Monthly Archives: January, 2010

Octavio Dotel and the Pirates have agreed to terms.... the Pirates have to move someone else off the 40-man roster, and of course would prefer to do it via a trade. �Recently acquired Brandon Jones could be a part of such a trade. In winter league play: The Mexican Pacific League and the Venezuelan League are preparing to begin their championship rounds, but don't have any games on Wednesday. PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Lobos de Arecibo 6, �Indios de Mayaguez 0 Mayaguez had base runners on in 6 of their 9 at-bats, including a bases-loaded situation in the 2nd inning, but left 9 men on base in the shutout. �Arecibo scored 3 runs in the 4th, 2 in the 6th, and one more in the 8th inning. �They posted 12 hits, including 3 hits each by 1B Michel Abreu and SS Edwin Maysonet. �The series is tied at one game each. Criollos de Caguas 2, �Gigantes de Carolina 1 Carolina was first onto the scoreboard with a run in the 2nd on two singles and a sacrifice fly by LF Edgard Clemente. �Caguas tied the score in the 7th inning, with a walk, a single, a walk, and an RBI single by DH Aaron Bates. �Each team threatened in the 8th, but couldn't push a run across. �Caguas threatened again in the 9th, still to no avail. �Finally in the top of the 10th, with one out, SS Luis Figueroa slipped a single into right field, then stole second base. �Another single by LF Eddy Martinez-Esteve allowed Figueroa to score the winning run. �Caguas now leads the series 2-1. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Leones de Escogido 13, �Gigantes del Cibao 4 Los Leones roared loudly in the last two innings of the game, scoring 5 runs in the 8th and 4 runs in the 9th, and recorded a total of 21 hits. �Five singles and a double did the work in the 8th, and a single, a double, a sacrifice fly, a walk, then a 3-run homer brought in the 4 runs in the 9th. �Juan Perez entered the game in the 7th inning for Los Gigantes. �He loaded the bases with two singles and a walk, but left all three runners on base. �He was responsible for the first three singles and so the first three runs in the 8th inning before being relieved. �Los Gigantes scored one run in the 4th and had a 3-run homer in the 8th, but couldn't keep up with Escogido's hot bats. �Los Gigantes now lead the series 2 games to 1.

First of all, I apologize for the site being down for a few days. As you can see, we were moving to a...

While we wait to find out who else will be removed from the Pirates' 40-man roster... they have to make room for Octavio Dotel, and now for new outfielder Brandon Jones.... Jones is a 26-year old outfielder from Florida, who was the Braves' 24th pick in the 2003 draft. �He began his pro career in the 2004 season, playing for the Braves' Rookie league team, and moved through four levels in their organization in 2005. �Jones split 2006 between A+ Myrtle Beach and AA Mississippi, and split 2007 between AA and AAA Richmond. �In Richmond, he hit .300 in 44 games, with 12 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, and 26 RBI. �He made his major league debut in September, playing in 5 games for Atlanta, where he went 3-for-19. �Jones divided his time between AAA and Atlanta in both 2008 and 2009, though mostly at AAA both seasons. �He did a little better at AAA (Gwinnett) in 2009, hitting .281 (.260 in 2008), with 28 doubles, 7 homers, and 57 RBI (52 in 2008). �He also appeared in 41 games for the major league Braves in 2008 and 5 in 2009, hitting .267 in 2008 and .308 (4-for-13) in 2009. �Jones has had a high strikeout rate throughout his career, with 76 K's at the AAA level in each of the past two seasons, in a total of 202 games. �This past season, Jones had a good showing in the early months, hitting .308, .299, and .304 in April, May, and June respectively. �He slumped down to .238 in July, but recovered a bit to .265 in August. �The Pirates claimed Jones off waivers from the Braves, who had removed him from their 40-man roster to make room for Erik Hinske. �It's not clear yet what the Pirates have in mind for Jones, because it might depend on what they have to do to juggle the 40-man roster. �He could compete for an outfield position with the Pirates, knowing that he still has one option remaining -- and so could be sent to AAA Indy. �He could also be removed from the 40-man roster and re-waivered, or he could be included in another trade. UPDATE: The unlucky victim is reliever Steven Jackson. The righty was claimed off waivers from the Yankees and pitched in 40 games for the Pirates. �He finished the season with a 2-3 record and a 3.14 ERA in Pittsburgh, going 43 