Splitting the weekend

The Pittsburgh Pirates sure had a better weekend than I did as they managed to split the weekend games in St.Louis with the Cardinals and gained two of three on the series.
The win on Saturday and loss yesterday kept the Pirates one game behind the first place Reds as the Pirates return home tonight for a homestand that begins with the Houston Astros.

Pirate Hooks

1) Thanks to the afternoon starts,I was able to get away with missing just one of the games in the Central Time Zone.
I will miss the Astros next year and I will HATE everyday Interleague play,but I will not miss six/seven games in the Midwest every year that I would normally mostly miss.

2) Despite the loss yesterday and missing the sweep,I had to smile at the rare homer by Michael McKenry.
The three run homer was quite a shot for the light hitting catcher and I always enjoy a homer by a player that seldomly connects.

3) Speaking of shots-Pedro Alvarez and his first inning grand slam was crunched.
Alvarez might be inconsistent,but when he is in the groove,the homers are an awesome sight..

4) Pittsburgh did suffer two injuries in the series as Andrew McCutchen sprained his wrist on a diving catch Saturday.
Cutch sat yesterday out and no word on today against Houston.
Pedro Alvarez looked have a leg issue and left the game.
It looked minor,but one never knows..

5) Congrats to Andrew McCutchen and Joel Hanrahan for making the All-Star team.
Both were deserving,but I would have given James McDonald an edge of Hanrahan.

6) Next week is the All-Star break and I am planning an article on the Pirates that will look at the pros and cons of being all in for the playoffs or look for the longer term.
There are pluses to both sides and I hope to detail both sides and my thoughts on the final decision...

I hope to maybe be back later with the Devils in free agency,which hopefully be the return of Zach Parise and a look after that on Pirates-Astros...

Photo Credit:AP Photo