James, who has pitched in all or part of six major league seasons with the Dodgers (2008-10) and Pirates (2010-13), signed a one-year major league deal with Chicago in February ... he is a non-roster invitee to major league Spring Training... Is 32-30 with a 4.20 ERA (239 ER/512.1 IP) in 131 career minor league games, including 82 starts ... has pitched primarily out of the starting rotation since August of 2010 after he was acquired by Pittsburgh from the Dodgers with outfielder Andrew Lambo for pitcher Octavio Dotel... Is 28-26 with a 4.32 ERA (218 ER/454.0 IP) in 82 career starts ... is 4-4 with a 3.24 ERA (21 ER/58.1 IP) in 49 relief appearances, with 48 of those outings coming with the Dodgers from 2008-10... Made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2008, and made two appearances in the NLCS vs. the Phillies ... spun 5.1 scoreless innings... Named the Dodgers Minor League Pitcher of the Year in both 2007 and 2008... Earned mid-season California League All-Star honors in 2007 ... was named a Southern League mid-season All-Star in 2008... Began his pro career in 2003 as a pitcher before playing in the outfield for the majority of the next two seasons, including all of 2004 with the Rookie League GCL Dodgers... Selected by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2002 draft... Is a 2002 graduate of Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High School, the same school that produced Chase Utley and Tony Gwynn ... also played briefly for Golden West College in 2003 before signing with the Dodgers... His father, James, played tight end in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams ... is a first cousin of Cubs outfielder Darnell McDonald.
2013
In his final season with the Pirates, James missed a majority of the season with a right shoulder strain, making just six starts before landing on the shelf, May 2 ... made 10 rehab outings (nine starts) with four clubs, but would remain on the D.L. through the end of the season... Opened the season with Pittsburgh and was 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA (19 ER/29.2 IP) in six starts before landing on the disabled list ... walked 20 and struck out 25 in his six outings... Combined to go 1-4 with a 6.55 ERA (24 ER/33.0 IP) in 10 minor league rehab games (nine starts), spanning two stretches: May 27-June 21 with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis and August 19-September 1 with the Rookie League GCL Pirates and Single-A Bradenton... Walked 15 and struck out 20 in his rehab assignments ... surrendered four home runs... Was reinstated from the D.L. and designated for assignment, September 7 ... outrighted, September 12, and filed for free agency the next day.
2012
Established career highs in wins and strikeouts...Posted the identical amount of innings pitched and earned runs from a year ago...Ranked second on the pitching staff in starts and strikeouts...Tied
for second in wins and innings pitched...Went 6-2 with a 2.73 ERA and a .199 batting average against in 14 starts at PNC Park...Posted a 7-1 record and a 2.12 ERA (59.1ip/14er) in nine starts
against the five N.L. playoff teams, including a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA (13.0ip) in two starts against St. Louis...Went 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA (110.0ip/29er) in 17 games prior to the All-Star break
and 3-5 with a 7.52 ERA (61.0ip/51er) in 13 games after the break...Struck out 10 batters while winning his first game on 4/30 at Atlanta (fifth start)...Struck out as a pinch hitter during 12-
inning game on 5/13 vs. Houston...Took a no-hitter into the 6th inning and struck out a career-high 11 batters in 5-3 win at Washington on 5/17...His 1.54 ERA during the month of May was the
second-lowest in the National League behind San Francisco's Ryan Vogelsong (1.51)...Had the second-lowest ERA in the N.L. (2.04) when he took the mound for his 12th start on 6/9 vs. Kansas
City...Tossed first Major League complete game on 6/21 vs. Minnesota...Became the only Pittsburgh starter since 1900 to allow three or fewer runs in each of his first 14 starts of a season; streak
was snapped when he gave up four runs in an 11-7 victory on 6/27 at Philadelphia...Served as a pinch runner on 7/3 vs. Houston...Struck out 10 batters and did not walk a batter in 7.0ip while
winning his ninth game on 7/7 vs. San Francisco; first Bucco pitcher since Doug Drabek on 4/22/88 vs. the Cubs to win a game with 10-or-more strikeouts and no walks at home...Won four straight
starts from 6/21 to 7/7 and won eight of his nine decisions from 5/17 thru 7/18...Had a 7-1 lead after four innings on 8/10 vs. San Diego, but received a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 9-8 loss that
night (4.1ip/7er)...Tossed 6.0 scoreless frames and gave up just two hits while winning his 11th game on 8/17 at St. Louis...Singled as a pinch hitter and scored a run in the 17th innings during
Pittsburgh's 19-inning win at St. Louis on 8/19...Suffered loss at San Diego on 8/22...Won final game on 8/28 vs. St. Louis after allowing just two hits and striking out six batters in 7.0 scoreless
innings...Went 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA (12.0ip/14er) in his last three starts...Made final appearance in relief and failed to retire a batter while giving up three runs on 9/21 at Houston; his first relief
appearance with Pittsburgh and his first since 7/29/10 with Los Angeles (had made 71 straight starts)...The Pirates were shut out in each of his first three losses and scored a total of eight runs
in his eight losses overall...Posted a 6.83 ERA (29.0ip/22er) and gave up 20 walks and nine home runs while pitching in the 1st inning...Went 7-for-49 (.143) with an RBI, six sacrifice bunts and
eight runs scored as a batter; went 1-for-2 as a pinch hitter.