innings, and allowing 38 hits and 20 runs (15 earned). �He �didn't always have the greatest controll -- walked 22 batters and struck out 21. �He did best in September, when he pitched 10 innings over 11 games, and allowed just 5 hits and one earned run, with 3 BB and 6 K. �Jackson will have to go through waivers -- if unclaimed, then he can be assigned to Indianapolis. . Meanwhile, back in the Caribbean.... VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Aguilas de Zulia 8, �Tiburones de La Guaira 3 This game wraps up the round robin tournament, though neither of these teams will be in the final playoff round (that will be Los Navegantes del Magallanes and Los Leones del Caracas, beginning on Thursday). �Zulia scored 4 runs in the 3rd inning, on a homer, a triple, and two doubles. �They added one more in the 4th and a 3-run homer in the 8th. �La Guaira put several runners on base, but only scored lone runs in the 3rd, the 6th, and the 9th. �Romulo Sanchez pitched the bottom of the 9th for Zulia, and he allowed the final La Guaira run on two singles. PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Criollos de Caguas 2, �Gigantes de Carolina 1 Caguas made up for being held to one hit last night by posting 1o hits tonight, to just 5 hits for Carolina. �Still not much scoring, though. �Carolina scored first, with a home run to lead off the 2nd inning. �Caguas tied it up, but not until the 7th inning. �A single, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk to CF Luis Matos put runners on first and second. �SS Luis Figueroa singled through the hole into right field, scoring the runner from second base. �The tie lasted until the bottom of the 10th, when a single and a passed ball put another runner on second base for Caguas, then an RBI single gave Los Criollos the walk-off win. �The series is now tied at 1-1. Indios de Mayaguez 8, �Lobos de Arecibo 4 Arecibo scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, but Mayaguez came back with 4 runs in the 3rd inning and didn't look back, as Los Indios recorded 15 hits. �Mayaguez leads the series 1 game to none. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Gigantes del Cibao 1, �Leones de Escogido 0 A pitching duel between Los Gigantes' Aquilino Lopez, who pitched 6 scoreless innings and allowed 3 hits (1 BB, 2 K) and Los Leones' Nerio Rodriguez, who lasted 7 innings and allowed one run on 5 hits (1 BB, no K). �The only run came in the 6th inning, on a single, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single. �Los Gigantes lead the best-of-7 series 2-0.

Things are wrapping up in the winter leagues... Pirates' players and friends in what little action there is on Monday: VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Los Navegantes del Magallanes and Los Leones del Caracas have clinched the two spots in the final series, but there are still a few games left to be played to complete the round robin tournament. Navegantes del Magallanes 7, �Tiburones de La Guaira 4 La Guaira led by a score of 4-3 until the top of the 8th, when a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a throwing error by the Tiburones' shortstop put Navegantes runners on the corners. �The next grounder to short should have been a double play, but the second baseman missed the catch, allowing the tying run to score. �SS Argenis Diaz grounded to second base, sending the go-ahead run across the plate. �A 2-run homer in the top of the 9th gave Magallanes some insurance. �Jean Machi took the mound for Magallanes in the 9th. �He had to work around a rare fielding error by 3B Yurendell de Caster and a double, but got the last two ground outs to end the inning and earn his fourth save of the post-season. �De Caster doubled in the 5th inning after a run had already scored (on a triple and a sac fly). �Diaz was 0-for-4 at the plate, with that RBI. �1B Hector Gimenez went 0-for-3 with a walk for La Guaira. Aguilas de Zulia �3, �Bravos de Margarita 2 Another late-inning rally for the win, and another save, this one for Chris Hernandez. Margarita scored two runs in the bottom of the 1st inning on a double and two singles, plus a throwing error. �Zulia came back with one run in the top of the 3rd on two singles and two ground outs. �That was all the scoring until the top of the 9th, when Zulia put two runners on board with two singles, then got a 2-RBI double to take the lead. �Hernandez preserved the lead in the bottom of the 9th, allowing just a single. