BRADENTON — There’s really just one thing Gavi Nivar understands well about the American culture: playing the outfield.

The rest is still a work in progress.

The 22-year-old prospect from the Dominican Republic just completed his third spring training with Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, and fourth year in the club’s development program.

But for Nivar, and thousands of young players like him, learning to live in the U.S. has been just as much of a challenge as connecting with a 90-mph fastball.

The Pirates, one of Manatee County’s most recognizable businesses, have taken the concept of employee relations to new heights — with innovative programs that cater to the team’s largest worker demographic through education, social enrichment and even culinary complacency.

Like any company recruiting a young professional, the Pirates hope to gain an edge on the competition by developing the sport’s fasting growing demographic — players from the Dominican Republic — both on and off the field.

“I have learned a lot about the English language, about the culture and the rules in the U.S.,” Nivar said. “Now I can talk to other people on the streets.”

There was a time when a young, gifted player, could sign a deal with a big league

squad and forget about school. No more.

The Pirates now require every young player from a foreign country who signs a contract with the team to complete courses at one of its facilities that teach everything from English, to computer literacy, the American culture and even high school-equivalent degrees.

The program has become especially vital for Dominicans, who now represent nearly one-fourth of the 200 minor leaguers in Bradenton, said Trevor Gooby, senior director of Florida operations for the Pirates.

The team also has a similar complex to Bradenton’s Pirate City in the Dominican Republic, which typically houses about 75 players enrolled in the baseball academy there or training for one of the Pirates’ two Dominican league affiliates.

Each must learn the American way, a trend that helps them communicate with coaches and other players on the field, while also preparing them for a life after baseball in the U.S.

The Pirates are the first team in Major League Baseball to adopt such a stringent standard, graduating 12 players with high school degrees during the last two seasons, Gooby says.

“When they come here, they aren’t acquainted to what we do,” he said. “We want to help them assimilate to our culture.”

The Pirates also strive to make Dominican players feel at home in Bradenton.

That starts with bringing a Dominican chef to the team’s local complex for about six weeks each spring to prepare dishes that Latin players are more accustomed to.

While in town, the Dominican chef works with the Bradenton cooks on incorporating Latin flavors to the year-round menu. Along with the daily entree, a side dish of beans, rice and pasta always is on hand at the players’ request.

Team officials even try to teach their Dominican players about the more traditional food combinations in the U.S. to enhance their palate — a move they hope will ultimately help enhance their bats.

To the Pirates, catering to their employees is just smart business.

“We help them adapt to our culture,” said Mayu Fielding, English as a Second Language and Florida operations coordinator with the Pirates. “We don’t want them to change, but we want them to learn.”

The Pittsburgh Pirates have their home opener at 1:35 p.m. today against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Bradenton Marauders, the Pirate’s local minor league affiliate, will open the 2012 season at 6:30 p.m. tonight at home against the St. Lucie Mets.

Josh Salman, Herald business writer, can be reached at 941-745-7095. Follow him on Twitter @JoshSalman.

MANATEE — The Pittsburgh Pirates donated $50,000 to Manatee County prior to a game at McKechnie Field on Saturday.

The money is part of the Pirates Charities’ Fields for Kids program, which helps youth athletic programs with matching grants to finance field construction or renovations.

The program will give grants of up to $5,000 to all youth sports fields in Manatee County, said Trevor Gooby, director of Florida Operations for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Last year, the Pirates donated $20,000 to the county to be used toward baseball fields, which resulted in eight projects, Gooby said.

“It’s a great program,” he said. “We worked with a lot of the baseball fields last year.

“Hopefully, we’re able to make a really big impact on lots of youth fields all over the county,” Gooby said.

For more information on the program or to apply for a grant, visit www.Pirates.com.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett resumed workouts Saturday, eight days after having surgery to repair a fracture in his orbital bone near his right eye.

The injury occurred Feb. 29 as Burnett was hit in the face by a ball while taking part in a bunting drill. He had surgery on March 2 in Pittsburgh and is expected to miss two months.

Saturday was the next step in the recovery process, as he played catch and rode a stationary bike at the Pirates’ complex in Bradenton. Afterward, he addressed the media for the first time since the surgery.

“I’ve got a little catching up to do, but it’s good,” said Burnett, whose right eye was still bloodshot and surrounded by a bruise. “Everything went well. I’m just happy to be back down here with the guys.”

Following an 11-11 season last year in which he posted a 5.15 ERA with the New York Yankees, the 35-year-old Burnett was traded to Pittsburgh on Feb. 19 for two minor-leaguers. It was a chance for a fresh start for Burnett, who had consecutive disappointing seasons in Yankees pinstripes.

But Burnett’s fresh start will have to wait.

“I can’t look at it and question it now,” he said. “I had my day of tears, laying in the hotel room, ‘What just happened?’ I’m over all that now. We’re in a positive reaction to get back on the field.”

Just how soon he’ll be back on the field remains to be seen. The initial diagnosis was that Burnett — originally slated to be the Pirates’ starter for their April 5 home opener — would be out 8-12 weeks.

“If it takes that long, it takes that long. If it’s before that, then hey, I’m game for that, too,” Burnett said. “There’s not really a timetable. Eight to 12 is realistic, but you never know if something could act up from running or from lifting or swelling and pop out of nowhere. It’s mainly how I feel day to day.”

Saturday, Burnett played catch, throwing about 50 times.

“The first 10 were a little hairy, I’m not going to lie,” he said.

Burnett’s freak injury has spurred several online images spoofing the bunt, including pictures of Burnett as a real-life pirate. The 13-year veteran seems to be taking the jokes in stride.

