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Monthly Archives: October, 2010

Dale Sveum Becomes the 6th Candidate to Interview

The Pittsburgh Pirates interviewed Milwaukee Brewers' hitting coach Dale Sveum today, making him the sixth candidate to be interviewed for the vacant manager position....

Venezuelan and Mexican Pacific Leagues Underway

Two of the four winter leagues got started on Tuesday.� Some games involving Pirates' players and friends:

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE:

Leones de Caracas� 3,� Tigres de Aragua� 1 -- Caracas scored twice in the bottom of the 1st on two singles and an RBI double, then added an unearned run in the 5th, on a hit batter, a throwing error, and an RBI ground out.� Former Pirate C Carlos Maldonado was 0-for-4 for Caracas.� Los Tigres managed only one run despite out-hitting Caracas 8-6.� The run came in the top of the 2nd, on two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.� 1B Hector Gimenez walked in the 1st inning for Aragua, but was left on base, then was hitless in three more at-bats.� Former Pirate C Raul Chavez had one of Aragua's hits, a single in the 1st inning, when he was also left stranded.� Former Pirate farmhand Ronald Uviedo pitched the 8th inning for Caracas and allowed just a double.

Caribes de Anzoategui 16,� Navegantes del Magallanes 8 -- Los Caribes got the season started witha� bang, posting 20 hits, including 6 doubles and a homer.� The 7th run 2nd inning, sending 11 batters to the plate and featuring 4 doubles, two singles, two walks, and a wild pitch, put the game out of reach for Magallanes.� Unfortunately, none of the Pirates' farmhand listed on the Caribes' roster got into the game.� Former Indy Indian LF Mike Ryan, who has done well in previous winter league experiences, got this winter season off to a good start with a double and a solo home run, for 3 RBI.� Reliever Corey Hamman pitched the top of the 9th for Magallanes.� He hit a batter, then got two strikeouts, and gave up an RBI double.

Bravos de Margarita� 4,� Tiburones de La Guaira� 3� -- La Guaira had a 3-run lead going into the bottom of the 7th inning.� That's when Los Bravos tied the game with a 3-run rally.� Singles by RF Rene Reyes and 3B/1B Andy LaRoche opened the inning, and a walk to 1B Javier Brito loaded the bases.� A sacrifice fly brought in Reyes, and two RBI singles plated LaRoche, then Brito.� La Guaira put runners on the corners in the top of the 8th, but did not score.� Margarita loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame (LaRoche struck out), but a timely double play ended the inning without a run scoring.� La Guaira went down in order, on three strikeouts in the top of the 9th.� Margarita won it in the bottom of the 9th on a single and an RBI double.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE:

Yaquis de Obregon� 7,� Mayos de Navojoa� 1 -- Obregon scored in three of the first four innings, and held Navojoa to just 5 hits and one run, which scored in the 9th.� Former Pirate CF Jeff Salazar singled in the 4th inning for Obregon, and scored on a subsequent home run.� He also reached base on a grounder force out at second base (he probably beat out the relay throw to first), and then stole second base in the 2nd inning.

Team USA Falls To Dominicans In Semi Finals

Dominican Republic 7,� Team USA� 2

After dominating in the first two rounds of the Pan American Tournament, Team USA just couldn't get going tonight in their semi-final game against the Dominican Republic.� Team USA beat the Dominicans 8-3 in the first round on October 5th, out-hitting them 11-7.� But today the tables were turned and it was the Dominicans who out-hit the USA 14 - 6 and who were the dominant force.� RF Todd Frazier (Reds) had 2 of the USA's hits -- a single and a triple, and one of the RBI's.� 2B Cord Phelps (Cleveland Indians) had the other RBI and one hit.� CF Mike Trout (Angels), 1B Eric Hosmer, and SS Chase d'Arnaud had one hit each.

Danny Duffy (Royals) made the start for Team USA.� He worked around a single in the 1st inning, and around two singles in the 2nd.� Then with two outs in the top of the 3rd, Duffy gave up a double, then threw a wild pitch that put the runner on third base.� A passed ball by USA C Jordan Pacheco (Rockies) allowed that runner to score from third, and the Dominicans had a 1-0 lead.

