Saturday, Yankees' Wade Miller pitched a two-hitter against the Orioles. Also in the same game, Yankees' Juan Rivera clubbed five hits against Orioles pitching.

September wrapup:
The Pirates went 12-14 in the month of September, and finished the season at 67-95. Benson went 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts. Perez also did well, going 3-2 with a 2.97 ERA in six starts this month. Fogg had another terrible month, going 1-3 with a 8.61 ERA in five starts. Pretty much all the Pirates hitters did pretty well this month, except for Mackowiak who hit 0.226 with 4 HRs and 15 RBI's and House who hit just 0.227 with 1 HR and 2 RBI's this month.

Jeff Weaver won the POM award for the AL, going 5-0 with an ERA of 1.73 in six starts for the Yankees. In the NL, Florida's Mark Redman won the award going 4-1 with an ERA of 0.89. Yankees' Aramis Ramirez went 27 for 77 (0.351) this month while hitting 9 HR and driving in 21 runs, good enough to earn him BOM award for the AL. In the NL, Albert Pujols won the award again, hitting 0.368, while smashing 9 HRs and getting 28 RBI's.

[Operation Shutdown]

Playoffs
I'm going to sim the playoffs tonight, and hopefully tomorrow, have my season wrap-up for the Pirates, and will hopefully upload everything to the website, including player files.

Divisional Series

In the AL, the Mariners will face the Red Sox and the Twins will face the Yankees. The Mariners finished the season at 90-72 while the Red Sox finished with a record of 100-62. The Red Sox won the regular season series 6-1 against the Mariners. The Twins finished the season at 92-70, while the Yankees finished 97-65. The Twins lead the regular season meetings between the two 6-1.

In the NL, the Cubs square off against the Cardinals and the Phillies go against the Diamondbacks. The Cubs finished the season at 86-76, while the Cardinals finished the year with a league best record of 105-57. The Cardinals lead the regular season matchup 11-6. The Phillies finished the season with a record of 90-72, while the Diamondbacks finished at 96-66. The Phillies lead the regular season matchup 4-2.

Game 1
Red Sox 6 Mariners 3 WP - Pedro LP - Ketchner SV - Mendoza
Yankees 6 Twins 5 (11) WP - Banks LP - Guardado
Cardinals 3 Cubs 2 WP - Williams LP - Prior SV - Izzy
Diamondbacks 10 Phillies 9 WP - Myers LP - Mesa SV - Koplove

Game 2
Red Sox 3 Mariners 2 WP - Lowe LP - Soriano SV - Mendoza
Yankees 4 Twins 3 WP - Weaver LP - Milton SV - Rivera
Cubs 6 Cardinals 4 WP - Kennedy LP - Morris SV - Remlinger
Diamondbacks 3 Phillies 0 WP - Kim LP - Wolf SV - Myers

Game 3
Red Sox 2 Mariners 1 (11) WP - Kaye LP - Nelson SV - Mendoza
Yankees 5 Twins 4 WP - Miller LP - Jarvis SV - Reyes
Cardinals 12 Cubs 5 WP - Journell LP - Wood
Phillies 8 Diamondbacks 1 WP - Millwood LP - Capuano

Game 4
Cardinals 2 Cubs 0 WP - Williams LP - Wood SV - Izzy
Diamondbacks 5 Phillies 2 WP - Mahay LP - Puffer SV - Myers

League Series

In the AL, the series of the century is coming up as the Yankees face the Red Sox. Both teams swept their opponents to get to the series. The Red Sox hold the regular season against the Yankees 11-8. In the NL, the Cardinals will face the Diamondbacks, as both teams won their divisional series 3-1. Their regular season series is tied 3-3.

Game 1
Yankees 5 Red Sox 4 (10) WP - Rivera LP - Mendoza SV - Banks
Diamondbacks 4 Cardinals 1 WP - Kim LP - Morris SV - Myers

Game 2
Red Sox 3 Yankees 2 (10) WP - Mendoza LP - Mendoza
Cardinals 8 Diamondbacks 7 (10) WP - Izzy LP - Myers

Game 3
Red Sox 11 Yankees 4 WP - Fossum LP - Miller
Diamondbacks 7 Cardinals 4 WP - Johnson LP - Williams SV - Myers

Game 4
Red Sox 9 Yankees 3 WP - Martinez LP - Weaver
Cardinals 7 Diamondbacks 5 WP - Morris LP - Kim SV - Izzy

Game 5
Yankees 3 Red Sox 2 WP - Rivera LP - Mendoza
DBacks 10 Cards 6 (13) WP - Myers LP - Kline

