Pirates release Nieve By Sports Network

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pittsburgh Pirates released veteran pitcher Fernando Nieve on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old right-hander came to the Pirates as a free agent in December after spending parts of the last two seasons with the New York Mets.

He saw action in five relief appearances during spring training and compiled a 1-1 mark with a lofty 9.82 earned run average with the Bucs.

Last year, he went 2-4 with a 6.00 ERA over 40 games -- one start.

In 99 career big-league appearances, including 19 starts, Nieve is 8-11 with a 4.61 ERA with Houston and the Mets.