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Gigantes del Cibao 2, �Leones del Escogido 1 The best-of-7 final series began with a win for Los Gigantes. �They scored their first run in the bottom of the first, aided by an Escogido error. �Los Leones tied the score with a solo homer to lead off the 3rd inning. �The tie lasted until the 8th inning, though Escogido threatened in the 7th. �With two runners on and one out, Gigantes' reliever Juan Perez came on in relief. �Perez faced one batter, and got him to line out to center field, and then it turned into a double play when the runner from third base was doubled off. �That made Perez the pitcher of record in the bottom of the 7th, when 2B Alexi Casilla's solo home run became the winning run for Los Gigantes. �Brian Myrow pinch-hit for Escogido in the 9th, but flied out. PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS The semi-finals begin today, with two best-of-7 series, though Monday's game between Mayaguez and Arecibo had to be postponed due to wet grounds. Gigantes de Carolina 5, �Criollos de Caguas 0 A one hitter! �Carolina starter Mario Santiago carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning, allowing only a walk in the 2nd inning. �He blew through the Caguas batters until the top of the 8th, when the first batter reached on a throwing error. �After a strikeout, �Caguas' 3B Cesar Nicolas squeaked a grounder into left field for Los Criollos only hit of the game. �CF Luis Matos and SS Luis Figueroa were among Santiago's victims. �Carolina scored 4 runs in the 5th on three walks, a hit batter, and two doubles, then added a solo homer in the 8th. MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS The finals begin on Friday Jan 22nd, with Los Venados de Mazatlan and Los Naranjeros de Hermosillo playing a 7-game series.

In a move designed to free up a space on the 40-man roster, the Pirates have traded infielder Brian Bixler to the Cleveland Indians, for infielder Jesus Brito. Brito is a 22-year old Dominican native, who played in the US for the first time in 2009, after three seasons with the Cleveland Indians' Dominican Summer League team. �While he did not hit a lot in the DSL (.223 in 2006, and .239 in 2008), he finished the 2008 season with a bang, including an 11-game hitting streak and a .300 average in the last few weeks of the season. �Brito began 2009 with the Cleveland Arizona League team, where he hit .366 in 34 games, with 12 doubles, 8 triples, 3 homers, and 25 RBI. �He also had 18 BB and 26 K. �Brito was named to the AZL Post-season All-Star Team. �He was advanced to the short-season Mahoning Valley team (New York/Penn League) for the last month of the season, where he hit .333 in 25 games, with 7 doubles, 2 triples, and 18 RBI, plus 14 BB and 15 K. �Brito played mostly third base both in Arizona and Mahoning Valley, and combined for 19 errors over the season. �He also played one game at shortstop and six in left field (2 errors). �The Pirates have not yet decided where on the field Brito will play, and they aren't likely to need another third baseman very soon anyway. �Expect to see him at A West Virginia for 2010. Bixler, a 27-year-old native of Sandusky, Ohio (not far west of Cleveland), was the Pirates' 2nd round draft pick in 2004. �After moving up quickly through the Pirates' system, Bixler reached the AAA Indy Indians in 2007, but got stuck there. �He spent most of the next three seasons in Indianapolis, where he hit a combined .276, with 54 doubles, 23 triples, 21 homers, and 130 RBI. �Strikeouts were a problem, though, as Bixler had 336 strikeouts in 323 games. � Still, Bixler generally did well at shortstop, and was named the Indians' Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and the Team MVP in 2007. �During the 2009 season, Bixler was shuffled around, playing more second base and even some centerfield, with the thought that he could become a super-utility guy. �Bixler spent time with the Pirates in both 2008 and 2009, but struggled both at the plate and in the field in his time there. �In three separate stints in the majors in 2008, he hit only .157 in 50 games, with 2 RBI, and made 8 errors at shortstop. �In 2009, Bixler appeared in 18 games for the Pirates, and hit .227, with 3 RBI. �He made 2 errors at short and one in five games at second base. �With Ronny Cedeno and Akinori Iwamura on the Pirates' roster, it was obvious that Bixler was no longer in their plans. �Bixler did help boost his trade value a little bit this fall/winter by playing half a season (35 games) for Los Venados de Mazatlan in the Mexican Pacific League. �He hit .300 for Mazatlan, with 5 doubles, a triple, 5 homers (4 in the last week he was there), and 12 RBI. �He did strikeout 42 times, though. �Cleveland will give Bixler a chance to compete for a middle infield spot on with the team.