Game 6
Yankees 4 Red Sox 2 WP - Miller LP - Fossum SV - Rivera
DBacks 6 Cards 3 WP - Mahay LP - Williams SV - Prinz

Game 7
Yankees 9 Red Sox 3 WP - Weaver LP - Martinez

World Series
This year's world series will be a replay of the 2001 World Series, in which the Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees. The two teams did not meet in interleague play this season, so it's hard to say how this one will turn out. The Yankees have a 3-man rotation of Weaver, Mussina, and Miller, with Claussen and Pettitte as the other two starters on their team. As a team their pitchers were ninth in team ERA, 10th in opponents average, and 11th in team runs allowed. The Yankees hitters, including the DH, are some of the best out there. Five of the hitters finished the season hitting above .300, seven of them finished with 20 HRs or more, three finished with 30 or more, and Matsui lead the team with 41 HRs. As a team their hitters were second in the majors in average, first in homeruns, and first in runs scored. The Diamondbacks on the other hand are led by a three man rotation including Johnson, Kim, and rookie Capuano. the other starters include Dessens and Patterson. As a team, the Diamonbacks pitchers were second in the league in team ERA, 2nd in opponent average, and first in team runs allowed. Their hitting is the exact opposite of the Yankees with only three hitters with averages over .300, and only one hitter with more than 20 HR, Luis Gonzalez who hit .337 with 22 HR in the regular season. As a team, they had the eighth best batting average, hit only the 26th most homeruns and finished 18th in team runs scored. The Yankees are without Jon Lieber, who was out all season, and the Diamonbacks are without co-ace Curt Schilling, who injured himself on the 24th. While team doctors say it would have been possible for Schilling to pitch, but they strongly warned against doing so, and the DBacks decided to leave him on the DL and not risk further injury, especially since Schilling wouldn't be as effective in his starts. Signs point to the Yankees being able to win this one handily.

Game 1: Yankees 9 Diamondbacks 5
The Yankees' bats chased DBacks start Kim early, leaving after pitching just 1 2/3 innings after he gave up six runs. Mussina on the other hand fared pretty well giving up five runs in 6 2/3 innings. The game was close, 6-4, until the bottom of the sixth when the Yankees broke it loose scoring six runs off of reliever Batista.

Game 2: Yankees 6 Diamondbacks 4
Once again DBacks pitchers had trouble against the Yankees' bats as Randy Johnson gave up five runs in five innings of work with all five runs coming in the second inning. The DBacks were unable to score a run until the seventh inning off of Wade Miller, who went seven innings giving up just the one run. The DBacks added three more runs against reliever Mark Phillips, but it was too little too late, as Rivera shut them down in the ninth to pick up the save.

Game 3: Yankees 10 Diamondbacks 6
The series travels to Phoenix, but the Yankees continue to show their dominance over the Diamonbacks. Yankees Weaver went just 1 2/3 innings while giving up 5 runs, and Capuano gave up five runs in five innings. The DBacks were leading the game 6-5 heading into the eighth inning, until the Yankees scored three runs off of Batista in the eighth and then two more off of Koplove in the ninth to seal the victory.

Game 4: Yankees 14 Diamondbacks 9
Facing elimination, DBacks pitchers got cloberred once again, as Kim gave up six runs, four earned, in just 4 2/3 innings. The DBacks did however manage to put up runs against Mussina, who gave up five runs in four innings of work. The Yankees, however, pounded the DBack bullpen hard, scoring three runs against Prinz, four against Koplove, and one against Mantei while the DBacks managed only three more runs against Banks and just one against Hammond.

The Yankees win the 2003 World Series.

[Operation Shutdown]

Season in Review
Okay, I'm going to start with a review of the players that finished the season on the Pirates team. I will then move on to the awards and list some of the league leaders. I expect to load all of the player files for the Pirates' team, and all of the other league files sometime during the day today.

C J.R. House
House was called up to the big leagues after Jason Kendall was traded to the Padres. He had a lot of ups and downs, but mostly downs, finishing two of the four months he played hitting under .200. His final stats in the majors this year were a 0.220 average, 0.285 OBP, and 0.364 SLG. He hit 8 HRs, drove in 25 runs, and scored 35 runs. In 327 ABs, he struck out 83 times and walked 30 times. Defensively, he had 8 errors, two passed balls, and threw out just 22 of 94 (23.4%) of base stealers.

C Humberto Cota
Cota did fairly well in backup duties for the Pirates this season. He hit 0.262 with 2 HR, 11 RBI's and 15 runs scored. Defensively, he did much better than House, with no errors and no passed balls in 25 starts behind the plate. He also threw out 9 of 20 base stealers.

