The Other Pirates Dynasty 2004

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 20
This week the Pirates come home and play a four game series against the Astros who are 46-72 and whom the Pirates are 6-4 against this season. They then play host for a three game series against the Cubs who are currently in first place with a record of 68-49 and whom the Pirates are 5-6 against this season. The Pirates also announced that they will have a Retro Game Day for the first game against the Astros, and then a Noddin Head Doll Day in the last game of the series against the Astros.

Game 118: Pirates 5 Astros 7 Retro Game Day at PNC Park
This one required extra innings to decide. Williams lasted just 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs and Duckworth went six innings, giving up four runs. The Pirates scored the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Munro. Neither team scored a run until the top of the 12th inning, when the Astros scored two runs off of reliever Scot Shields. The Pirates threatened in the bottom half of the inning with runners on first and second and one out. Chen got Craig Wilson to line out, and Davis to fly out to end the threat and pick up the save. Dotel got the win for the Astros, while Shields got the loss for the Pirates.

The Pirates announced that they have promoted LF Nate McLouth from A to AA. McLouth was hitting 0.325 with 8 HRs and 50 RBIs for the Hillcats. They also promoted SP Mike Connolly from AA to AAA. Connolly was 5-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 19 starts for the Curve.

Game 119: Pirates 5 Astros 7
Once again, neither starter got the decision in this one as the scored was tied at 5-5 after seven innings. Ponson gave up five runs in five innings and Hernandez gave up two runs in 4 1/3 innings. The Pirates tied the score by scoring three runs off of Tim Redding over the course of the sixth and seventh innings. The Astros then answered scoring one run in the eighth and another in the ninth off of Joe Beimel who only gave up one hit, but walked five batters. Dotel and Wagner each pitched hitless innings in the eighth and ninth innings, and Wagner picked up his 21st save of the year. The loss was credited to Beimel and Chen got the win.

Game 120: Pirates 5 Astros 1
Benson picked up his 10th win this season, giving up just one run in six innings of work. Mitch Talbot got his 9th loss, giving up just two runs in six innings. The Pirates scored three more insurance runs in the seventh and eighth winnings, as the bullpen held on for the win. Corey pitched 1 1/3 innings without giving up a hit, and picked up the save.

Game 121: Pirates 4 Astros 5
Perez gave up four runs in just five innings and picked up his 5th loss of the season. Saarloos gave up four runs, only one of them earned, in eight innings of work. Wagner pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 22nd save.

Series Recap: Losing three out of four to the Astros just is not good. The Pirates are going to need to sweep the Cubs to have any hope of staying in the division race.

Game 122: Pirates 4 Cubs 3
VanBenSchoten pitched a pretty good game, giving up just two runs in 6 1/3 innings and striking out nine batters, but was still unable to pick up his first win. Zambrano pitched six innings and gave up just two runs, just one of them earned, and did not get a decision either. The Pirates broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning when Kotsay hit a two out two run homerun off of Ohman to take the lead. The Cubs tried to answer back and scored one run in the eighth inning with a solo homerun by Choi off of Corey, but Mann pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 22nd save. Sauerbeck got the win and Ohman the loss.

Game 123: Pirates 3 Cubs 10
Dave Williams got smashed in this game, as he gave up three homeruns and six runs in just 1/3 of an inning of work, as he picked up his 10th loss of the season. The Pirates scored three runs in 6 2/3 innings off of Thomson, but that wasn't nearly enough and he picked up his 6th win. Miller, Sosa, Kelton, and Harris homered for the Cubs, while Kotsay and Davis homered for the Bucs.

Game 124: Pirates 2 Cubs 6
Ponson gave up five runs, four of which were earned in six innings of work for his 9th loss of the season. Chavez gave up just two unearned runs in eight innings of work for his 4th win of the season.

Series Recap: Though the Pirates are not officially out of the race yet, they are 10.5 games back with just 38 games left to be played, so they are now for all purposes out of the race. Now they need to aim at finishing above 0.500 for the first time in 12 years.

Around the league, on Tuesday, Oakland's Troy Percival suffered a pulled tricep muscle while pitching in a game against the Orioles and will miss the next 6-7 weeks. Also on Tuesday, Dodgers' Odalis Perez pitched a one hit shutout against the Brewers as LA defeated Milwaukee 4-0. On Friday, Montreal's center fielder Reggie Taylor punished Arizona with five hits and completing the cycle. On Saturday, Boston's Derek Lowe fired his third shutout of the seaon, a two-hitter against Oakland, as the Red Sox defeated the A's 1-0. On Sunday, San Francisco's Damian Moss left the game with back spasms and will likely miss the next seven weeks.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 21
This week the Pirates replay the schedule of last week, this time traveling to Houston for a three game series against the Astros who are now 50-75 and whom the Pirates are 7-7 against. They then travel to Chicago for a three game series against the Cubs who are currently 71-52 and whom the Pirates are 6-8 against.

Game 125: Pirates 1 Astros 4
Benson picked up his 10th loss of the season, as he gave up four runs in seven innings. The Pirates managed to score just one run against a struggling Mitch Talbot, who had an ERA of around 6 before this game. Talbot got the win giving up just the one run in eight innings.

Game 126: Pirates 2 Astros 0
Perez picked up his 13th win of the season, as he worked six scoreless innings. Saarloos gave up just two runs in 7 innings, but in this case two was two too many, as he got his 11th loss of the season. Neither team scored until the seventh inning, when Dean Palmer hit a two out two run pinch hit homerun to give the Pirates the lead. Boehringer worked two scoreless innings and Mann pitched a scoreless ninth for his 23rd save of the season.

Game 127: Pirates 2 Astros 3
VanBenSchoten did pretty well in this start, giving up just three runs in seven innings, but he is still searching for his first major leauge win. Contreras just did better in this game, giving up just one run in seven innings. The Pirates made things close by scoring one unearned run off of Dotel in the eighth inning, but Wagner came in to shut down the threat in the eighth and then pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 24th save.

Series Recap: The Pirates lost two more out of three against the Astros, a team that's struggling to not lose 100 games this season. The Pirates finished their season 8-9 against them.

Game 128: Pirates 2 Cubs 3
Dave Williams pitched pretty well, giving up just two hits in 7 1/3 innings, but he had definite control problems as he walked 6 batters en route to giving up three runs, and picking up his 11th loss of the season. The Pirates offense didn't help matters much, as they managed just two runs in seven innings off of Chavez. Kolb pitched a scoreless ninth for his 11th save of the season.

Game 129: Pirates 9 Cubs 7
The Pirates scored six runs, four of which were earned in 5 innings off of Thomson, who got his 6th loss of the season. They then added three insurance runs off of Beltran in the next 2 2/3 innings. All of those runs proved to be necessary as Ponson started to fall apart in the eighth inning. Ponson had pitched seven scoreless innings until the eighth, when he gave up a three run homerun to Jackson Melian. McClendon decided to leave Ponson in for the ninth inning, when he quickly gave up three more runs. Mann was then brought in with a runner at first and one out. Infante then reached base on an error by the right fielder which allowed Frese to score from first base. That finished the line for Ponson who went 8 1/3 innings giving up seven runs, six of them earned. Mann then got Melian and Sosa to both ground out to the shortstop to end the game and pick up his 24th save.

Game 130: Pirates 4 Cubs 2
Benson outperformed Mark Prior, as he gave up just one run, a solo homer by Sosa, in six innings for his 11th win of the season. Prior gave up four runs in five innings for just his 4th loss of the season. Mann gave up a solo homer to Bellhorn in the ninth inning, but held on for his 25th save of the season.

Series Recap: Not a bad way to finish the season series against the Cubs, winning 2 of 3. They finished the season series at 8-9.