“You know what, I think it’s great. If you can’t laugh at yourself at certain things, then you’ve got problems,” Burnett said. “I think the pirate logo is hilarious. I got a picture the other day with the kid from the Christmas Story, ‘You’ll bunt your eye out.’ I’ve done it and I’ve heard it all before.”

Burnett spent his first seven years in the majors with Florida and hit three home runs while batting .130 in 269 career at-bats. After six years in the American League, Burnett will again have a chance to bat once he returns from his injury.

He just might not bunt any time soon.

“I guess all I can say is power hitters don’t bunt. We’ll go along with that,” Burnett said. “My dad told me to tell (manager Clint Hurdle) that. I told him he liked it. I’m going to stick with that.”

Follow Tyler Mason on Twitter.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Bradenton Marauders are teaming up to host a job fair.

The positions are part-time and include cashiers, cooking, bartending and other food service roles.

People hired to work during spring training will work through March, while people hired for the Florida State League season will stay on board until the end of the season around Labor Day.

Most spring training positions are daytime hours, while most Marauders game-day positions are evening shifts.

Two job fairs will be held. The first is on Jan. 5 and the second is on Jan. 19.

Two interview sessions will be held each day, with the first session running from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second session from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The job fairs will be held at Pirate City in the Dining Hall, located at 1701 27th St. E in Bradenton.

People who are interested can also apply through the Online Job Fair at careers.pirates.com.

More information is available at bradentonmarauders.com or by calling 941-747-3031.

The Pittsburgh Pirates started the season strong but finished in fourth place in the National League Central, 24 games behind the division-winning Milwaukee Brewers.

Along the way, they picked up first baseman Derrek Lee(notes) from the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .337 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in 28 games for the Pirates. He’ll soon be a free agent and it isn’t clear if he is aiming to stick around in Steeltown or head elsewhere.

What is clear, though, is that the team will attempt to re-sign Lee, according to PittsburghPirates.com. “The club realizes it lacks in options at first base, and Lee showed (when he was healthy) how substantial an impact he can have in the middle of this Pirates lineup,” the site reports. “The organization is willing to make a competitive offer to try and convince Lee to stay, but no one seems to have much inkling as to whether Lee is interested in seriously entertaining that option.”

The 36-year-old is a two-time All-Star who was the National League batting champion in 2005 when he was with the Chicago Cubs. He’s also won three Gold Gloves and helped the 2003 Florida Marlins win a World Series. Lee has also spent time with the San Diego Padres, the team that drafted him, and Atlanta Braves. “Lee did leave the door open to retirement,” the site reports.

Find out before your friends. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: PittsburghPirates.com

Related: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley(notes) hasn’t won in more than six
weeks, but he’ll have a solid chance to change that against a struggling
Pittsburgh Pirates offense.

Los Angeles seeks its fourth win in five games Sunday when it hosts
Pittsburgh in the finale of a four-game set.

Billingsley (10-10, 4.30 ERA) is 0-1 with a 4.78 ERA in seven starts since
beating Arizona on Aug. 5. He hasn’t earned a decision in his last four outings
after allowing three runs in 6 1-3 innings of the Dodgers’ 5-4, 10-inning loss
to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

The right-hander lost 4-1 to the Pirates on May 9, allowing three runs in
seven innings. It marked his first defeat in nine career appearances – five
starts – against Pittsburgh, going 4-1 with a 4.54 ERA in those outings.

The Dodgers (75-76) have a chance Sunday to reach the .500 mark as they near
the end of a disappointing season. Despite having an MVP candidate in Matt Kemp(notes)
and a Cy Young Award contender in 19-game winner Clayton Kershaw(notes), Los Angeles
hasn’t had a winning record since it was 6-5 on April 12.

The Dodgers beat Pittsburgh 6-1 on Saturday with the help of James Loney’s(notes)
first-inning three-run homer and two hits from Kemp.

Kemp scored his 100th run on Juan Rivera’s(notes) third-inning homer, then stole
his 40th base in the sixth to become the first in franchise history with at
least 30 homers, 40 steals, 100 runs and 100 RBIs in a single season.

“I didn’t even to know I was the first person to do that, so that surprises
me to hear that,” Kemp said. “I definitely set personal goals at the start of
the season, but I don’t talk about them because my goals wouldn’t come true if I
did. I try to come close to reaching them if I can.”

The Pirates (68-84), meanwhile, continue to struggle. Finishing up its
record 19th consecutive losing season, Pittsburgh has dropped seven of nine.

Josh Harrison’s(notes) RBI double in the second inning resulted in Saturday’s only
run for the Pirates, who have been outscored 13-3 in the last two games after
winning the series opener 6-2 on Thursday.

The Pirates were tied for the NL Central lead July 25, but their 186 total
runs since then are tied with Florida for the fewest in the majors.

Brad Lincoln(notes) (1-2, 3.73) will take the mound for Pittsburgh looking to
bounce back from a rough outing.

Lincoln is coming off his worst start since being placed permanently into
the rotation Aug. 22, allowing four runs – three earned – and a season-high
eight hits in 5 1-3 innings Monday, but escaping without a decision after
Pittsburgh rallied to beat St. Louis 6-5 win over St. Louis.

It marked the first of six starts in which the right-hander failed to last
six innings. He pitched six Sept. 1 at home against the Dodgers, allowing three
runs in a 6-4 loss – his only career start versus Los Angeles.

The Dodgers have won 9 of their last 12 meetings with the Pirates.

Ross Ohlendorf was recently picked as the smartest player in baseball in a survey of major leaguers by Sports Illustrated.

