Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Anyone who was still hoping that the Pirates could somehow bring second baseman Freddy Sanchez back to Pittsburgh, I've got some not-so-good-news for you. The Giants and Sanchez agreed to a two-year contract extension on Friday, meaning that Sanchez will stay right where the Pirates traded him.

Sanchez was traded to the Giants on July 29 for RHP Tim Alderson on a day in which the Pirates dealt away both of its middle infielders.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Sanchez's deal is worth $12 million total over two years. You'll remember that the Pirates offered Sanchez a two-year, $10 million extension in mid-July. Sanchez turned down that initial offer and was traded soon after. At the time that Sanchez rejected the offer, though, he was still on pace to trigger an automatic $8 million option for 2010. As it turned out, though, Sanchez ended up falling short of the plate appearance threshold he needed to guarantee that option because of late-season injuries.

Jumpin' Jack Flash: While we're on the subject of former Pirates infielders, I might as well note here that shortstop Jack Wilson won the 2009 Fielding Bible Award for all Major League shortstops. Winners of the award are determined by a panel of 10 and is announced in Bill James' 2010 Handbook. He led all shortstops in James' "runs saved" category with 27. St. Louis' Brendan Ryan was second with 19.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Pirates have filled their final coaching vacancy, naming Minor League infield coordinator Carlos Garcia the team's first base coach for 2010. Garcia, a former Pirates player, most recently served as the organization's Minor League infield coordinator.

Garcia assumes the position left empty by Perry Hill's recent departure. Like Hill, Garcia will be responsible for instructing the team's infielders in addition to his duties as the first base coach. He will be the fourth first base coach the Pirates have had in as many years.

Though this marks Garcia's first Major League coaching job with Pittsburgh, he has held a similar position before. Garcia served as the Mariners' infield instructor and third base coach for three years, beginning in 2005. Before that, Garcia worked as a hitting and infield coach for Triple-A Buffalo from 2003-04.

"Carlos Garcia adds another experienced baseball man to John Russell's staff," general manager Neal Huntington said. "His years as a player, Minor League infield coordinator and Major League coach, combined with his energy and abilities as an instructor make him a great addition to our big league staff."

As a player, Garcia spent parts of seven years with the Pirates after making his Major League debut in Pittsburgh in 1990. He was an All-Star second baseman in 1994 and finished his career in 1999 after making stops in Toronto, Anaheim and San Diego.

The rest of Russell's coaching staff from 2009 will remain intact for another season. Also, by using Garcia in an identical role to Hill, the Pirates will not need to shuffle around the responsibilities of anyone else on the staff.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Though there has been a push from some in Pittsburgh to have Roberto Clemente's No. 21 retired across baseball in the same way Jackie Robinson's No. 42 was, Commissioner Bud Selig said on Thursday that Major League Baseball has no plans to do so.

Said Selig, who was speaking at Yankee Stadium prior to Game 2 of the World Series: "Jackie Robinson transcended baseball. You want to be very careful about retiring numbers. We honor Roberto every chance we get in every other way we can."

One of those ways came on Thursday, when the Roberto Clemente Award was given to Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. The award, which has been presented annually since 1971, is given to a player who combines a dedication to giving back to the community with outstanding skills on the baseball field. The honor was named after Clemente in 1973, shortly after his tragic death in a plane crash.

Among those on hand to present the award to Jetere was Vera Clemente, Roberto's wife. It was also announced on Thursday that she has been named goodwill ambassador for MLB.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

In an effort to give the club another potential bullpen arm to look at for the 2010 season, the Pirates claimed left-hander Justin Thomas off waivers from the Mariners on Thursday.

Thomas, a fourth-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, has only minimal big-league experience so far in his career. The left-hander made eight appearances out of Seattle's bullpen in 2008, during which he allowed three runs on nine hits in four innings.

Thomas, 25, spent all of the '09 season as a reliever for the Mariners' Triple-A Tacoma (Wash.) affiliate. There, he finished 2-4 with a 4.48 ERA in 53 games. He walked 40 and struck out 53 in 60 1/3 innings pitched.

