Pirates 2 Astros 0- A win to be excited about

Tonight was a win to be excited about for Pirates fans (maybe the first one all year). First off, OLLIE'S BACK!!! The Oliver Perez of last year finally made an appearence going 7 and 2/3 shutout innings with 4 hits and 9 K's with only three walks. Dave Littlefield said during the game they think Ollie has turned a corner and just about anyone watching the game would agree. Playing what I would consider to be the best lineup he's trotted out all year, the defense was solid the whole game (highlighted by Bobby Hill at third) and scrapped out two runs against one of the NLs premier starters, Roy Oswalt. Two runs may seem like more of the usual for the Pirates, but against Oswalt it's nothing to sneeze at. The bottom line tonight is that Perez was back to his old self and the defense was superb, making two runs enough. If he keeps these eight guys on the field on a regular basis they will save more runs in the field that Ward and Wigginton's bats will produce in the lineup. If the pitching stays as good as it's been to this point in the year, wins will come.

Also: Jack Wilson had 2 (that's TWO hits) tonight. With his defense making a turn for the better, this could be a sign of positive things to come for Jumpin' Jack. Hopefully Lloyd keeps him low in the lineup for awhile to let him get his swing back.