Dejan Kovacevic: It will be just a minute until we get a moderator. Sorry for the delay. That was mostly on my end. I landed in St. Louis a little while ago and, being across the street from the Rams' stadium, I was busy taping their walk-through ...

Michael_Bolton: Why did JVB start yesterday? Doesn't that just hurt the bullpen over the course of a doubleheader?

Dejan Kovacevic: The idea, according to John Russell, was to just push everybody else back. It could be, though he did not specify this, that he mostly wanted to make sure Tom Gorzelanny had the extra day of rest after how well he pitched over the weekend. ... This move was very unpopular with the readership, I should add, and even before the game took place.

Nady_at_Third: What are the odds of shutting out the Braves when we have 4 errors and allow 6 walks? Anyway, with Duke winning his last two and a respectable ERA for the season, he still looks like a disaster waiting to happen with the number of baserunners he's allowing and walking more than he strikes out. Are the coaches as concerned about Duke as I am or are they sweating Snell and Gorzo more?

Dejan Kovacevic: The odds were astronomical, apparently. Consider this information dug up by the Pirates this morning: The last time any team committed that many errors in a shutout was April 10, 1997, when Florida had four in a 1-0 win at Wrigley Field. Moreover, the last team to pitch a shutout despite four errors and six walks was the Philadelphia Athletics on May 24, 1923, a 1-0 home win over the Yankees at Shibe Park -- five errors, six walks -- behind a complete game from Eddie Rommel. ... So there.

PirateApologist: Hello, Dejan. Please ignore all of the "Don't you wish you were covering the Penguins?" comments you are going to get today. Anyway, why didn't they call somebody up immediately when they sent John VanB down yesterday? This way there would be no chance they were short in the bullpen tonight.

Dejan Kovacevic: Yours is the only I have gotten in quite a while, actually. ... They know in advance who is coming up, but paperwork sometimes complicates things. Be sure that Marino Salas was not going to pitch last night for Indy, even though that team played 17 total innings.

lets_go_bucs: Any updates on Jack Wilson? Will he be back this month or is it going to be even longer?

Dejan Kovacevic: When I spoke with him late last week, he sounded very guarded, but he does have a timetable, the one that he laid out very clearly in that notebook. It calls for him to play eight games in the minors beginning next week, then return for the series against the Reds near the end of the month.

Windber-Rambler: Does kevin McClatchy still attend most home games?

Dejan Kovacevic: I have seen him at just one.

Littlefield_is_a_Demon: What is going on with Steave Pierce? I really had high hopes for him to start off hot and make a push for a roster spot.

Dejan Kovacevic: Pearce is not doing all that well with offspeed pitches, which tells you, maybe, that his rocketing through the system last year never really allowed opponents much of a chance to get a book on him. They have adjusted. Now, he needs to do likewise. ... He did hit his fourth home run last night, but is still only at about .240.

PhillyMarty: Putting Freddie in lead-off helped him, but seems to have hurt Nate. Now that we finally lost a game with that line-up, any reason to think Russell will soon change it back? Surely Nate is more suited to lead-off than Freddie.

Dejan Kovacevic: McLouth did well everywhere in the lineup until his 0-for-14 that ended with that last at-bat last night in Pittsburgh. But, yeah, your point could be a very good one if a slump gets really extended.

PhillyMarty: Dejan: Seems like the starting pitching is the biggest factor in recent 2-9 road record. Have any of the starters done anything to give you any confidence that they packed last week's success in their suitcase?

Dejan Kovacevic: Not until they actually do it. It's funny. We have talked for years about how favorable PNC Park is for left-handers, but all the metrics will tell you that the difference has been minimal ... until this year. The Pirates' lefties, as noted in the Today box this morning, have superlative numbers at home, way better than what they do outside Pittsburgh. ... No way all that can be attributed to the ballpark, though.

lets_go_bucs: With all the previous talk of this team not having a leader, has anyone stepped up into that role? Has it made a change to the clubhouse?

Dejan Kovacevic: There is not one clearly defined guy, but there are a few -- Doug Mientkiewicz, Adam LaRoche and others -- who have louder voices than others. ... Really, though, this issue gets emphasized a bit too much, I think. The Pirates' leadership, at this phase of where they are, will come first from performance.

Windber-Rambler: Regardless of his recent (and accurate) assessment of Pirate ownership, Is there any word if the Nuttings are going to have John Challis as a guest for a game at PNC? That's one helluva kid, nonetheless...!

Dejan Kovacevic: I have not heard anything to that effect. ... I share your sentiments about the young man, based on what I have read. But I will concede it was not easy getting through Mike White's original story when it first came out.

Littlefield_is_a_Demon: Even though it's nearly the same roster as last year, the new bosses seem to be much better at evaluating their own talent (Doumit, McLouth). Do you think this team has any chance to contend for the division this year?

Dejan Kovacevic: That seems terribly unrealistic. I look at the Cubs really as the bar for the division, and you are just now starting to see them play up to expectations. ... From there, look at the Pirates being 0-6 and mostly blown away when facing the Cubs. If they have a really good weekend at Wrigley coming up, maybe that will change a little. But, right now, that is what is plainly there to see.

lets_go_bucs: Is anything done to address the fielding errors? It was very irritating that they committed so many yesterday after a good string of games without any. Are these coming from lack of concentration or poor abilities?