"Justin Thomas is a competitive, aggressive and physical lefthander with an average three pitch mix," general manager Neal Huntington said. "With continued development, we feel he could be an interesting option for our bullpen."

As the Pirates look to fill current holes before the start of the 2010 season, finding some left-handed relief help is at the top of the list. Pittsburgh finished the season with two lefty relievers, but Donnie Veal is expected to begin the 2010 season as a starter in Triple-A and Phil Dumatrait struggled immensely after coming back from shoulder surgery.

With the addition of Thomas, the Pirates now have 39 players on the club's 40-man roster. Relievers Evan Meek and Jose Ascanio, both of whom are on still on the 60-day disabled list, still need to be added to that roster before Nov. 20, which means Pittsburgh still has some roster shuffling yet to do.

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Promised you that I would offer some pictures from the postseason, so here's a few to get you started. Since the Pirates didn't face the Yankees in Interleague Play in 2009, this is my first visit to new Yankee Stadium. Cavernous was the first word that came to mind when I walked in. Extravagant and ritzy would also work, too. But the atmosphere on Wednesday night (at least in the early innings) was second to none.

The structure, obviously mirrors the old Yankee Stadium in a lot of ways. And what you can't tell from this picture is that directly behind the spot from where I took this picture, the old Yankee Stadium is undergoing preparations to be demolished.

Since I arrived six hours before first pitch, there wasn't much of a crowd gathered yet. In a few hours, however, it will be wall to wall people entering here, which brings you straight into an area that is called the Great Hall.

This was my view on Wednesday from the auxiliary press box up in the upper deck of the last section in right field. Other than the fact that I couldn't actually see either of Chase Utley's home runs go over the right field wall, the view wasn't bad. You can't beat the atmosphere of sitting out with the fans, but the persistent rain last night eventually forced me back inside the press workroom, where I had to watch the end of the game on a TV screen.

Both teams line up for the National Anthem on Wednesday. Simultaneously, a huge American flag was being unfurled in the outfield grass.

This obviously isn't Yankee Stadium, but figured I would throw an NLDS image at you, too. This was taken from a much preferred auxiliary press box location at Dodger Stadium before Game 1 between the Dodgers and the Cardinals. Oh, how I miss that southern California weather.

On a side note, plenty of Pirates connections have popped up during my postseason duties. I saw right-hander Matt Morris throw out the first pitch of NLDS Game 3 at Busch Stadium (yes, he was once a good pitcher). I spoke with Xavier Nady breifly after Game 1 of the World Series in the Yankee clubhouse (he says Hi). And I have watched two former Bucco relievers -- Damaso Marte (Yankees) and Ronald Belisario (Dodgers) -- pitch so far.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Contingent on approval by the Florida State League, the Pirates will soon complete a swap with the Reds that will move the organization's high Single-A team from Lynchburg, Va., to Bradenton.

You can find the full story here, but here's the Cliff Notes version:

With the Reds moving their Spring Training home from Sarasota, Fla., to Goodyear, Ariz., next year, Cincinnati no longer had a need for its Single-A team to play in Sarasota. The Reds held discussions with four or five clubs (the Pirates included) about selling their affiliate, and the Pirates proved to be the best fit.

Now, assuming the clubs get approval from the FSL, the Pirates will buy the Sarasota Reds and move the team to Pirate City, where it will become the Bradenton Pirates. The Reds will then finish out the final year of the Pirates' contract with Lynchburg by moving its Single-A team there.

The Pirates have had a relationship with Lynchburg for the past 15 years.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Pirates will hold their final blood drive of 2009 on Wednesday, October 28, from 12 - 7 pm at PNC Park. Former Pirate Grant Jackson will be signing free autographs from noon until 3 pm for those who donate.

All the details you need about the blood drive can be found here. So far, almost 600 units of blood have been collected from the first five blood drives that the Pirates have held.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Actually took the day off today as I'm returning from a quick vacation in which I watched Texas stomp all over my Missouri Tigers (no shocker there) and getting ready to head to NYC on Tuesday morning to help cover the World Series. Anyways, with some various news items coming out throughout the day, I wanted to take a few seconds on here to make sure everyone got their daily Pirates news while I've been out of pocket.

