PirateApologist: Hello Dejan, how was the ballpark in D.C.? Anything interesting that we couldn't see on television or you didn't report in the paper?

Dejan Kovacevic: Greetings, first of all, from the very good place after seven days away. ... The ballpark in D.C. was different, which I say in a good way. Too many of these places are Camden Yards cookie-cutters, and this one had very much the flavor of the monuments -- all white -- plus steel and glass. Very different, actually. On the inside, the seating bowl was peculiarly distant from the plate but, otherwise, looked very much like Cincinnati. Which is OK.

Festivus: Do you expect Morgan to get sent down any day now?

Dejan Kovacevic: It could happen soon, but Neal Huntington told me yesterday it probably is not imminent as in today or tomorrow. A solution will need to be found soon, it appears, as Morgan looks very much like someone who is struggling with what it takes to be ready for one at-bat every two days.

Charleston_Charlies: Last week, you mentioned the negetative feedback that occurred after the trade article. Do you think that will prevent Coonelly and Huntington from blowing up this team and starting over?

Dejan Kovacevic: No.

JRay03: In Zach Duke's rookie year he had a wicked slider he used to get k's against right handed hitters. Where has that pitch gone?

Dejan Kovacevic: He actually threw a number of decent sliders in Washington. Not sure if that game was televised back home. But he had that pitch, as well as the rather impressive fastball tailing away from lefties that I described in the game story. It was his best command, I thought, of the season. And the stuff was there, too.

jimb056: I thought that starting pitching was to be the strength of the Pirates. Are you disappointed as

Dejan Kovacevic: Not my job to be disappointed, but I can assure you the Pirates are. Very much so. If one takes a look at all the offense they have gotten lately -- despite getting little from Adam LaRoche and Freddy Sanchez -- as well as the fine back end of the bullpen, one can only imagine how much better their record might be with even ordinary starting pitching. ... Yes, for the team, a huge disappointment. They expected much more, notably from their top two guys, Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny, and they just are not getting it.

MazisBack: Was fortunate to see the bucs this weekend in DC. It is amazing the differences in person. For instance, on Thursday night they hit a ton of balls onthe button, but they were always right at someone. Secondly, and most glaring, all talk of ever trading Jack Wilson should be banned. We've been spoiled by Jack because it seemed ball after ball skipped through past the left side of second with Gomez trotting after it. Wilson has made playing short look easy, get well VERY soon Jack.

Dejan Kovacevic: The shortstop is missed by the club, to say the least. Eleven combined errors now by Chris Gomez, Brian Bixler and ... Luis Rivas? Is he still on the roster?

Pedrique: How much longer will the Bucs stay with Bullington in Indy with his current lack of progress?

Dejan Kovacevic: Bullington remains on the 40-man, so they surely will stick with him in the rotation. But he is 0-5 now with an 8-plus ERA and, from what I hear, simply cannot get the ball by batters at all this year. He has that No. 1 overall pedigree, but the time has long since passed where the results should be weighed against the timing of the surgery.

PhillyMarty: If I am not mistaken, Nady has experience at both 1B and 3B. Given the struggles of Batista and LaRoche, has management considered giving Nady starts at either of those positions to get either Morgan, or looking ahead to McCutcheon, starts in the OF? If not, why do you think not. Clearly OF is one strength the team has, why not try to maximize it?

Dejan Kovacevic: You get only half your bowl of soup taken away for mentioning Nady at third. As for Nady at first, no, he is going to stay in right field. The other guys are staying where they are. Bautista actually looked very good in D.C., and LaRoche had what some might consider an encouraging game yesterday. ... More important, though, Nady has been very, very good right where he is. ... No, nothing here at all.

16_losing_seasons: Let the selling begin! So, when do you think the Pirates will begin making trades with their bait (Nady, Bay, Grabow, Marte)? Do you know of any teams in particular that match up well with what the Pirates are looking to obtain?