The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander didn’t need his Princeton degree to explain the way he pitched Friday night.

“I didn’t pitch well at all,” he said.

Omar Infante and Logan Morrison homered during a nine-run third inning and the Florida Marlins pounded out 22 hits in a 13-4 rout.

Ohlendorf (0-2) had his string of winless starts reach 15 as he was rocked for six runs and 10 hits in two-plus innings. He needed 54 pitches to record six outs.

Ohlendorf has not won since July 2, 2010, against Philadelphia, and is tied with Cincinnati’s Dontrelle Willis for the longest active winless streak. Ohlendorf has been limited to six starts this season because of shoulder problems.

Infante drove in five runs, adding a solo shot in the first, while Morrison had four hits and three RBIs. The Marlins had a club-record 10 hits in the third. Morrison and Bryan Petersen each had two hits in the inning as Florida broke the record of nine, which had been done four times, most recently on Sept. 17, 2001, at Montreal.

Ohlendorf gave up four straight hits to start the third before being lifted.

“Almost all of the hits came off fastballs,” Ohlendorf said. “Stuff-wise, I wasn’t real great but location was the main thing, especially in the third inning. They were just very hittable pitches in terms of being up in the zone and in the middle of the plate, too.”

Ohlendorf has gone 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in four starts since coming off the disabled list Aug. 23, allowing 33 hits in 16 innings. With less than three weeks left in the season, Ohlendorf is running out of time to break his winless streak or find the answers to his problems.

“He’s been working on things since he got here,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “I think some things he’s trying to figure but hasn’t are things that would give him the opportunity to get the ball down in the strike zone with consistency. We’re not getting good locations. Hitters have been too comfortable because Ross is making too many mistakes up in the zone.”

Florida’s 13 runs tied a season high, set July 16 against the Cubs at Chicago. The Marlins beat the Pirates for the 12th time in the last 14 meetings.

“I’m pretty sure this happens every week for the Yankees and the Red Sox, but it doesn’t for us,” Morrison said, alluding to the Marlins being 11th in the NL in runs scored. “It was a lot of fun.”

Infante hit his three-run homer in the third. It bounced off the glove of left fielder Alex Presley, who was on the warning track, and into the bleachers.

“It was a freak thing and I really don’t have an explanation for it,” Presley said. “I should catch it in my mind. It happened. Hopefully not again, though.”

The homer stretched the Marlins’ lead to 9-1.

Petersen, Emilio Bonifacio, Gaby Sanchez, Donnie Murphy, John Buck and winning pitcher Ricky Nolasco (10-10) all finished with two hits for the Marlins.

Pedro Ciriaco had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates. Presley and Ryan Doumit had two hits apiece.

Nolasco’s streak of 22 scoreless innings against the Pirates ended in the second when Doumit doubled and scored on Ciriaco’s single to draw Pittsburgh within 2-1. Florida then countered with its big inning to put the game away.

Florida’s third inning came with a downside, though, as both right fielder Mike Stanton and first baseman Jose Lopez strained right hamstrings while running out hits and were forced to leave the game. Stanton, who has been bothered by hamstring stiffness since spring training, was making his first start since Sept. 3.

Florida took a 2-0 lead against Ohlendorf as Infante hit a solo home run down the left-field line in the first and doubled home Nolasco, who had singled, in the second.

The Marlins’ big third inning was started by Stanton, who singled. Murphy pinch ran, went to third on Morrison’s double and scored on a throwing error by right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

Lopez, Buck, Petersen and Nolasco followed with consecutive singles, with Lopez’s and Nolasco’s driving in runs. Bonifacio then hit a sacrifice fly, Infante hit his defense-aided, three-run blast and Morrison added his his two-run homer.

Florida made it 13-1 in the fifth as Murphy tripled and scored on Morrison’s single before Buck hit a run-scoring single.

Notes: Pittsburgh RHP Jeff Karstens will return to the rotation Tuesday against St. Louis after missing two starts because of shoulder fatigue. … Pirates LHP Jeff Locke will make his major league debut Saturday night when he faces RHP Anibal Sanchez (7-7, 3.83) in the middle game of the three-game series. Locke, 23, was a combined 8-10 with a 3.70 ERA in 28 games with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. Though Sanchez has struck out a career-high 173 batters in 171 1-3 innings this season, he has only one win in his last 15 starts. … Five Pittsburgh prospects have joined the club for the weekend but won’t be placed on the active roster: Indianapolis LHP Justin Wilson, 1B Matt Hague and OF Gorkys Hernandez and Altoona RHPs Kyle McPherson and Bryan Morris.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ross Ohlendorf was recently picked as the smartest player in baseball in a survey of major leaguers by Sports Illustrated.

The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander didn’t need his Princeton degree to explain the way he pitched Friday night.

“I didn’t pitch well at all,” he said.

Omar Infante and Logan Morrison homered during a nine-run third inning and the Florida Marlins pounded out 22 hits in a 13-4 rout.

Ohlendorf (0-2) had his string of winless starts reach 15 as he was rocked for six runs and 10 hits in two-plus innings. He needed 54 pitches to record six outs.

Ohlendorf has not won since July 2, 2010, against Philadelphia, and is tied with Cincinnati’s Dontrelle Willis for the longest active winless streak. Ohlendorf has been limited to six starts this season because of shoulder problems.

Infante drove in five runs, adding a solo shot in the first, while Morrison had four hits and three RBIs. The Marlins had a club-record 10 hits in the third. Morrison and Bryan Petersen each had two hits in the inning as Florida broke the record of nine, which had been done four times, most recently on Sept. 17, 2001, at Montreal.