• Baseball America has named Andrew McCutchen its Major League Rookie of the Year. If you pick up a copy of the publication right now, you'll find the Pirates center fielder gracing the cover. Also, Garrett Jones was named to Baseball America's All-Rookie Team. You can find the full story here.
• The Pirates outrighted RHP Tyler Yates off the 40-man roster. This comes as no surprise as Yates, who was on the 60-day DL, was not going to be able to return until next July at the earliest. He underwent Tommy John surgery this summer. Yates is arbitration eligible, and the Pirates were not going to tender him a contract knowing that he would be able to help the team only minimally at best. Yates has declared free agency, though there is still the possibility that the Pirates re-sign him at a much lower cost if he is able to come back midseason and be effective.

Also, today we're continuing our series on the Pirates' Minor League system. Each week you'll see a new story highlighting one of the club's affiliates. Here are the two that have come out so far...

• Triple-A Indianapolis
• Double-A Altoona

You can look for Single-A Lynchburg to be highlighted on Friday.

Think that's it for now. I'll check in from the World Series. And I'll still keep you covered on Pirates news while the Phillies and Yanks battle it out.

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By Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

In order to start making additional room on their 40-man roster, the Pirates outrighted right-handed pitchers Denny Bautista and Craig Hansen to Triple-A on Tuesday. Chris Bootcheck was also removed from team's 40-man roster but informed the Pirates that he will declare free agency since his length of Minor League service time gives him the option to do so.

With those moves, the Pirates now have 38 players on the team's 40-man roster. Hansen had been on the 60-day disabled list and therefore wasn't counting as a player on the Pirates' roster even before being outrighted.

With these three moves, general manager Neal Huntington has begun the process of clearing space for the Pirates to make necessary additions to the roster in advance of the Major League Rule 5 Draft in December. Too, any open space on the roster would allow the Pirates to make a selection in that Rule 5 Draft, which Huntington has done in each of his seasons as the Pirates' GM.

The Pirates do in fact have some roster shuffling left to do. Right-handers Jose Ascanio and Evan Meek, both of whom ended the season on the 60-day DL, will need to be added in the next few weeks. Those two additions alone would fill the roster back to its maximum.

Right-hander Tyler Yates is also currently on the 60-day DL. However, the Pirates almost certainly won't tender Yates a contract since the right-hander will not be healthy enough to pitch until midway through the 2010 season at the earliest. Yates underwent Tommy John surgery in July.

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I know some of you try do a thorough job of keeping up with organizational players who are playing winter ball during the offseason. Hopefully this will help.

I went through the rosters of all the currently active leagues and have compiled lists of players from the Pittsburgh organization who are on each. I'll list all those players below, along with information on which league and team they are on. If you click on the league, I've linked it to go to the homepage where you can find statistics on each player.

I can't promise that this list is comprehensive or that every single one of these players is playing (some are drafted by winter league teams and don't end up playing). But it's a place for you to start if you're interested in following the progress of these players. I'll also have periodic updates on the main site throughout the season that highlight specific players/performances.

Arizona Fall League (all on Scottsdale Scorpions team)
Daniel Moskos
Donnie Veal
Tony Watson
Chase D'Arnaud
Brian Friday
Jose Tabata

Venezuelan Winter League
Ronald Uviedo (Leones del Caracas)
Edgar Gutierrez (Bravos de Maragarita)
Wilson Ortiz (Bravos de Margarita)
Jhonatan Ramos (Bravos de Margarita)
Elevys Gonzalez (Bravos de Margarita)
Jonel Pacheco (Bravos de Margarita)
Neil Walker (Bravos de Margarita)
Gerardo Esparza (Cardenales de Lara)
Derek Hankins (Cardenales de Lara)
Gabriel Alvarado (Caribes de Anzoategui)
Humberto Iriarte (Caribes de Anzoategui)
Adenson Chourio (Caribes de Anzoategui)
Exicardo Cayonez (Caribes de Anzoategui)
Gorkys Hernandez (Caribes de Anzoategui)
Yoslan Herrera (Navegantes del Magallanes)
Jean Machi (Navegantes del Magallanes)
Argenis Diaz (Navegantes del Magallanes)
Bobby Livingston (Tiburones de La Guaira)
Rafael Quintero (Tiburones de La Guaira)
Hector Gimenez (Tigres de Aragua)
Miguel Perez (Tigres de Aragua)
Ronny Cedeno (Tigres de Aragua)

