Around the Majors: Sinking ship? Not McClendon's club.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Kevin Baxter

MIAMI _ When the Pirates went into last season's All-Star break nine games under .500 and in fifth place in the six-team National League Central, fans in Pittsburgh called for manager Lloyd McClendon's dismissal.

This season, the Pirates have spent most of the season around the break-even mark. And after McClendon guided his team to nine wins in 14 games to open the second half, some of those same fans called for McClendon to be named NL Manager of the Year.

"The fact is, the talent is getting better and they're playing better. And when the players do good, you look good as a manager," McClendon said. "As they get better, I get smarter."

The turnaround began last season, with the Pirates winning 50 of their last 98 games. And they did it despite a second-half house-cleaning in which the team traded Randall Simon (since re-signed), Brian Giles, Aramis Ramirez, Kenny Lofton and Jeff Suppan.

In those deals, the team acquired outfielder Jason Bay (.307, 13 homers, 44RBI entering the weekend) and pitcher Oliver Perez (6-5, 3.03ERA and a team-high 143 strikeouts) and cleared playing time for Rob Mackowiak (.272, 14 homers, 55RBI). Those three, along with shortstop Jack Wilson and outfielder/first baseman Craig Wilson, make up one of the most promising core groups in the majors.

Management has extended McClendon's contract twice in the past 13 months, providing needed stability for the young team.