Dejan Kovacevic: There is nothing on this horizon right now, but one certainly can expect it to heat it up closer to the July 31 deadline. As for who matches up, plain and simple, it will be the teams that can offer the best pitching prospects.

jimb056: The Jack Wilson injury story go on and on. Is the problem just a little twinge or is it something greater?

Dejan Kovacevic: Well, it never could have been considered a twinge to get him placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career. But it definitely is more serious than initially thought. A spike clipped him in the back of the calf, it swelled like crazy the next couple days, and it has not healed well at all, obviously. Now, of course, it is back to day-to-day. I would think the Pirates will be happy to see him by next week.

Charleston_Charlies: DK, I went to DC for the game friday night, I was surprised to see that so many pirates fans at the game. Is this common?

Dejan Kovacevic: Unfortunately, far too many of our people moved to that region about 20 years ago. By my experiences, those are not people making the drive -- though I did see some PA license plates on the Beltway -- but, rather, permanent transplants. ... Not something to celebrate.

SandlotWizard: Any news on Evan Meek? Are they still looking to trade for him? What do you think they might give up for him?

Dejan Kovacevic: Check the Notebook today for the latest.

wrv2: Dejan, Why does Osoria continue to get a free pass? Salas, Chavez, or Sanchez would be better options right now

Dejan Kovacevic: Osoria has a .375 opponents' batting average right now, as I mentioned in the game story the other day, and a 6.65 ERA. Those are terrible statistics, obviously, and not at all the ground-ball type pitcher the Pirates had hoped to have. But, as you suggest, they are being very patient with him because they love his durability and continue to hope for the best. ... As for Marino Salas and Jesse Chavez, both are off to fine starts at Indianapolis, but neither is deemed ready by management right now. Each made major adjustments in the spring, and the Pirates want to see them apply those consistently over a long period. ... They do like Romulo Sanchez, though, and see him as being closer to ready than the other two.

16_losing_seasons: Is Jack Wilson a player the current management is looking to trade? I hope the problems we're having at SS w/out him will make that a "no."

Dejan Kovacevic: You would be correct.

PhillyMarty: Any reason why you only want pitching prospects in return? Why not infield and maybe even catcher?

Dejan Kovacevic: Me? I am not the one in need of prospects. The Pirates are. Their view is that, if they acquire pitching prospects -- which is their greatest need, anyway -- they can parlay those into filling other needs, as necessary. It is the most precious commodity in the game.

virginiagold : Was any consideration given to moving Osoria out rather than Meek?

Dejan Kovacevic: Osorio is out of options and could be lost to waivers. So can Meek, obviously, through the Rule 5 process. But, as the Notebook indicated today, it certainly sounds like the Pirates think they can arrange for a way to keep Meek through a trade with Tampa.

PhillyMarty: Do you miss the hockey beat even a little. Not like you are lacking for stories, but aren't happy endings more enjoyable to write about?

Dejan Kovacevic: Argh. A link for you: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08109/874346-126.stm

The_Mighty_Swashbucklers: Why did the Pirates acquire a 36-yr old reliever? What are their plans for him?

Dejan Kovacevic: Just a journeyman stopgap for the Indianapolis bullpen. He actually was not even pitching this season until yesterday. ... But it sure does underscore the state of the system that no one was deemed ready at Altoona for a promotion.

MAdesso: Your thoughts DK, Jose Bautista? Swinging a HOT BAT? Or finally found his stroke? It's good to see him and Laroche finally coming around, albeit only a few days though.

Dejan Kovacevic: Bautista looked exceptionally comfortable in D.C., and it will be interesting to see if that carries over. In the past, his streaks have tended to stick around for a while. ... LaRoche looked much better yesterday than Saturday. ... The one I cannot figure at all is Freddy Sanchez. And neither can he, from the sound of it.

afail: Is Brian O'Neill going to start doing a Stats Geek column again?

Dejan Kovacevic: To my knowledge, no.

