PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran catcher Rod Barajas have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.

Barajas will make $4 million in 2012 and $3.5 million if he is retained for the 2013 season. The 36-year-old hit .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs last season while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran catcher Rod Barajas(notes)
have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.

Barajas will make $4 million in 2012 and $3.5 million if he is retained for
the 2013 season. The 36-year-old hit .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs last
season while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Pirates are in need of catching help after declining the options on
veterans Chris Snyder(notes) and Ryan Doumit(notes).

“”They were aggressive,” Barajas said. “They gave me the feeling they
really wanted me to be a part of their team. They played good baseball for four
months last season and showed a lot of improvement. I thought this would be a
good situation to be in.”

Barajas is one of the top power-hitting catchers in the game. His 50 homers
over the last two years are third-most by a major league catcher over that span.

“He has the combination of attributes we’re looking for, an experienced
catcher with the willingness to help improve a young pitching staff and he also
adds some power to the lineup,” Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington
said.

Barajas, a career .238 hitter, has 125 home runs and 449 RBIs in 1,010
career games with Arizona, Texas, Toronto, Philadelphia, the New York Mets and
the Dodgers.

Thanks for reading! .

Gotta run!.

PITTSBURGH (AP)

The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran catcher Rod Barajas have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.

There is the quick update of the day.

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.

What do you guys think about this.

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BRADENTON — The Pittsburgh Pirates begin their 44th spring training in Bradenton with a Black and Gold intrasquad game 1:05 p.m. Friday, March 2, at McKechnie Field, the first of 16 games to be played at the venerable ballpark this spring.

The Pirates open their Grapefruit League schedule March 3 in Dunedin to play the Toronto Blue Jays, and meet the Blue Jays again March 4 in their Grapefruit League home-opener.

All games start at 1:05 p.m. with the exception of the March 26 game against Baltimore, which begins at 7:05 p.m.

What are your opinions.

The Pirates have released their 2012 Spring Training Schedule. Here it is. The only really strange thing about it, at least from just eyeballing it, is that the Pirates will play their final two exhibition games against the Phillies in Philadelphia, then actually start their regular-season schedule against the Phillies at home on April 5.

March 2 Black & Gold Charity Game (split-squad)
March 3 @ Blue Jays (Dunedin)
March 4 Blue Jays
March 5 @Orioles (Sarasota)
March 6 Yankees
March 7 Blue Jays
March 8 @ Phillies (Clearwater)
March 9 @ Red Sox (Fort Myers)
March 10 Twins
March 11 @ Rays (Port Charlotte)
March 12 Phillies
March 13 Off
March 14 @ Orioles (Sarasota)
March 15 @ Twins (Fort Myers)
March 16 Phillies
March 17 Rays
March 18 @ Twins (Fort Myers)
March 19 Off
March 20 @ Yankees (Tampa)
March 21 Red Sox
March 22 Rays
March 23 Tigers
March 24 Astros
March 25 @ Astros (Kissimmee)
March 26 Orioles
March 27 @ Phillies (Clearwater)
March 28 @ Rays (Port Charlotte)
March 29 Twins
March 30 Rays
March 31 Orioles (split-squad)
March 31 @ Twins (split-squad – Fort Myers)
April 1 @ Blue Jays (Dunedin)
April 2 @ Phillies (in Philadelphia)
April 3 @ Phillies (in Philadelphia)

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.

That’s all the news for today.

Oct. 13
	   1903 -- The Boston Pilgrims won the first World Series, five games to three, with a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
	   1914 -- The Boston Braves completed the first sweep in World Series history with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.
	   1921 -- Art Nehf tossed a 1-0, four-hitter against the New York Yankees for the World Series title in eight games. The Giants scored their run in the first inning on an error by shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh.
	   1960 -- Bill Mazeroski opened the bottom of the ninth with a home run off Ralph Terry of the Yankees to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10-9 victory and the World Series in seven games.
	   1971 -- The first World Series night game was played in Pittsburgh with the Pirates beating Baltimore 4-3. Roberto Clemente had three hits for Pittsburgh.
	   1978 -- New York third baseman Graig Nettles put on a fielding clinic and prevented seven runs as the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in the third game of the World Series. Nettles made four spectacular stops and gave the Yankees the first victory of the series.
	   1984 -- Alan Trammell's two home runs backed Jack Morris' second complete game to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-2 victory and a 3-1 lead over the San Diego Padres in the World Series.
	   1993 -- Tommy Greene of Philadelphia outpitched Greg Maddux and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 to win the National League pennant in six games.
	   1996 -- Powered by a three-homer third inning and eight strong innings from Andy Pettitte(notes), New York won its 34th American League pennant with a 6-4 victory over Baltimore. The Yankees took the ALCS 4-1 and went to the World Series for the first time since 1981.
	   1998 -- The New York Yankees advanced to the World Series for a record 35th time after beating the Cleveland Indians 9-5 to win the AL championship series in six games.
	   2002 -- Adam Kennedy(notes) hit his third homer of the game in the seventh inning and the Angels erupted for a 13-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins to win the AL championship series in five games and advance to the World Series for the first time in their 42-year history.
	   2007 -- Manny Ramirez(notes) hit his 23rd postseason homer in Boston's 13-6 11-inning loss to Cleveland. The two-run drive broke the playoff record he had shared with former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams.
	   Today's birthdays: Taylor Buchholz(notes) 30; Trevor Hoffman(notes) 44.

