Jul 18, 2003 By Alan Robinson Ap Sports Writer 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – Outfielders Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders began the post-All-Star portion of the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. The question is how much longer they’ll be with them. With the July 31 trading deadline only two weeks away, both players seem certain to be sought by contending teams for the stretch drive. The two outfielders are signed for this season only and are very unlikely to return to Pittsburgh in 2004, so it would be a major surprise if both aren’t gone by the deadline.

Sanders agreed that it’s unlikely the Pirates would keep him, but said he’s long since grown accustomed to the uncertainty that precedes the trading deadline.

“It’s out of my control,” said Sanders, who played in each of the last two World Series. “If you’re thinking about that (being traded), you’re not going to be focused on what you should be focused on.”

Sanders, who leads the Pirates with 15 home runs, has played for six teams in the last six seasons, and might soon be with a seventh team. But even if the sub-.500 Pirates trade him, he won’t consider his time in Pittsburgh to have been a waste.

“They’re definitely going to be a great team here someday, with the young players they have,” said Sanders, who played for the World Series-champion Diamondbacks in 2001 and the NL champion-Giants in 2002. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Manager Lloyd McClendon, just back from his stint as a National League coach in the All-Star game, doesn’t expect the ongoing trade speculation to adversely affect his team.

Just in the last week, Sanders, Lofton, Brian Giles, Kris Benson, Scott Sauerbeck, Jason Kendall and Scott Sauerbeck all have been the subject of trade speculation.

“You have no control over what the front office does and the players understand that. That locker room is not tense,” McClendon said. “Nobody’s uptight and worried about whether they’re going to get traded. Other than the young guys, they’ve all been traded, including Giles. It happens.”

SUPPAN STARTS: The Pirates signed right-hander Jeff Suppan to prop up a still-in-development pitching staff with a reliable, solid starter who could be counted upon to deliver a lot of innings.

So far, Suppan (8-7, 3.53 ERA) has been exactly that, working at least six innings in 15 of his 18 starts while pitching into the seventh inning in each of his last six starts. He also has two of the Pirates’ three complete games, during a stretch that has seen him win his last three starts.

Even with former No. 1 draft pick Kris Benson considered the Pirates’ No. 1 starter, Suppan has been their most consistent starter despite losing seven of eight decisions after winning his first four.

“He’s had a couple of starts where he struggled a little bit with his command,” McClendon said. “Other than that, I think he’s been by far our best pitcher. He’s been the most consistent guy, certainly.”

Suppan, who starts Friday against Milwaukee, pitched a lot of innings in the last four seasons with Kansas City but also lost a lot, going 39-51. McClendon said Suppan has been more consistent this season, not just with his approach but with his results.

“He’s pitched in more and kept the ball down,” McClendon said. “I think in the past if you got to Jeff, it was usually in the first couple of innings. He seems to have left those innings in the bullpen. He comes into the game ready to go and hitting his spots. When he does that, he’s pretty tough.”