The USA hitters got on base in the first two innings.� Pacheco walked in the bottom of the 1st, but was erased in a double play.� Phelps tripled with two outs in the 2nd, but he was left on third when a line out ended the inning.� Three USA batters went down swinging in the 3rd inning.� Finally in the 4th, Team USA tied the score at 1-1.� Hosmer hit another 2-out triple, but this time, Frazier was able to follow with a single into right field, and Hosmer scored.

Duffy retired the side in order in the 4th, but got into trouble in the 5th. A lead-off single began the inning, then that batter was forced out at second on a fielder's choice, leaving the next batter safe at first.� Two more singles followed, driving in a run.� Duffy was relieved by Andre Lamontagne (Brewers), who gave up a walk, then got a grounder to third, where 3B Mike Moustakas (Royals) started an around-the-horn double play to end the inning.

Team USA continued to struggle at the plate.� Chase d'Arnaud doubled down the left field line in the bottom of the 5th, but his teammates couldn't keep it going.� Former Pirate Juan Perez struck out all three USA batters in the 6th, after Lamontagne also retired the Dominicans in order in the top of the inning.� Lamontagne gave up four singles (single, ground out, single, pop out, single for 2 RBI, and another single) for two runs in the top of the 7th, increasing the Dominican lead to 4-1.� Tim Collins (Royals) relieved Lamontagne and ended the inning with a line out.

The second USA run came in the bottom of the 7th, and it came courtesy of yet another triple.� This time it was Frazier leading off with a triple, and he scored on Phelps ground out to second base.� LF Brian Barden (Marlins) and d'Arnaud both walked, but the next two batters struck out, ending the threat.

Team USA was still clinging to hope, as Collins put the Dominicans down in order in the top of the 8th.� Hosmer was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the inning, but he was left on base.� The Dominicans put the game out of reach in the top of the 9th.� Collins walked the first batter, got a ground out, then gave up an RBI double.� He struck out the next batter, then was relieved by Justin De Fratus (Phillies).� But De Fratus was greeted by Dominican 1B Willis Otanes' 2-run home run on a 1-0 pitch.� That gave the Dominicans a 7-2 lead.� Team USA went down in order in the bottom of the inning, and that was all for the Americans -- a disappointing end to a fine run in the tournament.

DH Brad Eldred went 0-for-4 in the game, and C Erik Kratz did not get into the game tonight.

Cuba defeated Venezuela in their semi-final game, so Cuba and the Dominican Republic will play the championship game on Wednesday evening.� Team USA and Venezuela will play at 2 pm for third place.

AFL Begins With Good Hitting, Poor Fielding

Mesa Solar Sox� 8,� Phoenix Desert Dogs� 3

The Arizona Fall League kicked off today with a win for the Solar Sox.� The Pirates' farmhands hit well, but had a few problems on defense.

LF Andrew Lambo got the Solar Sox going in the 2nd inning when he lined a 2-out single into center field.� CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Mets) drove in Lambo with a double into center field, to give Mesa a 1-0 lead.� Then the Solar Sox busted out with 5 runs in the 4th inning, as they sent 11 batters to the plate.� 1B Matt Rizzotti (Phillies) greeted a new Phoenix pitcher with a single into left field.� Both C Tony Sanchez and Andrew Lambo added their own singles, and Lambo's scored Rizzotti.� Sanchez went to third and Lambo to second on the throw in to the plate.� A wild pitch let Sanchez score from third base and put Lambo on third.� Nieuwenhuis drove in Lambo with a single, and SS Jordy Mercer also singled, putting runners on the corners.� 2B Jordany Valdespin (Mets) grounded to short, but the only play was at first, so Nieuwenhuis scored and Mercer was safe at second.� DH Josh Harrison struck out -- only the second out of the inning.� 3B Brandon Wood (Angels) singled, plating Mercer.� Two more walks, to RF Jeremy Moore (Angels) and Rizzotti, loaded the bases, but Sanchez struck out to end the inning.

Bradley Holt (Mets) made the start for the Solar Sox.� He pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowing only one walk in the 1st inning and one single in the 3rd.� Solar Sox' RF John Mayberry (Phillies) injured his leg on that play -- possibly making a dive for the soft liner?� He had to leave the game, and was replaced by Jeremy Moore.

