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Pirates Prospects Daily

Jared Jones is Appointment Viewing

During the 2004 season, Oliver Perez had one of the best pitching seasons I can recall from a Pittsburgh Pirates starter in the last...

After Dropping to .500, Pirates Could Turn To Help in Triple-A

After losing 6-1 to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped to .500 on the season, finishing their week by getting...

P2Daily: High Times/Low Times

Saturday was a convergence of many schedules to create an eclipse type moment for me. For starters, I try to take off work every...

Pirates Prospects Daily: Hard Hits

What has stood out about Quinn Priester in the early games in Triple-A this year is his high whiff rate. The 2019 first rounder...

Prospect Watch

Pirates Prospect Watch: Never Giving Up

I liked the story of Javier Rivas on Sunday. The tall shortstop for the Bradenton Marauders went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, three...

Pirates Prospect Watch: Braxton Ashcraft Has His Best Start of the Season

Braxton Ashcraft hadn't gotten off to the best start this season. In his first two appearances of the year, the right-hander allowed six runs...

Pirates Prospect Watch: Nick Gonzales Extends Hitting Streak to Eleven Games

The Pirates sent down 2020 seventh overall pick Nick Gonzales this spring, relegating him to a depth option for the second base position. He...

Discussion

Saturday Sleepers

Saturday Sleepers: Carlos Jimenez Has One of the Best Changeups in the System

In early 2022, I saw Carlos Jimenez pitch for the Bradenton Marauders. Of all the players who played in Single-A on that particular day,...

Saturday Sleepers: Valentin Linarez Added Velocity and Improved Control in 2023

Valentin Linarez had one of the biggest recorded velocity jumps in minor league baseball last year. Baseball America tracked the year-over-year four-seam velocity gainers from...

Saturday Sleepers: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 17 year old throw 100 miles an hour”

At the start of the 2023 international signing period, the Pittsburgh Pirates added David Matoma as their first signing out of Uganda. The right-handed...

Saturday Sleepers: Omar Alfonzo is a Catching Prospect to Follow

On March 26, 2023, the Pittsburgh Pirates sent Omar Alfonzo to big league camp for a day. A catcher entering his age 19 season,...

ARCHIVES

Minor League Schedule: 5/5/11

For a more in depth review of yesterday's games please check out our minor league wrap-up which can be found here. Indianapolis and West...

Bowker Goes To Indy; Marauders’ Rally With 5 Runs

The Indianapolis Indians and the West Virginia Power both had scheduled days off today.  

Roster moves:
OF John Bowker, who was DFA'ed last week, has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Indianapolis Indians.
LHP Dan Meyer has been activated off the Indians' disabled list.
RHP Chris Leroux was moved to the Altoona Curve to make room for Meyer on the Indians' roster.   



Akron Aeros  6,  Altoona Curve  3
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Chris Leroux was sent down to Altoona, then was charged with the loss in his first game for the Curve.  The game began with Akron scoring 3 runs in the top of the 1st.  Mike Colla, making his second start of the season, gave up a walk, a single, and a walk to load the bases.  The next batter grounded to third, but a fielding error by 3B Jeremy Farrell let the lead runner score and left the bases still loaded.  A single and a sacrifice fly each added another run, for a 3-0 lead.  

The Curve got one run back in the 3rd inning.  DH Kris Watts led off with a double, and 1B Miles Durham's single put Watts on third base.  Two pop-outs later, Durham stole second base, then RF Eric Fryer walked to load the bases.  Just like the Aeros in the 1st inning, a grounder to third and an error by the third baseman let a run score.  But that was all the Curve could get, as they left the bases loaded.  The Curve loaded the bases again in the 4th inning, with back-to-back singles by 3B Shelby Ford (who took over for Farrell) and C Tony Sanchez, a balk, and a walk to Watts.  Durham's sacrifice fly drove in Ford, before a double play ended that inning.  Fryer tied the score at 3-3 in the 5th with a solo home run.  

Colla pitched 4 more innings after the 1st, and allowed just one batter to reach base -- a single in the 4th.  Then Sanchez threw that runner out trying to steal second base.  Matt McSwain pitched a 1-2-3 inning for the Curve in the 6th.  Leroux took the mound to begin the 7th.  The first batter he faced smacked a solo home run.  The next batter reached base on a missed catch error by Durham at first, and a double put two runners into scoring position.  A fielder's choice play was not fast enough, so let the runner from third score, and a sacrifice fly brought in the third run of the inning, for a 6-3 score.  Only one of the runs was earned.  

