Sports briefs
Wash High game postponed
The Southmoreland at Washington Class 3A Section 4 boys basketball scheduled for Friday night was postponed because of a maintenance issue at Washington High School. The game was been rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5 with the junior varsity game at 6 p.m. and the varsity contest at 7:30.
Wild Things make trades
The Washington Wild Things recently made two trades, acquiring catcher Chase Smartt from the New Jersey Jackals and lefty pitcher Tommy Shirley from the New York Boulders. New Jersey and New York are two of the five former Can-Am League teams that are joining the Frontier League for the 2020 season.
Shirley is a former WPIAL standout at Norwin High School. He went on to play at Xavier University and was drafted in the ninth round by the Houston Astros in 2010. He reached as high as Class AAA, where he had a 10-10 record in 42 games, including 28 starts. In 2014, Shirley was selected as both a midseason and postseason Class AA all-star while playing for Corpus Christi in the Texas League.
Last year, Shirley played in the Can-Am League but had a 2-7 record and 5.62 ERA in 15 games (10 starts).
“We are excited to give Tommy the opportunity to come home. Being a Pittsburgh kid, playing in Washington was a priority for him,” said Wild Things general manager Tony Buccilli. “He is eager to show that he can still be that front-line. … We greatly value his mound experience and high-level starts he accumulated over the years. To add one of Western Pennsylvania’s most successful professionals to our roster should create a buzz within the community but also strengthen the depth of our rotation.”
At 31 years old, Shirley is the oldest player to ever be on the Wild Things’ roster.
Smartt is a 24-year-old catcher who played four years at Troy University. He went undrafted last spring and signed with New Jersey, where he batted .240 and played in 44 games with the Jackals.
To acquire Shirley and Smartt, the Wild Things gave up a player to be named in each trade.
Pirates add 5
Left-handers Derek Holland and Robbie Erlin have agreed to minor league contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates along with catcher Andrew Susac and outfielder Charlie Tilson.
Pittsburgh also agreed Friday to an $850,000, one-year contract with JT Riddle, who became a free agent when Miami failed to offer a contract by the Dec. 2 deadline.
The 33-year-old Holland is 78-78 with a 4.54 ERA in 11 seasons, including eight with the Texas Rangers. Holland split time between the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs last year, going 2-5 with a 6.08 ERA.
Erlin, 29, is 13-20 with a 4.57 ERA in 106 appearances with the San Diego Padres. Erlin began his career as a starter but spent the last two seasons working almost exclusively out of the bullpen.
Susac last played in the majors for Baltimore in 2018. The 29-year-old is a career .221 hitter in spot duty for San Francisco, Milwaukee and Baltimore. Pittsburgh’s catching situation is murky behind Jacob Stallings.
Tilson comes to the Pirates from the Chicago White Sox. He had one home run and 23 RBIs in 96 games with Chicago. Pittsburgh is in need of outfield depth after trading Starling Marte to Arizona on Monday for prospects.
In the NBA
James Harden scored 35 points, Russell Westbrook added 32 and the Houston Rockets built a big lead and held on for a 128-121 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.