Bucs stumble early in 4-2 loss

Ian Snell survived a slow start to have numbers that looked OK on paper,but the two runs that the Phillies scored in inning number one set the tone and the Pirates dropped the middle game of the series 4-2.
On one hand,I was encouraged at Snell's fortitude in surviving a bad first inning that could have been far worse as the bases were loaded in the first when Snell retired Chris Coste to keep the game at 2-0,but in the third,Snell grounded into an inning ending double play and was shown laughing and joking with Phillie shortstop Jimmy Rollins as the teams switched sides.
John Wehner was highly critical of Snell after that (in his dull,monotone way) and I tend to agree.
I dislike guys that appear to be making light of things,especially in the case of Snell,who has been so disappointing this season.
Snell (now 4-9) allowed a run in the seventh to finish the game with three runs allowed and worked his way out what looked like a short night,but still there is something missing with his mindset.
Last year,he was so aggressively competitive and this year,it seems like so much of that is gone.
It just doesn't seem like the same pitcher and that is in his attitude as well as his results.
Battlin' Bog offered this tidbit during the game-"Maybe he should change his name back to Ian Oquendo".
Before Snell reached Pittsburgh and was in the minors,he switched his surname back and forth from Snell to Oquendo on a few different occasions and that is what the Battler was referring to.
The Pirates scored a run in the fourth on a Nate McLouth double and a tally in the ninth on a Brandon Moss single that scored McLouth,but despite the deceiving final score,the game really was not that close.
The series concludes today at 1;35.

Pitching Matchup
Pittsburgh:Jason Davis (1-1 2.57 ERA) at Philadelphia:Jamie Moyer (10-7 3.78 ERA) 1:35

Bullpen Notes

The Cleveland Browns finally gave up on the return of Gary Baxter as Baxter was released.
Baxter went under yet another arthroscopic surgery and the Browns finally realized that Baxter was not going to be able to help the team.
Baxter had had injury setbacks over the course of his contract since arriving from Baltimore in 2005 as a highly touted free agent.

Tom Friedman has an interesting take on energy as he looks at Denmark's program through the years on cutting oil addiction.
Friedman is a smart fellow with some interesting ideas,but he is in love with raising taxes on gas to encourage investment in energy alternatives as a way to relieve the oil addiction and uses the gas taxes in Europe as a way of justifying his argument.
What Friedman doesn't realize (or if he does,he doesn't tell you) as that in Europe there is so much more mass transit options and the sprawl in the USA does not make the two areas similar.
One can look at the difficulties that rural residents are suffering right now and easily see that that the Friedman plan simply would be a mass disaster for numerous families.

Until tomorrow.

Photo Credit
Pearce:Tom Mihlalek-AP Photo