Former Princeton High School and University of Cincinnati standout Josh Harrison was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis, May 30.

Harrison, 23, set the tone for what would become an illustrious college and minor-league career during his senior year at Princeton High School.

During the 2005 campaign, Harrison led the Vikings with a .448 average, to go along with 15 doubles and 23 RBIs.

He earned his ticket to the “The Show” after ranking fifth in the International League with a .321 average to go along with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, 11 RBIs in 37 games this year.

Since his minor-league career began in 2008, the infielder has hit .307 to go along with 84 doubles, 14 home runs, 170 RBIs and 75 stolen bases.

The Chicago Cubs drafted Harrison in the sixth round with the 191st pick in 2008. He was traded to the Pirates, along with Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio in exchange for John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny on July 30, 2009.

While at UC (2006-2008), Harrison dominated Big East pitching.

He ended his collegiate career ranked among the top 10 in batting (4th, 358), runs (3rd, 192),  hits (4th, 246), RBIs (5, 153), total bases (5th, 366), and stolen bases (2nd, 63).

In his final season at UC, the 5-foot-8 righthander helped lead the Bearcats to a school-record 39 wins. He was named Big East co-Player of the Year after batting .378 with 90 hits and 22 doubles during the 2008 campaign.

Gannett News Service contributed to this report

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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds were having a marvelous homestand, until the (usually) lowly Pittsburgh Pirates showed up.

Jay Bruce hit two solo homers Thursday, but the Pirates beat the Reds 5-3. With the loss, Cincinnati fell out of first place in the NL Central.

Cincinnati had been 5-0 on the homestand with sweeps against St. Louis and the Chicago Cubs. The Reds then were swept in two games against the Pirates and are 1-5 against them this year.

“It shows that in the big leagues, anybody can beat you, no matter who they are or where they are in the standings,” Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. “They’ve had some well-pitched games against us.”

The Reds are a half-game behind St. Louis, which beat Houston 4-2 on Thursday.

Cincinnati was outscored 10-3 by Pittsburgh. Entering the series, the perennially rebuilding Pirates stood fourth in the NL Central and were 6 1/2 games behind the Reds.

Cincinnati had an uneven day that included a throwing error and some baserunning mistakes, but Baker said Pittsburgh starter James McDonald (3-3) was the difference. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound right-hander allowed only one run in 6 2/3 innings.

“He had his control, he kept the ball down, and he was locating and throwing his breaking ball for strikes,” Baker said.

“He pitched well,” said Bruce, who hit one of his two homers against McDonald. “He kept his fastball down for the most part, and he elevated when he wanted to. He made pitches when he needed to.”

Reds starter Johnny Cueto (2-1) was the loser for the first time in three starts since returning from the disabled list. The Pirates scored three runs against Cueto in the fifth inning, the first earned runs he’s allowed in 18 1/3 innings this year.

Cueto lasted five innings, having thrown 94 pitches. The total was elevated by a 31-pitch second inning, when he escaped a bases-loaded jam.

“Johnny was pretty good,” Baker said. “He had a lot of pitches in the second inning, and that kind of did him in.”

Cueto said his problem Thursday was keeping his shoulder squared to home plate, as he threw only 58 strikes.

“I was flying open every time I was throwing,” Cueto said through a translator. “That’s why I was missing my spots and getting behind in the count a lot.”

Bruce homered to center to put Cinicnnati ahead 1-0 in the second inning. Bruce was back in the lineup after being scratched Wednesday by a cold.

“I felt better today, just trying to get some energy back, but, obviously, I wish we’d have won,” Bruce said. “The Pirates have given us a tough time this year.”

Cueto allowed an RBI single by Xavier Paul in the fifth as Pittsburgh tied it at 1. Neil Walker’s two-run double later in the inning made it 3-1.

Ryan Doumit put the Pirates up 4-1 with a solo homer in the sixth inning against reliever Jordan Smith.

Andrew McCutchen hit an RBI double in the eighth against Nick Masset to make it 5-1. Joey Votto’s RBI single in the eighth cut the Reds’ deficit to 5-2.

Bruce’s second homer, an opposite-field shot to left, brought Cincinnati to 5-3 to start the ninth. Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan allowed Bruce’s homer, then retired the next three hitters to get the save.

The Reds visit AL Central leader Cleveland today to begin their longest road trip of the year, a 10-day, 10-game trek. After three games in Cleveland, Cincinnati plays four in Philadelphia and three in Atlanta. The Reds return home May 30 against Milwaukee.

Flushing, NY (Sports Network) – The Pittsburgh Pirates placed catcher Ryan
Doumit and infielder Steve Pearce on the 15-day disabled list Monday.

Doumit is suffering from a left ankle sprain, while Pearce has a right calf
strain.

Doumit left Sunday’s game against the Cubs after injuring his ankle in the
second inning.

Doumit was blocking the plate as Carlos Pena came running in from third trying
to score on Koyie Hill’s fly ball. The catcher was several feet up the third-
base line, and Pena slid into the lower half of his left leg as the throw from
right field came to the plate. Doumit’s ankle was caught underneath Pena
during the slide, and he limped around in pain after the runner was ruled
safe.

Pearce left Saturday’s contest against the Cubs after feeling soreness in his
right calf while advancing to second on a throw to home plate after hitting a
single.

Doumit is carrying a .269 batting average with four home runs and 15 RBI,
while Pearce is batting .291 with one homer and 10 RBI.