Ohlendorf gave up four straight hits to start the third before being lifted.

“Almost all of the hits came off fastballs,” Ohlendorf said. “Stuff-wise, I wasn’t real great but location was the main thing, especially in the third inning. They were just very hittable pitches in terms of being up in the zone and in the middle of the plate, too.”

Ohlendorf has gone 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in four starts since coming off the disabled list Aug. 23, allowing 33 hits in 16 innings. With less than three weeks left in the season, Ohlendorf is running out of time to break his winless streak or find the answers to his problems.

“He’s been working on things since he got here,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “I think some things he’s trying to figure but hasn’t are things that would give him the opportunity to get the ball down in the strike zone with consistency. We’re not getting good locations. Hitters have been too comfortable because Ross is making too many mistakes up in the zone.”

Florida’s 13 runs tied a season high, set July 16 against the Cubs at Chicago. The Marlins beat the Pirates for the 12th time in the last 14 meetings.

“I’m pretty sure this happens every week for the Yankees and the Red Sox, but it doesn’t for us,” Morrison said, alluding to the Marlins being 11th in the NL in runs scored. “It was a lot of fun.”

Infante hit his three-run homer in the third. It bounced off the glove of left fielder Alex Presley, who was on the warning track, and into the bleachers.

“It was a freak thing and I really don’t have an explanation for it,” Presley said. “I should catch it in my mind. It happened. Hopefully not again, though.”

The homer stretched the Marlins’ lead to 9-1.

Petersen, Emilio Bonifacio, Gaby Sanchez, Donnie Murphy, John Buck and winning pitcher Ricky Nolasco (10-10) all finished with two hits for the Marlins.

Pedro Ciriaco had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates. Presley and Ryan Doumit had two hits apiece.

Nolasco’s streak of 22 scoreless innings against the Pirates ended in the second when Doumit doubled and scored on Ciriaco’s single to draw Pittsburgh within 2-1. Florida then countered with its big inning to put the game away.

Florida’s third inning came with a downside, though, as both right fielder Mike Stanton and first baseman Jose Lopez strained right hamstrings while running out hits and were forced to leave the game. Stanton, who has been bothered by hamstring stiffness since spring training, was making his first start since Sept. 3.

Florida took a 2-0 lead against Ohlendorf as Infante hit a solo home run down the left-field line in the first and doubled home Nolasco, who had singled, in the second.

The Marlins’ big third inning was started by Stanton, who singled. Murphy pinch ran, went to third on Morrison’s double and scored on a throwing error by right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

Lopez, Buck, Petersen and Nolasco followed with consecutive singles, with Lopez’s and Nolasco’s driving in runs. Bonifacio then hit a sacrifice fly, Infante hit his defense-aided, three-run blast and Morrison added his his two-run homer.

Florida made it 13-1 in the fifth as Murphy tripled and scored on Morrison’s single before Buck hit a run-scoring single.

Notes: Pittsburgh RHP Jeff Karstens will return to the rotation Tuesday against St. Louis after missing two starts because of shoulder fatigue. … Pirates LHP Jeff Locke will make his major league debut Saturday night when he faces RHP Anibal Sanchez (7-7, 3.83) in the middle game of the three-game series. Locke, 23, was a combined 8-10 with a 3.70 ERA in 28 games with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. Though Sanchez has struck out a career-high 173 batters in 171 1-3 innings this season, he has only one win in his last 15 starts. … Five Pittsburgh prospects have joined the club for the weekend but won’t be placed on the active roster: Indianapolis LHP Justin Wilson, 1B Matt Hague and OF Gorkys Hernandez and Altoona RHPs Kyle McPherson and Bryan Morris.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Omar Infante and Logan Morrison both homered during a nine-run third inning and the Florida Marlins pounded out 22 hits in a 13-4 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Infante drove in five runs, adding a solo shot in the first while Morrison had four hits and three RBIs. The Marlins had a club record 10 hits in the third. Morrison and Bryan Petersen each had two hits in the third as Florida broke the record of nine, which had been done four times, most recently on Sept. 17, 2001 at Montreal.

Infante got an assist on his three-run homer in the third when it bounced off the glove of left fielder Alex Presley, who was on the warning track, and into the left-field bleachers.

Petersen, Emilio Bonifacio, Gaby Sanchez, Donnie Murphy, John Buck and winning pitcher Ricky Nolasco (10-10) all finished with two hits for the Marlins.

Ross Ohlendorf (0-2) had his string of winless starts reach 15 as he was rocked for six runs on 10 hits in two plus innings. He needed 54 pitches to record six outs.

Pedro Ciriaco had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates and Presley and Ryan Doumit also had two hits each.

Nolasco’s streak of 22 scoreless innings against the Pirates ended in the second inning when Doumit doubled and scored on Ciriaco’s single to draw Pittsburgh within 2-1. Florida then countered with its big third to put the game away.

Florida’s third inning did not come without a downside, though, as both right fielder Mike Stanton and first baseman Jose Lopez suffered strained right hamstrings while running out hits and were forced to leave the game. Stanton, who has been bothered by hamstring stiffness since spring training, was making his first start since Sept. 3.

Morrison, the left fielder, was shaken up when he slid into the side wall to catch Garrett Jones’ fly ball in the eighth inning but stayed in the game.

Ohlendorf has not won since July 2, 2010 against Philadelphia and is tied with Cincinnati’s Dontrelle Willis for the longest active winless streak. Ohlendorf has been limited to six starts this season because of shoulder problems.

