A much needed bump.

... would be the one on top of Penn's cranium, for walking everybody in the park and for falling behind every hitter he faced.

I'd have to say that this might be a good time to see if Penn can make it through waivers and go to Indy. I can't imagine anyone claiming him.

Ditto.

The Pirates will have arrived not when Alvarez gets to Pittsburgh, not when he and McCutchen are perennial all stars, not when management spends a bit of cash, not when Morton figures out how to use his great stuff.....but when they QUIT PICKING UP SCRAP HEAP PLAYERS!!! And not just giving them a shot, but adding them to the roster thinking they will suddenly find themselves! Every year for what seems like forever the team adds its madatory Rule 5 guy and AT LEAST one scrap heap guy.

Yes, I know that one of them sometimes works out(Veal, hopefully). And yes, I know other teams do the same thing. It just seems like not in the volume the Pirates do it, and I for one am sick of seeing them do it.

Good point PP. We'll kow when we're there.

Its not as much about picking up the scrap players, its the matter of knowing when to cut them when they dont work out...

They took a gamble on someone, and its not like Penn is blocking anybody in the bullpen right now...If Hanrahan was healthy, Penn would not be on the team..

I think Penn is done once the 5th starter is needed again...Hanrahan is supposed to take McCutchen's spot on the roster today...In a few weeks when they call him back up, Penn will be gone unless sometime between now and then he turns into a pitcher...

Scrap heap players like Veal. And Garret Jones. And Evan Meek. And Delwyn Young (not a waiver claim, but acquired for $1 and organizational filler). Don't forget Carrasco, an NRI. And we all know that no other team in baseball ever claims guys off of waivers. Just the Pirates.

The Pirates don't stink because they're using every possible means to acquire players. They're using every possible means to acquire players because they stink.

And Johann Santana. And Dan Uggla.

Good point