Oooh...that Snell

Ian Snell continued his string of poor performances,didn't record an out in the fifth inning and picked up his fifth loss in a row (2-5) in a 7-4 loss to the Cardinals.
Jose Bautista's second inning double staked Snell to a 1-0 lead,but in the second,Snell was ripped for all the runs that St.Louis would need in a five run fifth and he would give up another run in the 4th before being pulled in the 5th without retiring a batter.
Snell's line of 4+ innings,6 runs,8 hits,3 whiffs and 2 walks earned him the deserved loss.
The Bucs would add singles runs in the 5th (Freddy Sanchez sac fly),6th (Nate McLouth hit by pitch) and the 8th (Another Bautista double).
Bautista finished with three hits on the day and had a solid game for the third baseman.
I have no idea about what could be wrong with Snell.
I have a pretty good idea about the root of Tom Gorzelanny's troubles (Injury),but Snell does not really look much different than last season other than some control problems that flare up from time to time.
The play of the game was made by a Cardinal as Rick Ankiel dove toward the wall to grab a ball over his head that was crushed by Xavier Nady.
The catch cost Pittsburgh one run for sure and might have been worth even more runs than that.
One awesome catch for sure and the above shot does not do it justice.
Pittsburgh finished the road trip tonight at 8 before returning home for a 10 game homestand.

Pitching Matchup
Pittsburgh:Tom Gorzelanny (4-5 7.38 ERA) at St.Louis:Adam Wainwright (5-2 2.86 ERA) 8:00

Bullpen Notes

On his radio show,Pirate GM Neal Huntington offered a thought on sending Gorzelanny down to AAA Indianapolis in the future to attempt to deal with his 2008 woes.
To me,his problems are not mechanical,they are physical and Gorzo would better served with a shutdown of at least 2 weeks,if not a month.

Jack Wilson has been a last minute scratch from each of the last two games with leg problems.
Just a thought,maybe tonight should just be another rest night before the return home for the homestand.

I have always rooted against the Baltimore Orioles (OK,I despise them) and I think Peter Angelos is a known schmuck,but their plan to bring back the "Baltimore" on their road jerseys is a great one.
The marketing strategy of the Orioles being the Baltimore/Washington team went out the door when the Nationals arrived and this is a move that the Baltimore fans have wanted for years.
Good move.

And finally here is a picture of my favorite Aunt,Becky with her long
time hero Bernie Kosar at a recent Cleveland Gladiators game in Cleveland.
Kosar owns part of the Arena league team and it is very smart to use his celebrity as a way to get Browns fans to sample the indoor game by using the opportunity to meet the Cleveland legend,get an autograph and a picture.
I have tried to get into Arena ball a few times and have always wound up disappointed,perhaps a future visit to meet Kosar (and therefore watch a game live) might do the trick to hook me as a fan.
Of course,I would be torn on which team to root for-the Gladiators with the Kosar ownership or the Columbus Destroyers,which has some Ohio State connections.

Until next time
Ankiel:Tom Gannom-AP Photo
Kosar & Becky:Russ Heimberger