Twenty Four and 27

Are the Pittsburgh Pirates heading in the right direction? Things are starting to look promising. At 24 and 27 on the Sunday before Memorial Day, their chances of making the playoffs are slim. If a team is under .500 by June 1(which the Buccos will be), then according to the modern baseball statistics, your chances of making the playoffs are a mere 9%. But we are not talking about making the playoffs. We are talking about being a .500 team for the 2011 season. The Buccos have a shot at 81 wins. The gurus in Las Vegas have their win total at 67 or 68. If all remains the same, it looks like the Buccos should surpass that total. The way Paul Maholm is pitching, he should be 7 and 2 rather than 2 and 7. Very little run production for Maholm except during his recent masterpiece 3 hitter in a 10 to 0 pounding administered by the Pirates over the Cubs. 3rd baseman Pedro Alvarez needs to step it up. Alvarez has 42 strikeouts and only 2 home runs. He is striking out 1 out of 3 times at the plate and batting a stingy .208. He has a very long swing and that sweeping curve ball from lefties has him baffled. We all hope the Pirates continue to play respectfully and carry fan interest all the way into September rather than getting chopped off come St. Vincent training camp time if the Lock-out comes to an end.