August 1, 2008 John Grabow picked up his first save of the season on Friday by pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
Our View:The Pirates will go with a closer by committee approach until someone stands out. Grabow and Tyler Yates figure to be the front runners at the moment, though newly acquired Craig Hansen could also factor in.
July 29, 2008 John Grabow is the most likely Pirate to be traded next, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Rays, Cardinals, Phillies, Red Sox and Angels are known to have inquired about trading for the southpaw.
Our View:There is one caveat to Grabow being dealt. He was shut down for nine days earlier this month due to arm fatigue, so the interested parties will obviously want to make sure he's healthy before a deal is consummated.
July 18, 2008 John Grabow, who was shut down for nine days due to arm fatigue, could return to the Pirates' bullpen tonight (if he is cleared by manager John Russell), according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He pitched a strong side session on Thursday.
Our View:Grabow surrendered four earned runs and eight walks over his last 9.1 innings of work, and the reliever should not be considered for your fantasy lineups (in leagues that use middle men).
July 14, 2008 John Grabow was shut down by the club Wednesday to attend to arm fatigue, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Our View:The team stated the reliever should be ready to pitch on Friday or Saturday. There was no specific injury disclosed, but 10 of his last 15 runs surrendered have come on a home run, and the team wanted him to rest as a precaution.
May 9, 2008 John Grabow pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win in Friday night's 3-2 victory over Atlanta. Grabow came in after Tyler Yates allowed the first two runners to reach base. After striking out Kelly Johnson, Grabow got Yunel Escobar to bounce into a double play.
"Obviously, you never want to come into a situation like that," said Grabow, who has a 1.02 ERA. "But that's our job out in the bullpen to pick each other up."
Our View:The Pirates continue to get good pitching and timely hitting and while Ian Snell didn't get the victory, he did pitch well for the first time this month, save the walks.