Also going on this weekend: MLB's rookie career development program, where the up-and-coming major leaguers are given some crash courses on various off-the-field topics, including finances, media relations, etc. �This year the Pirates' have sent Andrew McCutchen, Brad Lincoln, and Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez did not participate in mini-camp, but stayed in Arizona to continue to work at the Athletes' Performance Institute (and the Pirates were ok with that). Winter League Playoffs: Puerto Rican League Playoffs: The semifinals were scheduled to begin on Sunday night, with two best-of-7 series: �Los Indios de Mayaguez vs. Los Lobos de Arecibo, and Los Criollos de Caguas vs. Los Gigantes de Carolina. �But rain cancelled Saturday's games and wet grounds have forced a postponement of Sunday's games (and that was announced by midday). Los Leones de Ponce were eliminated. Dominican League Playoffs: The round robin tournament ended with Los Gigantes del Cibao in first place with a 12-6 record, and Los Leones del Escogido in second place at 10-8. �Those two teams will begin a best-of-7 final series on Monday. �Los Tigres del Licey (8-10) and Los Toros del Este (6- 12) were eliminated. Venezuelan League Playoffs: Los Navegantes del Magallanes have clinched the top spot in the round robin tournament and will advance to the finals. �Los Leones del Caracas have a 9-6 record, and with one game left for them in the tournament, a win will secure for them a spot in the finals. �If Caracas loses but Los Tiburones de La Guaira, who currently have a 7-7 record with two games to play, also lose one of their games, then Caracas is in. �If Caracas loses but La Guaira win both games, then the two teams will be tied with a 9-7 record and there will need to be some kind of playoff. Also, former Indy Indian Yurendell de Caster is now playing for Magallanes. OK>>>LATER, with the results Leones del Caracas 6, �Navegantes del Magallanes 3 Caracas was quiet for the first four innings, but then burst out with 5 runs in the 5th. �With one out, a fielding error and a double put two runners into scoring position. �C Carlos Maldonado singled to drive in the runner from third, and another single brought in the second run. �Then CF Josh Kroger (White Sox) blasted a 3-run homer to give Caracas a 5-0 lead. �A solo homer by DH Wilson Ramos made it 6-0 in the top of the 6th. �Magallanes scored their only runs in the bottom of the frame. �SS Argenis Diaz, who had entered the game in the top of the inning, walked, then went to third on a single. �LF Mike Ryan's sacrifice fly brought Diaz across the plate. �After another single, 1B Yurendell de Caster grounded to short, for what should have been the end of the inning. �But the throw to first went wild, and two runs scored. �That was all the scoring in the game, though, and Caracas's 10th win clinched them a trip to the final round of playoffs, regardless of what La Guaira may do in the next two days. Mexican Pacific League Venados de Mazatlan 6, �Yaquis de Obregon 2 Obregon got going early with 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. �With two outs, a single, a walk, and an RBI single scored one run, and a 3-run homer made it 4-0. �But Mazatlan returned fire with a solo home run by CF Ruben Rivera to lead off the top of the 2nd. �Two walks and a single after the homer loaded the bases, and a third walk and a hit batter forced in two more runs. �Mazatlan tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the 3rd on C Miguel Ojeda's solo homer. �The next six innings were a whole lot of not much, and the game went into extras. �Mazatlan put a runner on base with a walk in the 10th, but he was caught stealing second base, and they went down in order in the 11th. �Obregon threatened in the 10th with a single, a bunt, and a walk, but couldn't score. �They put two more runners on base in the bottom of the 11th with a single and a double, but again no score. �Finally in the top of the 12th, Ojeda blasted his second home run of the game, a 2-run shot. �Randy Williams took the mound for Mazatlan in the bottom of the frame, and retired three batters in order, the final two on strikeouts. The win gives Mazatlan the series. �They will face Hermosillo in the finals, another best-of-7 series, beginning in a few days.