Around the league, on Wednesday Cubs' rightfielder Sammy Sosa belted his 600th career homerun off of Atlanta's Adam Eaton in the fourth inning. On Friday, Cleveland's Kurt Ainsworth pitched a two-hit shutout against Tampa Bay as Cleveland won the game 5-0 over the Devil Rays.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 22
The Pirates are now 64-66, still in fourth place in the central division and 10.5 games back of the first place Cubs. This week they come home for a three game series against the Marlins who are 65-65 and whom the Pirates have not yet played this season. They then finish out the month of August at home with a three game series against the Mets who are currently 63-68 and whom the Pirates are 2-1 against.

Game 131: Pirates 0 Marlins 2
Perez pitched pretty well, giving up just two runs in 7 1/3 innings, but picking up his 6th loss of the season. Beckett outperformed Perez, giving up no runs and just two hits in six innings, as he earned his 11th win of the season. Phelps pitched two scoreless innings giving up just one hit, and Spooneybarger gave up just one walk in the ninth for his 29th save of the season.

Game 132: Pirates 6 Marlins 3
Neither starter lasted too long in this game as there was a 63-minute rain delay in the fourth inning. VanBenSchoten gave up three runs, two of them earned, in 3 2/3 innings, while Hernandez did not give up any runs in 3 1/3 innings. The Pirates were trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, when Nady doubled with the bases loaded scoring two runs. The Pirates then added another in the inning when Mackowiak hit a sac fly scoring Hill and tying the game at 3-3. All the runs in the inning were charged to Looper. The Pirates scored two more runs when Wilson doubled off of Cordero to score McDougall and House. The Pirates scored one more run when Nady hit a sac fly to score Wilson and give the Pirates a three run lead. One run and the loss were charged to Almanza, while the other two were charged to Cordero. Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 26th save.

Game 133: Pirates 5 Marlins 9
This game was a lot closer than the final score indicates. Williams gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings, and Burnett gave up five runs in four innings, and neither starter got the decision in this one. This game took thirteen innings to decide, when in the top of the 13th with two outs, Sauerbeck loaded the bases, and gave up a single to Kelly Johnson to score two runs. He then gave up another single to Lankford, that scored two more runs, and gave the Marlins a commanding 9-5 lead. Phelps pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning, as he picked up the win, and Sauerbeck got the loss.

Series Recap: Definately a close and exciting series, but the Pirates are definitely missing something from being real contenders.

Game 134: Pirates 6 Mets 1
Ponson pitched a real good game, going the full nine innings and giving up just 5 hits, and two walks, and one run for his 8th win of the season. Maness gave up six runs in 6 2/3 innings for the Mets. Craig Wilson hit two homeruns in the game, a two run shot in the first inning, and a solo shot in the 5th inning, both of Maness.

Game 135: Pirates 8 Mets 0
Despite giving up eight hits in 7 2/3 innings, Benson managed to not give up a single run as he picked up his 12th win of the season. Glavine gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings for his 11th loss of the season. Craig Wilson, McDougall, and House each had homeruns for the Pirates.

Game 136: Pirates 4 Mets 0
Perez pitched another great game, giving up just three hits and no runs in 6 1/3 innings for his 14th win of the season. Leiter gave up just three runs in 6 2/3 innings, but still managed to pick up his 18th loss of the season.

Series Recap: The Pirates got a much needed sweep of the Mets, to bring their record back to 0.500. The Pirates pitching staff performed amazingly, giving up just one run in the three games.

Around the league, on Tuesday Houston's Jose Contreras pitched a two-hit shutout against the Reds as the Astros won the game 2-0. On Sunday, Houston's Lance Berkman cleared the fence three times against the Milwaukee Brewers.

August Wrapup:
The Pirates finished the month of August with a 13-15 record and are now 68-68 on the year, and in fourth place still in the central division, 12 games behind the leading Cubs. Benson pitched beautifully this month, going 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA. Perez also pitched very well, going 3-2 with a 1.62 ERA this month. Dave Williams did not have a good month, as he was 0-3 with a 9.14 ERA in five starts. The Pirates offense was pretty lackluster this month, with just JJ Davis hitting above 0.300. He hit 0.301 with 5 HRs and 15 RBIs. Nady was disappointing this month hitting just 0.217 with 1 HR and 13 RBIs. Bobby Hill also didn't do well, hitting just 0.202 with 1 HR and 10 RBIs, although he did still have a 0.325 OBP.

Around the league, here are the current standings for the division and wild card races. The magic # is listed next to the star.

BOS 85-52 *12
NYY 14 GB
TOR 14.5 GB

CLE 74-63 *22
MIN 4 GB
CHW 5.5 GB

OAK 86-51 *8
SEA 18 GB
ANA 20 GB

The Yankees lead the wild card race by 1/2 a game over Toronto, 1 game over Minnesota, 2.5 over Chicago, 3 over Seattle, and 5 over Anaheim.

MON 88-48 *20
ATL 6.5 GB
PHI 10 GB

CHC 80-56 *21
STL 6 GB
CIN 7.5 GB

SDP 74-63 *22
COL 4 GB
SFG 7.5 GB

The Braves lead the wild card race by 3.5 games over the Phillies, 7.5 games over the Cardinals and 9 games over the Reds.

Montreal now has the best record in the major leagues after going 22-6 in the month of August.

The AL POM award went to a first time winner, Seattle's Ryan Ketchner went 4-1 with a 1.59 ERA this month. In the NL, Odalis Perez just beat out Benson and Perez to win the award, as he went 4-1 with a 1.20 ERA this month. 29 year old Alex Rodriguez won the BOM award in the AL hitting 0.350 with 15 HRs and 37 RBIs this month. In the NL, Colorado's catcher JD Closser won the award while hitting 0.360 with 12 HRs and 32 RBIs.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 23
The Pirates called up MR John Grabow and SS Jose Castillo as September call-ups. This week the Pirates start off the month of September the same as they ended the month of August, this time traveling to Florida for a three game series against the Marlins who are now 68-68 and whom the Pirates are 1-2 against this season. They then travel to New York for a three game series against the Mets who are currently 64-73 and whom the Pirates are 5-1 against this season.

On Monday, Gil Meche pitched a one-hit shutout against the White Sox, walking just two batters, and still managing to pitch to the minimum number of batters as the Mariners won the game 4-0.

Game 137: Pirates 7 Marlins 1 Glove Day at Pro Player Stadium
VanBenSchoten finally got his first career major league win, as he pitched a great game, giving up just one run in 7 2/3 innings. Burnett picked up his 12th loss of the season, as he gave up four runs in 7 2/3 innings. Craig Wilson and JR House each had homeruns for the Bucs.

Game 138: Pirates 2 Marlins 6 Fireworks Night at Pro Player Stadium
Dave Williams gave up all six runs in 6 1/3 innings, picking up his 12th loss of the season. Penny pitched well giving up just two runs, solo homers by Mackowiak and House, in 7 2/3 innings for his 8th win of the season.

Game 139: Pirates 3 Marlins 2 Noddin Head Doll Day at Pro Player Stadium
Ponson had a great start, giving up just two runs in 8 innings, to even his record for the season at 9-9. Goetz gave up three runs, two of them earned, in just 4 2/3 innings for the loss. House homered in his third straight game, a solo shot in the fifth inning.

Series Recap: The Bucs came back and won 2 of 3 against the Marlins to finish the season series at 3-3 against them.

Game 140: Pirates 1 Mets 3
Glavine won the matchup this time around, as he gave up just one run in seven innings for his 13th win of the season. Benson gave up two runs in six innings for his 11th loss. Benitez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 30th save of the season.

Game 141: Pirates 1 Mets 2
In his first career start, Jake Joseph pitched a superb game, giving up just one run in eight innings of work for the win. Despite pitching a great game, Perez got the loss for the Pirates, giving up two runs in seven innings. The game winning run came in the bottom of the seventh inning when Mike Piazza hit a solo homerun off of Perez. Benitez went 1-2-3 in the ninth for his 31st save.

