North Shore Notes
View From The Crows Nest
By Jim Lachimia

o   The fact that the Brewers have beaten the Pirates 17 times in a row now dating back to May of 2008 is incredible. In watching the two clubs go at it in a pair of series so far this season, it almost seemed as though the Milwaukee hitters knew what was coming. They resisted just about every borderline pitch, and when an offering came across the plate they smacked it hard someplace (including over the fence). At the risk of sounding paranoid, it reminded me of those playoff games when the Patriots seemed to know exactly what plays the Steelers were going to run. Oh wait, Spygate. Those guys really did know, huh?

o   Pirates manager John Russell seems to carry scars from facing C.C. Sabathia. On at least two different occasions, he's mentioned that it seems like his club faced the big lefty eight times last year when C.C. was with the Brewers. Actually, it was only three times. Sabathia was 2-0 with an 0.82 ERA against the Buccos in those three starts, one of which was a near no-hitter. He went 11-2 for Milwaukee, but 6-8 with the Indians last year and an ordinary 4-3 in his first nine starts as a Yankee this year. The Big Man's good, but he surely benefitted from National Leaguers seeing him for the first time in 2008.

o   Adam LaRoche has a lot of Craig Wilson in him. He's a very streaky hitter. He can carry the team all by himself when he's hot, but those stretches aren't frequent enough. Plus he's a fairly easy out too much of the time -- which can be excruciating to watch. Wilson had the same problem -- even when he hit 29 homers for the Pirates in 2004. I know it's only June, but it will be interesting to see how the ballclub plays its hand since LaRoche can become a free agent at the end of the year. There's a difference between not being able to afford his salary and not believing he's worth what he can command on the open market. The Pirates are already in an odd situation where their number-eight hitter-Jack Wilson-is their highest-paid guy.

o   Things Pirates Fans Should Be Excited About: 1) Nyjer Morgan has given every indication that he's for real as the team's new lead-off hitter. 2) Zach Duke and Ross Ohlendorf are consistently turning in good outings to complement Paul Maholm in the starting rotation. 3) Catchers Jason Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz have played well offensively and defensively while Ryan Doumit's been out with a fractured wrist. 4) Third baseman Andy LaRoche and outfielder Brandon Moss are beginning to show they can be legitimate everyday players. 5) Ohlendorf, Jaramillo, Diaz, Andy LaRoche and Moss have all been acquired by Neal Huntington in the past 12 months. So there's reason to believe that the Pirates' GM is making good baseball decisions.

o   All of the sudden that Pirates' bullpen is a little scary, isn't it? Closer Matt Capps has either been less than 100 percent physically or just plain ineffective the past month or so, and the same can be said for set-up man Tyler Yates. Even the ultra-dependable John Grabow has had his issues recently, which contributed to the team having to hang on for dear life trying to protect leads in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. When Jesse Chavez has been a bright spot for you, you need some help with your relief corps.