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PHOENIX -- To understand Brandon Moss' personality, one could absorb nothing more than this: When Boston traded him to the Pirates last week, his Red Sox teammate, Sean Casey of Upper St. Clair, shot him a quick text ...
INDIANAPOLIS (54-63) lost at Buffalo, 5-4. LHP Tom Gorzelanny (1-1, 2.01) allowed three unearned runs and six hits in six-plus innings. He struck out four, walked none. RHP John Van Benschoten (3.84) allowed two unearned runs and four hits in two innings of relief. He struck out two, walked two. 3B Neil Walker (.235) went 3 for 5 with a double, triple and three RBIs. CF Andrew McCutchen (.278) went 0 for 2 with three walks.
ALTOONA (51-65) lost to Akron, 7-0. LHP Kyle Bloom (2-7, 4.71) allowed six runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. RHP Jeff Sues (3.80) pitched two scoreless, hitless innings of relief and struck out two.
LYNCHBURG (46-68) lost to Potomac, 13-7. LHP Tony Watson (6-11, 3.90) allowed eight runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. C Kris Watts (.333) went 3 for 3 with two walks and an RBI.
HICKORY (45-69) beat Rome, 8-7. LHP Mike Felix (4-4, 4.52) allowed five runs and five hits in 1 1/3 innings. CF Austin McClune (.210) hit his second home run and went 2 for 3 with a walk, two RBIs and a steal.
STATE COLLEGE (9-35) lost at Mahoning Valley, 8-5, extending its losing streak to 10. RHP Ramon Aguero (1-7, 6.39) allowed four runs and four hits in three innings. RF David Rubinstein (.182) went 3 for 4 with a double and RBI.
BRADENTON (22-15) was off.
"He told me I was going to love Pittsburgh, that it was just right for me," Moss recalled.
Another way to understand Moss: He calls just about everyone he encounters "sir" or "ma'am."
Take it from Bill Straight, whose family in Portland, Maine, housed Moss as a Class AA player for two seasons ...
"He is a very nice, polite and pleasant person," Straight said yesterday. "He lived in our house almost 1 1/2 years before I could get him to drop 'Sir.'"
Straight's favorite memory: When Moss' team was in the Eastern League final in 2006, he returned to the Straight house "totally dejected" because the team lost, even though he homered twice on his birthday. Next day, he had a poor game, but the team won the title.
"You would have thought he had won the World Series," Straight said.
Moss, the Pirates' new left fielder, has done nothing but smile since his arrival, and it is easy to see why: He was trapped in Boston's outfield behind Manny Ramirez and J.D. Drew, so much so that the Red Sox had him playing some first base with Class AAA Pawtucket, in an attempt to get his bat in the lineup more often.
"It almost hasn't sunk in," Moss said. "It's not like I was sitting there in Pawtucket saying, 'Hey, I should be playing ahead of Manny or J.D.' But you go from an organization where you're thinking, 'Man, one day, at best, if I stick around here, I'm going to be a fourth outfielder,' and, all of a sudden, you play every day. It's almost too perfect."
But he did recall, the night before the trading deadline last week, how he reacted when he first heard he might be traded to the Pirates.
"My family's pretty religious, so my wife and I said a prayer, left it up to God. The next day, it happened."
On the field, Moss' charm transforms into that of a football player trapped in a baseball uniform. And there is cause for that beyond his thick 6-foot, 205-pound build: He was a standout wide receiver and safety at Loganville High School in Georgia.
"I miss it, too," he said. "I loved football."
How Moss puts that power to use remains to be seen: He has a history rich with doubles in the minors, which many baseball people feel translate to home runs in the majors.
"I'm probably not going to hit 30, but I've heard the ballpark in Pittsburgh is deep in left-center -- never been there -- and that's great for me. That's where all my doubles go."
There is a perception that Moss will play with less pressure in Pittsburgh, but this should not be forgotten: Through all the Pirates' losing in the past decade-plus, the one position that consistently has had a star player is left field, first with Brian Giles, then Jason Bay, the player he is replacing. A little before that, it was Barry Bonds.
Expectations could be high.
"Wow, I don't even know what to say to that," Moss said. "As far as Bay goes, I only have heard great things about him. But I'm not going to try to be Bay or Bonds or anyone else. I'm just going to be me. And I'll play hard for you. If I didn't, I'd have a phone call from my father telling me about it. That's how I was raised."
Freddy Sanchez was back at second base after missing seven days to back spasms, and manager John Russell immediately placed him atop the order, where he apparently will stay.
"For now," Russell said.
Russell clearly is keeping an open mind about moving Nate McLouth back to the top. McLouth was bumped down when Bay and Xavier Nady in an attempt to keep some RBI punch in the heart of the order, and to keep newcomers Moss and Andy LaRoche from being too burdened. But Russell felt strongly enough about making sure that McLouth's fine season is not disrupted that the two met over the weekend to make sure "we're on the same page," Russell said.
"We'll look at this for two, three days and see where we are," Russell said.
• Ian Snell's lower back, which stiffened during his start Sunday, improved yesterday, he said. He and Russell expect he will take his next turn.
• First baseman Adam LaRoche remains on track to swing tomorrow.
• Tom Gorzelanny continues to improve at Class AAA Indianapolis: Last night in Buffalo, N.Y., he was charged with three unearned runs and six hits in six-plus innings. He allowed two runners in the seventh and was pulled for John Van Benschoten, who gave up the rest. He struck out four, walked none and threw 52 of 85 pitches for strikes.
