It was a hit

I understand Milwaukee manager Ned Yost being a little upset that Andy LaRoche's grounder was ruled a single instead of an error. After all, it was the only hit of the game and cost Milwaukee pitcher CC Sabathia a shot at a no-hitter.

But Yost and the Brewers are taking this way too far.

For starters, it was a hit. A close call, yes, but a hit nonetheless. LaRoche runs well enough that he probably beats the throw anyway.

But the Brewers are asking Major League Baseball to overturn the call and retroactively give Sabathia the no-hitter. I'm sorry, do I hear violins playing in the background.

The Pirates rotate four official scorers throughout the season and Bob Webb is at the top of the list among them. He's been doing it for 20 years.

As upset as Yost was, Sabathia was more upset at himself that he didn't make the play and not that it was ruled a base hit.

“The ball was still rolling and I probably should have picked it up with my glove. We probably wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Sabathia said. “I think if I pick it up with my glove, I get him.”

If Sabathia can take it like a man, so should Yost.

Coonelly on Alvarez

Here is the full statement from Pirates team president Frank Coonelly regarding the Pedro Alvarez situation. A pretty interesting read and one showing that the Pirates apparently aren't going to budge from their stance.

“At the Pirates’ request, the Office of the Commissioner today placed Pedro Alvarez on Major League Baseball’s Restricted List. The Pirates were forced to request that Pedro be placed on the Restricted List because we were informed by his agent, Scott Boras, that Pedro will not sign the contract to which he agreed on August 15. Boras further informed us that Pedro will not report to the Club unless we renegotiate his contract and agree to pay him more than the $6 million signing bonus to which he agreed.

“The Major League Rules provide that a player who refuses to sign a Uniform Player Contract to which he has agreed and report to the signing Club shall, upon a report of the signing Club, be placed on the Restricted List until he signs a contract reflecting the terms to which he has agreed. Such a player may not sign a contract with or play for any other Club. While demanding that we renegotiate his contract and pay Pedro more than the $6 million signing bonus to which Pedro agreed, Mr. Boras has contended that the contract we reached with Pedro was consummated after the August 15 deadline. This claim was not raised on the evening of the 15^th when we informed Mr. Boras that Major League Baseball had confirmed that the contract was submitted in a timely fashion. Mr. Boras asserted this claim several days later, after all of the draft signings had become publicized.

“The Pirates are confident that the contract reached with Pedro Alvarez was agreed to and submitted to Major League Baseball in a timely fashion and properly accepted by Major League Baseball. In fact, the contract between the Kansas City Royals and Eric Hosmer, another Boras client, was submitted to the Office of the Commissioner after our contract with Pedro was submitted. Mr. Boras is apparently satisfied with the $6 million bonus that he secured for Mr. Hosmer and has not challenged the validity of that contract. Mr. Boras has been informed that if he pursues a claim that our contract with Pedro was not timely he puts Eric Hosmer’s contract with Kansas City in jeopardy.

“The Pirates made several attempts to commence negotiations immediately following the draft and were willing and ready to agree to pay Pedro a $6 million signing bonus from the very outset. Predictably, however, Mr. Boras refused to engage in any negotiations at all until shortly before the August 15 deadline and even then an agreement was reached only after Pedro took control of the negotiations.

“Regrettably, we are not surprised that Mr. Boras would attempt to raise a meritless legal claim in an effort to compel us to renegotiate Pedro’s contract to one more to his liking. We are, however, disappointed that Pedro would allow his agent to pursue this claim on his behalf. Pedro showed tremendous fortitude and independent thinking when he agreed to his contract on August 15.

“The Office of the Commissioner has assured us that we have a valid contract with Pedro and that it will vigorously defend any claim to the contrary. Despite our disappointment, we continue to believe in Pedro Alvarez the person and the baseball player and remain excited to add Pedro to our system. We will sit down with Pedro and his family as soon as Mr. Boras’ claim is rejected to chart a new and much more productive start to Pedro’s career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.”

Correction

Paul Maholm will start Sunday and Jeff Karstens will pitch Monday at home against Chicago.

Also, closer Matt Capps will return to the roster within the next couple of days.

Pearce out, Gorzelanny back

Tom Gorzelanny is back with the Pirates after a successful stint in Class AAA.

Gorzelanny is in Milwaukee with the Pirates and will start Saturday. He was 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA in seven starts with the Indians. More impressive, he struck out 33 and walked only four. I don't think he will be officially activated until tomorrow.

It looks like Zach Duke will still start tonight's game, Gorzelanny will start Satueday and Jeff Karstens will start Sunday. Paul maholm's next start will be Monday.

Also, Doug Mientkiewicz has been reinstated from the bereavement list and outfielder Steve Pearce was sent back to Class AAA Indianapolis to clear a roster spot.

Bye bye Joey Bats

Jose Bautista went from starting third baseman at the beginning of this season, to part-time starter halfway through the season, to reserve player, to demoted to the minors and now, gone from the organization all together.

