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A peculiar pattern I have noticed and have been meaning to share for some time . . .

There have been more than a few instances in the young season when John Russell has made a decision that looked different than something I am used to seeing or looked outright questionable. Anytime that happens, I will make a quick note in hopes of remembering later to check on how it went.

More often than not, even the most curious ones have not backfired. They have not necessarily paid off, either, but they have not backfired.

In most cases, it has been leaving a starting pitcher in to hit for himself, such as the April 25 home game when Russell left Zach Duke in with the Pirates down to the Phillies, 6-3, in the bottom of the fourth and runners at the corners. Duke lined out, then went back out and put up two more zeroes to keep the Pirates in a game that would wind up a 6-5 loss.

Like I said, no payoff, but no backfire, either.

Another happened a couple nights ago, when Freddy Sanchez was bumped to the leadoff spot. Now, such a move, given Sanchez's on-base history, surely will not be sustainable. And one easily could argue that Nate McLouth should stay exactly where he is. But Sanchez went 3 for 4, and McLouth drove in a bunch more runs.

Not suggesting here that the manager is infallible. There is nowhere near enough evidence to go one way or the other, and that is doubly true when judging a manager whose starting pitching has been this poor. There are no greater handcuffs.

But I used to make these types of notes with Jim Tracy, and the backfires were much more plentiful.

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Q: Dejan, what does it say about the evaluation skills of the PBC that it took Nate McLouth until this year to get a chance to play every day? Was he just overlooked before, even though they've been searching for a center fielder for years, or did he simply emerge this year?

As you've written several times, the evaluators remain mostly unchanged. Are they just being listened to more on certain issues?

Jeff Haus of Kalamazoo, Mich.

KOVACEVIC: The "evaluators who remain mostly unchanged" might be getting drowned out, Jeff. Neal Huntington has not completely redone his staff, obviously, as most of the special assistants who worked under Dave Littlefield remain. But he has added pieces here and there, from the highly respected Larry Corrigan out of the Minnesota organization, who might have been more utilized than any team evaluator during spring training, to Chuck Tanner to some lower-profile stats-geek types to provide video and statistical analysis.

The mail kept coming on this aspect of the McLouth story, but we really have covered this ground many times over: The holdover evaluators need to have a very good year. And one would figure that part of having that very good year is having been on the correct end of some of those offseason debates about McLouth, Ryan Doumit, Byung-Hyun Kim, Sean Burnett and other matters.

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Q: If more experienced arms such as John Grabow and Damaso Marte are moved at the deadline, doesn't that create a weakness in an area that is currently a strength on the team? It would leave Matt Capps and Tyler Yates as the only proven back-end guys. Would the trade of one exclude the possibility of the other going?

On an unrelated note, what is the advantage of keeping spots open on the 40-man roster, which you have said in your notebooks to be extremely low for in-season?

Spencer Myers of Carey, Ohio

KOVACEVIC: When such trades are made, Spencer, that will mean the Pirates have put 2008 behind them and moved on. As such, the infinitely greater priority will be the caliber of prospects that can be brought back, not the impact on a meaningless remainder of the major-league season.

In other words, they will worry about shoring up the bullpen again for 2009.

As for the 40-man, first of all, I had an incorrect note the other day from Washington that it had dropped to 36, totally blanking out on Burnett needing to be added. The number actually is 37, which still is quite low.

My understanding is that it is not being done to get some kind of edge. There simply is no one who would be required to be protected who merits it, which might be the most damning possible statement anyone could make about the Pirates' system. In fact, one easily could go over the current list, some might suggest, and pare even more without breaking a sweat.

If there is an advantage, the obvious is that the Pirates can make trades at any point, the type that add more than one player, without having to make correlating moves. But, again, there probably would be no sweat if they had to do that, anyway.

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Q: Dejan, I was wondering how much film study the Pirates' hitters do on the opposing pitchers? Also, how much of the pitchers scouting reports they follow?

This came to mind watching Sunday's game against Washington, where our hitters looked like they had no clue what Tim Redding threw or what he threw in certain counts. Other than McLouth, Doumit and Xavier Nady, the hitters look lost on a regular basis.

Michael Andonisio of Monroeville

KOVACEVIC: The film study -- actually video study on clubhouse laptops -- is extensive, and it is done not only by the individual hitters but also by hitting coach Don Long. From an anecdotal standpoint, I can say that it looks like more is getting done now than last year by all concerned.

Redding has been very effective for the Nationals his first and second times through the lineup all season, so what he did to the Pirates he has done to everyone this year. The guy nailed his spots, mixed up his pitches and, predictably, was much less effective the third time through because he was doing neither.

As for McLouth, Doumit and Nady ??? I have noticed there is a tendency -- and understandably so -- to cite intangibles when explaining players' success or failures, such as preparation, emotion, leadership and that sort of thing, and I will continue to insist it is first and foremost about execution. McLouth, Doumit and Nady are hitting great because they are locked in at the plate. Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Jose Bautista and others who have struggled actually have spent more time, from the looks of it, with early batting practice, video study and the like than anyone else. But they were not executing.

Same goes with emotion. The complaints that come here about LaRoche's calm, some might say lifeless approach never are accompanied by similar remarks about Nady, who is about as even-keel as they come. The next fist-pump or helmet-slam you see from Nady will be his first in a Pittsburgh uniform. Similarly, no one lauds Bautista for his very visible emotion while he is hitting .200.

It is about execution.

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Until tomorrow . . .