Davis was signed by the Bucs as a free agent on March 29, after Texas released him. The 28-year-old posted a 6-9 record at Indianapolis with a 4.41 ERA. Davis is a big guy (6'6") with a fastball that can get into the upper 90s, although more often it's around 93-94. He also throws a splitter.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington said. "He's been in the big leagues before and he has Major League-caliber stuff. He gives us length and unfortunately, with a couple unstable spots in our rotation right now, it's a good opportunity."
In other words, he's the long man and spot starter for the time being, and maybe the fallback if Yoslan Herrera bombs again before Ross Ohlendorf is ready.
In his last four starts, Davis posted a 2-0 record with a 1.95 ERA. He has a 20-22 lifetime record in 6 MLB years, mostly with Cleveland, and a 4.78 ERA.
> Jeff Karstens is supposed to report today, and is scheduled to take JVB's next start Friday or Saturday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Let's hope the wind is blowing in.
> MLB.com reports that:
A proposed deal to trade Jay Bay to Atlanta in exchange for four minor leaguers was killed when presented to the Pirates owners for approval.
Still as the week progresses, the Braves will continue to pursue Bay, who is set to earn $7.5 million during the final year of his contract next year.
The Pirates would have a definite interest in shortstop Brent Lillibridge, who they developed before trading him to the Braves in exchange for Adam LaRoche last year. In addition, they'd likely ask for Brandon Jones, who would be considered a Major League-ready outfielder. He hit .278 (15-for-54) with seven extra-base hits, including a homer, in 16 games with Atlanta earlier this year.
To complete the deal the Braves would likely also have to include one of their talented young pitchers from the Class A level and another marginal position player.
We'd prefer to see CF Gorkys Hernandez, OF Jason Heyward, or RHP Tommy Hanson as part of the Brave package. Jones isn't a power bat, and we need to find one or get another arm for Bay.
Several sources say that if Pittsburgh does hold on to their oft-discussed trio of trading chips Bay, Jack Splat, and John Grabow, they still may be shopped during the winter.
> Phil Dumatrait has been reported as either not throwing in Florida or tossing lightly, so his return looks like it'll be in late August or more likely September.
> It's thought that Tanner Scheppers wants to sign and begin his professional career now, so his pitching audition for the Pirate evaluators, now pushed back to August, should be the make-or-break part of the deal.
On the minor league front: Daniel McCutchen lost his first start at Indy, 4-3. He lasted six innings and gave up 4 runs on 7 hits, striking out 3 and walking 2. DH Luis Ordaz (.323), 33, had two hits.
> The Curve won 5-3 in 11 innings, with LHP Dave Davidson (4-2, 3.29 ERA) getting the win with 3 shutout frames. 2B Shelby Ford (.279), RF Tony Webster (.242), C Steve Lerud (.234), and SS Luis Cruz (.263) each banged out two hits.
> Lynchburg gave up an eight spot in the eighth and lost 11-3. LHP Danny Moskos (7-7, 6.30 ERA) had another not-so-strong start, going 4 innings and giving up 3 runs on 4 hits with 3 walks. RHP Blair Johnson (3-2, 4.12 ERA) was hammered in the loss. C Kris Watts (.310) had two hits and two RBI. SS Jose De Los Santos (.240) also added a pair of hits.
> Hickory won 6-1 behind 6 goose eggs thrown by RHP Duke Welker (3-8, 4.34 ERA). SS Jordy Mercer (.202) collected three hits, and RF Erik Huber (.263) & 2B Greg Picart (.258)added two more apiece. Picart had two RBI.
> State College lost 6-3 as three errors led to three unearned runs. LF Quincy Latimore (.230) had three knocks, including his first home run, and 2 RBI. 1B Calvin Anderson (.261) and SS Chase D'Arnaud (.250) had two hits each.
> Bradenton lost 4-3. Starter RHP Zachary Foster (1-0, 3.26 ERA) has a strong start, going five innings while yielding a run on 2 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. The Pitt-Bradford grad, 21, didn't figure in the decision.
CF Victor Sanchez (.306) went 3-3 while 2B Adenson Chourio (.337), 1b Carlos Silva (.294), and C Jesus Aguilara (.300) added a pair of knocks.