1B Craig Wilson
Wilson finally got his chance to be an everyday starter on the team, and he proved himself worthy of the chance. Wilson was very consistent and finished the season with a 0.288 avg, 0.347 OBP, and a 0.435 SLG. He socked 20 HRs, driving in 78 runs, and scoring 76. In 565 ABs, he did strike out 105 times, but also walked 52 times. Defensively, Wilson had only 6 errors in 141 starts at first base, for a fielding percentage of .996.

1B Carlos Rivera
Rivera also did very well at first base this year. He started 13 games, and in 123 ABs hit 0.276 with 4 HRs, 12 RBI's and 18 runs scored. He committed just one error in his 13 starts at first base.

2B Bobby Hill
Hill started off the year great with the Cubs, hitting over .300. He then went into a long slump with the Pirates, but finally came out of it in August and September to finish with a decent season. He finished the year with a 0.256 avg, 0.365 OBP, and a .384 SLG. He also hit 9 HRs with 40 RBI's and 61 runs scored. In 438 ABs, Hill struck out 102 times, but also walked 66 times. Hill made 118 starts at second with just 10 errors there for a 0.984 fielding percentage. He also made 6 starts at third where he committed two errors.

2B/SS Abraham Nunez
Nunez did fairly well in the utility role, hitting .263 with 0 HRs, 17 RBIs and 19 runs in 156 at-bats. He made 15 starts at second base, where he had just 3 errors, and 13 starts at SS, where he committed five errors.

3B Rob Mackowiak
Mackowiak was on fire before he assumed the every day duties of third base. He finished the year with a 0.269 avg, .324 OBP, and a 0.523 SLG with 22 HRs, 75 RBIs and 55 runs scored. In 375 at-bats, he struck out 80 times and walked 26 times. Mackowiak made 58 starts at third base this season, with only 7 errors for a fielding percentage of 0.961. He also made 17 starts in the outfield (4 LF, 7 CF, 6 RF) wtihout committing a single error.

3B Robin Ventura
Ventura was brought in to back up Mackowiak after the Ramirez trade, but did not manage to even hit .200 with the Pirates. His totals were 0.181 avg with 2 HRs, 8 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He committted 2 errors in 19 starts at third base.

SS Jack Wilson
Wilson's batting woes continued as he finished the season, hitting just 0.242 avg, .285 OBP, and .316 SLG. He hit 4 homers, driving in 33 runs, and scoring 35. He struck out 86 times and walked 23 times in 393 at-bats. Defensively he was superb, with just 15 errors in 127 starts at SS, and a 0.974 fielding percentage.

SS Jose Castillo
Castillo got the shot in September to try and make an impression with the big league club. He did marginal at best, hitting just 0.233 with 1 HR and 8 RBIs and 6 runs scored. In 22 starts, he committed just two errors.

LF Xavier Nady
Nady was the cornerpiece in the Padres trade and he fared pretty well as a Pirate. He hit for a 0.287 avg, .323 obp, and a .403 slg. However, he hit just 5 HRs (a number the Bucs would like to see increase dramatically) and drove in just 45 runners, and scored 33 runs. In 407 at-bats he struck out 92 times and walked just 20. In 114 starts in left field, he committed 7 errors, and picked up four assists, for a 0.964 fielding pct.

CF Mark Kotsay
Kotsay had a superb season playing with the Padres and Pirates. He hit for a 0.332 avg, a .391 OBP, and a .520 SLG from the leadoff spot. He also managed 17 HRs, 70 RBIs, and 106 runs scored. He struck out just 58 times, and walked 55 times in 623 at-bats. In 146 starts in center field, he committed just 4 errors, and completed 9 assists, for a .989 fielding percentage.

RF Matt Stairs
Stairs got the starting job in right for the month of August, after Reggie was traded and before JJ was called up in September. He hit just .237 with 6 HRs, 32 RBIs and 25 runs scored in 279 at-bats. He made 42 starts in RF with 3 errors and 3 assists for a fielding percentage of .966. He also made 6 starts at 1B with just one error there.

OF Tony Alvarez
Alvarez was called up late in July to take over the duties of backup outfielder. He hit 0.327 with 4 HRs, 20 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 107 at-bats. He made 22 starts in the outfield (7 LF, 8 CF, 7 RF) and committed just two errors, each occurring when he was in CF.

RF JJ Davis
Davis was given the starting job after being called up in September to audition for next year's starting job. He did pretty well, hitting 0.266, but did not hit any homers and drove in 11 runs, while scoring 10 runs in 79 at-bats. He made 21 starts in right field, without recording an error or an assist.

