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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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DALLAS (AP)—Jim Trdinich of the Pittsburgh Pirates has won the Robert O.
Fishel Award for public relations excellence, given annually by Major League
Baseball.

Trdinich, the Pirates’ director of media relations, finished his 23rd season
as a fulltime employee of the Pirates and his 27th in Major League Baseball. He
began with the Pirates in 1985 as an intern, spent two years at the NL office,
then rejoined the Pirates in 1989.

The award, announced Monday, is named after the inaugural winner, who worked
for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees and the American
League.

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Veteran catcher Rod Barajas has signed a
one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a club option
for 2013, the Major League Baseball team said on Thursday.

The 36-year-old free agent, who ranks third among all
catchers in the majors with 50 home runs since the beginning of
the 2009 season, hit .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs for the
Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

While no financial details were disclosed by the Pirates,
local media estimate the deal to be worth $4 million in 2012
and $3.5 million in 2013.

“They were aggressive,” Barajas, who said he had received
offers from several other teams, told the Pirates’ official
website (http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news).

“They definitely showed that they wanted me to be a part of
the team. For me, to feel like I’m wanted is huge. The way they
came after me, that’s what you want to feel when you’re a free
agent.”

Barajas has a career average of .238 with 125 home runs and
449 RBIs in spells with Arizona, Texas, Philadelphia, Toronto,
the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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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.

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Updated Aug 21, 2011 11:45 AM ET

PITTSBURGH (AP)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed outfielder Jose Tabata to a six-year contract extension.

The Pirates announced Sunday that the deal comes with club options for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The 23-year-old Tabata is hitting .267 with 17 RBIs in 75 games this year with the Pirates. He also has four home runs, 14 doubles and 15 stolen bases.

Tabata made his Major League debut last year on June 9 and hit .299 with 35 RBIs in 102 games.

Following the All-Star break, he produced a .322 average, which ranked seventh among all National League hitters. He had 93 hits, second in the league behind Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez.

Tabata was acquired by the Pirates from the New York Yankees in 2008.

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PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed outfielder Jose Tabata(notes)
to a six-year contract extension.

The Pirates announced Sunday that the deal comes with club options for 2017,
2018 and 2019.

The 23-year-old Tabata is hitting .267 with 17 RBIs in 75 games this year
with the Pirates. He also has four home runs, 14 doubles and 15 stolen bases.

Tabata made his Major League debut last year on June 9 and hit .299 with 35
RBIs in 102 games.

Following the All-Star break, he produced a .322 average, which ranked
seventh among all National League hitters. He had 93 hits, second in the league
behind Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez(notes).

Tabata was acquired by the Pirates from the New York Yankees in 2008.

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By Nick Dudukovich • ndudukovich@communitypress.com

Former Princeton High School and University of Cincinnati standout Josh Harrison made his Major League Baseball debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates May 31.

Harrison, 23, had two hits in the game, including a clutch RBI single that helped lead the Pirates to a 5-1 win over the New York Mets.

Josh Harrison, pictured during his playinig days at UC, made an immediate impact for the Pittsburgh Pirates during his big-league debut, May 31. Terrence Huge/Contributor

He was promoted to the big leagues after positing the International League’s fifth highest batting average (.321) for Triple-A Indianapolis. He also eight doubles, two triples and 11 RBI in 27 games during the 2011 season.

Here the infielder chats about tough Greater Miami Conference competition, being called up to the Pirates and his mentality during his first big-league game.

Did you ever imagine playing Major League Baseball?

“It’s always been a goal of mine, ever since I was a young kid. Once I started playing ball, I wanted to play in the majors and that came true a few days ago.”

How did you get your start playing baseball?

“I was 3 years old, and I wanted to play. The only way I could play was if my mom could coach. So my mom was my first coach.”

Who was your inspiration growing up?

“Both of my parents (Vincent and Bonita Harrison), and my older brothers (Vince Harrison Jr. and Shaun Harrison), because I was always at their games. They were good and I learned a lot from watching them.”

What do you remember about playing baseball in the Greater Miami Conference?

“It’s a great conference. It was always a challenge in the GMC. We didn’t win it while I was there, but that’s because it’s always tough.”

Do you make it back to Cincinnati often?

“Yeah, definitely…In the offseason, I’m back there. Whenever I get home, I have a chance to meet up with the guys and catch up.”

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re home?

“I liked to relax and chill and hang with the family and friends.”

Were you a Reds fan growing up?

“No, I didn’t have a favorite team growing up. I was just rooting for the team my uncle, John Shelby, was coaching for… I think he was with the Dodgers the most.”

You also played at UC. Are you looking forward to playing in front of your hometown crowd at Great American Ballpark?

“It will be very exciting. I’ll be able to see a lot of my family that won’t be able to make it to Pittsburgh.”

How did you find out you were getting called to the show?

“Our trainer called me and sent me to the manager’s office. When I walked in, they normally play a joke. They had a big smile on their faces and told me congratulations, and I was going up.”

In your first big-league game, you had two hits. One of those was a clutch RBI single that helped lead the Pirates to victory. Were you nervous?

“I was very comfortable. Guys kept asking me if I was nervous, but I was comfortable from the first pitch. I was as confident as I’ve always been.”

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Tags: Bearcats, Big East, Cincinnati.com, Evendale, Glendale, GMC, Greater MIami Conference, Josh Harrison, Major League Baseball, New York Mets, Nick Dudukovich, Pittsburgh Pirates, Press Preps, Princeton High School, Sharonville, Springdale, University of Cincinnati

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