It has been a week since the Pirates were swept out of Los Angeles, but their visit seems to have resonated in Hollywood.
How else to explain that they were the butt of Jay Leno monologue jokes twice since then?
On Monday: "Things not looking good for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have now lost 11 games in a row. To give you an idea how bad they are, today they got beat by Ghana."
And on Thursday: "The sequel to 'Pirates of the Caribbean' opens next week. In these movies, the pirates always win. If you want to see the pirates lose, move to Pittsburgh."
Tough crowd out there ...
Sanchez returns
Third baseman Freddy Sanchez rejoined the lineup last night after missing one game to back spasms.
Sanchez, who described himself as "less than 100 percent," said he was hurt Tuesday when turning his torso awkwardly in pursuit of a foul pop-up and confirmed he had no history of back trouble.
"It's just a muscle thing," Sanchez said. "I tried to play through it for two games, and I just spazzed out when I got here on Thursday."
That attempt to "play through it" was fairly successful: He was 7 for 10 in those two games with a walkoff home run, a triple and a double.
Revival for Hernandez
Jose Hernandez clearly grasps his role as a 36-year-old bench man on a young team, but that does not mean he was satisfied with his contribution most of this season.
How could he have been when his average bottomed out at .177 Sunday and he had contributed all of six RBIs?
"I still did my best to get ready," Hernandez said. "But it wasn't easy for me."
It has been easier of late, to be sure, as he has enjoyed a 6-for-10 homestand that hiked his average to .236. That feeling of relief was best evident Friday, when he showed rare emotion after a triple in pumping his fist.
"I feel pretty good at the plate right now," he said. "It's hard to do what I'm doing. I can go two weeks without a start. I've been playing more lately. That helps."
Manager Jim Tracy said of Hernandez: "From a versatility standpoint, as a 24th or 25th man, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone better."
Buried treasure
As expected, Josh Sharpless, the standout reliever at Class AAA Indianapolis, will replace Tom Gorzelanny in the July 9 Futures Game that is part of All-Star week. With Sharpless hailing from Freedom, Beaver County, that gives the Pirates two local prospects -- catcher Neil Walker of Richland is the other -- in the game.
Detroit's starter today, 24-year-old rookie Zach Miner, might remind some of Zach Duke with how he has started. Since making his big-league debut a month ago, he is 4-1 in five starts and has yet to allow an opponent more than three earned runs. Not a hard thrower, he uses command to mix up fastballs and changeups, aided by what manager Jim Leyland describes as "some late movement."
When Brad Lincoln, the Pirates' first-round draft pick last month, makes his professional debut July 8, it will be for Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League. If all goes well, he will join Class A Hickory after that.
One banner hanging from the left-field rotunda read, "Welcome home, Lloyd," in recognition of Lloyd McClendon.
INDIANAPOLIS (42-37) lost at Toledo, 2-1. LHP Oliver Perez (0-1, 2.57) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck out 13, walked two and threw 63 of 107 pitches for strikes. RHP Josh Sharpless (2.33) pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out two. RF Adam Boeve (.290) went 4 for 4. 2B Craig Stansberry (.429) hit his first Class AAA home run and went 2 for 4.
ALTOONA (46-33) lost to Akron, 7-0. RHP Wardell Starling (1-1, 4.85) allowed three runs in five innings. 2B Javier Guzman (.245) committed his 20th error.
LYNCHBURG (36-41) lost at Wilmington, 9-3. RHP Matt Guillory (4-4, 7.29) allowed five runs, four earned, in 2 1/3 innings. 1B Mike Carlin (.280) went 3 for 4 with his eighth home run and a double. C Neil Walker (.254) went 0 for 3 with a walk.
HICKORY (35-42) lost at Asheville, 21-9. LHP Brian Holliday (0-1, 47.25) allowed seven runs in 1 1/3 innings. CF Andrew McCutchen (.275) hit his eighth home run, his second in as many days, and went 3 for 5 with three RBIs and a stolen base.
WILLIAMSPORT (4-6) lost to Mahoning Valley, 3-0. RHP Patrick Bresnehan (0-2, 4.26), the Pirates' fifth-round draft pick last month, pitched five scoreless, hitless innings. He struck out four and walked one.
First Published: July 2, 2006, 4:00 a.m.