Game 142: Pirates 2 Mets 3
VanBenSchoten pitched another good game, giving up just two runs in 6 2/3 innings, and striking out a career high 10 batters, but he did not get a decision. Heilmann also didn't get a decision, as he went 7 2/3 innings and gave up two runs. The Mets won the game in the bottom of the 11th inning. Timo Perez led off the inning with a walk. Mo Vaughn then grounded to the shortsop and it looked like a for sure double play ball, but Bobby Hill had trouble getting the ball out of his glove at second base, and Vaughn was safe at first. Then after getting Piazza to strike out, Mann gave up a double to Ty Wigginton down the left field line, that scored Vaughn for the game winning run. Mann picked up the loss and Yates got the win.

Series Recap: The Mets got back at the Pirates and swept them, to end the season with the Pirates up 5-4 in the series. Each game was a great pitching duel, but the Mets came out on top with some timely hitting.

Around the league, besides the no-hitter by Meche, there was no other news this week. Now a look at the standings:

BOS 87-55 *7
TOR 14 GB
NYY 14.5 GB

CLE 77-67 *17
MIN 2.5 GB
CHW 5 GB

OAK 90-53 *2
SEA 18 GB

The Twins now lead the wild card race by 1/2 a game over the Blue Jays, 1 game over the Yankees, 2 over the Mariners, 2.5 over the White Sox, 6 over the Royals and 7 over the Angels.

MON 91-52 *15
ATL 5 GB
PHI 11.5 GB

CHC 83-59 *14
STL 7 GB
CIN 8 GB

SDP 79-64 *14
SFG 6.5 GB
COL 7.5 GB

The Braves still lead the wild card race, no by 6.5 games over the Phillies, 9.5 games over the Cardinals and 10.5 games over the Reds.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 24
Just three weeks left in the regular season and the division races are heating up. This week the Pirates travel to Milwaukee for a four game series against the Brewers who are 49-93 and whom the Pirates are 4-4 against. The Pirates then come home for a three game series against the Braves who are currently 86-57 and whom the Pirates are 1-2 against this season.

Game 143: Pirates 2 Brewers 3
Neither starting pitcher got a decision in this game, as it took 14 innings to decide the winner. Williams went 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs, while Valdes also gave up two runs but in 8 2/3 innings. The tying run for the Pirates came in the top of the ninth with a solo homerun by JJ Davis. That homerun was Davis' 20th homerun of the year, and he was the fifth Pirates hitter to hit 20 dingers this season. The game winning run came in the bottom of the 14th inning. Shields walked Encarnacion with one out. Clayton then grounded out back to the mound and it looked like it would be a double play, but Hill's throw to first was in the dirt and Clayton was safe at first. Ginter made the Pirates pay with a triple down the right field line, to give the Brewers the win. Shields got the loss for the Pirates and Leskanic got the win for the Brewers.

Game 144: Pirates 0 Brewers 4
Ponson didn't do too great in this game, giving up four runs in 6 2/3 innings for his 10th loss of the season. The puzzling thing was the Pirates managed just four hits and no runs off of Ruben Quevedo, a pitcher with 14 losses and an ERA over 6. Quevedo got the complete game shutout, for his 5th win of the year.

Game 145: Pirates 11 Brewers 1
Benson pitched a superb game for his 13th win of the season. He pitched a complete game giving up just three hits, one run, no walks and struck out 11 batters. The Pirates' bats finally woke up, scoring five runs in six innings off of Dessens, who got his 11th loss.

Game 146: Pirates 6 Brewers 9
Perez did not have a good game at all, giving up six runs, four of them earned, in just 3 2/3 innings for his 8th loss of the season. Sheets also gave up six runs, but it was over the course of 7 1/3 innings and he picked up his 6th win of the year.

Series Recap: There can't be a more frustrating team than the Pirates in the world. They lose 3 out of 4 to a team that's going to loss 100 games this year.

In other news around the league, the A's clinched the AL West today.

Game 147: Pirates 7 Braves 6
This game was a show-down of two future aces. Horacio Ramirez gave up just one run in 5 2/3 innings but did not get a decision. VanBenSchoten picked up his second career win, giving up just one run in seven innings. The excitement started in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score 1-1, the Pirates scored six runs off of Sylvester and Worrell, with three of the runs coming from a bases loaded triple by JJ Davis. The Braves attempted to mount a comebak in the top of the eight inning. Minor lead off with a single off of Vogelsong, and then Vogelsong gave up back-to-back homers to Betemit and Marcus Giles to bring the score to 7-4. Boehringer then came into the game and got two quick outs before giving up a single to Munson. Sauerbeck then came into the game and gave up a pinch hit triple to Reggie Sanders to score Munson, a single to Pena to score Sanders, a single to Estrada and then a walk to Minor to load the bases. Then with two outs and the bases loaded, Sauerbeck got out of the mess he got himself into by striking out Betemit. Mann pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 28th save of the year.

Game 148: Pirates 10 Braves 4
Dave Williams gave up three solo homeruns, but finished giving up four runs in 5 1/3 innings for his 7th win of the season. The Pirates crushed Russ Ortiz, scoring 7 runs in 1 2/3 innings against him, as he picked up his 9th loss of the season.

Game 149: Pirates 3 Braves 4
Ponson pitched a pretty good game, giving up just two runs in seven innings, but it wasn't good enough as he got a no decision. Meanwhile, Eaton gave up three runs in seven innings, and managed to get the win, his 9th of the season. The Braves took the lead in the top of the eighth inning. Sauerbeck gave up a one out walk to Trot Nixon. Mann then came into the game and gave up a pinch hit single to Chipper Jones. Estrada then singled to score Nixon and tie the game. Mann then got Franco to ground into a fielders choice back to the mound, which left runners at the corners and two outs. Betemit then reached on an infield hit, which scored Furcal, the eventual game winning run. Hernandez pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth, and Smoltz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 39th save of the year.

Series Recap: The Pirates came close to doing the seemingly impossible, sweeping the Braves. They did however manage to even the season series at 3-3.

Boston clinched the AL East with a 5-1 win over the Tigers.

Around the league, on Wednesday Atlanta's Glendon Rusch pitched a two hit shutout against the Mets as the Braves won the game 9-0. On Saturday, the Yankees got bad news, as right fielder Juan Rivera will miss the next 4-5 weeks with a strained posterior cruciate ligament.

Cleveland now leads the only remaining division series in the AL by 1/2 a game over the Twins, with a record of 80-70. The White Sox trail by 5.5 games. In the wildcard race, the Twins lead by 2.5 games over the Blue Jays, 3 games over the Yankees, 4.5 games over the Mariners, and 5 games over the White Sox. The NL standings looks as follows:

MON 95-54 *7
ATL 6.5 GB

CHC 84-65 *9
CIN 4.5 GB
STL 5 GB

SDP 84-65 *5
COL 9.5 GB
SFG 10 GB

The Braves still lead the wild card race, now by 7 games over the Phillies, 9 games over the Reds and 9.5 games over the Cardinals.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 25
This week the Pirates look to exact revenge some revenge, with a four game series against the Brewers who are 52-97 and whom the Pirates are 5-7 against this season. The Pirates then play host to a three-game series against the Reds who are currently 80-70 and whom the Pirates are 6-6 against.

Game 150: Pirates 10 Brewers 13
Benson gave up seven runs in just 3 1/3 innings of work, for his 12th loss of the season. Dessens gave up five runs, four of them earned, in 5 2/3 innings for his 14th win. The Brewers scored at least one run in almost every inning, with the ninth inning being the only exception.

The Pirates have promoted SP Brian Bullington from AA to AAA. With the Curve, Bullington was 8-11 with a 2.90 ERA in 26 starts.

