NL CENTRAL Bucs were young and streaky in a losing season

The Pirates have a core of players returning that they can rebuild around.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- After years of talking about it, the Pittsburgh Pirates finally went young in 2004. The lineup was young, the pitching staff was mostly young, the bench was young.
So perhaps the unpredictable season they experienced was predictable, given the nuances and inconsistencies of young players. They had a nine-game losing streak and a 10-game winning streak, both in June. A team that lost 21 of 25 in late May and early June immediately turned it around and won 20 of 25.
"I think it's well-documented we're the youngest team in the majors, and we've been streaky all year," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "We've been out-manned on most nights we go out there, but we don't back down. We play the way you're supposed to play."
Familiar results
Still, the results were drearily familiar -- a 72-89 record that represented a club-record 12th consecutive losing season. It was the sixth time in eight seasons they've lost 89 or more, hardly a sign of the progress general manager Dave Littlefield and McClendon saw all season.
"There's no doubt we still have a lot of work to go to be a championship club," Littlefield said. "But we're a long way away from where we were at this time last year. We have a core we can build around for the next four or five years."
At the center of that core are left fielder Jason Bay and left-handed pitcher Oliver Perez, the centerpieces of the trade that sent Brian Giles to the Padres late in the 2003 season, and shortstop Jack Wilson.
Bay, 25, didn't play until early May following shoulder surgery, but had a Rookie of the Year-caliber season (.282, 26 homers, 82 RBIs in 411 at-bats). Perez, at 23 the team's youngest starter and its best, was 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA while becoming the staff-ace-in-the-making the Pirates have sought for years. His average of 10.97 strikeouts per nine innings was the majors' highest -- better than Randy Johnson's 10.62 -- and opposing hitters' .207 average was the NL's third-lowest.
Wilson was a slick fielder but average hitter during his first three seasons, but suddenly gained confidence at the plate and became an NL All-Star. At 26, he hit .308 -- 52 points higher than last year -- and his 201 hits tied Hall of Fame member Honus Wagner for the most in Pirates history by a shortstop.
Other positives
There were other positives, too. Jason Kendall (.319, 3 homers, 51 RBIs) had a second straight solid year after injuries slowed him for several seasons. Craig Wilson (.264, 29 homers, 82 RBIs) showed he could hit for power over a sustained stretch despite a club-record 169 strikeouts. And rookie second baseman Jose Castillo (.256, 8 homers, 39 RBIs), promoted directly from Double-A, had a solid year.
Perez's big year was offset by Kip Wells' poor year (5-7, 4.55) that ended with the right-hander missing the final six weeks with an injured right hand. Josh Fogg (11-10, 4.64 ERA) stayed on his pace of winning once every three starts. Ryan Vogelsong (6-13, 6.50) was a huge disappointment following a promising spring training. Kris Benson also was the same old .500 pitcher until being traded in late July to the Mets, where he finally seemed to settle in.
Closer Jose Mesa rejuvenated his career at age 39 with 43 saves in 48 opportunities and was a steadying presence on young relievers Mike Gonzalez (3-1, 1.25 ERA) and John Grabow (2-5, 5.11 ERA).