Pirates1B Adam LaRoche Awakens from Slumber

The thunder of little men bowling apparently has awoken Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche from his 20-year slumber in the mountains, as he is hitting .516 with three homers, two triples and 11 RBI in 31 at-bats over his last 10 games, raising his overall average from .221 to .251.

LaRoche -- who typically rounds into form sometime after June 1 -- is a little later than usual this year, but the Pirates are not complaining. With LaRoche finally contributing in the middle of the lineup, the team can hardly be considered a pushover with LaRoche standing alongside Xavier Nady, .322; Ryan Doumit, .319; Jason Bay, .292; Nate McLouth, .280; and Jack Wilson, .298.

Freddy Sanchez, hitting .228 but with much more potential as the winner of the National League batting title with a .344 average only two years ago, is in the process of rediscovering his stroke. When Sanchez comes around the Pirates will look like one of the most feared Murderers' Rows since the 1931 Yankees.