Florida took a 2-0 lead against Ohlendorf as Infante hit a solo home run down the left-field line in the first and doubled home Nolasco, who had singled, in the second.

The Marlins’ big third inning was started by Stanton, who singled. Murphy pinch ran, went to third on Morrison’s double and scored on a throwing error by right fielder Ryan Ludwick.

Lopez, Buck, Petersen and Nolasco followed with consecutive singles, with Lopez’s and Nolasco’s driving in runs. Bonifacio then hit a sacrifice fly, Infante hit his defense-aided three-run blast and Morrison added his his two-run homer.

Florida made it 13-1 in the fifth as Murphy tripled and scored on Morrison’s single before Buck hit a run-scoring single.

Pittsburgh’s’ Pedro Alvarez tripled and scored on a single by Presley in the fifth, Andrew McCutchen doubled and came home on Derrek Lee’s single in the sixth and Ciriaco hit an RBI triple in the eighth.

Notes: Florida CF Mike Cameron missed his second straight game with tightness in his right hamstring and said he did not anticipate returning to the lineup any time soon. Pittsburgh RHP Jeff Karstens will return to the rotation Tuesday against St. Louis after missing two starts because of shoulder fatigue. Pirates LHP Jeff Locke will make his major-league debut Saturday night when he faces RHP Anibal Sanchez (7-7, 3.83) in the middle game of the three-game series. Locke, 23, was a combined 8-10 with a 3.70 ERA in 28 games with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. Though Sanchez has struck out a career-high 173 batters in 171 1-3 innings this season, he has only one win in his last 15 starts. Five Pittsburgh prospects have joined the club for the weekend but won’t be placed on the active roster: Indianapolis LHP Justin Wilson, 1B Matt Hague and OF Gorkys Hernandez and Altoona RHPs Kyle McPherson and Bryan Morris.

Omar Infante and Logan Morrison homered
during a nine-run third inning as the Florida Marlins pounded the Pittsburgh
Pirates, 13-4, in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park.

Infante also hit a solo shot in the first and an RBI double in the second
inning to finish with five RBI for the Marlins, who have won six straight and
12 of the last 14 games against the Pirates.

Morrison finished 4-for-6 with three RBI for Florida, which banged out a
season-high 22 hits, three shy of the club record.

Florida entered the third with a 2-1 lead after Pedro Ciriaco singled home
Ryan Doumit in the Pirates’ second.

Mike Stanton began the decisive frame with a single to center field, but was
replaced by a pinch-runner. Stanton had returned to the lineup Friday for the
first time since leaving last Saturday’s win over Philadelphia with a tight
right hamstring and appeared to have aggravated the injury.

Morrison followed with a double and Donnie Murphy scored when Ryan Ludwick’s
throw from right field deflected off a sliding Morrison. Jose Lopez then
pulled up lame at first after an RBI single and was taken out.

When Bryan Petersen lined a base hit to right, Pittsburgh starter Ross
Ohlendorf (0-2) was lifted from the game without having retired a batter in
the third.

Daniel McCutchen took over on the mound and promptly gave up consecutive
singles to John Buck and Florida starter Ricky Nolasco (10-10) to score Gaby
Sanchez, who pinch ran for Lopez. Emilio Bonifacio then lofted a sacrifice fly
before Infante went deep for a second time, although he did get some
assistance.

Infante launched a fly ball to left field and a backpedaling Alex Presley had
the ball go off his glove in front of the wall for a three-run homer.

Murphy stroked a two-out single and scored on Morrison’s two-run blast to
right-center off Aaron Thompson, who had just been summoned from the bullpen.

Sanchez walked and Petersen singled before Buck popped out to the catcher in
foul territory to finally end the frame. Florida sent 14 men to the plate in
the third and set a franchise record for hits in an inning with 10.

Morrison and Buck knocked in runs in the fifth to put Florida up 13-1.

The Pirates got RBI singles from Presley and Derrek Lee in the fifth and sixth
innings, respectively. Ciriaco drove in Pittsburgh’s fourth run with a two-out
triple in the eighth.

Game Notes

Florida’s previous mark for hits in an inning was nine, last done for the
fourth time on September 17, 2001 at Montreal…Infante recorded the sixth
multi-home run game of his career…Nolasco gave up three runs on nine hits
with five strikeouts in six innings…Nolasco had his scoreless streak against
the Pirates snapped at 22 2/3 innings…Ohlendorf was tagged for six runs and
10 hits in two-plus frames…Florida’s 22 hits were the most allowed by the
Pirates this year.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

It’s been a long, strange trip for Joe Bauserman, from baseball phenom to Buckeyes quarterback.

A prized baseball and football star in Virginia and Florida high schools, he spent three years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization as a pitcher. When that path seemed to fade, he walked on at Ohio State to play football. Now, he finds himself as the starting quarterback for the nation’s No. 15 team, the focal point of 105,000 fans each Saturday afternoon.

A hardy outdoorsman — his college major is Fisheries & Wildlife — the 25-year-old Bauserman isn’t overwhelmed by how long it took him to become an overnight sensation. He doesn’t have regrets and he accepts what comes his way.

“If I would have stuck it (baseball) out, who knows what would have happened?” he said. “I might have made it. I might have had shoulder problems, I might not. Whatever.”

Quiet and unassuming, he’s the elder statesman of an Ohio State program that has been pounded by NCAA allegations, violations and sanctions over the past 10 months. The controversy helped force three-year starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor to the NFL, opening a huge vacancy that Bauserman has helped to fill.

