-The news that Jack Wilson's contract includes a limited no-trade clause annoyed me a little at first, but actually it's probably no big deal. Wilson can only choose six teams each year to which he can't be traded. It would seem unlikely that the sorts of teams to which the Pirates might be tempted to trade him - contending teams with money - would be among them.
-As ILLZ put in a diary yesterday, Kip Wells could return to the rotation by the All-Star break. As with any Pirate projection about the return date of an injured player, we'll see, but this is very encouraging news.
-Zach Duke struggled some yesterday. I'll wait a few weeks before I start to worry, although it doesn't sound like he's trying new things, but rather that his mechanics just aren't in place:
"That's my bread and butter," he explained. "If I can't throw it for strikes my game falls off the table. So I have to get this pitch down in Spring Training to be ready for the regular season."
-The Pirates play two games today, against the Reds and Yankees. Tom Gorzelanny will start against the Reds; Paul Maholm will start against the Yankees.