The Pirates' hitting awoke in May. The pitching stayed steady, too.

But no aspect has ascended to the level of the defense.

Another flawless performance last night against the Colorado Rockies extended the team's errorless streak to 10 games and 92 innings. The latter is the longest such streak of the season, blowing away a 65-inning run April 19-30, and the longest since a 94-inning run June 30-July 11, 2004.

	GOLD GLOVES The five best defensive teams in Major League Baseball before yesterday, ranked by fielding percentage: Team Errors Pct. Arizona Diamondbacks 20 .988 Texas Rangers 19 .988 Pirates 20 .986 Toronto Blue Jays 22 .986 Los Angeles Angels 24 .985

Only two players have more than two errors, with outfielder Jason Bay and third baseman Ty Wigginton having three each. The Pirates' total of 20 errors is second-lowest in Major League Baseball. The Texas Rangers have 19.

As a result, the team's fielding percentage has soared to .986, third-best in baseball. The Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks are tied at .988.

The highest percentage in franchise history is .983, set in 1993 and matched last season.

When the Pirates left spring training, manager Lloyd McClendon expressed concern that his team would not be sound defensively.

Not anymore.

"I've been overwhelmed with joy at the way we've caught the ball lately," he said. "Now, we didn't catch the ball out of the chute. When we were 4-11, that was one of our biggest problems. It's certainly helped getting Jose Castillo back in the lineup. But we've also had guys work hard to get better. I'm very pleased."

McClendon has shown satisfaction with more than just the errorless play. He mentioned pickoff plays the team has executed with precision, including one Tuesday when catcher Humberto Cota nearly caught a Chicago Cubs runner leaning off first with a sharply timed throw to Daryle Ward. The call was made between Cota and Ward, not from the dugout.

"That's how you look when you're playing good baseball," McClendon said.

Rockies minus manager

Colorado manager Clint Hurdle left the team yesterday morning for Denver to be with his ailing 2-year-old daughter, who was hospitalized Friday because of seizures. His daughter, Madison Reilly, has had seizures because of a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome.

Bench coach Jamie Quirk managed the Rockies last night, but he will miss the game today to attend his son's high school graduation. That will leave managing duties today to be split between hitting coach Duane Espy and pitching coach Bob Apodaca.

"This game will come and go and spit us out in a heartbeat," Quirk said. "So, if something comes up with family, you have to take care of it."

North Side notches

For months, McClendon has been vowing to give Matt Lawton days off during the season. It still has not happened, and it is not likely today, he said. Rather, it could happen during the seven-game trip that begins tomorrow in St. Louis.

Lawton and Bay are the only two players McClendon has used every game. He laughed when asked if Bay might get a day off: "There is a good chance you'll see him every day."

The rotation for the series with the Cardinals: Dave Williams, Kip Wells and Mark Redman.

The victory last night was McClendon's 300th with the Pirates. He is the 10th manager in franchise history to reach the milestone.

The sellout crowd of 37,504 was the second of the season. It included walkup sales of 6,700.

Mike Gonzalez was awarded his first save of the season, despite the blowout, because he entered the game with bases loaded in the eighth and the tying run on deck.