AGRI Biz

Forget for a moment that the Pirates' everyday team is below league average. The Pirates' replacement players are below the average for the league. And that may be at the core of the team's problems. Well-financed teams like the New York Yankees have respectable strength even on the bench. Cody Ransom is no Alex Rodriguez, but he did his team no harm as a "sub" while the latter was out for ...

This question comes into sharper focus after the Pirates' two defeats over the weekend, even with solid starts by veteran starters. But Charlie Morton, one of the three players acquired from the Atlanta Braves for Nate McLouth last spring, pitched a seven-inning, one-run start against the San Diego Padres in PNC park on Friday night. That's very good. He also opened a game against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley field by giving ...

The next series is one that the Pittsburgh Pirates should be able to win. It is at home, against a non division team. And the opponent, San Diego, is near the bottom of Western Division. We're not talking about the Los Angeles Dodgers (yet). More specifically, the Padres is one of two teams whose batting is worse than the Pirates'. Typical of San Diego's problems is a former Pirate slugger named ...

Call me an optimist, but I think the Pittsburgh Pirates will "do well" on their next road series against the Houston Astros. This is in spite of the fact that Pittsburgh has Major League Baseball's worst road record, particularly against the National League Central. The Pirates have won only 18 games on the road this year. Only six have come against division rivals, and only three since the first week. But two ...