Anthony Claggett relieved Leroux to begin the 8th.  He gave up a walk, and that runner reached second base on a balk, and third base on a passed ball, but Claggett did not let him score.  Then he worked around a walk and a single in the 9th.  

SS Jordy Mercer and Ford both singled in the 5th inning after Fryer's homer, but both were left stranded.  Only one Curve batter reached base after the 5th.  Watts singled to lead off the 6th, but was erased in a double play.  


Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Watch 5/4/11

DAILY SUMMARY Top Pitcher: Jeffrey Inman (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR) Top Hitter: Robbie Grossman (1-for-3, 2...

Game 31 Recap: Doumit’s Slam Holds Up as Bucs Take Series

The Pirates took advantage of some San Diego miscues to score six runs in the third inning. Ryan Doumit's grand slam was the big...

John Bowker Outrighted to AAA

Last week the Pittsburgh Pirates designated John Bowker for assignment, making room for Xavier Paul, who was claimed from the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Today,...

Unsigned Picks Display Pirates Evaluation Skills

With the Pittsburgh Pirates focusing on the draft so much over the last three years, there is a big desire to grade how their...

Minor League Schedule: 5/4/11

For a more in depth review of yesterday's games please check out our minor league wrap-up which can be found here. Both West Virginia...

Game 30 Recap: Friars Hit Three Homers to Beat Bucs

San Diego's bats awoke somewhat. The Padres got three solo homers from players who had yet to homer in 2011 in beating Pittsburgh 6-5. The...

Tribe Splits Double-Header; Rainy Days Elsewhere

IMG_5477











The Indians won game one of today's double header.






All the rain that was in Central Indiana yesterday moved east today.
The Altoona Curve hosting the Akron Aeros were rained out today.  That game will be made up on Saturday May 21st.
The West Virginia Power hosting the Greensboro Grasshoppers were also rained out.  No make-up date has been announced yet.  
The Bradenton Marauders had a scheduled day off today.  They are going to play their next two "home" games against the St. Lucie Mets in Port Charlotte (Charlotte Sports Park), on Wednesday and Thursday, due to roof repairs at McKechnie Field.   

Indianapolis Indians  5,  Durham Bulls  2
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IMG_5459The Indianapolis Indians and the Durham Bulls split today's double-header at Victory Field.  The first game began at 11 am, with buses full of school kids present, under dark and dreary skies.  As the first game wrapped up, the sun came out, and by the middle of the second game, there were sunny skies and happy clouds.

LF Alex Presley (photo) began the game on a sunny note for the Indians.  With two outs in the bottom of the 1st, Presley blasted a solo home run over the right field wall at the 362' mark, into a group of lucky school kids.  

Starter Brad Lincoln buzzed through the first two innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 2 batters.  With one out in the top of the 3rd, Lincoln ran the count full then walked Bulls' SS Ray Olmedo.  CF Desmond Jennings slipped a ground ball through the right side of the infield for a single, moving Olmedo to second base.  RF Justin Ruggiano crushed a long ball off the top of the wall in the deepest part of the park, just inches from being a home run.  The ball ricocheted off the wall, driving in both Olmedo and Jennings, as Ruggiano slid safely into third base.  The Bulls had taken the lead, 2-1.  

IMG_5472The Tribe answered right away with 2 runs in the bottom of the frame.  2B Brian Friday led off with a bloop single into short left field.  CF Gorkys Hernandez bunted Friday to second base, and DH Corey Wimberly followed by dropping another bloopy hit into the space behind third base, out of the reach of any of the Bulls.  Friday scrambled around to score from second base, tying the score.  Wimberly promptly stole second base.  After a pop out, Presley grounded through the left side of the infield, sending Wimberly around to score.  The throw in from left field was not in time to get the speedy Wimberly at the plate, but Bulls' C Robinson Chirinos alertly threw down to first base, where he caught Presley in the middle of nowhere -- too far from first to get back before the throw, and too far from second base to get there either.  Presley was out in the run-down (photo), ending the inning.  

Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Watch 5/3/11

DAILY SUMMARY Top Pitcher: Brad Lincoln (5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 HR) Top Hitter: Alex Presley (4-for-6, HR,...

Lyle Overbay: Platoon Candidate

Garrett Jones is doing his job. The Pittsburgh Pirates moved Jones to right field this year, and brought in Matt Diaz to platoon with Jones,...

The Second Best Bullpen in the Majors

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the off-season with a similar situation to their 2009/2010 off-season, as it pertained to the bullpen.  They didn't have an...
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