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The Pirates have released their 2012 season schedule. The season begins April 5 at PNC Park against the Philadelphia Phillies. After three against Philadelphia, they’ll head out for a West Coast trip against the Dodgers, Giants and Diamondbacks before returning home to face the Cardinals and Rockies beginning April 20. 

They’ll begin interleague play with a road series against the Detroit Tigers in mid-May. They’ll host the Royals, Twins and Tigers in June, and also play interleague series against the Indians and Orioles. 

After only nine games at home in April, they’ll play 18 home games in May. It’s June that might pose problems for them, as they’ll have a ton of interleague games (which they’ve historically been awful in) and road series against the Brewers, Reds, Phillies and Cardinals.

They’ll be at home Wednesday, July 4 against the Houston Astros.

Their season will end with a home series against the Atlanta Braves from October 1-3. 

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.

Gotta run!.

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.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

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.

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CINCINNATI (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired outfielder John Bowker from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday for a player to be named or cash, adding a left-handed hitter to their bench.

The 28-year-old Bowker played in 19 games for the Pirates this season, going 4 for 17 with a double before he was designated for assignment on May 4. Bowker batted .306 in 106 games for Triple-A Indianapolis with 15 homers and 76 RBIs.

He drove over from Indianapolis and joined the Phillies before the third game of their series against the Cincinnati Reds.

“I’m kind of in shock,” Bowker said. “I’m pretty excited. I started the season with Pittsburgh, then I was designated for assignment. While I was in Indy, I tried to keep a good attitude. It helped to get at-bats. That was important.”

The NL East-leading Phillies wanted to improve their outfield depth and their bench. Bowker will be eligible for the playoff roster. He has played right field, left field and first base.

“The scouts say he’s a good hitter,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “He’ll give you a good at-bat and a little bit of pop. He gives us some balance. He’ll definitely help us.”

Philadelphia optioned reliever Michael Schwimer to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following a 9-0 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The Phillies also transferred right-hander Jose Contreras to the 60-day disabled list to create an opening on the 40-man roster for Bowker.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Read More: Santiago Casilla (P – SFG), Jeff Keppinger (2B – SFG), Jeff Karstens (P – PIT), Orlando Cabrera (2B – SFG), Guillermo Mota (P – SFG), Joel Hanrahan (P – PIT), Pablo Sandoval (3B – SFG), Eli Whiteside (C – SFG), Andrew McCutchen (CF – PIT), Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants, Aug 10, 2011 12:45 PM PDT

The San Francisco Giants were riding high after a shutout performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, looking to win a home series for the first time in their last three sets. Unfortunately Jonathan Sanchez was shaky, as was the bullpen, leading to a 9-2 Pittsburgh win at AT&T Park. 

Sanchez (L 4-7) lasted for only four and 1/3 innings this afternoon after giving up five runs on four hits, yet managed to fan six Bucs including the side in the fourth. Sanchez’s stamina seemed the be the issue, running out of steam much earlier in the game than the Giants would have liked. And aside from Santiago Casilla’s 2/3 of an inning in the fifth, the rest of the Giants relievers allowed earned runs, with Guillermo Mota allowing two.  

Pablo Sandoval launched a solo homer in the second, his 13th on the year, tying the 1914 Philadelphia Phillies with 19 straight solo jacks for the Black and Orange. Orlando Cabrera added an RBI single in the fourth, but aside from that the Giants offense was stagnent. Eli Whiteside was the only Giant with multiple hits, going 2-3 with two singles, while Jeff Keppinger went 0-3 with three K’s, his first hat trick at the plate as a Giant. 

Jeff Karstens (W 9-6) was solid in his six innings of work, keeping the Giants to just the two runs on eight hits, along with no walks and 9 strikeouts. All-Star Joel Hanrahan closed the game in the ninth in a non-save opportunity, while Andrew McCutchen had one heck of a a day, going 1-1 with three walks, a 2 RBI homer, and four runs scored. 

With the loss the Giants move to 64-54 on the year. Full box score can be found here. 

For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles. 

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.