Bauserman, along with true freshman backup Braxton Miller, were both superlative in a season-opening 42-0 victory over Akron. The Buckeyes take on Toledo this week. Ahead lie difficult games against Miami, Colorado, Michigan State and Nebraska.

Many think the talented Miller will gradually take over the job. But not everyone.

“I’ve seen that young man and I just think he’s a winner,” Toledo coach Tim Beckman said of Bauserman. “He fits with what Ohio State wants to do.”

During his three years at Lincoln High in Tallahassee, Fla., Bauserman had been pursued to play football at every Top 25 program in the country. Instead, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates after being taken in the fourth round of the 2004 amateur draft as a pitcher. He had a fastball in the low 90s, a sharp breaking curve and one publication said he had the best changeup in the Pirates’ farm system.

“We were both drafted the same year and he’s just one of those guys I gravitated toward, our personalities were a lot alike,” said Pirates second baseman Neil Walker, Bauserman’s road roommate while playing in the Gulf Coast League.

Bauserman was 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA in nine games that rookie season, striking out 35 in 38 2-3 innings with 10 walks. He followed it up the next year with a 6-2 mark at Class A Williamsport and a 2.84 ERA. The following summer, at Class A Hickory in the Sally League, his numbers fell to 6-8 with a 4.01 ERA.

Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen played with him in what would be his final season.

“He was already kind of on his way out,” he said. “He had a good arm, you knew that just by watching him. He was into football, I guess he just thought that was the way to go.”

There was the pull of football, of course, but there were also the endless bus trips and the monotonous routine of the low minors.

Even those that make it to the majors have doubts along the way.

“When you’re on the bus at 4 a.m., going to God knows where,” Walker said, “like Columbus, Ga., maybe, and you’ve got a game in 10 hours, there are some guys that are like, ‘Why in the world would you do that?’”

Bauserman was one of those guys.

“Baseball, it’s just a different lifestyle,” he said this week. “You don’t have as much structure.”

He had reached a crossroads.

“The whole quitting-baseball thing was kind of a combination of getting hurt a little bit and then just getting an education,” he said. “I wanted to get back and get my education.”

So he wrote to Ohio State, among other schools, about switching gears, about switching to football.

Jim Tressel, then the Ohio State coach, offered him a chance to walk on. Bauserman knew he would be: a) paying his own way and, b) stuck behind several top recruits. After he redshirted his freshman year, the Buckeyes recruited Terrelle Pryor out of Jeannette, Pa., acclaimed as the No. 1 college quarterback prospect in the country.

Other less mature players might have quit; Bauserman, who has since earned a scholarship, just kept plugging along. He was happy to contribute on scout teams, to dissect plays in the film room, to prep the defense, to help instruct Pryor. The big, 6-foot-1, 230-pound redheaded kid saw only limited playing time the next three seasons while Pryor took almost every snap that counted.

This summer, Pryor surrendered his senior season to jump to the pros while he was embroiled in an NCAA investigation for taking cash and discounted tattoos from the subject of a federal drug-trafficking probe.

Suddenly, Bauserman and three other candidates were the only scholarship quarterbacks left on the roster. Bauserman, a steady hand who knew all the plays and made few mistakes, won the job with a solid performance in spring and preseason workouts.

What has set apart Bauserman has been his maturity, competitiveness and patience.

“He’s that guy that can do it all,” said interim coach Luke Fickell, who took over when Tressel was pushed out in May for his role in the ongoing scandal.

Fickell was pleased with Bauserman’s statistics in the opener. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 163 yards and three scores, and ran for 32 yards on six carries with another touchdown.

But Fickell was even more enthused about something else.

“I was impressed more with his demeanor,” he said, “the emotion he showed, the leadership, the confidence.”

Even though Bauserman is years older than most of his teammates, he is still one of the guys. Sure, instead of living in a cramped apartment he owns his own house (and complains about having to mow the lawn and how hard it was to put up a fence this summer). But he still fits in with the group.

“He might be older than a couple of our coaches,” Fickell cracked. “But it’s not like he’s 25 years old with a wife and two kids. He’s still a college kid. Is he more mature than maybe some of the others? I hope so.”

Bauserman said he doesn’t feel like the team’s old man.

“I feel like I’m one of the guys,” he said. “I go in there and try to mix it up with the guys and have a good time.”

He’s not overly introspective. He doesn’t spend his days contemplating what might have been had he remained an integral part of the youth movement with the Pirates.

He just knows he’s happy right where he is now.

“You can sit there and say, ‘What if?’ and everything,” he said. “I try not to do that because you’ll just wear yourself out. I enjoyed the ride. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

___

AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed from Pittsburgh.