Bautista, who was at Class AAA Indianapolis, was traded Thursday to Toronto for a player to be named later.

Bautista batted .242 with 12 homers and 44 RBI in 107 games with the Pirates this season.

He was a part of the Rule 5 Draft fiasco of 2003 and played for four organizations in 2004 – Baltimore, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and the Mets. He was traded to the Pirates from the Mets in the Kris Benson deal.

It was a quick fall for Bautista, who offensively looked like he has the tools to be a very productive major leaguer.

Bautista's problem this season was that he was exposed as a major liability at third base as soon as the season began. In the first series at home against Chicago, Cubs manager Lou Piniella bunted numerous times Bautista's way with much success. Other teams picked up on this and his problems defensively were a reason Bautista eventually slipped down the depth chart and off the roster.

Success with draft class

So Neal Huntington did this year what Dave Littlefield couldn't last year – stare down Scott Boras and win.

Huntington and the Pirates management team stuck to their contract offer for Alvarez – a minor-league contract and a $6 million bonus – and won. It's a lot of money, but it shows once again that the Pirates seem to have a commitment to winning not seen in Pittsburgh in years.

If this were Littlefield at the helm, he wouldn't have signed Alvarez, or even drafted him for that matter, and he would have signed injured second-round pick Tanner Scheppers in Alvarez's slot. Scheppers would have got hurt, needed arm surgery, and after six or seven years of rehab and pitching in the minors, Scheppers would have left the organization never to be heard from again.

That was then, this is now.

Boras waited until 11:58 p.m., according to published reports, to accept the deal. Though it went right to the deadline, Huntington didn't panic.

Because they didn't overpay for an injured Scheppers, the Pirates were able to sign other top prospects like high school outfielder Robbie Grossman, a sixth-round pick who signed for $1 million, and Quinton Miller, a high school pitcher who turned down a full ride to North Carolina to sign with Pittsburgh for $900,000.

It will take time to see if these moves pan out, but at least Huntington is showing he has a backbone, unlike the Pirates old GM

BAUTISTA OUT, WILSON IN

In one of those writing-on-the-wall moves, the Pirates sent third baseman Jose Bautista to Class AAA after Wednesday's win over Cincinnati.

Bautista A. Hasn't produced since the All-Star break and B. Hasn't seen much playing time since the trading deadline when the Pirates acquired third baseman Andy LaRoche.

Bautista is batting .242 with 12 home runs and 44 RBi for the season. But, he has only 11 at bats this month with no home runs or RBI and only one run scored. Since the All-Star break, Bautista has only two home runs and three RBI.

This will likely be a short-term move for Bautista since the roster can expand Sept. 1. It should, however, be a clear wake-up call that the Pirates aren't going to wait much longer on Bautista becoming a productive every-day player.

Also Wednesday, the Pirates signed fifth-round draft pick Justin Wilson.

Wilson, a lefthanded pitcher from Fresno State, went 9-5 with a 4.14 ERA and had 108 strikeouts this season for the Bulldogs. He was also the winning pitcher in the deciding game of the College World Series.

The Pirates have until midnight Friday night to sign their remaining draft picks, including top pick third baseman Pedro Alvarez and second-round pick pitcher Tanner Scheppers.

Three days and counting

There are less than three days remaining until Friday's deadline to sign 2008 draft picks and three names should have a lot of interest to local baseball fans.

Neither of the Pirates top two draft picks – third baseman Pedro Alvarez and pitcher Tanner Scheppers – have signed yet. Scheppers threw a bullpen session of about 30 pitches in the bullpen before Tuesday's game with the Reds. The session was to make sure Scheppers is recovered from a shoulder injury he had earlier this season. It appears that the Pirates will make a contract offer within the next day or so.

Alvarez is the one everyone is watching. Both the Pirates and Alvarez's agent – Scott Boras – have been pretty hush-hush about the negotiations. Though this one will likely go into Friday, perhaps late Friday evening, I still see a deal getting done. Though this is an important signing for the Pirates for several reasons, it makes sense for for Alvarez to sign. Another year in college will likely hurt his value, along with another year away from prospect status.

Also, we'll see by Saturday at midnight whether Peters Township's Jordan Jankowski will sign with the Astros or head to college. Jankowski, a 34th-round selection by Houston, has a full scholarship waiting at Miami of Ohio. My hunch is that he is going to school, though that is pure speculation. Usually, players who are drafted that low sign as soon as possible so that they can get out and play that first season. Since Jankowski hasn't signed yet, I'm guessing he'll be playing in the Mid-American Conference for the next three or four years.

So far, so good, for them

Here are stats for the three players the Pirates traded away over the last 10 days:

Jason Bay (Boston) 4 hits, 11 at-bats (.363 average) 6 runs, 1 home run, three RBI

Xavier Nady (N.Y. Yankees) 10 hits, 26 at-bats (.385 average) 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 10 RBI

Damaso Marte (N.Y. Yankees) 4 games, 3 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 6 strikeouts, 1 walk, 5.40 ERA.