Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Watch 4/28/10

Kevin Hart was the starter, and got rocked.  Hart allowed eight runs, seven earned, on seven hits in two innings.  Hart made it to the third, but was chased after four batters, recording no outs.  Hart walked four and struck out three.  The bullpen did an excellent job keeping Indianapolis in the game.  Steven Jackson pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits, with a walk and two strikeouts.  Vinnie Chulk returned from the disabled list to pitch two shutout innings, allowing no hits, walking two, and striking out two.  Anthony Claggett got the win, pitching 1.2 shutout innings, and allowing one walk and one hit.  Wilfredo Ledezma came on to get the last out and the save, allowing a walk and a strikeout to get the job done.

The Altoona offense was on fire today.  Jordy Mercer went 1-for-5 with a double, two runs, and three RBIs.  Miles Durham went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base.  Alex Presley went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs, and two RBIs.  Jim Negrych also hit for a triple, going 2-for-4 with two runs, a walk, and an RBI.  Josh Harrison went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.  Chase d’Arnaud went 2-for-5 with two runs.  Shelby Ford went 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

Boleska pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing five runs on five hits, with no walks and three strikeouts.  The outing was excellent through the first two innings, with Boleska pitching two perfect innings, with two strikeouts.  That was especially good considering he came in to the sixth inning with two runners on base.  Boleska led off the eighth inning by allowing a triple, two singles, and another triple, bringing in three runs.  After his third strikeout of the night, Boleska allowed a two run home run, which capped off his night.  Tyler Cox came on in relief and pitched 1.2 shutout innings to close out the game, allowing one hit, two walks, and striking out two.

The Bradenton offense was excellent all around.  The top performer was Austin McClune, who went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, and five RBIs.  Despite the score, McClune has the only two extra base hits of the game for Bradenton.  Jeremy Farrell went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.  Tony Sanchez went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Robbie Grossman and Quincy Latimore each went 2-for-5.  Grossman also recorded his fifth stolen base of the season.  Brock Holt went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.  Greg Picart went 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.