SP Kris Benson
Benson had a superb season, finishing with a record of 16-9, an ERA of 3.64 and a WHIP of 1.21. In 33 starts, he worked 212 2/3 innings, striking out 166 batters and walking 71.

SP Oliver Perez
Perez had a tough time picking up the wins, but had a very good season, going 8-15 with an ERA of 3.51 and a WHIP of 1.32. In 33 starts, he worked 200 innings, striking out 195 batters, and walking 91.

SP Josh Fogg
Fogg had some really bad luck this season, finishing with a record of 7-17 with an ERA of 6.25 and a WHIP of 1.56. He started 27 games, working in 149 2/3 innings, striking out 92 and walking 54 batters.

SP Jeff Suppan
Suppan did pretty much what was expected of him as a #4 starter, finishing with a record of 10-15 with an ERA of 4.79 and a WHIP of 1.46. He started 31 games and ate up 195 1/3 innings while striking out 81 and walking 83 batters.

SP Jeff D'Amico
D'Amico far outperformed expectations, finishing with a record of 9-13 and an ERA of 4.22 and a 1.38 WHIP. He started 30 games and worked 196 innings, striking out 141 and walking 66 batters.

SP Dave Williams
Williams started just one game, picking up the win while giving up 1 run in five innings. He also walked 3 and struck out 3 batters.

Bullpen
Dennys Reyes was used as a mop-up reliever, and went 1-4 with a 6.14 ERA, working 29 1/3 innings in 24 relief appearances.

Boehringer was the workhorse of the bullpen, finishing with a record of 4-7 with 2 saves and a 4.27 ERA. In 84 relief appearances, he worked 97 innings, walking 38 and striking out 74 batters.

Corey made the most appearances in the bullpen, finishing at 0-2 with a 2.21 ERA. In 92 appearances, he worked 81 1/3 innings, walking 22 and striking out 70 batters.

Beimel worked 38 games, two of which were starts, and finished with a record of 5-0 with a 3.73 ERA. In 60 1/3 innings he struck out 33 and walked 15 batters.

Torres appeared in 61 games, two of which were starts, and finished at 1-4 with 5 saves and an ERA of 4.25. In 72 innings of work he struck out 27 and walked a staggeringly high 41 batters.

Sauerbeck worked in 66 games, finishing with a record of 1-3 with 2 saves and an ERA of 3.99. In 56 1/3 innings, he struck out 54 and walked a high 42 batters.

Jim Mann performed the duties as the closer, appearing in 57 games with a record of 6-3 with 26 saves and an ERA of 3.11. He blew 7 saves in 36 save opportunities for a save percentage of 78.8%. He struck out 53 and walked 27 in 55 innings of work.


I should be able to upload the Pirates players' pages tonight, as well as the other league pages. I will also probably start the 2004 offseason tonight as well.

[Operation Shutdown]

League Review
I forgot to add the review for the rest of the league. The AL Cy Young went to Pedro Martinez, who finished first in wins, with a record of 22-7, first in ERA with a 2.51, and first in strikeouts, with 395Ks. Cardinal's Matt Morris, who went 18-6, second in wins, with a league leading 2.71 ERA and won the NL Cy Young Award. Alfonso won the MVP for the AL hitting 0.317 with 37 HRs and 144 RBI's. He finished 9th in batting, 7th in homeruns, and first in RBI's. Barry Bonds won the MVP for the NL, hitting 0.355 with 51 HRs and 120 RBI's. He was third in hitting, third in homers, and fourth in the NL in RBI's. The Yankees Matsui won ROY of the AL, hitting 0.305 with 41 HRs and 134 RBI's. Rockies' JD Closser won the award for the NL, hitting just 0.250 but smacking 40 HRs and driving in 94 runs.

The league leaders can be found on the website.

AL Leaders

NL Leaders

The gold glovers for the AL were as follows:
P - Jon Garland CHW
C - Ramon Hernandez OAK
1B - Paul Konerko CHW
2B - D'Angelo Jimenez CHW
3B - Jared Sandberg TB
SS - Omar Infante DET
LF - Hideki Matsui NYY
CF - Mike Cameron SEA
RF - Ichiro Suzuki SEA

The gold glovers for the NL were:
P - Peter Munro HOU
C - Mike Matheny STL
1B - Craig Wilson PIT
2B - Orlando Hudson COL
3B - Edgardo Alfonzo SF
SS - Jose Hernandez COL
LF - Todd Hollandsworth FLA
CF - Andruw Jones ATL
RF - Larry Walker COL

[Operation Shutdown]

2003 Pirates Dynasty Website