Mark Melancon News

Chicago righty Matt Garza makes his season debut on Tuesday when the Cubs begin a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Matt Dominguez's ground ball in the 11th inning wasn't hit very hard, but it was all the Houston Astros needed.

The Pirates and the Houston Astros saw the dark sides of their bullpen during the first two games of the weekend series.

Matt Dominguez and J.D. Martinez drove in the two deciding runs in the top of the 11th inning as the Houston Astros defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2, Saturday in the middle test of a three- game set at PNC Park.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, as is often pointed out, majors in pitching.

The Red Sox have lost closer Joel Hanrahan to season ending surgery , meaning that for the second straight season, the Red Sox have traded for a closer during the off-season and got a player who was ineffective when he has pitched and missed the majority of the season.

You know, the guy that the Boston Red Sox brought in before the 2012 season in hopes that he'd solidify the back of the bullpen, but instead blew up with a career-worst 6.20/1.27 ERA/WHIP over 45 innings in a disastrous year that saw him go from potential closer to being demoted to Triple-A? And neither do the Pittsburgh Pirates , who essentially ... (more)

The failure to pay the dependable closer after the 2011 season looks worse every day.

Despite MLB 's toughest April schedule, the Pittsburgh Pirates are currently 18-15, good for second place in the National League Central division behind the St.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing some good baseball and are off to a nice start to the 2013 season.

Sometimes the equation occurs on a small level, swapping the final man on the bench.

When the Oakland A's were in town early last week, the visiting clubhouse at Fenway had a Hadlock feel to it.