2011
Led Pirates in starts and strikeouts while spending first full season
as a starting pitcher...His 142 K's were the most by a Pittsburgh righthander since Ian
Snell led the team with 177 in 2007...Went 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA (93.0ip/22er) in 16 starts
at PNC Park...Left six of his starts with a lead only to have the bullpen suffer a blown
save...Did not pitch in an official spring training game after leaving his start on 3/11 due
to soreness in his left side...Made his regular season debut in the fifth game and received
a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 3-2 loss at St. Louis on 4/5 (4.2ip/2er)...Gave up four runs
to the Rockies in the 1st inning on 4/9, but left the game with a 5-4 lead and two outs in
the 7th before Mike Crotta surrendered three walks and a hit while Colorado scored twice
to pull out the 6-5 victory...Suffered first loss on 4/16 at Cincinnati (4.1ip/7r/6er)...Gave
up eight runs in 3.0ip and lost second decision on 4/21 at Florida...Pitched 6.0 scoreless
innings while winning first game on 4/27 vs. San Francisco...Was also victorious in next
start on 5/2 at San Diego (6.0ip/2er)...Tossed 6.0 scoreless frames and left game on 5/8 vs. Houston with a 2-0 lead, but received a
no-decision in 5-4 Bucco victory...Posted a 2.86 ERA in six starts during the month of May...Tied career high with five walks issued on
6/5 vs. Philadelphia...Won career-high four straight decisions from 6/11 thru 7/25...Produced a 12.2 scoreless innings streak from 7/19-
30...Struck out career-high nine batters while winning a 3-1 decision at Atlanta on 7/25...Went 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA in August, but left
three other games with a lead...Won final game on 9/5 vs. Houston...Went 0-2 with a 7.10 ERA (12.2ip/10er) in his last three starts...
Went 5-for-55 (.091) with a double, three RBI and five sacrifice bunts at the plate...Tallied his first career RBI with a three-run double off
Chicago's Rodrigo Lopez on 8/4.
2010
Began season with Albuquerque (Dodgers' AAA)...Allowed one run in 5.0 innings and received a no-decision on
Opening Day at Oklahoma City; the Isotopes won 6-3 in 13 innings...Left his start on 4/18 after 1.0 inning and was placed on the disabled
list the next day with a broken finger nail on his right hand...Earned first win of the season in first game off disabled list with 5.0
scoreless innings on 4/29 vs. Round Rock...Was charged with only loss after allowing three runs in 5.0 innings on 5/4 at
Memphis...Allowed seven runs in 5.2ip, but came away with a no-decision
in 12-11 loss at Salt Lake...Went 5-0 in final seven Triple-A starts...Worked
5.0 scoreless innings and earned the win on 5/26 vs. Reno...Was placed
on the disabled list the next day with a right hamstring strain...Began a
rehab assignment with the Arizona League Dodgers on 6/22...Allowed one
earned run in a combined 5.2 innings over two starts on rehab...Was
reinstated from the disabled list on 7/1...Allowed a combined five earned
runs in 17.0 innings in final three starts with Albuquerque...Was recalled
by the Dodgers on 7/19...Made lone start with Los Angeles that night vs.
San Francisco and suffered the loss (5.0ip/9h/4r/4er)...Made final three
appearances in relief for the Dodgers before being acquired by Pittsburgh
on 7/31...Made first start with Pirates on 8/5 vs. Colorado and struck out
career-high eight batters while pitching 6.0 scoreless frames in 5-1
victory...Suffered loss in his next start on 8/11 at San Diego (4.2ip/4er)
before winning a 7-1 decision vs. Florida on 8/16 (7.0ip/1er)...Walked
career-high five batters in a 5-1 loss vs. New York (NL) on 8/21...Lost three
straight starts from 8/21 thru 9/1...Tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in a 5-0,
combined shutout vs. Atlanta on 9/7...Pitched a career-high 8.0 innings, but received a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 1-0 loss in 10 innings
at New York (NL) on 9/13...Tossed 20.0 consecutive scoreless innings between 9/1-18 - the longest such streak by a Bucco pitcher
since Zach Duke in 2005 (22.0ip)...Went 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA (30.0ip/6er) in his last five starts and posted a 2.31 ERA (35.0ip/9er)
in six starts after giving up six runs on 8/27 at Milwaukee...Went 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 15 combined games (12 starts) with the Dodgers
and Pirates...Went 1-for-20 at the plate with Pittsburgh and 1-for-21 overall...Doubled off Arizona's Barry Enright for first Major League
hit on 9/18 at PNC Park; snapped an 0-for-26 start to his batting career.