While we're waiting to find out who is going to be bumped in favor of pitchers Octavio Dotel and Brendan Donnelly, a look at how some Pirates' players and friends fared in Saturday night's winter league playoff games.... Both of the Puerto Rican League games were postponed due to rain. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Navegantes del Magallanes 9, �Bravos de Margarita 6 Jean Machi earned his 4 playoff save for Magallanes with a scoreless 9th inning, though he did allow a walk and a single. �Magallanes got going with 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, on a 2-run homer, a double, and two singles. �Another 2-run homer added two runs in the 5th, and two throwing errors and a 2-run single gave them 2 more in the 6th. �Los Navegantes rounded it out with a double, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly for their last run in the 7th. �LF Mike Ryan singled in the 5th inning, but didn't score. �Margarita scored single runs in the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 7th innings, and then two more on a 2-run homer in the 8th, but they couldn't keep up with Magallanes. Leones de Caracas 6, �Tiburones de La Guaira 4 Two 3-run innings gave Caracas the edge. �They began with 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, on two doubles and three singles. �In the 5th, three consecutive singles to open the inning brought in one run. �After an intentional walk loaded the bases, a single brought in another run, and C Carlos Maldonado worked a walk to force in the third run of the inning. �La Guaira picked up their first two runs on a 2-run homer in the 4th, and added another single run in the 6th, as well as a solo homer in the 9th. �1B Hector Gimenez went 0-for-4 for La Guaira. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Gigantes del Cibao 10, �Tigres del Licey 6 Los Gigantes came out swinging, scoring one run in the 1st inning, then 5 runs in the 2nd inning on a solo homer and a grand slam by RF Nelson Cruz. �Licey brought in Denny Bautista to take the mound to begin the 3rd inning, and he fared no better -- he got one fly out, then gave up a single and a walk. �Bautista was relieved, and at the same time, Los Tigres 1B Jose Offerman and C Ronny Paulino were both ejected from the game. �After a walk, a bases-clearing double brought in 3 runs, and another double added the fourth run of the inning. �Licey showed very little offense in the early innings, though CF Jose Bautista did single in the 4th (and was left on base). �Licey got onto the scoreboard in the 5th with one run on a walk, two singles, and an RBI ground out. �Jose Bautista led off the 6th inning with a walk, and he scored on a single and an RBI double. �In the 7th, three singles loaded the bases for Licey, in their biggest rally of the game. �A wild pitch brought in one run, then Jose Bautista's single plated two more runs. �A single and three walks forced in Licey's final run in the bottom of the 9th, but that was all they could get. MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Naranjeros de Hermosillo 3, �Tomateros de Culiacan 1 Hermosillo knocked Culiacan out of the playoffs with their fourth straight win in the best-of-seven series. �Culiacan was held to just 3 hits plus 2 walks. �One of those base runners was eliminated in a double play, three of them were left stranded, and only one crossed the plate. �That one came in the 3rd inning, on a walk, a double, and an RBI single. �After that run scored, the next batter bounced into a double play, and then the next 14 Culiacan batters went down in order. �A walk followed by four more outs ended the game for Culiacan. �2B Luis Cruz went 0-for-3 for Los Tomateros.��Hermosillo scored on a home run in the top of the 1st, then scored another single run in the 5th on a walk and a double, and finally one more run in the 6th on two doubles. �Hermosillo now will await the outcome of the Mazatlan/Obregon series, then proceed to the final round of the playoffs. Venados de Mazatlan 5, �Yaquis de Obregon 2 Obregon was held to just 4 hits -- one was a solo homer in the 2nd, and two were singles in the 9th to bring in their only other run. �After that homer to lead off the 2nd, the next 15 Obregon batters were retired in order. �Mazatlan, again without rookie Rogelios Noris, loaded the bases in both the 1st and 2nd innings -- a walk forced in a run in the 1st, and a grounder force out brought in a run in the 2nd. �The winning runs came in the 6th, on a solo homer by CF Ruben Rivera, then a double and two singles. �Mazatlan now leads this series 3 games to 1.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Pittsburgh Lumber Co. will be moving to a new server at some point in the next...