___

Rusty Miller can be reached at http://twitter.com/rustymillerap

Second-to-last in the majors in home runs, the Houston Astros displayed some power on Wednesday.
J.A. Happ allowed the Andrew McCutchen to do the same.
McCutchen hit his 21st and 22nd home runs, Jason Jaramillo singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Astros 5-4 on Wednesday night, last-place Houston’s fifth loss in six games.
“That,” said Astros manager Brad Mills said, “was our game to win. We’ve had a few tough ones to lose, and that definitely is one of them.”
Houston hit three home runs, including consecutive shots by Carlos Lee and Matt Downs in the first inning that gave them the first of two three-run leads.
Clint Barmes also homered, but Happ gave up both of McCutchen’s shots, the second of which coming with two men on in the fourth to tie the game at 4.
Making his third start since a three-week stint in the minors during August, Happ gave up four runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. He tied a season high with eight strikeouts.
“We have seen him fight through it before,” Mills said of Happ. “He was able to make a lot of pitches when he needed, but obviously one guy hurt him.”
Happ had allowed one earned run in his two previous starts since bring promoted back to the majors. He also hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his previous seven career starts against the Pirates, including tossing seven shutout innings against them in his most recent outing Aug. 31.
But McCutchen tagged him for two first-pitch homers Wednesday.
“He was aggressive, obviously, today,” Happ said. “Kind of a change from the last time we played in our home series, but he is a tough out.”
Clint Hurdle’ 600th as a manager in the majors was earned when Jaramillo’s grounder through the hole at second drove in pinch-runner Chase d’Arnaud.
“I was just looking for a good pitch out over the plate,” said Jaramillo, who was on Pittsburgh’s opening day roster but spent most of the season in Triple-A or injured. “I know in that situation you hear that a lot, but honestly, I was just trying to stay as quiet as possible, and it worked out. I got a pitch out over the plate and just put a good swing on it.”
The Pirates’ bullpen combined for 5 2-3 innings of scoreless relief, with Tony Watson (2-2) getting the final out in the eighth and Joel Hanrahan working a perfect ninth for his 36th save in 39 opportunities.
Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit hit consecutive pinch-hit singles with one out in the bottom of the eighth off Wilton Lopez (2-6). Jaramillo then produced the only run of the game that did not come on a home run.
Lee and Downs hit consecutive homers off Brian Burres in the first, the second time this season the Astros hit back-to-back shots.
Lee has 15 homers, but four have come in his past 14 games. Downs made it two Burres pitches, two home runs to left, when his line drive struck the foul pole.
“We went up early,” said Downs, “but there was a lot of game left when we went up.
“When you go up early, there’s a lot of game left to fight back, so it’s just one of those nights.”
Barmes 10th homer was a solo shot in the fourth.
McCutchen has four career multihomer games, two this season. McCutchen has a career-high 22 home runs.
“You don’t want to not ready until after the first pitch; you want to be ready every single pitch,” McCutchen said. “That’s my thought process — be ready. And (Happ) grooved me a couple fastballs, and I was able to hit them out.”
Making his second start since being promoted from Triple-A, Burres allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2-3 innings.
“I had some command issues, pretty much, with all the pitches,” Burres said. “And I left some out over the fat part of the plate, and they got hit pretty hard.”
NOTES: Hurdle, who kept the ball from his milestone victory, said LHP Jeff Locke will make his major league debut when he starts Saturday’s game against Florida. RHP Charlie Morton will, in effect, have his turn in the rotation skipped as he deals with late-season fatigue. Hurdle also said the team could, at times, go with a six-man rotation the rest of the season. … Pittsburgh RHP Jared Hughes made his major league debut, allowing one hit in 1 1-3 scoreless innings. … Astros RHP Bud Norris has 34 strikeouts in 29 1-3 innings over his past five outings. He starts Friday in Washington. … The Pirates begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Friday. Pittsburgh was swept in Florida in April, and was shut out in two of the three defeats.

McCutchen hit his 21st and 22nd home runs, Jason Jaramillo singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Astros 5-4 on Wednesday night, last-place Houston’s fifth loss in six games.

“That,” said Astros manager Brad Mills said, “was our game to win. We’ve had a few tough ones to lose, and that definitely is one of them.”

Houston hit three home runs, including consecutive shots by Carlos Lee and Matt Downs in the first inning that gave them the first of two three-run leads.

Clint Barmes also homered, but Happ gave up both of McCutchen’s shots, the second of which coming with two men on in the fourth to tie the game at 4.

Making his third start since a three-week stint in the minors during August, Happ gave up four runs on five hits and four walks in five innings. He tied a season high with eight strikeouts.

“We have seen him fight through it before,” Mills said of Happ. “He was able to make a lot of pitches when he needed, but obviously one guy hurt him.”

Happ had allowed one earned run in his two previous starts since bring promoted back to the majors. He also hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his previous seven career starts against the Pirates, including tossing seven shutout innings against them in his most recent outing Aug. 31.

But McCutchen tagged him for two first-pitch homers Wednesday.

“He was aggressive, obviously, today,” Happ said. “Kind of a change from the last time we played in our home series, but he is a tough out.”

Clint Hurdle’ 600th as a manager in the majors was earned when Jaramillo’s grounder through the hole at second drove in pinch-runner Chase d’Arnaud.

“I was just looking for a good pitch out over the plate,” said Jaramillo, who was on Pittsburgh’s opening day roster but spent most of the season in Triple-A or injured. “I know in that situation you hear that a lot, but honestly, I was just trying to stay as quiet as possible, and it worked out. I got a pitch out over the plate and just put a good swing on it.”

The Pirates’ bullpen combined for 5 2-3 innings of scoreless relief, with Tony Watson (2-2) getting the final out in the eighth and Joel Hanrahan working a perfect ninth for his 36th save in 39 opportunities.

Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit hit consecutive pinch-hit singles with one out in the bottom of the eighth off Wilton Lopez (2-6). Jaramillo then produced the only run of the game that did not come on a home run.

Lee and Downs hit consecutive homers off Brian Burres in the first, the second time this season the Astros hit back-to-back shots.

Lee has 15 homers, but four have come in his past 14 games. Downs made it two Burres pitches, two home runs to left, when his line drive struck the foul pole.

“We went up early,” said Downs, “but there was a lot of game left when we went up.

“When you go up early, there’s a lot of game left to fight back, so it’s just one of those nights.”

Barmes 10th homer was a solo shot in the fourth.

McCutchen has four career multihomer games, two this season. McCutchen has a career-high 22 home runs.

