Gaslamp Ball (Free subscription) | 11/03/2009
More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP about 1 month ago: San Diego Padres' Henry Blanco hits a sacrifice-fly to center field off Pittsburgh Pirates Denny Bautista during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. The Padres won 2-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) Browse more photos » How do you like the new look of the site? It's a risque, no? In any case there...
Sportsviews (Free subscription) | 10/21/2009
Hopefully sometime in the next few years this blog will be at its peak in early/mid October, but instead we’ll have to settle on short blurbs about each series from time to time: Phillies/Dodgers–Phillies lead, 3-1 The World Champs are in an awfully good position to return to the Fall Classic after Jimmy Rollins’ dramatic walk-off double, [...] Added by: bmcelhinny Viewed: 0 time(s)...
Bucs Dugout (Free subscription) | 10/20/2009
They're all off the 40-man. Sorry there's no picture for this post; the only photos that come up in SB Nation's widget when you search for these players' names is pictures of hitters homering off them. Bautista and Bootcheck are no surprise. The big news here is the removal of Hansen, who was one of four players acquired in the Jason Bay deal. Hansen has a nerve disorder that could take years to heal,...
post-gazette.com (Free subscription) | 10/20/2009
The Pirates today outrighted right-handed relievers Denny Bautista, Chris Bootcheck and Craig Hansen off the 40-man roster. Bootcheck has elected free agency. The 40-man roster is at 38, plus three players on the 60-day disabled list.
MLB Trade Rumors (Free subscription) | 10/20/2009
Reliever and Scott Boras client Chris Bootcheck has elected free agency, according to a press release from the Pirates. Righties Denny Bautista and Craig Hansen were also outrighted, but apparently remain in the organization for now. Bootcheck, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in December. The signing seemed to signify the Pirates could work with Boras after the Pedro Alvarez drama....
Bucs Dugout (Free subscription) | 09/27/2009
More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP Browse more photos » 8-4 Dodgers , thanks to some truly lousy pitching by Denny Bautista , Phil Dumatrait and Steven Jackson in an eighth inning that began with a 4-3 lead. I wasn't totally sure why Bautista came in to start the inning instead of Jackson (I'm guessing Jesse Chavez wasn't available after pitching two innings yesterday), but after Jackson...
post-gazette.com (Free subscription) | 09/24/2009
By Dejan Kovacevic | 8:35 a.m. Thursday Four hours to first pitch ... Game: Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds, 12:35 p.m . Place: PNC Park . Pitching: RHP Charlie Morton vs. RHP Bronson Arroyo . Forecast: 72 degrees, cloudy . TV: None. Pirates' lineup: McCutchen, CF Young, 2B Jones, 1B Milledge, LF Moss, RF LaRoche, 3B Jaramillo, C Cruz, SS Morton, P Reds' lineup: Taveras, CF Sutton, SS Votto, 1B Phillips,...
post-gazette.com (Free subscription) | 09/19/2009
By Dejan Kovacevic | 3:10 p.m. Saturday If this was Ross Ohlendorf's final start of 2009, it certainly served as a tidy microcosm: He pitched quite well, got no support and had little to show for it all in the Pirates' 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres this afternoon before 20,379 at PNC Park. Ohlendorf allowed one run on five hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking one. That left his...
Bucs Dugout (Free subscription) | 09/08/2009
by David Zalubowski - AP View full size photo uploaded September 7, 2009 The Pirates will promote catcher Robinzon Diaz , infielder Brian Bixler , and pitchers Jeff Karstens , Eric Hacker and Donald Veal in time for the game tomorrow. With rosters expanded and Indianapolis' season now over, the promotions of Diaz, Karstens and Veal were no-brainers. Diaz played fairly well in an extended stint with...
Bucs Dugout (Free subscription) | 09/05/2009
Making important decisions based on tiny sample sizes sure is fun, though, isn't it? What a bad game. The three home runs the Cardinals hit were to almost exactly the same location. I felt like I was being forced to watch the same terrible play over and over.
post-gazette.com (Free subscription) | 09/05/2009
By Dejan Kovacevic | 10:21 p.m. Friday A few hours before the Pirates took the field tonight at PNC Park, John Russell went over the two most important facets of facing St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols: 1. "Do what you can to keep guys off the bases in front of him." 2. "Don't let him beat you." Well, after strikes one and two on those counts, strike three took the form of Pujols'...
Bucs Dugout (Free subscription) | 09/01/2009
More photos » by David Kohl - AP about 7 hours ago: Cincinnati Reds' Darnell McDonald, left, slides across home plate with the winning run after a wild pitch from Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jesse Chavez, covering home at right, in the bottom of ninth inning of Game 1 of a baseball doubleheader, Monday, Aug. 31, 2009, in Cincinnati. The Reds won 4-3. (AP Photo/David Kohl) Browse more photos »...
Raise the Jolly Roger! (Free subscription) | 08/27/2009
Let’s be blunt. It’s pretty clear that the Pirates have a horrible bullpen right now. Currently on the roster, we have: Denny Bautista Chris Bootcheck Matt Capps Phil Dumatrait Jesse Chavez Joel Hanrahan Steven Jackson Yikes. With a lead or in a close game, I would trust exactly two of those guys (and even that trust is a bit shaky): Chavez and Hanrahan. [...]
Bucs Dugout (Free subscription) | 08/16/2009
The Pirates ' recent flurry of roster moves ( Jose Ascanio has been sent to the DL, Jeff Salazar has been designated for assignment, and Brian Bixler and Denny Bautista have been recalled from Indianapolis) demonstrate that the Bucs badly need relief help right now. There's no indication that Bautista is a legitimate answer; he has a track record of repeated failure in the major leagues, and nothing...
post-gazette.com (Free subscription) | 08/15/2009
By Dejan Kovacevic | 9:05 a.m. Saturday CHICAGO -- Four hours to first pitch ... Game: Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m . Place: Wrigley Field . Pitching: LHP Zach Duke vs. LHP Tom Gorzelanny . Forecast: 85 degrees, mostly sunny, windy . TV: FSN Pittsburgh . Pirates' lineup: McCutchen, CF Milledge, LF Jones, RF Doumit, C Pearce, 1B Cedeno, SS Vazquez, 3B Cruz, 2B Duke, P Cubs' lineup: Theriot, SS...
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