It's now official -- righty reliever DJ Carrasco has put ink to paper on a minor league contract with the Pirates. �The Arizona native, who will turn 33 just as the season begins, was originally drafted by the Orioles in the 26th round of the 1997 draft, but he never played in an official game for them. �He was released by the Orioles in June 1998, and was signed by the Cleveland Indians a few days later. �After a brief 13-game stint for the Indians with their New York-Penn league team, Carrasco�was released by the Indians in August. �He was next signed by the Pirates in March 1999, and worked his way up through the system for the next four seasons. �He had a particularly strong performance with the A Hickory Crawdads in 2000, with 27 relief appearances and a 1.35 ERA in 40 innings �(20 BB, 40 K). �In 2001, he did equally well in 22 relief appearances for the Lynchburg Hillcats, with a 1.50 ERA, 4 wins (no losses), and 7 saves in 36 innings (14 BB, and another 40 K). �He also pitched 37 innings in 27 spots for the Altoona Curve, where he earned a 2-2 record and one save, for a 4.14 ERA (25 BB, 35K). �Carrasco spent all of the 2002 season with the Curve , where he again shone, with 29 �saves and a 1.61 ERA in 72.2 innings (18 BB, 83 K). �But the Pirates did not add him to the 40-man roster, and the Royals thought that season showed a lot of potential -- they selected him in the Rule 5 draft. �That meant that Carrasco had to spend all of 2003 on the major league roster with the Royals. �He didn't do too badly, making 48 relief appearances and 2 starts, and earning a 6-5 record and 2 saves, with a 4.82 ERA (40 BB, 57 K). �Carrasco split both the 2004 and 2005 seasons between AAA Omaha and Kansas City, switching to the starting rotation for KC in 2005. �He began to have shoulder problems at the end of 2005, and those also hampered his brief tour with Fukuoka in Japan in 2006, where he made only 3 starts. �Carrasco returned to the US and pitched for AAA Tucson (Diamondbacks) in 2007, again mostly as a starter -- 22 starts and 12 relief appearances, but with a 5-14 record and a 6.68 ERA. �In 137.1 innings, he allowed 185 hits, with 60 BB and 103 K. �The White Sox signed Carrasco to a minor league contract in 2008 and sent him back to the bullpen, where things went much better. �He began the season with AAA Charlotte, but spent most of the season with the White Sox, where he pitched 38.2 innings in 31 appearances, for a 3.96 ERA and 30 hits, 14 BB, and 30 K. �The 2009 season was also strong, as Carrasco led the majors in relief innings (93.1) in 48 middle relief appearances (one start), for a 5-1 record and a 3.76 ERA . �He allowed 103 hits, with 29 BB and 62 K. �The White Sox did not offer Carrasco a contract for the 2010 season, though, for what appeared to be budget reasons. �He will join the ranks of relievers vying for a spot in the Pirates' bullpen for 2010. �He could be a strong arm out of the bullpen and also would give the Pirates the option of having someone to make an emergency spot start if they chose to add him to the major league roster. �Otherwise, Carrasco could join the Indy Indians' bullpen and hope for a chance to move up to Pittsburgh. With the Pirates coming close to signing reliever Octavio Dotel and possibly another free agent reliever, both to major league contracts, two players will have to come off the 40-man roster. �Those on the bubble: 1B/OF Steve Pearce, INF Brian Bixler, 3B Neil Walker. �All three of them might benefit from a fresh start elsewhere. UPDATE: It's Brendan Donnelly, the righty reliever, and that means two players definitely have to be removed from the 40-man roster. �You'd think the Pirates would rather make a trade (or two) and get some minor leaguers in return rather than just up and release someone, or lose someone to a waiver claim.... unless they think that there's such a low chance of a waiver claim that it won't matter.... Other signing notes: IF Tagg Bozied, who played the last half of