Mexican Winter League
Ty Taubenheim (Naranjeros de Hermosillo)
Brian Bixler (Venados de Mazatlan)
Rogelios Noris (Venados de Mazatlan)

Dominican Winter League
Ramon Aguero (Aguilas Cibaenas)
Starling Marte (Aguilas Cibaenas)
Robinzon Diaz (Estrellas de Oriente)
Pedro Lopez (Estrellas de Oriente)
Moises Robles (Gigantes del Cibao)
Denny Bautista (Tigres del Licey)
Juan Mateo (Tigres del Licey)
Angel Gonzalez (Toros del Este)

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Need I really say more?

It is, of course, the 49th anniversary of Bill Mazeroski's Game 7, game-winning home run over the Yankees in the 1960 World Series.

Right now, dozens of Pirates fans are gathering on the outskirts of the University of Pittsburgh's campus, where a sector of the Forbes Field wall remains. These fans will listen to all of Game 7 on the radio, and it's timed so that at 3:36 pm, Mazeroski hits that ball over the outfield wall, just as he did 49 years ago.

I went to this gathering last year and emerged with this story to tell, in case you want to live it again.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

It's hard to believe that it's been close to eight months since the team descended on Bradenton, Fla., to begin the 2009 season. Now it's about to end here in Cincinnati in a few hours.

Instead of spending time looking back on the season here (you'll see end of the season stories coming out on the main pirates.com site throughout the week for that), I wanted to use this forum to let you all know what to expect from me this offseason.

I am actually headed to Los Angeles tomorrow to assist with coverage of the Cardinals-Dodgers NL Division Series. Later in the month, I'll be helping cover the World Series for MLB.com as well, wherever that might end up being. That said, you can expect to see NLDS and WS related Twitter updates from my account, and I'll do some blog postings about it as well -- likely photos and interesting anecdotes from the postseason. Obviously none of it will be Pirates related, but I hope that as baseball fans, there will be something there for you to appreciate.

My playoff duties, though, won't stop the Pirates coverage from coming (I just won't sleep, that's all). Here's some of what you can expect this offseason:

• Through October, you should likely find at least three new Pirates stories on the site every week. That count will likely rise to at least four or five a week after the postseason comes to an end.
• Obviously, news will always be on there, but I've also got some features and series that prepared to for the site. There will soon be a seven-part series that highlights the highs and lows of each Minor League affiliate this season. Also, as everyone starts to look ahead to 2010, I have a number of stories ready to give you regarding position battles, position changes, the free agent market and the overall outlook. Arizona Fall League and winter ball updates will also come out weekly once those leagues get into full swing.
• I'd like to give you all an Inbox edition every week, assuming I get enough questions to stay afloat. I know your minds wander as the free agent market develops, so this will be a good means for interaction between you all and me. Inbox questions can be sent to me at Jenifer.Langosch@MLB.com. Don't forget to include your first name, last initial and hometown. Also, it would be a big help if you put "Inbox" in the subject line.
• This blog will continue to be updated regularly and I'll use my Twitter account all offseason, too, especially for breaking news. If you are not already a follower, the account name is @LangoschMLB.

I think that hits the most important points for the time being. Thanks to all of you who have stuck around as faithful blog followers through a trying season. Hope this blog was able to supplement the coverage to your liking, and if you have any suggestions on how I continue using it moving forward, I'm always willing to listen.

Enjoy game No. 161.

As for today's news, notes and randomness...

