PITTSBURGH -- Hey! You! Get off McLouth!

Former Pirates outfielder Nate McLouth has flirted with the Mendoza Line the last few days, and to hear one member of the Atlanta Braves scouting department tell it, it's a matter of time before he gets it back together again.

Here is what the veteran seamhead has to say:

“McLouth has been good in the field. He sees the ball well at the plate. The problem is lousy mechanics. He hits off his back leg too much, and that causes him to swing with an uppercut. He needs to have better balance, and when he gets it, he won't strike out as much.

“This doesn't have anything to do with confidence. He's what – 28 years old? If he was in his first or second year, that might be a problem. That's why they call it the sophomore jinx. But he has done it at this level before. You don't forget how to play at his age.

“He has hit the ball a lot better lately. These things happen in baseball all the time. It's a game of slumps and hot streaks. The difference between a good hitter and an average one is that the good hitter has shorter slumps. There's no reason why he can't be a good hitter again.

“The team needs him. He's their best hope in lead-off spot. He has hit 20 homers and stolen 20 bases (in the same season) at this level. He's the only guy they have that can steal a base.”

Since McLouth left town – he was traded for outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitchers Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton last June – he compiled a .241 batting average, 14 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 106 strikeouts in 125 games.

Pirates fans don't seem to miss him. He received a somewhat favorable but highly passive response at PNC Park this weekend.