To fill the roster spots, the Pirates have selected the contracts of catcher
Dusty Brown and infielder Josh Harrison from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Brown appeared in seven games for the Boston Red Sox last season where he hit
.250 with two RBI. Harrison has yet to appear in a major league game but ranks
fifth in the International League with a .321 batting average this season.

Pittsburgh also transferred pitcher Ross Ohlendorf from the 15-day disabled
list to the 60-day DL because of a right shoulder posterior strain.

The Sports Network

Charlie Morton has been a pleasant surprise for the
Pittsburgh Pirates this season and will make his 10th start tonight against
the New York Mets in the opener of a four-game series at Citi Field.

Although Morton lost his most recent outing, he’s still an impressive 5-2 with
a 2.61 earned run average this season. Morton has never won six games in a
season and was the hard-luck loser in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Atlanta
last Tuesday at PNC Park, where he allowed both runs and seven hits in seven
innings. The right-hander was coming off a shutout at Cincinnati that pushed
his 2011 road record to 4-1 in five starts.

Morton has faced the Mets twice in his career, one of which was a start, and
he is 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

Pittsburgh didn’t give starter Jeff Karstens enough run support in Sunday’s
3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs in the finale of a three-game series at Wrigley
Field. Karstens allowed three runs — two earned — and seven hits in five
innings to fall to 3-4 on the season. Lyle Overbay provided the offense for
the Pirates with a two-run double in the first inning.

The Pirates were aiming for a three-game sweep of the Cubs, but lost for the
fourth time in six contests.

“We’re not disappointed. We went out and played a ballgame and they played
better than us,” said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle after the Cubs loss. “We
won the series. That was the objective coming in.”

Hurdle could be without catcher Ryan Doumit after he sprained his left ankle
in a play at the plate during the second inning. Doumit was in a walking boot
and had crutches at his locker following the loss, and is scheduled to fly
back to Pittsburgh for an MRI. X-rays taken during the game were negative.

New York is coming off a big win over rival Philadelphia and salvaged the
finale of a three-game set with a 9-5 triumph on Sunday afternoon.

Jose Reyes had four hits, including two triples, and drove in a run, while
Josh Thole went 3-for-4 with three RBI for New York, which won for the second
time in eight tries and improved to 1-2 on a 10-game homestand.

New York starter Jon Niese gave up one unearned run, five hits and four walks
while recording six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings for the win.

“Our offense got timely hits and a lot of hits,” Niese said.

The Mets, who will also host Atlanta for three games, are slated to send
Dillon Gee to the mound on Monday and he’s 4-0 with a 3.83 earned run average
through nine games (6 starts) this season. Gee has won two straight outings
and squeezed by the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Wednesday’s 7-4 win, allowing
four runs in six innings of work.

Gee, a right-hander, was coming off 7 2/3 shutout innings in a 1-0 win versus
Washington and is 2-0 in five games (3 starts) at home this season. Gee threw
six shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh last Sept. 13, but did not
figure into the decision.

New York won six of seven meetings with the Pirates a year ago and has won
seven in a row at home in this series. Pittsburgh’s last road win in this
series was a 7-5 triumph on August 11, 2008.

Mets outfielder Jason Bay will face his former Pirates club for the first time
since he was traded to Boston in a three-team trade on July 31, 2008. Bay is
the only Rookie of the Year in Pittsburgh history.

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Pittsburgh (KDKA)- The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently dealing with two injuries which will result in those players being placed on the disabled list.

Often-injured Steve Pearce has been placed on the 15-day DL with an injured calf.

Pearce was injured in Saturday’s 10-0 win, but it’s still unsure which played led to his injury.

To take his spot on the 25-man roster, the Pirates have recalled infielder Josh Harrison from AAA Indianapolis.

Harrison was acquired by the Pirates in the John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny trade.

This year at Indy, Harrison was hitting .331 with eight doubles, two triples and two homers in 141 at-bats.

Harrison’s .331 average isn’t a fluke because he’s a lifetime .308 hitter.

Harrison is very much a contact hitter considering he’s only struck out 142 times in 1,564 lifetime minor league at-bats.

The team is also expected to place catcher Ryan Doumit on the disabled list. That move will officially come later this morning.

Doumit injured his left ankle trying to block the plate with Chicago’s Carlos Pena attempting to score on a sac fly.

The team will recall Dusty Brown from AAA Indianapolis.

Brown, who was hitting .264 with 6 homers, was splitting time with Jason Jaramillo.

On Saturday, the Pirates placed lefty Joe Beimel on the disabled list because of left elbow soreness.

Before the Pirates officially recall Harrison and Brown, they’ll need to open two spots on the 40-man roster.

Two possibilities are to move Ross Ohlendorf to the 60-day DL from the 15-day DL and to DFA reliever Chris Leroux.

Aramis Ramirez ended a long home run drought, Ryan Dempster threw six solid innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 in a rain-delayed game Sunday.

Ramirez’s line drive solo shot in the second broke a streak of 155 at-bats without a home run, the second longest stretch of his career. Ramirez went 170 at-bats between homers from Aug. 2, 1998, until April 21, 2000.

Dempster (4-4) recovered from a poor start to post his fifth quality start in his last six outings. After allowing two runs, a walk and Lyle Overbay’s two-run double in the first inning, Dempster settled down to shut out the Pirates on four hits over the next five innings.

Dempster allowed four hits and two runs overall, striking out five and walking three. He beat the Pirates for first time in five starts dating to May 4, 2010.