Tyson Brummett (Phillies) relieved Holt to begin the 4th inning, and he got two strikeouts, then gave up a single and a 2-run homer to RF Michael Taylor (A's).� Brummett gave up another run in the 5th, on a single, a stolen base, a passed ball by Tony Sanchez, and another single.� A fielding error by 3B Brandon Wood put a second runner on base, but Brummett was able to get out of the jam with a grounder to short, fielded by Mercer.� The Solar Sox still held the lead, 6-3.

Nick Carr (Mets) pitched two scoreless innings for the Sox.� He gave up only one hit, a single to Taylor in the 6th.� After a grounder force out at second, a throwing error by Mercer put a runner on second, but the runner was left on base.� Robert Fish (Angels) and Steven Geltz (Angels) each pitched a scoreless inning to wrap up the game for the Solar Sox, but the Sox bats were not done yet.

In the top of the 8th, Nieuwenhuis led off with a walk, and a single by Valdespin put runners on the corners.� Harrison lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in Nieuwenhuis for a 7-3 lead.� Jeremy Moore added the Solar Sox' final run in the top of the 9th with a solo home run.

Holt earned the win for Mesa.� Harrison went 0-for-4 with one RBI.� Sanchez was 1-for-5, and Mercer went 1-for-4.� Lambo led the Pirates' farmhands with a 2-for-5 afternoon and one RBI.� Brandon Wood had 3 hits for Mesa in the game.� Mercer had two throwing errors, and Sanchez had the passed ball.

2010 Position Recap: Right Field

So far I've reviewed the center field and left field positions, which are held down in the long term by Andrew McCutchen and Jose...

Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/12

The Arizona Fall League began today with the Mesa Solar Sox taking on the Phoenix Desert Dogs.  Here is how the Pirates prospects fared...

Pirates Interview Ken Macha and Jeff Banister

The Pittsburgh Pirates have added two more candidates to the official managerial interview list, interviewing Ken Macha and Jeff Banister today.  Macha is the...

Fall and Winter League Rosters

The Arizona Fall League begins play today, with seven Pirates' farmhands on the roster for the Mesa Solar Sox.� Players from the Los Angeles Angels, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago Cubs, and the New York Mets will round out the Solar Sox' roster. � Pitchers Brian Leach, Aaron Pribanic, and Justin Wilson are all participating, and all are expected to pitch in relief, as other pitchers have the priority for starting roles.� Team USA's Justin De Fratus (Phillies) is also on the roster, so he must be planning to join the Solar Sox later in the week after the Pan Am tournament wraps up.

Behind the plate, look for C Tony Sanchez, who is trying to make up time after missing much of the regular season due to a fractured jaw.� Sanchez has also been asked by MLB to keep a blog of his experiences in the Arizona Fall League.� (He hasn't started it yet -- stay tuned.)� Phillies' pitcher Josh Zeid and Angels pitcher Ryan Brasier, both slated as starters for the Solar Sox, have also been asked to write blogs.

Altoona infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer will be sharing some infield time with six other infielders, including Josh Vitters of the Cubs.� Their Curve teammate Andrew Lambo will be sharing outfield duties with four other outfielders, including Phillies' John Mayberry.

Mexican Pacific League

Los Venados de Mazatlan is the hometown team of OF Rogelios Noris. He got in a little playing time last year as a rookie, and was a bit of a surprise, with some home runs and some very good pinch-hit appearances. The 21-year-old hit .236 with the West Virginia Power during the 2010 season.

Also listed on one Mazatlan roster (but not all) is LHP Jovany Lopez. Lopez is a 19 year old from Los Mochis, who has spent two seasons with the Pirates Venezuelan Summer League team.� This season, he made 18 relief appearances (27.2 innings) and had a 5-0 record with a 3.90 ERA.� He gave up 30 hits and 12 earned runs, but allowed only 5 walks and struck out 21.

Three former Pirates are also playing in the Mexican Pacific League:� Inf/Of Yurendell de Caster is with Los Algodoneros de Guasave, C Humberto Cota is on the roster of Los Naranjeros de Hermosillo, and OF Jeff Salazar will be in center field for Los Yaquis de Obregon.

Baseball America top 20 lists

As you may have already seen, Baseball America has been unveiling Top 20 prospects list for each of the minor leagues in recent weeks. After revealing the International League today, they have covered each of the leagues that include Pirates affiliates. Let's see how the Bucs fared overall.

Alvarez, Lincoln, Tabata are Top IL Prospects

Baseball America released their top 20 prospects from the 2010 International League (scouting reports for subscribers here).  Pedro Alvarez, Brad Lincoln, and Jose Tabata...

