Sippin’ on the Kool-Aid in April

You aren’t supposed to come away with too many judgments from opening day of the baseball… You aren’t supposed to come away with too many judgments from opening day of the baseball season. After all, the season is only 1/162 of the way through, and there might be one or two more important games along the trail.

But that was quite a show the Pirates put on Monday night.

Pittsburgh showed every possible reason why it could either break its streak of 15 consecutive losing seasons or lose 100 games in its 12-11 win, a 12-inning slugfest Monday night against the Atlanta Braves.

Let’s start with the latter. Our Buccos were up, 9-4, heading into the ninth inning when the best two relievers on the team, Damaso Marte and Matt Capps, inexplicably walked four batters to bring in a run. Capps then gave up a two-run single to bring the score to 9-7.

Then, as is typical with the Pirates, a potential game-ending pop fly to left-center field dropped to the ground as left fielder Jason Bay ran past the spot where the ball landed. It appeared that Bay thought center fielder Nate McLouth was going to catch the ball, but McLouth was not nearly as close as Bay thought he was.

Two runs scored on the play. Game tied at nine apiece. Pittsburgh fans collectively either slammed their heads against the nearest wall or threatened to jump off the Birmingham Bridge.

But then, something amazing happened. The Pirates won. It was something completely against logical thought, something that past Pirates teams probably wouldn’t have accomplished.

The reason? Two keys to the Pirates’ season came through when it mattered, despite the failures of the bullpen.

McLouth and right fielder Xavier Nady brought their A-games to Atlanta on Monday. If both play at a high level this season, the Pirates will have a realistic shot at 82 wins.

McLouth finally gained a chance to shine in the Pirates lineup this year after three seasons of waiting in the wings and watching the team’s previous management discard him as a useful starter.

A productive center fielder of any kind has eluded Pittsburgh since Andy Van Slyke left in 1994. Several prospects teased Pirates fans with their potential or half-seasons of good numbers only to fail miserably. Brant Brown, Jermaine Allensworth, Chad Hermansen, J. J. Davis, Adrian Brown, Tike Redman, Chris Duffy – I could go on forever.

McLouth is different. His minor league production was as consistent as any Pittsburgh farmhand in years. McLouth’s skills are on another level, as well. His sweet, left-handed stroke is necessary in a Pirate lineup that really only has Adam LaRoche to complement it. His power is developing, he can steal 30 or more bases and his defense keeps improving the more he plays.

Perhaps the most telling evidence of McLouth’s importance lies in a poll done by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the Buccos themselves. Eleven out of 20 Pirates chose McLouth as the team’s breakout player this year. His work ethic and tools make that an almost crystal-clear prediction.

McLouth went 3 for 5 at the plate Monday night, with a clutch three-run home run to right field to give the Pirates an 8-4 advantage that wouldn’t have lasted. Pretty good start for my man Nate.

Only one Pirate, however, voted Nady as the team’s breakout player. He wasn’t given a vote for the team’s MVP either. That’s interesting because Nady probably had the best overall offensive season for Pittsburgh last year.

One possible reason he was left out: Many on the team probably think Nady won’t be on the squad when the season ends.

You see, Nady is blocking top prospect Steve Pearce in right field. Pearce was named the Minor League Baseball Player of the Year last season and was having an awesome spring.

Pearce was sent down to the minors, while Nady had the most awful spring of any regular on the team.

General manager Neal Huntington has admitted trying to trade Nady but wants to find a good return and hoped his trade value would increase.

But if Nady plays like he did in Monday’s opener, maybe they should hold off a little on that trade. The right fielder went 4 for 7 with two opposite-field home runs. The last one was the game winner, a three-run bomb in the 12th inning.

That raises a key question: What if Pearce has a down year in the minors, or even just regresses a little bit? What should the Pirates do with Nady then? Trade him anyway? Or should the team trade Bay instead? Pearce will be the first called up if there’s an injury to Nady, Bay or LaRoche.

Even tougher, what if Nady’s production is helping the Pirates remain in the NL Central race? What if they have a winning record in June?

These questions may just be wishful thinking from a long-time, down-on-his-luck fan that is sick of our Buccos losing. But if McLouth and Nady are producing, they may be more important than anyone could have predicted before the season started.

Pittsburgh can only hope and pray.