Game 151: Pirates 6 Brewers 4
Perez pitched a decent game, giving up four runs, three of them earned, in 6 innings, for his 15th win of the season. Sheets gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings for his 15th loss. Mann pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 29th save.

Game 152: Pirates 3 Brewers 2
VanBenSchoten pitched well, giving up just two runs in seven innings but did not get the decision. Franklin did not get a decision either, as he gave up two runs in six innings. The Pirates scored the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Mackowiak lead off with a triple against Vizcaino. One out later, McDougall hit a pinch hit single to drive in the winning run. Mann got the win for the Bucs and Vizcaino got the loss.

Game 153: Pirates 3 Brewers 2
Williams pitched a pretty good game, giving up just two runs, just one earned, in 7 1/3 innings but did not get the decision. Valdes got the loss for the Brewers, giving up three runs in eight innings. The Pirates were trailing 2-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning. House led off with a walk against Valdes, and then Rivera hit a pinch hit double to score House. Two outs later, Nady hit a two run homerun to give the Pirates the lead.

Series Recap: The Pirates got back against the Brewers winning 3 out of 4, and handing the Brewers their 100th loss of the season. The Pirates finished the season series 8-8 against the Brewers.

The Padres clinched the NL West with a 9-1 win over the Rockies and the Dodgers 5-2 victory over the Giants.

Game 154: Pirates 5 Reds 4
Neither starter got the decision in this game. Oswalt gave up just two runs in six innings of work, and Ponson gave up four runs, two of them earned, in seven innings of work. The Pirates were trailing 4-2 until the ninth inning. Kotsay led off the inning with a walk. One out later, Nady tripled to right center field, scoring Kotsay. Riedling then intentionally walked Craig Wilson. Mackowiak then hit a sac fly to center field and Nady scored and Wilson moved to second on the poor throw by the centerfielder. JJ Davis then singled, scoring Craig Wilson for the game winning run. Corey got the win for the Pirates, and Riedling the loss.

Game 155: Pirates 15 Reds 5
Benson didn't have the greatest game, giving up five runs in seven innings, but it was good enough for his 14th win of the season. The Pirates had a huge second inning, scoring 11 runs in the inning. Zach Day lasted just 1 1/3 innings, giving up 9 runs, 7 of them earned.

Game 156: Pirates 6 Reds 1
Perez pitched a great game, giving up just one run in 8 innings for his 16th win of the season. Wilson gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings for his 13th loss of the season. Kotsay hit his 18th homerun of the season, and if he hits two more then there will be five Pirates players finishing the season with 20 or more homeruns.

Series Recap: The Pirates pulled out the sweep getting the offense when they needed and getting some good pitching as well.

Montreal clinched the NL East with a win over the Phillies 6-3. The Braves also clinched the NL wildcard as the Phillies lost the game. That leaves just three races remaining heading into the final week of the season. In the AL central, Minnesota leads Cleveland by 3 games and have a magic number of 4. In the wild card race, Cleveland leads Toronto by one game, the Yankees by 2.5 games, the Mariners by 3.5 games, the White Sox by 4.5 games, and the Angels by 5.5 games. In the NL, the Cardinals now lead the central division by 0.5 game over the Cubs, who have lost their last 11 straight, 3.5 over the Reds, and 5.5 over the Pirates.

Around the league, on Monday, Toronto's right fielder Dewayne Wise hit for the cycle against the Yankees. Also on Monday, Milwaukee's Tony Batista fired five hits against the Pirates. On Tuesday, Seattle's Gil Meche quieted Texas' bats with a 2 hit shutout as the Mariners won 4-0. On Wednesday, Montreal's Javier Vazquez pitched a two hit shutout against the Reds, as the Expos won the game, 2-0. On Sunday, Tampa Bay's Jorge Sosa recorded his first career shutout, a two hitter, against the Yankees as the Devil Rays won the game 3-0.

[Operation Shutdown]

Week 26
Heading into the last week of the season, the Pirates are currently 79-77 and are in fourth place in the central division, just 5.5 games behind the Cardinals and theoretically still in the race. The Pirates travel to Montreal for a three game series against the Expos who are 99-57 and whom the Pirates are 2-1 against. They then travel to Cincinatti and finish out the season with a three game series against the Reds who are currently 81-75 and whom the Pirates are 9-6 against this season.

Game 157: Pirates 2 Expos 4 Fireworks Night at Olympic Stadium
VanBenSchoten pitched a decent game, giving up just three runs, two of them earned, in seven innings, but got the loss. Vazquez worked seven scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and one walk for his 13th win of the season. Nady and House each had solo homeruns in the ninth inning, the only runs scored by the Pirates. Vlad hit his 46th homerun of the year, a solo shot in the seventh inning. Scott Stewart gave up one run, but held on in the ninth for his 41st save of the year.

Game 158: Pirates 7 Expos 5
Dave Williams did not have a good start in his last start of the year, as he gave up five runs in two innings of work. Seung Song pitched a great game, giving up just one run in seven innings, but did not get the win as the Expos bullpen had some trouble. The Pirates were down 5-1 heading into the eighth inning, and Nady led off the inning with a double off of Kim. Craig Wilson the singled home Nady, and that was it for Kim. Dan Smith then came into the game and gave up a two run homerun to Rob Mackowiak to bring the score to 5-4. Smith then gave up a single to JJ Davis before being pulled from the game. TJ Tucker then came in to pitch and gave up a double to Jose Castillo. Davis tried to score on the play but was thrown out at home by Hart. JR House then singled home Castillo, and then Alvarez followed with a pinch hit double, but House was held at third base. Tucker then got Kotsay and Bobby Hill to fly out to short left-center field to end the threat, but the Pirates did the damage tying the game at 5-5. No runs were scored until the top of the tenth inning, when Scott Stewart came on for the Expos. After one out, he gave up a triple to Castillo, that was followed by a two run homerun by JR House to give the Pirates the lead. Montreal threatened in the bottom half of the inning, when with one out Vlad singled and was moved to third base on a double by Jason Hart off of Jim Mann. Wilkerson was then intentionally walked, and with the bases loaded and one out, Jim Mann got Brian Schneider to strike out. Mann then left the game with tightness in his back, and Sauerbeck came in and got Wil Cordero to ground out to end the game as he earned the save. Shields pitched two scoreless innings to get the win for the Pirates, and Stewart got the loss.

Game 159: Pirates 6 Expos 3 Baseball Cap Day at Olympic Stadium
In his last start of the year, Ponson pitched a pretty good game giving up three runs in seven innings to even his record for the year at 10-10. Orlando Hernandez gave up six runs, though only two of them were earned, in 6 1/3 innings for just his 5th loss of the season. Kotsay hit a three run homerun in the sixth, for his 19th homerun of the year.

Series Recap: The Pirates played really well against a team with 100 wins this season. The Pirates have also guaranteed themselves their first 0.500 or better season since 1992.

A quick look at the remaining races, sees the Twins magic number is now one in the AL Central as they are three games up on the Indians with three left to play. The Indians lead the wild card by one game over the Blue Jays and two games over the Yankees and Mariners. In the NL, the Cubs answered their 11 game losing streak with a three game winning streak and are now one game up on the Cardinals with three left. Minnesota plays Detroit (57-102), Cleveland plays Baltimore (66-93), New York plays Toronto and Seattle plays Anaheim (78-81). It looks as if the Twins and Indians will be the most likely to make the playoffs, as New York and Toronto will probably beat each other up, and Anaheim will want to give Seattle as much grief as possible. In the NL central, the Cubs and Cardinals play a three game series to determine the NL Central champ.

Game 160: Pirates 10 Reds 3
Benson did fairly well in his final start of the season, giving up three runs in six innings to finish the year at 15-12. Paul Wilson gave up five runs in seven innings, to finish his season at 13-14. This was definitely a game of homeruns, as Davis, Nady, Alvarez, and Cota each homered for the Pirates accounting for 9 of the Pirates' ten runs, and Eckstein, Colbrunn and Griffey homered for the Reds, accounting for all 3 of the Reds runs scored in the game.