• Catcher Ryan Doumit is out of the lineup on Sunday because of that minor concussion he sustained on Friday. Doumit had his mask knocked off on a foul tip, stayed in the game, but was a little woozy afterward. He did not play on Saturday either. Assuming he won't get in Sunday as a pinch hitter, Doumit finishes the season with a .250 average, 10 homers and 38 RBIs.
• There has still been no decision made about whether first base coach Perry Hill will return for another season with the team. Expect that decision to be made in the next few days.
• GM Neal Huntington said that Jose Ascanio, at best, would be able to begin his rehab program from right shoulder surgery in four months. He is not expected to be ready at the start of the season. June 1, Huntington said, would be a more realistic, though still optimistic, date. 
• The Pirates' errorless game on Saturday was their 100th such game this season. That sets a franchise record. The previous high was 99 games in 2007. The Pirates also have made the fewest amount of errors (73) in the Majors. That, too, is a franchise low.
• The Pirates enter this game 62-98, while the Orioles are 63-98. Why is this important? The two are battling it out for Draft picks No. 2 and 3. If the Pirates lose OR the Orioles win, the Pirates will pick second next summer. The only way the Orioles would get that No. 2 pick is if the Pirates win AND the Orioles lose.
• With Anthony Claggett's appearance on Saturday (1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER), the Pirates finish the 2009 season with 49 different players used. That ties a club record. The team used 26 pitchers, also tying a club record.
• The Pirates will hold two conditioning camps (one in November, one in December) this offseason, as well as their January mini-camp. Also, players will have the opportunity to go travel to see Joe Kerrigan, Don Long and Hill (if he returns) this offseason for specialized work.
• 182: That's the number of days until the Pirates' April 5 season opener against the Dodgers at PNC Park. Get your winter coats and ski caps ready, folks.
• And here are some dates to get you through the next few months: MLB General Manager's Meetings (Nov. 9-11), MLB Winter Meetings (Dec. 7-10), Pirates Mini Camp (Jan. 12-16), Pirates Caravan and PirateFest (Jan. 24-31).

Pirates lineup:

1. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
2. Andy LaRoche (3B)
3. Garrett Jones (1B)
4. Lastings Milledge (LF)
5. Brandon Moss (RF)
6. Delwyn Young (2B)
7. Robinzon Diaz (C)
8. Luis Cruz (SS)
9. Jeff Karstens (RHP)

Reds lineup:

1. Drew Stubbs (CF)
2. Paul Janish (SS)
3. Joey Votto (1B)
4. Brandon Phillips (2B)
5. Scott Rolen (3B)
6. Jay Bruce (RF)
7. Laynce Nix (LF)
8. Corky Miller (C)
9. Homer Bailey (RHP)

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

I'm sure that Hal McCoy doesn't read my blog, but that's OK. I'm writing this not for him, but for all you baseball fans out there. If you don't know who McCoy is, you've really missed out. McCoy, who is sitting in front of me here at Great American Ball Park, is covering the final series of what has been a 37-year career of covering the Reds for the Dayton Daily News.

He is the longest tenured baseball beat writer in the country, and truly, one of the best.  Regardless of the fact that I was not even alive when he was covering the Big Red Machine back in the 70s, McCoy never passes me without saying hello and though I'm sure he doesn't know it, he's shown me what it's like to be a true professional in this business.

McCoy is retiring after the season not because he chose to, but because the Daily News will no longer be covering the Reds as a full-time beat. Unfortuantely, as is the case with many newspapers these days, the cost of covering a sport 365 days a year is just too high to justify with no profit coming in to offset it.

McCoy was enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 and suffered a stroke in 2003 that left him legally blind in both eyes. Even that didn't stop him from covering baseball.

So as you're scouring online for your sports news this weekend, do yourself a favor and read McCoy's perspective. And here is his blog to check out as well. Even if you've missed the first 37 years of his work, check out his last two days. You'll be glad you did.

As for today's news, notes and randomness...