“You don’t want to not ready until after the first pitch; you want to be ready every single pitch,” McCutchen said. “That’s my thought process — be ready. And (Happ) grooved me a couple fastballs, and I was able to hit them out.”

Making his second start since being promoted from Triple-A, Burres allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2-3 innings.

“I had some command issues, pretty much, with all the pitches,” Burres said. “And I left some out over the fat part of the plate, and they got hit pretty hard.”

NOTES: Hurdle, who kept the ball from his milestone victory, said LHP Jeff Locke will make his major league debut when he starts Saturday’s game against Florida. RHP Charlie Morton will, in effect, have his turn in the rotation skipped as he deals with late-season fatigue. Hurdle also said the team could, at times, go with a six-man rotation the rest of the season. … Pittsburgh RHP Jared Hughes made his major league debut, allowing one hit in 1 1-3 scoreless innings. … Astros RHP Bud Norris has 34 strikeouts in 29 1-3 innings over his past five outings. He starts Friday in Washington. … The Pirates begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Friday. Pittsburgh was swept in Florida in April, and was shut out in two of the three defeats.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Aug. 10, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pirates showed up in San Francisco mired in a 10-game losing streak with little going right. In two weeks, they’d fallen from first place to 10 games out.

Winning two from the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants did a lot as Pittsburgh heads off to face NL Central-leading Milwaukee in an important matchup of division rivals.

Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer, Jeff Karstens bounced back from his worst start of the season and the Pirates won their first series in three weeks with a 9-2 victory over the struggling Giants on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh is off Thursday before opening a weekend series with the Brewers, who have won all five previous meetings.

“We’ll find out after the Friday night game, but we’re going in with some confidence,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We were able to put a foot down and win a series on the road.”

Garrett Jones added an RBI single to continue his torrid August and help back Karstens (9-6), whose career-high nine strikeouts matched a season high for the team. Karstens, who ended a four-start winless stretch, gave up a season-high nine runs and nine hits in a 15-5 loss at San Diego last Friday.

“It’s good for us, especially heading into Milwaukee,” Karstens said.

Pablo Sandoval homered for the Giants, who began the day with a half-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. The Diamondbacks host Houston in a night game. San Francisco has led the division since June 25.

Jonathan Sanchez (4-7) walked McCutchen on four pitches and threw five straight balls to start the game. Sandoval came in from third and catcher Eli Whiteside hustled to the mound to chat with the left-hander, who was roughed up again in his second start since coming off the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Sanchez was done after 4 1-3 innings and hasn’t won since June 2 at St. Louis.

McCutchen went 1 for 1 with three walks and a hit by pitch. He stole two bases and scored four runs — most by a Pirate in a game this year. His 16th clout of the year put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1 in the third. The Pirates have homered in four of their last five games and eight of 12.

McCutchen was hit by a pitch leading off the seventh. Brandon Wood drove in a run that inning and Matt Diaz hit two run-scoring singles. Pittsburgh’s Nos. 1-5 hitters went a combined 7 for 17 with six RBI, eight runs scored, seven walks and a hit batter. Jones is batting .389 (14 for 36) with five doubles, three homers and seven RBI this month.

With a power show on offense of late, Bucs pitchers also have allowed 18 homers over the last nine games. Sandoval connected in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1.

The Giants have hit 19 straight solo home runs, matching the 1914 Phillies’ major league mark. Their last homer to score more than one run was a two-run drive by Nate Schierholtz on July 6 against San Diego.

San Francisco finished up a disappointing 3-7 homestand with its 10th loss in 13 games. The Giants have dropped three straight series at AT&T Park for the first time since losing six consecutive home series from May 12-June 18, 2008.

“We’ve got a lot of baseball left,” outfielder Cody Ross said. “We’ve got to go out and play like champions. We’re not doing it. We’re kind of all in a rut and it seems like we can’t dig ourselves out. We’ve got to do something.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the front office would discuss whether to stick with Sanchez. Lefty Barry Zito had been unimpressive in the fifth starter role and went back on the disabled list Aug. 1, but he could come off when San Francisco needs that pitcher again Aug. 16 in Atlanta.

“It has me a little concerned,” Bochy said of the No. 5 spot. “We need that guy to help us win a ballgame, too. We haven’t had a good start there in I don’t know how many now.”

Pirates first baseman Derrek Lee was a late scratch from the lineup with a recurring left hand injury. Hurdle said Lee’s hand was very sore after he played the two previous nights following a four-game absence with the bruised hand. Lee was hit with a pitch from Chicago’s Carlos Marmol last Wednesday.

Lee is batting .278 with two home runs and three RBI in four games since joining the Pirates in a trade from Baltimore.

Notes

• Giants RF Carlos Beltran missed his third straight game nursing a strained right hand and wrist. Schierholtz was held out with a right hip flexor.
• Zito will make another rehab outing Saturday for Triple-A Fresno then fly out to join the Giants on the road.
• San Francisco INF Miguel Tejada [lower abdominal strain] isn’t quite ready to begin a rehab outing in the minors, Bochy said. Tejada will travel on the road trip.
• Pirates RHP Kevin Hart had arthroscopic cleanup surgery Tuesday performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. The team hopes to have Hart ready by spring training.
• Pirates LHP Paul Maholm (6-12, 3.54 ERA) starts Friday trying to end a string of three straight losing decisions. He is 1-5 on the road and is coming off a 13-2 loss Saturday at San Diego.
• All-Star RHP Matt Cain goes for the Giants on Friday at Florida, trying to improve to 4-1 for his career vs. the Marlins. He lost to Florida on May 24.