Good
- Xavier Nady - Nady went 4 for 12 with a double and two homeruns in Houston. His 9th innning homerun on Monday saved the game for the Pirates, and he was most of the offense on Tuesday as well.
- Jose Bautista - Bautista has looked sharp at 3rd base, and he has been hot at the plate as well. He was 6 for 13 with two doubles in the series, and provided most of the team's offense last night. If Nady and Bautista can produce for this team, good things can come about.
- Starting Pitching - Duke, Snell and Gorzelanny each allowed two earned runs, and each kept the Pirates close long enough for the offense to come alive and produce a win. Look for more of this success throughout the season.
- Bullpen - The bullpen was a bit of a question mark entering the season after the departure of closer Mike Gonzalez. However, they allowed only one run in the series and did not walk a batter. Hopefully this unit can continue this success.
- Jack Wilson - Wilson was 6 for 13 in the series, and he looked like the two-hitter that Jim Tracy thinks he is. A decent offensive season from Jack would do wonders for the offense.
Bad
- Chris Duffy - Duffy was 3 for 14 in the series, and was not very exciting on the bases. He did not attempt to steal a base and did not score a run. He is a large part of this offense and will need to produce for the team to have any success.
- Jason Bay - Bay was the hero in the opener, with a game-winning homerun in the 10th inning. However, he has done very little other than that hit. He is 3 for 13, and is hitting the ball on the ground often. That is a clear sign that he is not comfortable at the plate.
- Ronny Paulino - Paulino is just 2 for 14 thus far, and has looked nothing like the hitter that was terrorizing the Grapefruit League recently. Both of his hits have driven in runs, but he will need to reach base more often for this offense to survive.
Ugly
- Adam LaRoche - LaRoche struck out four times in the opener, and was 1 for 12 with 7 K's overall in the series. He has looked bad almost every time at the plate. It's amazing that the Pirates swept the Astros with almost zero production from Duffy, Sanchez, Bay, LaRoche and Paulino. I would expect LaRoche to get more comfortable at the plate as he gets more at-bats. Another series like that, however, may have those that have been here for the past 14 years calling for Dave Littlefield's head.
- Jose Castillo - Castillo was hoping to have a fresh start to this season. However, he has looked awful at the plate, with that same clueless approach that we grew accustomed to seeing in 2006. With Freddy on the DL, this was his chance to earn his way back into the lineup. He has not succeeded.
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