-P- The Pirates have recalled Romulo Sanchez; he takes the place of Yoslan Herrera on the roster. Sanchez has recently kept runs off the board for Class AAA Indianapolis, but his strikeout rate down there is miserable, so he's not likely to be a very good option.
This is a drum I've beaten before, but it may be time to strike up the band again: why isn't Jesse Chavez getting a shot? He's got a strikeout an inning down in Indianapolis, and he's having a great July. The Pirates have called up pitcher after pitcher almost at random, and ignored the one guy who actually might be able to help them. I know the Pirates have said they don't promote based on performance but on meeting goals set by the organization; I'd love to know exactly what Chavez isn't doing that they want him to do.
-P- Ross Ohlendorf pitched 7.2 innings against Toledo Sunday, striking out nine. The Pirates sent him to Indy with the goal of stretching him out so he could join the Bucs' rotation. It appears that goal has been accomplished, so perhaps a callup is imminent.
-P- Buried in this article about Pedro Alvarez is an interesting tidbit:
Six will be [arbitration] eligible for the first time, including McLouth, Doumit and Maholm. Management plans to approach those three, among the team's top performers this season, with contract offers that could include buying out multiple years of free agency. Preliminary contact has been made on at least one front, and talks could begin in earnest as early as September.
"Complying with a demand to pay whatever it takes to sign Pedro Alvarez would impair the club's ability to execute that plan," Coonelly said.
All three of these guys are in the midst of career-best seasons, and none of them have good financial reasons to sign a contract to a steep discount, since they're arbitration-eligible anyway. Maybe they'll sign a cheap contract out of loyalty, but I doubt it.
-P- At Baseball Prospectus (subscription required), John Perrotto reports on the trades.
-P- The Mariners have--finally!--designated Jose Vidro for assignment. This after 308 at bats of .234/.274/.338, with the overwhelming majority of those at bats coming in the third through fifth spots in the lineup.