The Pirates have managed to produce some very strange methods of losing in Milwaukee this year. Last night, Lastings Milledge misplayed a fly ball into a two-run triple, which directly led to a 7-2 loss. Let’s take a look at just one of the 349,993 ways the Pirates have found to lose a game.

John Russell has taken his fair share of criticism during his time as the Pirates’ manager, some of which has been justified. Despite the historic losing and the anger heaped down from the fanbase, he is still standing unfazed in the Bucs’ dugout. That, in itself, is a testament to why Neal Huntington chose him to lead this team.

Many fans got their wish today, as the Pirates opened their books to the public. Sort of. After financial records were leaked to the Associated Press, Bob Nutting and Frank Coonelly preemptively revealed the leaked details to local media members. I am far from an expert on finances, so I will just stick to a few of my general reactions.

It is a question that many Pirates fans want answered. When, exactly, will the front office sink some significant resources into the major league product? The Pirates’ best players in 2010 are mostly in their pre-arbitration years, which naturally keeps the payroll low. But for now, there is some financial flexibility. Should the Pirates start spending in the upcoming offseason?

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington was on The Fan morning show on Tuesday, discussing Monday night’s draft signing deadline. He talked about Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie, a few 2009 draftees and some issues involving the major league team. For some reason, he made people angry.

It is frustrating being a Pirates fan. Most nights conclude with a disgusted shut-down of the television, followed by nightmares of mental and physical errors. Loss after loss piles onto your shoulders. But for one night, it felt good to be a Pirates fan.

First round pick Jameson Taillon, second round pick Stetson Allie and 15th round pick Drew Maggi put the pen to paper at various points on Monday. Click here to read through the live updates that I provided from morning to midnight.

With Zach Duke posting a 5.32 ERA and preparing for his third and final year of arbitration, some fans have called for the Pirates to cut ties with the veteran starter after the season. Their position is that he should be traded to the highest bidder or non-tendered if there are no adequate offers, freeing those dollars for a potential free agent pitcher. This would be an unwise decision.

Over the past couple weeks, the Pirates unloaded four veteran relievers who had helped contribute to a solid bullpen in 2010. Yesterday, in an attempt to solidify the disrupted pen, the Bucs claimed Chris Resop and Chan Ho Park off waivers. The Resop addition was applauded, but critics have scoffed at the decision to bring in Park. I have spent parts of the morning wondering why.

The Pirates roster did not contain many obvious trade chips as we approached the 2010 trade deadline, but that did not keep Neal Huntington from wheeling and dealing today. Huntington utilized five players that he signed this past offseason, sending Ryan Church, Bobby Crosby and D.J. Carrasco to Arizona, Javier Lopez to the Giants and Octavio Dotel to the Dodgers. Let’s take a look at how all of these roster changes will affect the remainder of the 2010 season.

We are just a bit over 24 hours from the trade deadline, and the rumors are flying left and right. That being said, after being very active leading up to the past two deadlines, the Pirates have been relatively quiet so far this year. We have already taken a look at what Paul Maholm and Garrett Jones might fetch if the front office decided to deal them. Today, let’s take a look at Zach Duke.

Last night, Nate Rose of Stealing First Base took my recent article regarding Neil Walker and began digging deeper. He went to FanGraphs and took a look at Walker’s plate discipline numbers, wondering whether we should expect his walk rate to improve. Nate noted that Walker does not chase out of the zone all that much, and my interest was piqued.

Yesterday, I took a look at Paul Maholm’s potential value on the trade block in preparation for the upcoming July 31st deadline. Garrett Jones is another player that may be available for the right price. Some reports have indicated that the Angels are interested in Jones, although the Pirates claim there has never been an inquiry. So what should we expect in return for Jones?

The July 31st trade deadline is just a few days away, yet things are mostly quiet on the Pittsburgh front. After wheeling and dealing at the past two deadlines, general manager Neal Huntington has few veterans left to unload in 2010. That being said, there are still potential moves to consider and assets to examine. Let’s start by evaluating the trade value of Paul Maholm.

We have seen many shocked reactions from players, media and fans since the Pirates designated Brendan Donnelly for assignment following yesterday’s loss to the Padres. Apparently, he was very well liked in the clubhouse, particularly among his peers in the bullpen. I understand that it is tough to lose a teammate, especially a strong leader such as Donnelly. But is anyone actually surprised by this move?