Minnesota 5 Detroit 2
Cleveland 15 Baltimore 4
Toronto 8 New York 7 (15 innings)
Anaheim 8 Seattle 7

St. Louis 3 Chicago 2 (11 innings)

In the AL Minnesota has clinched the AL Central with their win. The Yankees and Mariners are now out of the wild card race with their losses, leaving just Cleveland and Toronto, and the Indians still lead by 1 game. In the NL, the Cardinals and Cubs are tied.

Game 161: Pirates 3 Reds 2
Both starters pitched very well in this game, but neither got the decision as this one took 11 innings to decide. Perez gave up just two runs, only one of them earned, in six innings of work, and Reitsma gave up just one run in seven innings. The Pirates trailed 2-1 heading into the ninth inning, when Craig Wilson led off with a solo homerun off of Riedling to tie the game at 2-2. Niether team scored a run until the 11th inning, when with two outs and no one on base, JJ Davis hit a solo homerun off of Scott Sullivan to give the Pirates the lead. Shields pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning, as part of a great effort by a bullpen that gave up just one walk in five innings. Shields got the win, while Sullivan got the loss.

Cleveland 3 Baltimore 4 (11 innings)
Toronto 4 New York 3

St. Louis 5 Chicago 4

Toronto has now tied the race for the wildcard in the AL and St. Louis has gone up one game on the Cubs in the NL central.

Game 162: Pirates 6 Reds 4
VanBenSchoten finished the season strong for the Pirates, giving up just one run in 5 2/3 innings to finish the season at 3-4. Oswalt gave up five runs, two of which were earned, in seven innings, getting the loss and finishing the season at 14-10. The Reds mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, scoring two unearned runs off of Beimel, but Greg Maddux came in and shut them down for his first career save.

Cleveland 6 Baltimore 5
Toronto 11 New York 1

Chicago 5 St. Louis 4

Well, 162 games weren't enough to decide the AL wildcard and the NL central races, so there will be a one-game playoff to decide the winner of both races. The NL game will be played in St. Louis and will feature Joe Kennedy (17-12 3.87) for the Cubs and Rick Ankiel (8-7 5.30) for the Cardinals. The AL game will be played in Toronto and will feature Ricardo Rodriguez (15-7 3.28) for the Indians and Denny Neagle (10-18 6.04) for the Blue Jays.

Cubs 4 Cardinals 2 (11 innings)
This game was a real close one, as the score was tied 1-1 through nine innings. Kennedy went 6 innings, giving up one run for the Cubs, and Ankiel went 5 innings giving up one run for the Cardinals. Niether bullpen gave up a single run until the top of the eleventh, when Tyler Johnson gave up a two run homerun to Ben Davis followed by a solo homerun by Dee Brown to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead. The Cardinals tried their hardest to mount a comeback victory in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Edmonds singled off of Ohman and Ohman was injured on the play. Borowski then came in and got Tejada out, but then walked Drew, gave up a single to Travis Lee that scored Edmonds, and then walked Vina to load the bases. He was then pulled in favor of Beltran, and Beltran got Delgado to ground out to the second baseman with two outs and the bases loaded to end the game.

Indians 12 Blue Jays 11 (10 innings)
Neagle lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs, three of them earned, for the Blue Jays. The Indians seemed to have this game in the bag early on as they had a 9-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Something sparked on the Blue Jays benched and they decided they weren't gonna give up without a good fight. Millar led off the inning with a single, Barrett followed with another single, Malloy followed with another single scoring Millar, and then Gabe Gross followed with yet another single, scoring Barrett, while Malloy and Gross moved to third and second respectively on the throw home. Rodriguez finally got Luke Allen to ground out to second, but that scored Malloy and moved Gross to third. Hinske then followed with yet another single in the inning, scoring Gross, and at that point Rodriguez was pulled from the game. Riske then came into the game and gave up a walk to Delgado and then a single to Wise to load the bases. Woodward followed with yet another single, the sixth of the inning, that scored Hinske and Delgado to make it a one run game, 9-8. Riske finally ended the inning by getting Millar to fly out to short left field and got Barrett to strike out swinging. Rodriguez gave up a total of 7 runs in 6 1/3 innings. The Blue Jays still were not done, as they managed to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, when with one out, Kevin Millar hit a solo homerun off of Escobar to tie the game at 9-9. The Indians finally woke up and realized that they had a game to play, and in the top of the tenth with two on and two outs, Victor Martinez hit a three run homerun to give the Indians the lead. The Blue Jays were still not giving up yet though, with two outs and one on, Dewayne Wise hit a two run homerun off of De los Santos to bring the Jays to back within one run. However, De Los Santos got Woodward to strike out swinging to end the a terrific game that took 4 hours and 45 minutes to play.

Well that's it for the season, I'll be back sometime tomorrow with the playoffs and the in-depth season wrapup for the Pirates. I'll be posting all the players pages and league files on the internet tonight through the end of the regular season, so enjoy.

[Operation Shutdown]

September Wrap-Up
The Pirates finished their season strong in the month of September, going 16-10 to finish the season at 84-78. All of the starting pitchers did fairly well to some sort of degree, but VanBenSchoten outshined them all going 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA and definitely earning himself a spot on next years team. None of the Pirates hitters really stood out this month, as they all had a fairly average month. The September call-ups did OK, Grabow got to pitch in just 1/3 of an inning as he was injured in his one appearance, and Castillo hit 0.314 with 0 HRs and 6 RBIs in 35 at-bats.

In the AL, Seattle's Gil Meche pitched very well this month, going 4-1 with a 1.60 ERA and two shutouts, good enough to win the AL POM. In the NL, the award went to Mets' rookie Phil Seibel who went 6-0 and an ERA of 1.42. The BOM award for the AL went to Toronto's red-hot Dewayne Wise who hit 0.381 with 8 HRs and 42 RBIs. In the NL, Milwaukee's 2B Kelly Grams hit 0.374 with 7 HRs and 29 RBIs to win the BOM award.

Divisional Series
In the AL, Cleveland will face Boston and Minnesota will play Oakland.

The Indians have Jake Guthrie (8-5 4.13), Kurt Ainsworth (13-15 4.21 ERA), Ricardo Rodriguez (15-7 3.46 ERA) ast their top three starting pitchers, and also have Dennys Baez (10-11 4.23 ERA) for a fourth starter if they need him. Their big hitters are Ivan Rodriguez (0.291 18 83), Ryan Church (0.273 28 106), and Travis Hafner (0.294 29 84) to lead the offense. The team was fifth in batting average, 13th in homeruns, and 13th in runs scored. Their pitching was 13th best in ERA, 14th in OAVG, and 15th in runs allowed. The Red Sox counter with Derek Lowe (20-10 3.37), Casey Fossum (19-8 3.33), Paul Byrd (11-9 4.72) as their top three starters, and Tim Wakefield (14-7 3.91) to use as a fourth starter if necessary. Their offensive big guns include Manny Ramirez (0.285 30 103), Nomar Garciaparra (0.325 20 107), and Josh Phelps (0.281 22 105). The team's batting average was fourth in the majors, 16th in homeruns, and 6th in runs scored while the pitching staff was 6th in ERA, 19th in OAVG, and 4th in runs allowed. Boston won the season series 5-1 between the two teams, and should have no problem defeating the Indians in the playoffs. Prediction: Red Sox in 4.

