PIRATES NOTES | From PNC Park



More fans: The crowd of 22,368 for Wednesday afternoon's St. Louis-Pittsburgh game was the largest during the Pirates' three-game series sweep. Neither of the first two games drew 20,000, even though this is the vacation season and schools are out. Which raised this question in the Pirates' clubhouse: Why don't they play more weekday afternoon games? Wednesday's game was one of just four scheduled weekday home games, not counting the Memorial Day game against the Cardinals. Most other NL teams play far more. The Cardinals, for example, play seven and the Reds play nine. Players most want to play day games on getaway days, when they travel after a game, and the players union's labor agreement mandates that day games must be played when a team must travel a certain distance. However, the Pirates have a long-standing policy of scheduling night home games whenever possible, even though it has no evident effect on weekday attendance. The stance against day games sometimes puts the Pirates at a competitive disadvantage. They played a home night game June 3 against St. Louis and an afternoon game in Chicago the following day. "I've lobbied for more day games for a long time," manager Lloyd McClendon said. The Pirates weren't required by the labor agreement to play a day game Wednesday since both teams have Thursday off. "Guys will get home tonight and be with their families," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I think that's good." What's interesting is that the Pirates' two weekday afternoon games to date both drew the largest crowds of those series. The crowd of 19,485 for the Astros on April 29 was nearly double the 9,813 of the night before. The Pirates' marketing department defends the policy of playing at night whenever possible, saying it eliminates fan confusion about the starting time of games.
More fans: The crowd of 22,368 for Wednesday afternoon's St. Louis-Pittsburgh game was the largest during the Pirates' three-game series sweep. Neither of the first two games drew 20,000, even though this is the vacation season and schools are out. Which raised this question in the Pirates' clubhouse: Why don't they play more weekday afternoon games? Wednesday's game was one of just four scheduled weekday home games, not counting the Memorial Day game against the Cardinals. Most other NL teams play far more. The Cardinals, for example, play seven and the Reds play nine. Players most want to play day games on getaway days, when they travel after a game, and the players union's labor agreement mandates that day games must be played when a team must travel a certain distance. However, the Pirates have a long-standing policy of scheduling night home games whenever possible, even though it has no evident effect on weekday attendance. The stance against day games sometimes puts the Pirates at a competitive disadvantage. They played a home night game June 3 against St. Louis and an afternoon game in Chicago the following day. "I've lobbied for more day games for a long time," manager Lloyd McClendon said. The Pirates weren't required by the labor agreement to play a day game Wednesday since both teams have Thursday off. "Guys will get home tonight and be with their families," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I think that's good." What's interesting is that the Pirates' two weekday afternoon games to date both drew the largest crowds of those series. The crowd of 19,485 for the Astros on April 29 was nearly double the 9,813 of the night before. The Pirates' marketing department defends the policy of playing at night whenever possible, saying it eliminates fan confusion about the starting time of games.
Ward sidelined: All signs point to an extended layoff for first baseman-outfielder Daryle Ward, who partially tore a ligament in his right thumb Friday in Cincinnati. General manager Dave Littlefield said Wednesday that MRI tests confirmed the tear. Before getting hurt, Ward was enjoying a comeback season with 10 homers and 33 RBIs in 163 at-bats, a significant turnaround from his homerless season with Los Angeles last year. Ward's condition will be re-evaluated on Friday, but such injuries often take at least several months to heal. A similar injury last year sidelined infielder Pokey Reese for the final five months of the season.
June swoon: The Pirates go into July off a dismal 9-19 June record that has positioned them for a club record-setting 12th consecutive losing season. They are 32-43 and 12 1/2 games out of the NL Central lead. For comparison's sake, they were 34-44 and eight games out on June 30 a year ago.

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