-P- The Bucs, as if suddenly having noticed that they'd only scored about six runs all month, dropped fifteen on the Dodgers tonight. The Pirates did this against a pretty good starting pitcher (Chad Billingsley) too. Adam LaRoche hit two homers and drove in five runs, and every spot in the lineup had at least one hit. Deep thought: put LaRoche on a team like the Mets, and he'd be loved rather than maligned. If his annual second-half hitting binge occurred in the context of playoff runs every year, he'd suddenly seem like a star. He's not, but he's probably actually become underrated in Pittsburgh.
-P- By the way, the Post-Gazette reports that the Bucs will very likely tender a contract to LaRoche, which isn't at all surprising. Not to beat a dead horse, but the only viable alternative at first is Steve Pearce. (Sorry, Doug Mientkiewicz doesn't count.) If the Pirates were planning to ditch LaRoche, it's very likely Pearce would be playing more, if only to invest in a backup option in case other efforts to acquire a first baseman didn't pan out.
-P- The Pirates' low Class A affiliate will move from Hickory to Charleston, West Virginia next year. They'll still be in the South Atlantic League. Apparently the ballpark in Charleston is very nice.
-P- Sorry, Pitt fans--I encouraged Aaron Hawley, a buddy of mine from the Morgantown music scene, to start a blog about WVU sports. He actually followed through, and he's off to a great start. Check in for the game against Colorado tomorrow.