Am I the only one that got a little worried with Hurdle's somewhat bold proclamation that moving Pedro to the clean-up spot was not a short-term plan, and that he's there for "the long haul"? While I totally agree that he needs to be there in the grand scheme for this team to be truly successful, given how easy it at least appears for Pedro to go in the "mental tank," I'm not sure it was the best idea to throw all that pressure on him, real or perceived, given that he was just finally starting to get comfortable at the plate for the first time since September of 2010.

I know it's a ridiculously small sample size, but since being moved to clean-up, off the top of my head without digging up the numbers, I believe Pedro is hitless with a few walks and a couple strikeouts. Thankfully he hasn't looked totally lost and timid or anything like that, but i just wonder that with his fragile psyche, did the Pirates rush the move to clean-up, particularly with the brash and unnecessary "he's here to stay" rant.

Hopefully he goes out and hits two homers tonight and I am proven wrong once again (like I was last night when I called Hurdle an idiot for wastefully inserting Watson and NOT pinch-hitting for Ba'rallykilla).

@MDFitness1975