2009
Earned a spot on his first Major League roster and spent nearly the entire season with the Dodgers, going 5-5 with a 4.00 ERA in
45 games (four starts)...Made his first big league start on April 10 at Arizona, but lasted just 2.1 innings after giving up five runs...Picked up his first Major League win on April 25 at Colorado after getting the start and tossing 5.0 innings at Coors Field...Dodger
reliever Ramon Troncoso earned his first save that day, making the duo the first set of Dodger pitchers to accomplish this feat since
April 8, 2005, when Steve Schmoll picked up his first career victory and Yhency Brazoban rescued his first contest...(Source:
Elias)...Was in the starting rotation for the month of April and made four starts, going 1-1 with an 8.78 ERA (13 ER/13.1 IP) in those
games...Permanently moved to the bullpen after April and flourished, going 4-4 with a 2.72 ERA (15 ER/49.2 IP) in 41 games...Was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on May 14 and was recalled on June 19...while with the Isotopes, went 1-0 with a 3.26 ERA
(11 ER/30.1 IP) over six starts...struck out 40 and walked just 14...Had a 2.78 ERA in 22 games at home as opposed to a 5.28 mark on the road in 23 games...On the year, the opposition hit .254 against him...left-handers batted just .213...did not allow a home run to a left-handed batter
all season over 94 at-bats...Batters were just 4-for-22 (.182) against him with runners in scoring position and two out...Worked a season-high 3.0 innings out of the bullpen on Sept. 15 vs. Pittsburgh...pitched a scoreless 10th, 11th and 12th frame
and the Dodgers won it in the 13th
2008
Won the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award for the second year in a row, going 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA in a combined
27 games (26 starts) with Double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A Las Vegas...Was promoted to Los Angeles as a September call-up for his Major League debut, and tossed 6.0 scoreless innings over four
appearances...Went 5-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 22 starts with Jacksonville, and was a mid-season Southern League All-Star...was promoted to Las
Vegas on August 4, and went 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in five games (four starts) there...allowed three runs or less in 22 of his 26
starts overall...His 3.19 ERA with Jacksonville ranked second in the Southern League, and his 113 strikeouts ranked ninth...struck out 141 batters
in 141.0 innings overall with Jacksonville and Las Vegas...struck out 10 in both of his first two Triple-A starts...Was voted as having the best changeup in the SL in Baseball America's annual "Best Tools" survey of league managers and
coaches...Earned SL Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of May 5-11, when he went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA (2 ER/13.0 IP) in two starts...
went 2-1 with a 3.82 ERA (14 ER/33.0 IP) in six starts in May to share Jacksonville's Dodger Pride Award for the month with
right-hander Jesus Castillo...also posted stellar numbers in June, going 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA (7 ER/35.0 IP) in six starts...Tossed a scoreless fourth inning for the South All-Stars in the SL All-Star Game...struck out two, and allowed a hit and a walk...Had entered the 2008 season as the club's No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America...Was placed on the Dodgers' Division Series roster...also made the NLCS roster, and tossed 5.1 scoreless innings in two appearances
against the Phillies...struck out five in 3.1 innings in Game 2 on October 10
2007
Made 16 appearances (15 starts) for Single-A Inland Empire before being promoted to Double-A Jacksonville...was 6-7 with a 3.95 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 82.0 innings for Inland Empire...excelled at Jacksonville, going 7-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 10 starts...named the Dodger Minor League Pitcher of the Year...had a combined record of 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 134.2 innings pitched between Double-A and Single-A...named the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Month in May...went 4-0 with a 1.84 ERA (6 ER/29.1 IP) in five starts...led all Dodger minor leaguers with 35 strikeouts while walking only six batters...held opposing hitters to a .184 batting average...put together back-to-back outstanding starts on May 11 and May 16, going 7.0 scoreless inings and allowing just three hits in both contests...On May 27, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Rancho Cucamonga before yielding a leadoff single...struck out 11 batters, which had been his career high at the time...retired the first 14 batters he faced in the contest...struck out a career-high 13 batters in only 5.1 innings pitched on June 24 vs. San Jose...named the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Month in July...finished the month 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA (7 ER/25.2 IP) in five games for Double-A Jacksonville and Single-A Inland Empire...won four consecutive starts from July 29-Aug. 14...was 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA (4 ER/23 IP) and 38 strikeouts.
2006
Spent entire season with Single-A Columbus...Was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher-of-the-Week for the week of 8/28
to 9/4...Ended the season without allowing a run in his last 20.0 innings.
2005
Began season as an outfielder with Rookie Level Ogden...Went 19-for-83 (.229) with three doubles, one triple, eight RBI and
12 runs scored in 28 games...Made first pitching appearance on 8/28 and allowed two runs in 2.0 innings of relief...Was scored upon
twice in his four appearances as a pitcher.
2004
Hit .224 (28-for-125) with two doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and 15 runs scored in 46 games as an outfielder with the Gulf
Coast League Dodgers...Went 22-for-70 (.314 average) in a combined 28 games during the first two months of the season before hitting
.109 (6-for-55) in 18 games in August.
2003
Made professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers...Started and suffered the loss (3.0ip/3r) in professional debut
on 6/26 vs. the GCL Braves (game two).
