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The two-game series against the Cardinals has seen the Pirates in good form.  Their offense has been hot early and their pitching has been solid enough to make the early lead stick.  Yesterday, the Pirates scored 3 runs in the first inning and held on to win it 3-2.  It was a nail-biter, since Salomon Torres found himself with the bases loaded, facing Albert Pujols in the bottom of the 9th.  Fortunately, he got Pujols to pop it up to end the game.  Today, the Pirates scored 2 in the first inning and 3 more in the 3rd off Adam LaRoche’s 3-run homer.  The Pirates wound up winning 6-1.  I was encouraged by the performances of both Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny, who seemed to have good presence and command.  I was likewise encouraged by seeing some offensive production from people who have been relatively quiet until this series.  Now, if we can keep the offense coming and if we can avoid pitching performances like Zach Duke’s from last Friday, in which he allowed 5 runs in the first inning, we might be able to end the season above .500 for the first time since 1992.  Only time will tell, but I like what I’ve seen the last couple of games.