PhillyJake: Any rumblings from the PBC about cutting Rivas? Oh wait, we have no depth their. Bring up Friday, perhaps?

Dejan Kovacevic: They might first have to remember he is on the team. ... Bring up Brian Friday? Wow. Again underscoring the shallowness of the system, we can advocate summoning a Class A shortstop with five errors. No. ... To answer your actual question, one would think Bixler will be sent back when Wilson is ready. But I would not feel all that secure if I were Rivas.

The_Mighty_Swashbucklers: What's going on with the Pirates' starting pitching. 1-4 in the rotation should be solid, but instead is consistently inconsistent. Is this another case of the Pirates inability to develop major-league talent? Do the Pirates have any changes planned for the rotation?

Dejan Kovacevic: There will be no rotation changes, even including Phil Dumatrait from what I hear. These are their guys, and they are going to try to find a way to improve all of them. I can tell you this much: Pitching coach Jeff Andrews is losing a lot of sleep over this.

MeeksMeetingWithTheBobs: How did Wilson's calf injury go from whether or not to put him on the DL to whether or not they need to amputate?

Dejan Kovacevic: Again, there was a whole bunch of swelling the first couple days, which tends to disguise accurate readings of any injury. Once it subsided, he quickly was placed on the DL. ... Then, Friday in Fort Myers, he hurt it again while in the field. ... This is the big issue, by the way, how he handles all the things he likes to do in the field. This is a shortstop, not a first baseman, and there could be more challenges ahead.

The_Mighty_Swashbucklers: If Dumatrait ends up pitching as bad as Morris, or if another starter were to get injured, who would be next to enter the starting rotation?

Dejan Kovacevic: Dumatrait pitched OK the other night. It is easy to give him the benefit of the doubt, I think, with that fourth inning given that he sat for two long stretches, first when his teammates batted around, then when the lights went out. ... Who is next? It would appear to be John Van Benschoten. But, again, nothing like that is being discussed.

bocafan: Type hereDean, Do you think there is anyway the Pirates can turn the corner with the existing players...once Wilson returns?

Dejan Kovacevic: With each passing loss, the concept of turning the corner moves another block farther down the road. From a results standpoint, this team looks little different than its recent predecessors, obviously. From a starting-pitching standpoint, it clearly looks worse. In fact, no one is worse than the Pirates right now in that regard.

MAdesso: Any chance Burnett gets moved back to a starter in the near future?

Dejan Kovacevic: No. Nor will he pitch long relief. He will be a one- or two-inning guy. The Pirates feel that is the best way to maximize his material and keep him healthy.

The_Mighty_Swashbucklers: What do the Pirates front office brass think when the team keeps losing series to teams that field as much young talent as they do? (i.e. the Nats and the Marlins for example)

Dejan Kovacevic: They think that their starting pitching needs to be better.

goldenkody: how much more patience are the pirates willing to show with adam laroche ?

Dejan Kovacevic: It likely is limitless. He is their first baseman, a $5 million player and, most important for this topic, someone whose history of struggling in the opening few weeks is equally matched by his history of breaking out of those struggles in a huge way.

SandlotWizard Has Brad Lincoln pitched in a game yet this season? Any reports on his progress?

Dejan Kovacevic: Do not expect to see him pitch in a real game until August. And that is tentative. The Pirates are being careful, from the look of it, to not apply any pressure there.

Lord_Stanley: Gorzo' s back injury seems like a ruse. Anyone can see his shoulder is injured.

Dejan Kovacevic: Injury conspiracies ... let us take one more ...

Pickman: Dejan, when will the bucs decide to stop hitting the snooze button and wake up? or does this teams just not have the horses for even a 500 record?

Dejan Kovacevic: The alarm needs to go off for the starting pitchers, to pound the issue deep into the ground here. It is the most boring cliche in the game, but no team is worth anything without that facet going well. And, right now, the Pirates have exactly zero consistent performers in the rotation. ... Everything else is irrelevant until that gets straightened out. ... Q&A returns Wednesday.