the 2009 season for the Indy Indians, signed with the Phillies for 2010. �Bozied hit .288 for the Tribe, with 17 doubles, one triple, 5 homers, and 18 RBI. INF/OF Jeff Salazar, who also was with the Indy Indians and the Pirates in 2009, has joined the Orioles for 2010. �He hit .270 for the Tribe, with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 10 homers, and 39 RBI. �Salazar was promoted to Pittsburgh, but appeared in only 21 games and went 1-for-23 at the plate, with one RBI. P �Chris Bootcheck has signed to pitch in Japan for 2010. �The former first-round draft pick for the Angels (2000), Bootcheck made 40 relief appearances for the Indy Indians in 2009, and earned 20 saves. �In 42.2 innings, he allowed 40 hits, 7 BB, and 55 K. �Bootcheck made 13 relief appearances for the Pirates, but in 14.2 innings, he racked up a 11.05 ERA, with 16 hits, 9 BB, and 13 K. Former Indy Indian/Pirate Jose Castillo has also signed to play in Japan for 2010.

The Pirates have agreed to terms with another reliever. This time it is Brendan Donnelly. Donnelly has been a very productive reliever...

Pirates' players and friends in Friday's winter league playoff action... including a pitcher who has not been very active recently DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Tigres del Licey 7, �Toros del Este 1 Jared Hughes pitched in his second game for Los Toros this week. �Hughes pitched 2 scoreless innings on Sunday, but he did not fare as well today. �He took the mound to begin the 3rd inning, and gave up a walk and a single, but got a double play to end the inning. �He gave up a lone single in the 4th inning, but then got into trouble in the 5th inning. �He gave up back-to-back singles (including one to CF Jose Bautista) to open the 5th, then got an out and gave up a walk. �After a strikeout, a second walk forced in a run, and that was all for Hughes. �A passed ball scored the runner from third base, and a single brought in two more runs, giving Licey 4 runs in the inning. �Bautista had walked in the 1st inning, but was forced out at second base in a run-scoring play. �Three singles added another run for Licey in the 2nd inning, and two more singles scored a run in the 8th. �Los Toros were held to just 6 hits. �The only inning in which they posted more than one hit was the 9th, when 1B Mauro Gomez led off with a solo homer, then a single followed the homer. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Bravos de Margarita 10, �Tiburones de La Guaira 7 1B Hector Gimenez began the games' scoring with a solo homer in the 2nd inning. �But�Margarita burst out with 5 runs in the 4th and 4 runs in the 5th, plus one more in the 6th, as every member of the batting order but one collected two hits. �La Guaira scored in each of the last four innings, but it wasn't enough to catch up. �Four walks and a sacrifice fly brought in two runs in the 6th -- Gimenez had the second walk and scored the second run. �A solo homer added a run in the 7th, and another solo homer plus a double and a single gave La Guaira two runs in the 8th. �Gimenez's grounder to third was booted in the 9th inning, and though Gimenez did not get the RBI, it did bring in another run. Aguilas de Zulia 8, �Leones del Caracas 7 Reliever Chris Hernandez earned his second playoff save with 1.2 innings of work for Zulia. �He came into the game in the 8th inning with runners on the corners, one out, and one run in. �Hernandez got the first batter he faced to ground into a force out, but a run came in. �He gave up a single to Caracas' LF Jose Castillo, but then got a strikeout to end the inning. �In the 9th, Hernandez gave up a double, but left that runner on base. �Zulia had the early lead with 7 runs scored over the first 3 innings. �Caracas scored one run in the 2nd and 4 runs in the 5th, including an RBI single by Castillo, then those two runs in the 8th. MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Naranjeros de Hermosillo 5, �Tomateros de Culiacan 4 Culiacan scored