News and Notes

Brandon Moss has been released. It was coming. I think he had a total of three hits this Spring, and one of those was a lucky infield hit. He could not hold the job that was his at the beginning of the year, nor could he earn it back at the end of the year. It was time for him to go.

Other interesting news is the fact that the Pirates claimed Hayden Penn from the Marlins. This pitcher is 25 years old so he could develop into something good. It will be interesting to see where he fits in the bullpen. I think his addition makes it less likely that the Pirates will go with a six man bullpen to start the season.

The Pirates have also stated that the Pitcher will hit 8th and McCutchen 2nd. McCutchen hitting 2nd is fine. He hits too good with people on base to lead off. Normally I hate the pitcher hitting 8th because it gets them the more at bats. It is not good. But this time I don't mind because Ronny Cedano is so bad at hitting that it will be good for him to hit less. Even less than a pitcher.

On a side note the Pirates actually won a game. They have won seven. Not good, but admittedly most of those games were against the American League East. They have beaten the Astros. Hopefully the big hits we saw today, including Jones hitting a multi-run homerun, keep going.