• It's amazing what some winning will do to a clubhouse. Ten days ago you could hear a whisper in the clubhouse that was abnormally silent. It was as bad a mood as I have seen in my three years on the beat. All that seems cured now, though, as the players finally seem to be having some fun again. The camaraderie is notably improved, too.
• With Friday's win and Thursday's washout, the Pirates are guaranteed of not losing 100 games this season. Is this a big deal in the clubhouse? Yes, it is. No one has denied that. Washington sits at 103 losses right now and if Baltimore can't win one of its last two, the Orioles will finish 62-100.
• Speaking of the Orioles, the Pirates and Balitmore are locked in a fight to get that No. 2 Draft pick next year. Right now the Pirates (62-97) are percentage points higher than the Orioles (62-98) in the standings. That means that the Pirates' magic number to get the No. 3 pick is 2. Any combination of Pirates wins and Orioles losses that add up to two, would solidify Pittsburgh as the third team to make a selection. The Nationals, obviously, have already secured the No. 1 pick for the second year in a row.
• Just did a little look back in the 17-year history book, and the Pirates have now played 161 games in a season four times since 1992. That doesn't include the 1994 and 1995 strike-shortened seasons.
• With a win on Saturday, Zach Duke will finish the season with a team-high 12 wins. Right now, he and Ross Ohlendorf both have 11. The Pirates hadn't had two 11 games winners since Oliver Perez (12-10) and Josh Fogg (11-10) did so in 2004.
• If the Pirates can pull off a win on Saturday, it will be the first time all season that the club will have won four straight on the road. No such thing as too late for a first, I guess.

Pirates lineup:

1. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
2. Andy LaRoche (3B)
3. Garrett Jones (1B)
4. Lastings Milledge (LF)
5. Brandon Moss (RF)
6. Delwyn Young (2B)
7. Jason Jaramillo (C)
8. Ramon Vazquez (SS)
9. Zach Duke (LHP)

Reds lineup:

1. Drew Stubbs (CF)
2. Paul Janish (1B)
3. Joey Votto (1B)
4. Brandon Phillips (2B)
5. Scott Rolen (3B)
6. Jonny Gomes (RF)
7. Darnell McDonald (LF)
8. Ramon Hernandez (C)
9. Johnny Cueto (RHP)

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The biggest news out of the clubhouse today deals with right-hander Jose Ascanio, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Friday morning. He was found to have a tear in his labrum after originally being diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis back in August. You'll remember that Ascanio stopped throwing last week as he was trying to work back into position to pitch out of the bullpen before the season ended.

There is no timetable for Ascanio's return -- not even a range apparently for me to pass along. If/when more details are passed on to us, I'll pass them along to you. The Pirates had intended to build Ascanio up as a starter in Spring Training next year, but a lengthy recovery time might nix that plan. He is out of options.

As for today's news, notes and randomness...

• Manager John Russell announced that Jeff Karstens will start Sunday's game on three days rest. Karstens threw just 61 pitches on Wednesday, so it isn't that big of a deal that he's not getting more than three days in between starts. He'll likely pitch about 3-4 innings and then give way to a crowded bullpen to do the rest.
• The decision not to go with Kevin Hart on Sunday was not made due to him reaching any sort of pitch/inning limit. He has a ribcage strain that bothered him a bit in his last start, and the Pirates felt no need to risk greater injury by sending him back out there.
• Craig Hansen underwent his monthly medical test last week to see if the nerve in his neck had regenerated at all. GM Neal Huntington said that the test showed improvement, but Hansen is still not to the point where he can get ready to start throwing again. I imagine this wait-and-see mode has to be the most frustrating thing for the right-hander, who, too, is out of options.
• Shortstop Ronny Cedeno is unlikely to see any more playing time this year, Russell said.
• The Pirates are 4-11 against the Reds this season and have gone 1-5 at Great American Ball Park.
• This will be right-hander Daniel McCutchen's final chance this year to get his first Major League win. McCutchen is 0-2 in his first four big-league starts. 
• Oh, and advice for the next time you travel: Don't leave your credit card in an airport. It turns out to be quite the task to try and track in down. Yes, it's been that kind of day.

Pirates lineup:

1. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
2. Andy LaRoche (3B)
3. Garrett Jones (1B)
4. Ryan Doumit (C)
5. Lastings Milledge (LF)
6. Brandon Moss (RF)
7. Delwyn Young (2B)
8. Ramon Vazquez (SS)
9. Daniel McCutchen (RHP)

Reds lineup:

1. Drew Stubbs (CF)
2. Paul Janish (SS)
3. Joey Votto (1B)
4. Brandon Phillips (2B)
5. Scott Rolen (3B)
6. Jay Bruce (RF)
7. Wladimir Balentien (LF)
8. Craig Tatum (C)
9. Justin Lehr (RHP)

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Pirates announced on Thursday that Pirates Charities has teamed up with the Rays Baseball Foundation to renovate two youth baseball fields in Bradenton, Fla., where the Pirates hold Spring Training. The two fields -- one named "Rays Field" and the other named "Pirates Field" -- will be used by Bradenton's Jr. RBI Program.

