Almost all Pirates fans(including myself) was ready to hop a cliff Friday night. This team is so close but yet so far away. Friday proves how far away they are, but the previous 3 series proves how close they are. The Buccos are consistently winning 2 of 3 from these series. What a scrappy ball club.

I think what we saw with the Pirates last year was a team who just didn't have the horses to compete with most teams down the stretch. I think we're actually a little improved this year vs. where we were last year because I actually like our depth better.

Keep in mind that we played one of the hardest schedules to start the year. It's not surprising that we're not .500. What we need to do is continue to take care of business in winnable sets. The Astros stink. They're a team we NEED to beat and beat consistently. Pirates teams of years past couldn't take care of business like that.

Truth be told we should have won 3/3 against them. You're right though - we did win the series. Truth be told that's the most important thing anyway so at least for now - mission accomplished.

No doubt... Learning how to win at a consistent basis is always going to be a struggle with a young team. For me seeing continued growth as a team and as individuals will make me happy. If Cutch can get 25 or possibly more HR's and Pedro can get to 30 that'll be success on that front. I want to see Tabata, Walker, and Presley grow more than they have been. This team is a SS, 1B, and a C away from being a solid team.

I'm in agreement with that assessment. Unfortunately none of those positions grow on trees.

One of the traps this team fell into last year was relying on great pitching too long. We had great pitching to start the year and it fizzled. Lack of run support hurts pitchers because they get into a mindset that they need to be perfect to win games. Then they make mistakes and the hitting can't carry them and they wind up frustrated. We want to avoid that trap this year.

Player wise we may have a catcher (Tony Sanchez) in the minors. He was the fourth overall pick a few years back. Unfortunately a SS and 1B are going to have to come from outside the organization because we just don't have any talent brewing.