Roger Clemens pitched 6 strong innings for the Yankees as the Pirates lost to the New York Yankees 9-3 today at Yankee stadium. Pitcher Paul Maholm (2-9, 5.33 era) was on the mound for the Buccos and was given the loss and lasted only 5 innings.
Is it too early for the Pirates to give up on Zach Duke ( 2-6 , 5.75 era) and Maholm?
Of course it’s not to early to give up on Duke and Maholm. The Pirates made the mistake of giving up on Oliver Perez last season but he is different than these two. Perez has #1 stuff and just needed a change of scenery and some quality coaching which is what he is getting in New York. Duke and Maholm are pitchers with average stuff. As much as i hate the Pirates right now and think their awful team, if Duke or Maholm actually pitched like a major league pitcher this season the Pirates would be in the thick of things in the lousy National Central. When the Pirates made blunder of drafting Bryan Bullington, it was believed he would be a #3 starter. Well he’s 9-2 in Indy and what are the Pirates missing? A number 3 starter. Now is the time for the 2002 1st overall pick to make his impact. Whether David Littlefield will give him the chance is in doubt because the whole organization is still living off of Zach Duke’s rookie season.