The Twins have former A's ace Tim Hudson (18-12 3.48), Eric Milton (9-14 3.58), and Kyle Lohse (12-9 3.42) as their top three starters and they better hope that's all they need cause their next in line is Brad Thomas (3-1 5.82). The only big hitters in their lineup are Aubrey Huff (0.287 29 103) and Juan Gonzalez (0.265 30 103). They will be without LF Todd Hollandsworth (0.281 16 74) this round, who is out with a hyper extended knee. The Twins offense was 22nd in average, 25th in HR, and 25th in runs scored, while their pitching staff is what carried the team, as they were 8th in ERA, 12th in OAVG, and 8th in runs allowed. The A's counter with Barry Zito (19-11 2.91), Mark Mulder (19-8 3.60), and Rich Harden (13-14 5.30) as their top three starters and have Bert Snow (6-4 3.58) as a fourth starter if they need him. Their big hitters include Eric Chavez (0.294 43 106), Erubiel Durazo (0.254 30 106), and former Twin Jacque Jones (0.312 33 110). The A's hitting ranked 12th in average, 10th in HR, and 7th in runs scored, while the pitching staff ranked 5th in ERA, 5th in OAVG, and 3rd in runs allowed. The A's will be without backup 2B Mark Ellis and backup CF Eric Byrnes for the playoffs. Oakland was 7-2 against Minnesota during the regular season and should win easily in the playoffs. Prediction: Oakland in 3.

In the NL, the Cubs will face the Expos and the Padres face the Braves.

The Cubs have superb pitching staff with Mark Prior (13-4 1.99), Joe Kennedy (17-12 3.87) and Wilton Chavez (8-4 3.15) as their top three starters, and Carlos Zambrano (11-10 4.49) as a fourth starter if needed. Their lineup has a couple of big hitters in Hee Seop Choi (0.275 35 94) and Sammy Sosa (0.293 58 136). Their offense ranked just 26th in avg, but 6th in HRs, and 19th in runs scored. Their pitching staff ranked 2nd in ERA, 3rd in OAVG, and 5th in runs allowed. The Expos counter with a pitching staff of Javier Vazquez (13-13 3.57), Seung Song (14-10 3.90), and Orlando Hernandez (15-5 3.78) as their top three starters, and have Chad Vargas (10-10 4.74) to use as a fourth starter if needed. Their lineup consists of a good mix of players that hit for average and ones that hit homers, including Jose Vidro (0.314 12 86), Reggie Taylor (0.329 12 73), Brian Schneider (0.301 25 109), and of course Vlad (0.301 46 131). Their offense ranked 3rd in avg, 15th in HRs, and 2nd in runs scored while their pitching staff ranks 14th in ERA, 13th in OAVG, and 14th in runs allowed. Montreal leads the series 7-2, and should be able to come out victorious in this series as well. Prediction: If the Cubs were playing anyone else but the Expos I'd have picked them to win, but the Expos offense is just too strong and they have a good starting 3 to counter the Cubs starting 3, so the Expos in 5.

The Padres have a pretty well rounded starting rotation, with Kip Wells (15-5 3.65), Randy Keisler (13-9 4.72), and Jake Peavy (13-9 3.87) listed as their top three, but they also have Rusty Tucker (11-11 4.00) and Dennis Tankersley (8-6 3.67) available to back them up. The offense is led by Brian Giles (0.310 41 124) and Ryan Klesko (0.287 27 108). They will be without star 3B Hank Blalock (0.308 11 86), who is out with a pulled calf muscle. Their offense ranked 8th in avg, 21st in HRs, and 9th in runs scored. The pitching staff was 7th in ERA, 6th in OAVG, and 6th in runs allowed. The Braves counter with Adam Wainwright (20-6 2.50), rookie Matt Wright (10-7 3.44), and Adam Eaton (10-12 4.61) as their listed top three, and they also have Russ Ortiz (13-10 3.45) to use if needed. The lineup is lead by Chipper Jones (0.295 34 91), Andruw Jones (0.253 31 91), Eric Munson (0.265 37 98), and Carlos Pena (0.277 35 95). The one thing the lineup lacks is a player or two that can hit for average and get on base ahead of the power hitters, as Chipper has the highest batting average on the team. Their offense ranked 24th in avg, 1st in HRs, and 15th in runs scored, while their pitching staff ranked 10th in ERA, 9th in OAVG, and 10th in runs allowed. Atlanta leads the season series 4-2. Prediction: Atlanta relies too much on the long ball and don't have anyone to get on base for those long balls to mean much of anything, so I'm gonna predict the upset in this one, Padres in four.

Game 1
Red Sox 7 Indians 4 WP - Lowe LP - Riske SV - Grimsley
A's 2 Twins 1 (10) WP - Valentine LP - Romero
Cubs 4 Expos 3 WP - Prior LP - Vazquez SV - Kolb
Braves 3 Padres 1 WP - Wainwright LP - Wells SV - Smoltz

Game 2
Indians 2 Red Sox 1 WP - Ainsworth LP - Fossum SV - Escobar
A's 6 Twins 3 WP - Mulder LP - Crain
Cubs 10 Expos 4 (16) WP - Farnsworth LP - Piniero
Padres 6 Braves 4 WP - Keisler LP - Wright SV - Speier

Game 3
Red Sox 11 Indians 3 WP - Byrd LP - Rodriguez
A's 9 Twins 0 WP - Harden LP - Lohse
Cubs 3 Expos 2 WP - Cruz LP - Reames SV - Kolb
Padres 6 Braves 5 WP - Peavy LP - Eaton SV - Speier

Well, I predicted the A's - Twins series right, but that was pretty easy as the A's advance. I expected the Cubs to give the Expos a hard time, but them sweeping the Expos I just can't believe. Well, it happened, and the Cubs move on.

Game 4
Red Sox 9 Indians 4 WP - Lowe LP - Guthrie
Padres 6 Braves 2 WP - Wells LP - Wainwright

Well, I predicted three of the four series right on, and my instincts were telling me to pick the Cubs, but I went against them. There's no way I would've thought they'd win in three, though. Anyway, the Red Sox and Padres also advance.

League Series
In the AL, the Red Sox will face the A's. The A's breazed past the Twins, giving up just four runs, while scoring 17. The Red Sox hit a small bump in their series against the Indians, losing to their ace Ainsworth, but still handled them pretty easily. The Red Sox won the season series 5-2. This is going to be a great example of strength going up against strength, as both teams have good pitching staffs and both teams have some good offense. Prediction: A's in 7, the curse will live on.

In the NL, the Cubs will face the Padres. Both teams upset their opponents in the division series, but the Cubs did so very impressively, with their excellent pitching staff just shutting down the explosive Expos offense. The Padres lead the season series 5-1, but the Cubs pitching staff will continue to carry the team to the World Series. Prediction: Cubs in 5.

Game 1
A's 6 Red Sox 2 WP - Zito LP - Fossum
Padres 5 Cubs 4 WP - Williams LP - Prior SV - Speier

Game 2
Red Sox 9 A's 4 WP - Byrd LP - Mulder
Cubs 4 Padres 0 WP - Kennedy LP - Peavy

Game 3
A's 6 Red Sox 2 WP - Harden LP - Lowe
Cubs 8 Padres 2 WP - Chavez LP - Wells

Game 4
Red Sox 5 A's 4 WP - Kaye LP - Percival SV - Grimsley
Padres 5 Cubs 2 WP - Keisler LP - Prior SV - Speier

Game 5
A's 8 Red Sox 2 WP - Mulder LP - Byrd
Padres 8 Cubs - 4 WP - Nicolas LP - Kolb
The Padres scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to win this one.

Game 6
A's 4 Red Sox 1 WP - Harden LP - Lowe SV - Valentine
Cubs 6 Padres 3 WP - Smyth LP - Wells SV - Kolb

The A's advance to the World Series!!!!!!!

Game 7
Cubs 4 Padres 1 WP - Prior LP - Keisler SV - Kolb

The Cubs came from behind, down 3-2 to win two games in San Diego to defeat the Padres and move on to the World Series.