Dejan Kovacevic: Yeah, those 54 error-free innings got blown to bits, especially by the three different third baseman each muffing a completely routine grounder. At one point in the second game, when Chipper Jones made a nice play at third for the other side, what was left of the crowd let out a mock roar at actually seeing a third baseman make a play. Tough day. ... But yes, as I have written a few times, they are out there early every single day, to the point that I am starting to wonder whether or not to describe them as early workouts or just workouts.

E5: Hi Dejan, I question the decision to start JVB in game 2 yesterday. Why not stick with the lefty Dumatrait in PNC Park for his regular turn and use JVB tonight in St. Louis? In fact, why bother with JVB at all when the pitchers were on such a roll and the outcome was so predictable? Surely Duke (the most consistent starter right now) could come back on 3 days rest one time at this point in the season. Was this ever an option?

Dejan Kovacevic: All options were considered that day, I am sure. But I really get the feeling that they wanted to be safe with Gorzelanny. Not much means more to this team right now than getting him squared away.

Greg_Brown: Will the next 3 weeks define the season? If the Pirates stay above water after all these division games they won't be too far back on June 1.

Dejan Kovacevic: I would think so. This time does not have a lot of time under the best circumstance, given management's hope of upgrading its system by trading away veterans, and taking care of the Cardinals and Cubs would be one large step toward staving that off.

MAdesso: DK, first off I gotta say, I love appreciate your hard work. OK, so who's gonna be the short term long man?

Dejan Kovacevic: Looks like Franquelis Osoria, judging from how he has been used of late. But I will know more when I get over to Busch in a couple hours. Marino Salas has been limited to mostly one or two innings in Indy, and no one else on the current staff seems set up for long duty.

PhillyMarty: I thought pushing Dumatrait back may have had something to do with Braves' better numbers vs. Lefties?

Dejan Kovacevic: With four lefties now, the Pirates hardly are in a position to be picky that way. Besides, the Braves had done little with the first couple lefties they saw.

Littlefield_is_a_Demon: What is the difference in Duke so far this year? Better velocity and movement or is it all mechanical?

Dejan Kovacevic: I think it is better stuff, and I long have felt it was a stuff issue no matter what the Pirates or Duke said about it. That makes it kind of striking, I think, that even Duke has begun to talk -- finally -- about the quality of the pitches he is making, about their zip, about their movement. ... It might tell you a little about the confidence he is gaining in that regard, that he is acknowledging it.

Windber-Rambler: What's the record for fewest RBI's for a 30+ HR hitter? Does Jason Bay have a shot at the record?

Dejan Kovacevic: That is an amazing stat, more so when you consider all the time Nate McLouth has spent on base ahead of him.

bubs: Dejan -- this home stand -- aberrition or harbinger of good things to come?

Dejan Kovacevic: Much, much more needs to be seen to view the Pirates optimistically as a whole. The starting pitching most definitely settled a bit, but the Giants really had not much of a lineup and ... hard to tell what happened with the Braves, who have a terrific lineup. Could be that the pitching was really good.

Littlefield_is_a_Demon: Although they aren't likely to be traded until they're out of contention, have you heard specifics on the value fo Nady and Bay now? Are the Bucs being offered true blue-chip prospects?

Dejan Kovacevic: To my knowledge, no trade talks have entered that deep a phase. The Pirates are getting calls. That does not mean they are entering negotiation-type talks. ... Really, every indication I get is that they are just absorbed with this draft.

SandlotWizard: With the lack of pitching in the organization, will the Pirates be leaning toward taking another pitcher in the draft in three weeks? Any news on who they really love with pick 2?

Dejan Kovacevic: I mentioned the other day in the Notebook that they are down to seven, possibly even six prospects as a focus. And I mentioned the names of four players. The interesting one to watch, if only because he seems to be soaring up everyone's list is Buster Posey, the catcher at Florida State. ... But that is not to suggest he is the Pirates' favorite. There is no indication that they are at that type of stage yet.

SandlotWizard: If the team was willing to give J. Michaels all these starts the last few days, why not give them to Nyjer?

Dejan Kovacevic: A fair question. Maybe it was an indication that John Russell had lost some confidence in Morgan. I will try to remember to raise that one today at Busch. ... Couple more ...

Littlefield_is_a_Demon: Are Brian Bullington and JVB officially worthless now? I mean most franchises don't consider 27 year olds prospects anymore.

Dejan Kovacevic: If the Pirates deemed either worthless, they would flat-out cut them, as we have seen happen with others already. But they seemed to genuinely like some of what Van Benschoten did, even yesterday, and Bryan Bullington, despite his awful start, is fresh off a pretty good outing the other day. ... Tough to give up on first-round picks, no matter who drafted them.

MAdesso: It's Aug. 1st, whats the Bucco's line up look like?

Dejan Kovacevic: All right, a fun one to end it ... McLouth LF, Sanchez 2B, McCutchen CF, Doumit C, LaRoche 1B, Bautista 3B, Pearce RF, Wilson SS, with someone else's current top pitching prospect on the mound. Neil Walker? Not until he shows something. And the same might go for Pearce. But McCutchen? He is looking more ready by the day. ... Possible tornado on the way to St. Louis tonight, but, even if we all blow away, the Q&A will return tomorrow ...