The Pirates have six starters in the mix right now, a plan that more teams have tried this season. At a time when there's so much emphasis on pitch counts and go-to guys are harder to find each year, I wonder if that shouldn't be a permanent arrangement.

Especially for mid-market franchises with limited budgets, the sixth man offers a number of benefits. For one, he reduces the possibility of fatigue and injury. At least in theory, that should make for more and fresher arms later in the season. In turn, that reduces the load on the bullpen, which still can be effective even though it has one fewer member.

A six-man band also figures to be more cost-effective, which is no small consideration. The fewer opportunities a pitcher has, the less likely he is to put up big numbers. That can pay off in contract talks and salary arbitration.

True, quality pitchers may shy away from teams with six-man rotations, but the Roy Halladays of the world aren't likely to come to Pittsburgh, anyway. There always will be someone in search of an opportunity at the major league level.

Meanwhile, only one starter pitched more than six innings in the last 20 games.

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The St. Louis Cardinals batting order: Rafael Furcal, shortstop; Jon Jay, center field; Albert Pujols, first base; Matt Holliday, left field; Lance Berkman, first base; David Freese, third base; Yadier Molina, catcher; Skip Schumaker, second base; Kyle Lohse, pitcher.

The Pirates batting order: Alex Presley, left field; Neil Walker, second base; Andrew McCutchen, center field; Derrek Lee, first base; Ryan Doumit, catcher; Garrett Jones, right field; Pedro Alvarez, third base; Ronny Cedeno, shortstop; Brad Lincoln, pitcher.