Pirates closer Matt Capps contributed $50,000 to the renovation project, and Pirates Charities will donate another $40,000. The Rays will also give $90,000, with some of that coming from Rays pitcher James Shields.

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Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

I certainly won't promise you that there is going to be a game here at Wrigley Field tonight. It's currently raining -- hard -- and it's not supposed to really let up until tomorrow. If they cancel this game it will not be made up, meaning that the Pirates will have an even better chance at avoiding a 100-loss season.

Really, raise your hand if you thought a week ago when the Pirates were 56-95 with four games remaining against the Dodgers, four more at Wrigley and another four against the Reds (who have won eight straight against Pittsburgh) that the team had any shot at avoiding 100 losses this year. I don't see any hands raised. Didn't think so.

It's worth giving credit where it's due and this team deserves it. It has won five of seven against 1) the team with the best record in the NL and 2) in a place where wins have been few and far between in recent years.

And here's your picture of Wrigley Field as it looks now:

As for today's news, notes and randomness...

• If tonight's game is banged, the Pirates would just push back their rotation to finish the season. That means that Paul Maholm would pitch Friday, Daniel McCutchen would go Saturday and Zach Duke would close the season with a start on Sunday.
• If this game is played tonight, Sunday's starter remains TBA. It would fall on Kevin Hart's day to pitch, but the club has still not decided if Hart will make another start. Management has talked for some time now about Hart approaching a pitch count limit, and with his inefficient outing earlier this week, he might just be there. Manager John Russell said that he will meet with pitching coach Joe Kerrigan and GM Neal Huntington on Friday to determine whether or not Hart goes again.
• Still no Ronny Cedeno in the lineup, and Russell sounded hesitant when asked if he expected to see his shortstop back in the lineup before the season ends. He didn't rule it out, though.
• Russell and Huntington continue to conduct "exit interviews" of sorts. These are year-end meetings with each player in which they talk about 2009 and what the expectations are for the offseason and 2010.
• If the Pirates win on Thursday or if the game is cancelled, that would mean a series win on the road for Pittsburgh. The team might not remember what that is considering the Pirates have gone 0-16-1 in their road series since beating the Nationals in three of four games back in mid-May.
• The Pirates' recent resurgence has been led by its pitching, which has combined to allow only six earned runs in 35 innings over the last four games. The relievers are perfect in 8 1/3 innings of relief.
• And here's one from those good folks at the Elias Sports Bureau, who I'm convinced can't possibly have a life: The Pirates' 4-0 win over the Cubs in Game 1 on Wednesday marked the team's largest margin of victory ever in a game where they scored all of their runs in the first inning and pitched a shutout. I had to read through that a few times before it processed. You might try that approach, too.
• And another from our friends at Elias: On Wednesday, Ryan Doumit became just the second Pittsburgh catcher in the last 40 years to have at least four hits and four RBIs in the same game. Jason Kendall had four hits and five RBIs in May 2000.

Pirates lineup:

1. Andrew McCutchen (CF)
2. Andy LaRoche (3B)
3. Garrett Jones (1B)
4. Ryan Doumit (C)
5. Lastings Milledge (LF)
6. Brandon Moss (RF)
7. Delwyn Young (2B)
8. Ramon Vazquez (SS)
9. Paul Maholm (LHP)

Cubs lineup:

1. Ryan Theriot (SS)
2. So Taguchi (LF)
3. Derrek Lee (1B) Aramis Ramirez (3B)
4. Aramis Ramirez (3B) Jake Fox (1B)
5. Jeff Baker (2B)
6. Reed Johnson (RF)
7. Geovany Soto (C)
8. Sam Fuld (CF)
9. Jeff Samardzija (RHP)

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