David Todd

I learned yesterday that I will have my own show on 970 ESPN Pittsburgh. It will run 2-4 pm Mon-Fri starting Wed, August 29. The first hour will be general sports talk and the second hour will cover the Steelers, during their season. I will also be hosting the two-hour show Tailgate Talk, which will take place four hours before the kickoff of every Steelers game and the College Football Hotline at the Rivers Casino on Saturdays, two hours before every Pitt home game. I appreciate the support so many here have given me. I look forward to engaging with you in another forum and I will continue to be actively involved with Bucs Dugout. Thank you.

If you've been following WTM's great daily updates, this probably isn't going to be news to you, but this is a good look at Polanco and how his command of the strike zone may be largely responsible for his breakout season. (h/t BuccoBrigade)

Grant has written about the Pirates a lot recently. Today he looks at the two 19-inning marathons. Should we be drawing the obvious parallels?

Irwin's stock has definitely appreciated this season. Sickels even suggests he could make the big-time at some point next year. (h/t) BurgherKing

Kids have to learn sometime, right? Nice work, Donnie Ballgame.

Rob lays it out pretty rationally. He quotes Cards beat writer Bernie Miklasz, who has a good perspective on the Cards major league-best run differential and tenth best overall record, and then looks at the pool of teams competing for the wild card spots. With less than 50 games to go, it really looks like it might come down to the Pirates and the Cards for the new playoff spot. One thing is for sure, five wins or losses over the next seven games will have a significant impact on the final outcome.

Gustavo Nunez, the Pirates Rule 5 pick this past offseason, made his 2012 debut today, starting a rehab assignment with the Pirates' GCL team. Nunez had a hit and a couple walks in his first appearance. Tim goes through the various scenarios confronting the Bucs when dealing with Nunez's roster status and Rule 5 obligations. The rules are a bit nuanced and the fact that Nunez has missed so much time and the Pirates have a bevy of mediocre middle infielders means that it may be difficult to keep him. Maybe a productive few weeks will make him standout among the crowd.

Jay Jaffe does his usual good work, taking an analytical look at the Pirates' offensive production. It is still shocking to be reminded how bad things were offensively in April/May (look at those BA & OBP numbers sans Cutch) and how good they have been since then. Jaffe breaks out the numbers at the corner OF positions since Starling Marte was called up on July 26 and, of course, gives the requisite nod to Andrew McCutchen's MVP candidacy.

David Laurila is always good as the interviewer, and Cutch gives some thoughtful answers. Fans will certainly like his take on Pirates history and Pittsburgh.

WTM noted in the minor-league update that Chris Leroux had another excellent outing last night. MiLB took note as well. I've been high on Leroux since last year (as I'm sure you know by now). He is a guy who can help this club this year, most-likely sliding into the long-man/swing role that Brad Lincoln filled briefly before being moved into a more high-leverage role, or even spot starting. I wrote about Leroux a few days ago when Clint Hurdle suggested he was close to being able to help the club. With Chad Qualls throwing a couple scoreless innings and Kevin Correia starting on Wednesday, there isn't an obvious roster spot available, but I expect Leroux up by September 1 at the latest. The most interesting note in the article is that Leroux is continuing to pitch out of the stretch in his starting role.

According to MLB.com's transacation page and MLBTradeRumors, Drew Sutton has been outrighted to AAA Indianapolis. For him to be recalled, he will have to be added to the 40-man roster. The transaction is dated August 3, but Sutton has not yet played for the Indians. This move does give the team more options come September 1 when rosters can be expanded. If a 40-man space is available, Sutton could be a useful bench piece.