early, but Hermosillo came back and scored late to take the win. �A walk, a single by 2B Luis Cruz, a sacrifice bunt, and a 2-RBI double gave Culiacan their first two runs in the 2nd inning. �Another walk, single, and double added a run in the 4th, and a walk, a bunt, and a single gave them their fourth run in the 5th inning. �Culiacan held the 4-1 lead, but Hermosillo began chipping away at it. �Los Naranjeros scored one run in the 7th, and one in the 8th. �In the top of the 9th, Hermosillo loaded the bases with two walks and a single, and another single drove in the tying and go-ahead runs. �Culiacan is on the verge of elimination, with Hermosillo leading the series 3 games to none. Yaquis de Obregon 4, �Venados de Mazatlan 3 A walk, a single, and a 2-out RBI single in the bottom of the 8th broke a 3-3 tie to give Obregon the win. �Rogilios Noris didn't get into the game. �Mazatlan leads the series 2 games to 1.

The Mexican Pacific League has the day off, and the Puerto Rican League's only playoff game was rained out, but a few Pirates' friends and players got into games in the Venezuelan and Dominican playoffs on Thursday. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Tiburones de La Guaira 4, �Navegantes del Magallanes 3 La Guaira got things rolling with a run in each of the first two innings, including 1B Hector Gimenez's solo blast to lead off the 2nd inning. �Magallanes began their scoring in the 3rd inning, with a walk and an RBI double. �They tied the score in the 4th on a double and an RBI single, and took the lead in the 5th with a walk, a single, an error, and an RBI single by LF Mike Ryan. That 3-2 lead for Magallanes lasted until the top of the 9th. �That's when Jean Machi took the mound for Los Navegantes and immediately gave up a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk. �A single into right field brought both base runners across the plate with the tying and go-ahead runs for Los Tiburones. �La Guaira held off Magallanes in the bottom of the frame to take the win. Leones del Caracas 7, �Aguilas de Zulia 1 Both teams recorded 10 hits, but Zulia could only get one run across the plate, on a bases-loaded ground out in the 4th. �Caracas scored in three consecutive innings, beginning with C Carlos Maldonado's 2-run homer in the 2nd inning. �Two singles, two doubles, and two errors contributed to a 4-run rally in the 3rd inning, including another RBI on a fielder's choice for Maldonado. �Then a single and an RBI double added another run for Caracas in the 4th. �Reliever Romulo Sanchez pitched 2.1 innings for Zulia. �He finished the 3rd inning, and pitched the 4th (responsible for that run) and the 5th innings. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Tigres del Licey 7, �Leones de Escogido 5 These two teams combined for a 27-game hit-fest. �Escogido had 16 of the hits, but scored only 5 runs, scattered over 4 innings. �Licey batters managed only 11 hits but used them more effectively. �A double and two singles gave them 2 runs in the 3rd inning. �In the 6th, CF Jose Bautista led off with a single, and after another single, DH Wily Mo Pena's double brought in 2 runs. �An intentional walk followed by an unintentional walk forced in a run, then pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino forced in run #4. �A fielding error brought in the 5th run of the inning. Gigantes del Cibao 7, �Toros del Este 4 Three runs in the bottom of the 6th inning broke a 4-4 tie to give Los Gigantes the win. �Those three runs came on two homers, separated by a batter reaching base on an error. �Reliever Juan Perez pitched the 7th inning for Los Gigantes, allowing only a walk, then catching that runner trying to steal, then he gave up a single to lead off the 8th before being replaced. �1B Yurendell de Caster dropped down a sacrifice bunt in Los Toros' rally in the top of the 1st, and he struck out in the 2nd inning. �He was removed from the game in the middle of the 2nd inning, with no reason given.