MILWAUKEE -- Jose Castillo's defense created quite a stir last season.

It's doing the same thing this season, but in a far different way.

The Pirates' second baseman last season played like a Gold Glove would be his annually for years to come.

This season?

It almost sounds as if Castillo could be asked to lose weight in the offseason or change positions.

	MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT Tuesday's results INDIANAPOLIS (56-45) lost at Norfolk, 2-0. RHP Ryan Vogelsong (1-2, 3.05) allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings. He struck out four, walked two and threw 58 of 92 pitches for strikes. CF Chris Duffy (.365) went 2 for 4. ALTOONA (59-42) beat Harrisburg, 1-0, on a sacrifice fly by C David Parrish (.302) in the 10th inning. LHP Shane Youman (7-2, 1.51) allowed two runs in seven innings. RHP Chris Hernandez (2.58) pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out two. 2B Javier Guzman (.268) went 3 for 4. LYNCHBURG (42-57) lost at Winston-Salem, 2-0. LHP Kyle Bloom (5-6, 3.95) allowed one run in six innings. 2B Dan Schawartzbauer (.240) went 2 for 4 with a double and a steal. DH Neil Walker (.251) went 0 for 2. HICKORY (49-52) won at Columbus, 6-5. RHP Brad Lincoln (1-1, 8.38), the Pirates' first-round pick in the draft last month, recorded his first professional in allowing two runs and eight hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked none. 3B Eddie Prasch (.252) hit his fourth home run. CF Andrew McCutchen (.281) went 1 for 4 with a double. WILLIAMSPORT (9-20) lost to Oneanta, 4-1. RHP Kyle Pearson (1-1, 2.16) allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings. 2B Jim Negrych (.228) went 3 for 4.

Monday night, Castillo was charged with two errors. And he created a third, charged to Jack Wilson, when he bobbled a probable double play ground ball in the third inning. That threw off the timing of the turn and resulted in Wilson making a low, off-balance throw past first base.

Castillo officially has 15 errors this season. Last year, he committed 12.

Why the difference?

"It's hard for me to answer that," said Jim Tracy, in his first season as the Pirates' manager. "I haven't seen what you guys have seen [in the past]. There's not much I can say about it. I can't really expound on it.

"At times, he shows you a lot of capability. He's a bigger player the last two years. This is a big man. Not heavy. He's becoming a big man."

And a shorter person.

In the Pirates' media guide last year, Castillo was listed at 6-1, 200 pounds. This year, he's listed as 6-0, 210.

So does he need to lose some weight? Is his current size more suited to playing third base?

"He's a big, powerful-looking big man," Tracy said without expounding.

Craig Wilson to Yankees?

The New York Post yesterday lumped Craig Wilson in with several other players as possible additions who could strengthen the New York Yankees' bench.

How would Wilson feel about playing for the Yankees?

"It would be exciting to go to a team that has that type of history and is always in contention," Wilson said.

Almost the cycle for Bay

Jason Bay came within a double of hitting for the cycle in the Pirates' 12-8 loss Monday night.

He led off the ninth inning with a line drive into left field that fell about 5 yards to Brady Clark's right. Did Bay think about trying to stretch the hit into his needed double?

"Maybe if the score was a little different," he said. "But given the situation, no. Maybe if we were down by 10 or in a situation where it didn't really matter, I might have pushed it. But it was only five steps to [Clark's] right, so it wasn't like, 'Ooh, maybe.' "

Interestingly, some fans urged Bay to try it.

"I did hear the people in the stands screaming, '[Forget] it, go! Go!' " Bay said. "That's why after I stopped at first base I was kind of laughing."

Duke studies tape

Zach Duke pitched only 2¹/₃ innings in his start Monday night, then spent some time yesterday afternoon looking at videotape at what went wrong.

"I think I've identified some stuff," he said. "Now I've got some stuff to work on."

That work centers on better execution of pitches.

"Timing stuff," Duke said. "It's not really a change in mechanics."

Duke's season seems to have been full of pop flies that fall in and ground balls -- that were double plays last season -- going through the infield this year.

"I had a year like this before where stuff didn't quite seem to go my way," Duke said, recalling his 8-7 (3.11) season with Class A Hickory in 2003. "I just couldn't catch a break."

Duke's walk from the mound to the dugout in the third inning Monday night was very deliberate.

"I was very upset," he said. "It was so frustrating. I couldn't figure it out. I couldn't keep my team in the game. It really ate at me."

Grabow on a roll

Left-hander John Grabow pitched two more scoreless innings Monday night. It was his eighth consecutive scoreless appearance. During that stretch, hitters are just 3 for 35 against him.

"He's throwing the ball extremely well right now," Tracy said. "He's throwing strikes consistently with his fastball. His changeup is a very devastating pitch to right-handers.

"And his slider is equally as tough for left-handers. He's basically thrown a number of just unhittable pitches -- swing-and-miss pitches. That's exactly what he's been up to. He's been terrific."