Arizona Fall League Begins Today

The 2010 Arizona Fall League begins today, with the Mesa Solar Sox playing their first game at 12:35 PM MST (3:35 PM EST).  The...

USA Defeats Cuba

Team USA� 4,� Cuba� 1

Cubs' farmhand Chris Archer pitched an amazing 6 innings for Team USA as they continued their winning ways in the last pool game of the Pan American tournament with a win over Cuba.� Team USA will enter the semi-final round of the tournament with a perfect 9-0 record, while Cuba drops to 7-2.

Archer's 10 strikeouts kept the Cuban batters stymied for 6 innings.� They managed only 2 hits -- a double in the 2nd inning, and a single to lead off the top of the 4th.� Archer did not walk any batters, facing just 2 over the minimum.

Team USA had only one hit over the first two innings -- a single by DH Brad Eldred (Rockies) to lead off the 2nd inning.�� Eldred reached second base, but was left stranded.� The USA got onto the scoreboard in the 3rd inning.� With one out, SS Brian Barden (Marlins) beat out a grounder to short for an infield single.� CF Mike Trout (Angels) singled up the middle, pushing Barden to second base.� After a pop out, 3B Mike Moustakas (Royals) doubled down the left field line.� Barden scored easily from second base, and Trout raced around from first to score also, giving the USA a 2-0 lead.

The USA threatened again in the 4th, when 1B Eric Hosmer (Royals) led off with a single, but was thrown out at second when he tried to stretch it.� If Hosmer had held at first, he might have been able to score on LF Todd Frazier's (Reds) double.� Frazier was subsequently tagged out at third base when RF Jamie Hoffmann (Dodgers) grounded right to the third baseman.

An error by the Cubans led to two unearned runs for Team USA in the 6th.� Moustakas opened the inning with a walk, and Eldred singled, moving Moustakas to second base.� The Cubans brought in a new pitcher, but that didn't help.� Hosmer reached base on an error by the Cuban first baseman, as Moustakas scored on the error.� Eldred rounded third and headed for the plate, but by that time, the Cubans had the ball back under control, and Eldred was out at the plate.� Hosmer ended up on third base, and moments later, he scored on a wild pitch.� Frazier kept the inning going with a single.� C Erik Kratz reached base on a fielder's choice, though Frazier was out at second base.� Kratz was also forced out at second base on the next play, ending the inning.

Nick Hill (Mariners) relieved Archer to begin the 7th inning.� He gave up a pair of 2-out singles, but got a strikeout to end the 7th inning.� He also struck out the first two batters he faced in the 8th, but then gave up a run on a single and a triple.�� Anthony Carter (White Sox) took over for Hill, and got a fly out to end the 8th.� Carter worked around a double in the 9th inning to keep the Cubans from scoring again.

Pirates' farmhand Chase d'Arnaud did not get into this game.� Kratz went 0-for-3 at the plate, and Eldred was 2-for-4.

Team USA now continues on to the semi-finals as the #1 seed.� They will play the Dominican Republic on Tuesday at 7:30 pm.� Cuba and Venezuela are the other two teams to reach the semi-final round.� Cuba has a 5-1 record in round two, the Dominicans have a 4-2 record, while Venezuela is fourth with a 3-3 record.

Also on Monday:

Canada 14,� Puerto Rico� 6 -- The Canadians had a hit-fest at the expense of Puerto Rico, posting 14 hits and two 5-run innings.� Former Pirate farmhand RF Jamie Romak went 2-for-3 with 5 RBI -- he doubled and hit a 3-run homer in the 8th.� Three other Canadians also homered:� CF Adam Stern (Brewers), C Chris Robinson (Cubs), and 1B Scott Thorman (Royals).� Robinson had 5 hits and 3 RBI in the game. � Former Pirate 3B Ramon Vasquez had 2 hits for Puerto Rico, and former Indy Indian SS Luis Figueroa had one hit.� Pirate farmhand Tom Boleska pitched 1.1 inning and gave up only one hit.

Team Canada is done for this tournament, but they have qualified to play in next year's Pan Am tournament and also in the World Baseball Cup.

Also on Tuesday:� the opening of the Arizona Fall League and two of the Caribbean Winter Leagues -- the Mexican Pacific and the Venezuelan Leagues.

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