World Series
The A's will face the Cubs in the world series. The two teams did not face each other in the interleague play during the season. This is going to be a pretty close series, but I think the Cubs storybook ending is not going to come to a good end, as I predict the A's to win the series in 6 games.

Game 1: Cubs 3 A's 2
The A's were leading this game 2-0, thanks to solo homeruns by Chavez off of Kennedy in the seventh, and Durazo in the ninth inning off of Ohman. In fact, through eight innings, Zito had given up just one hit, and one walk while giving up no runs. The bottom of the ninth started off with a lead-off walk to Brendan Harris. Infante then reached base on a fielding error by Zito. Zito was then pulled in favor of Joe Valentine. He got Corey Patterson to pop out to the catcher, but then walked Sammy Sosa to load the bases. With the bases loaded and one out, Mark Bellhorn hit a bases clearing double to win the game for the Cubs.

Game 2: Cubs 3 A's 1
The Cubs continue to surprise many, as they got another great pitching performance from Chavez who went 6 2/3 innings, giving up just one run. Mulder also did fairly well, giving up three runs, just two of them earned, in 7 1/3 innings but it wasn't enough as the Cubs bullpen blanked the A's offense and Kolb got the save working a 1-2-3 ninth.

Game 3: Cubs 5 A's 6
The Cubs seemed to have this game put away as they led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Prior pitched five scoreless innings for the Cubs, and Harden lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up two runs. Juan Cruz came into the bottom of the ninth with a runner on first and one out and got Singleton to ground into a fielder's choice, and it seemed the Cubs were gonna close out the game. Cruz, had other ideas in mind however, and walked Hernandez. He then gave up a single to Punto that scored Singleton. Dye then followed with another single that scored Hernandez. Danny Kolb then came into the game and gave up a three run homerun to Eric Chavez to tie the game at 5-5. Neither team scored a run until the bottom of the 11th inning. Singleton led off the inning, reaching base on a fielding error by the first baseman. Kolb then got Hernandez to ground into a fielder's choice and then got Meluskey to pop out to third base. If not for the error, the inning would've been over, but it wasn't. Francis Beltran then came into the game and gave up a double to Jermain Dye down the left field line and Hernandez scored from first to win the game for the A's

Game 4: Cubs 6 A's 7
This game took 12 innings to decide. Kennedy pitched 7 innings, and gave up five runs, three of them earned. Zito went 8 innings and gave up four runs. The Cubs were trailing the game 6-4 heading into the ninth inning. Patterson led off the inning with a single off of Valentine. Harris then walked, and Dee Brown followed with a single that scored Patterson. Infante grounded into a fielder's choice that got Brown out at second, but Harris moved to third on th play. Davis then hit a sac fly to center, scoring Harris and tying the game. Neither team scored until the bottom of the 12th, when Morrissey started things off with a one out single off of Smyth. Beltran then came into the game, allowed Morissey to steal second and then gave up a single to Hernandez, but Morrissey was held at third. That didn't matter much as Jones followed with another single to score Morrissey and end the game.

Game 5: Cubs 3 A's 2
This game wasn't decided until the ninth inning. Chavez went seven innings, giving up just two runs, and Mulder went 7 2/3 innings, also giving up two runs. The Cubs scored in the top of the ninth, as Sosa hit a one-out single, and then one out later, Dave Kelton hit a triple that scored Sosa. Beltran then came in and despite giving up a double to Rouse, shut down the A's for the save. The Cubs return to Wrigley with a 3-2 series lead.

Game 6: Cubs 3 A's 2
Prior pitched a superb game giving up just one run in seven innings. Harden did OK, giving up three runs in 6 innings. The A's tried to mount a comeback in the ninth inning but fell just short. Jones led things off with a one-out single and then scored when Rouse doubled to the gap in right-center. Kolb then got Singleton to ground out to second base, though it moved Rouse to third base. he then got pinch hitter Terrence Long to ground out to the shortstop to end the game, stranding the tying run at third base.

The Cubs win, The Cubs win. That had to be the closest I've every seen any World Series finish. Five of the six games ended wtih just a one-run differential, and the other game ended with just a two run differential. Either team had a chance to win the game late, and in some cases they did just that, but the Cubs came out just on top. Amazing!

[joncarlos]

Oh noes! The Cubs won the series. Prepare for armageddon!

[Operation Shutdown]

Don't worry, you've got til the end of October 2004, to get things right, plenty of time to go out and party some more.

[Operation Shutdown]

Pirates Season in Review
Just going to take a player by player analysis on how the Pirates did this season.

C JR House
House really improved a lot this season, upping his average to 0.271 with an OBP of 0.364 and a SLG of 0.449. He also hit 15 HRs and drove in 70 runs. Defensively, he had 4 passed balls and 7 errors, which isn't too bad, but he still struggled with throwing runners out as runners were succesful 68 out of 86 (79.1%) times they ran against him. Coming into the season, it was thought that he and Cota would have to split time, but he showed that he is definitely deserving of a starting role.

C Humberto Cota
Cota was given about 127 at-bats this year, and started in 35 games behind the plate. He continues to hit very well, with an average of 0.276, and OBP of 0.324 and a SLG of 0.504. He smashed 5 HRs and drove in 23 runs. He did very well defensively, with no errors and two passed balls in his 35 starts. He also threw out 9 out of 17 runners that tried to steal against him. Cota has played so well over the past two years, the Pirates may look to use him as trade bait, especially with Doumit making his way up through the minors.

C Ryan Doumit
Doumit was a September call-up this year and got his first taste of big league action. He was only used as a pinch hitter, and got one hit in seven at-bats but the Pirates are expecting big things from him in the coming years. This year he hit 0.347 with 8 HRs and 55 RBIs for the Nashville Sounds.

1B Craig Wilson
Wilson picked up where he left off last season, putting in another solid performance this year. He had an average of 0.279, and OBP of 0.334 and a SLG of 0.428. He smacked 23 HRs and drove in 91 runs while scoring 87 runs. Striking out continues to be a small problem for him though, as he struck out 116 times this season. Wilson made 144 starts at first base this year, and committed just 11 errors in 1304 1/3 defensive innings for a fielding percentage of 0.993. He continues to put up solid numbers, and will more than likely be the starter next year as well.

1B Carlos Rivera
Rivera continues to do a well enough job coming off the bench. He hit 0.247 with 3 HRs and 20 RBIs in 162 at-bats this year. He started 18 games this year, but did give up an uncharacteristic three errors.

2B Bobby Hill
Hill improved just a little bit with his hitting this year, with an average of 0.267, an OBP of 0.362 and a SLG of 0.384. He also hit 8 HRs and drove in 60 RBIs and scored 80 times. Hill continues to struggle against mostly the righties, as his average was 0.333 against lefties, but just 0.248 versus righties. While his average isn't very high, he continues to get on-base. Hill also managed to steal 61 bases in 87 attempts this year, for a percentage of 70.1%. In 142 starts at second base, Hill committed 17 errors for a fielding percentage of 0.977, not too bad for a second baseman. Hill is a pretty good cheap solution for the Pirates currently at second base.

3B Rob Mackowiak
Mackowiak continues to struggle with hitting for average, as he hit just 0.252 with an OBP of 0.316 and a SLG of 0.480. He still has a good bit of power though, as he hit 23 HRs and had 99 RBIs and scored 86 runs. Striking out continues to be a problem for him as well, as he struck out 126 times this season. Mackowiak struggled in the field as well this season, committing 29 errors in 149 starts for a fielding percentage of just 0.938. With Drew Henson making his way up through the minors, Mackowiak may also see him as trade bait come this offseason.

3B Dean Palmer
The Pirates are also struggling to find a good back-up third baseman as well. Palmer hit just 0.195 with 5 HRs and 19 RBIs in 154 at-bats. Palmer started 13 games at third base and committed three errors.

SS Marshall McDougall
This was probably the one shot McDougall had at trying to prove himself good enough for a starting job at SS. He did OK, hitting 0.242 with an OBP of 0.320 and a SLG of 0.395. He also hit 13 HRs and drove in 58 while scoring 70 runs. In 138 starts, he committed 24 errors for a percentage of 0.963. With Castillo coming up through the minors, I'd expect to see McDougall moved to more of a SS/3B backup role next season.

2B/SS Jack Wilson
Wilson lived up to his adage of solid defense but poor offense again this season. He hit just 0.229 with no homers and 14 RBIs in 170 at-bats. He made 19 starts at second base, committing just 4 errors (0.965) and 15 starts at shortstop, committing just two errors (0.969). He will probably continue the same role next season as well.

SS Jose Castillo
Castillo spent most of the season in Nashville where he hit 0.282 with 14 HRs and 69 RBI's. He was a September call-up and hit 0.314 with no homers and 6 RBIs in 35 at-bats. He will probably by the starting shortstop for the Bucs next year.

LF Xavier Nady
Nady made huge improvements over last season, especially in his power numbers. He hit for an avg of 0.287, an OBP 0.348, and a SLG of 0.469. He smashed 24 HRs while driving in 103 and scoring 93 runs, while also managing to steal 4 bases. In 145 starts in left field, he committed nine errors, but also connected on 15 assists for a fielding percentage of 0.967. He will no doubt be back with the club next season.

CF Mark Kotsay
Kotsay had another superb season in centerfield for the Pirates hitting 0.306 with an OBP of 0.361, and a SLG of 0.488. He smashed 19 HRs and drove in 81 and scored 113 runs. He also stole 32 bases in 51 attempts for a percentage of 62.7%. He made 145 starts in centerfield and committed just 7 errors while assisting in 12 plays for a fielding percentage of 0.980. He will also likely be back as part of the solid outfield the Bucs have.

RF JJ Davis
Davis without a doubt established himself as a major league player this season. In his rookie year, he hit 0.265 with an OBP of 0.326 and a SLG of 0.465. He also hit 25 homeruns, while driving in 92 and scoring 74 runs. Like so many other Pirate hitters, he struggled with the almighty K, striking out 147 times this season. In 138 starts in right field, he committed just 3 errors and compiled 11 assists for a fielding percentage of 0.989. He will also likely be back next year in a Pirate uni.

OF Tony Alvarez
Alvarez continued to shine off the bench for the Pirates. He hit 0.290 with 7 HRs and 46 RBIs. He made 58 starts in the outfield (17 LF, 17 CF, 24 RF) and did not commit a single error, and made 2 assists. With Alvarez due for arbitration this offseason, it is doubtful that the Pirates will be able to hold on to him due to payroll restrictions.

SP Sidney Ponson
Ponson spent a lot of the season on the DL, but did pretty well for the Pirates this season. He finished the season with a record of 10-10 with an 3.87 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In 25 starts, he compiled 172 innings, and struck out 133 and walked just 46 hitters. If the Pirates can continue to afford him, he will likely be back for the Pirates next year.

SP Kris Benson
Benson also had a fairly decent season finishing with a record of 15-12 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. In 33 starts, he pitched 211 innings, striking out 195 hitters and walked just 68 batters. With one year of arbitration remaining, he will likely be around for at least one more season.

SP Oliver Perez
Perez had an absolutely superb season for the Bucs finishing with a record of 16-8 with a 2.49 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. In 33 starts, he compiled 216 2/3 innings, racking up 162 strike outs and walking just 70 batters. Despite the fact that he's arbitration eligible this year, I imagine the Pirates will do everything they can to keep this guy on the team.

SP John VanBenSchoten
VanBenSchoten got his chance this year when Maddux went on the DL and he made the most of it. He finished the season at 3-4 with an ERA of 3.42 and a WHIP of 1.21. In 12 starts, he pitched in 73 2/3 innings and struck out 77 hitters while walking just 19. Without a doubt he will be in the rotation next year.

SP Dave Williams
Williams had a bunch of ups and downs this season, but did fairly well for a #5 starter. He finished the season with a record of 7 -12 with an ERA of 5.39 and a WHIP of 1.55. In his 27 starts, he had 143 2/3 innings, striking out 81, but walking a high 76 batters. Depending on how some of the pitchers develop in the minors during the offseason, he may or may not be back next year.

Bullpen
The bullpen did pretty average this year, with some pitchers doing very well, while others did not do too well.

Vogelsong finished 2-3 with 1 save and an ERA of 5.31. He made 71 appearances and pitched 83 innings.
Grabow appeared mostly as a spot starter, but finished the season at 1-1 with a 6.17 ERA. He may have a shot as a long reliever next year.
Boehringer did quite well this season, finishing 4-2 with 2 saves and a 2.87 ERA. He made 65 appearances and pitched 84 2/3 innings. He will become a free agent this year.
Scot Shields was acquired in July through a trade and finished at 6-2 with 1 save and a 1.03 ERA. He made 59 appearances and threw in 69 2/3 innings of relief.
Beimel put together another solid season in relief, finishing at 2-1 with 2 saves and a 3.72 ERA. He made 40 appearances and pitched in 55 2/3 innings.
Sauerbeck did not have a very good season, finishing 2-1 with 1 save, but a high 6.10 ERA. He made 53 appearances and pitched in 48 2/3 innings, and walked an astounding 45 batters. He will become a free agent this year.
Mark Corey continues to perform well finishing at 5-2 with 2 saves and a 2.48 ERA. He made 59 appearances and pitched 58 innings.
Mann was a mixture of good and bad, and very bad this season, and finished with a record of 1-8 with 30 saves. Despite the 8 losses, he had just 5 blown saves and finished with a 85.7 save percentage. He made a total of 60 appearances and pitched 65 1/3 innings.

Cy Young Award Winners
Mark Buehrle won the Cy Young Award for the AL finishing the season with a record of 21-8 and a 3.48 ERA. He was 8th in the AL in ERA and first in wins. Adam Wainwright won the award for the NL, finishing the season with a record of 20-6 and a 2.51 ERA. He was 4th in the NL in ERA and 1st in wins.

MVP Winners
Texas' Alex Rodriguez finally won the MVP in the AL, hitting 0.303 with 47 homeruns and 142 RBIs. He was 9th in the AL in average, but led the league in homers and RBIs. Sosa won the award for the NL, hitting 0.293 with 58 HRs and 136 RBIs. He finished 2nd in the NL in RBIs and led the league with homers.

Rookie of the Year
Baltimore's Jack Cust won the award in the AL, hitting 0.267 with 24 HRs and 88 RBIs. The Pirates' own JJ Davis won the award in teh NL, hitting 0.265 with 25 HRs and 92 RBIs.

Gold Gloves
2004 American League Winners

Pitcher: Danny Graves, ANA
Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez, CLE
First Base: Paul Konerko, CHA
Second Base: Luis Castillo, CHA
Third Base: Troy Glaus, ANA
Shortstop: Alfredo Amezaga, ANA
Leftfield: Carl Crawford, TBA
Centerfield: Johnny Damon, BOS
Rightfield: Ichiro Suzuki, SEA


2004 National League Winners

Pitcher: Tom Glavine, NYN
Catcher: Jason LaRue, CIN
First Base: Todd Helton, COL
Second Base: Orlando Hudson, COL
Third Base: Rob Mackowiak, PIT
Shortstop: Jose Hernandez, COL
Leftfield: Geoff Jenkins, MIL
Centerfield: Roberto Castilleja, SDN
Rightfield: Vladimir Guerrero, MON

That wraps up the 2004 season. All of the player files, as well as the box scores and logs of the playoffs are up on the website now for anyone that wants to look. Look for me to begin 2005 later tonight, with a lot of payroll decisions to make, it should be a hectic off season.

[Operation Shutdown]

Website Link
2004 Pirates Dynasty Website