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Rangers Claim Ramon Aguero

Aguero was claimed by the Texas Rangers. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that the Texas Rangers have claimed Ramon Aguero off waivers from the...

Pirates Prospects on 93.7 The Fan on Saturday

Kevin Creagh will be on 93.7 The Fan on Saturday morning at 9:20 for Vinnie Richichi's "Bucco Talk" show.

Weekend Draft Prospects Preview 4/8-4/10

At the start of the 2011 college baseball season, I went immediately to the Rice University schedule, trying to see if Anthony Rendon would...

Early 2012 Super Two Estimates

According to CAA Sports, an agency that represents numerous athletes across all sports, including Jason Bay, Dan Haren, and Ryan Zimmerman for baseball, the...

Two Hits Each For Latimore, Snyder, Rubinstein, And Power

All of the Pirates' minor league affiliates lost their season openers on Thursday night:

Erie SeaWolves  3,  Altoona Curve 2

One run in the bottom of the 9th made the difference, as the Curve lost in Erie, PA.  The SeaWolves were first onto the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the 5th inning.  Curve starter Bryan Morris had already escaped from two jams in the early innings.  In the 2nd, RF Brad Chalk threw out a runner who was trying to stretch a double into a triple, then Chalk ended the inning when he threw to C Tony Sanchez to nail a runner who was trying to score from second base on a single.  Morris loaded the bases in the 4th with a single and two walks, but a timely double play, 3B Jeremy Farrell to 2B Brock Holt, to 1B Miles Durham, ended that inning without a run scoring.  Morris' luck ran out in the 5th, though, when a walk and a 2-run homer gave Erie a 2-0 lead.  

The Curve missed a scoring opportunity in the top of the 2nd, when Sanchez singled into left field, and LF Quincy Latimore lined a double just out of the reach of the Erie left fielder.  But with runners on second and third, Erie starter Jacob Turner struck out both Farrell and DH Eric Fryer to end the inning.  Turner allowed only two base runners for the next 4 innings -- he walked Holt, and he hit Sanchez with a pitch.  (Sanchez has got to stop being a magnet for opposing pitchers' pitches.)  After Turner left the game, the Curve were able to put men on base again.  Farrell singled and Fryer walked in the 7th, though they didn't score.  The 8th inning began with back-to-back walks to Holt and CF Starling Marte.  SS Jordy Mercer bunted them over to second and third, then another walk to Sanchez loaded the bases.  Latimore came through again, with another double off the left field wall, missing a grand slam by inches, to plate both Holt and Marte and tie the game at 2-2.  

Reliever Anthony Claggett finished the 5th inning for Morris with a strikeout and a pickoff of one of the runners Morris had put on base.  Aaron Pribanic and Jared Hughes each pitched a perfect inning, with one strikeout for Pribanic and two for Hughes.  Michael Dubee struck out the side in the 8th inning to preserve the tie.  The Curve batters could not get anything going in the top of the 9th, though, and Dubee came back out to pitch the bottom of the 9th.  With one out, a single and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position, and a ground out moved him to third base.  Then a sinking line drive, just inches away from the diving Latimore's glove, fell in for a hit, scoring the runner from third base for the walk-off win.  
Dubee was charged with the loss.  Morris got a no-decision, with 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks, plus 3 strikeouts, in 4.1 innings.  The Curve had just 4 hits, two of them doubles by Latimore.  


The Quixotic Search for a Shortstop

Let’s look around the minors for players that may project to be better both offensively and defensively than the Pirates leading in-house contender at shortstop, Chase d’Arnaud.

Minor League Schedule: 4/8/11

For in depth coverage of the previous day's action, check out our daily wrap-up which can be found here. On the schedule today is...

Indians Rally Falls Short In Opener

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Columbus Clippers  4,  Indianapolis Indians  3


The Indianapolis Indians staged a late-inning rally, but it was not enough, as the Columbus Clippers held on to win on Opening Day at Victory Field.  

IMG_4931Brian Burres (photo) made the start for the Tribe, and he suffered the loss.  He got through the first two innings allowing only a walk.  The top of the 3rd began with Burres giving up an infield hit to Clippers' SS Luis Valbuena.  Valbuena dropped a bunt down toward third base.  Tribe 3B Josh Harrison made a nice pickup, but 1B Matt Hague could not make a clean catch of the quick throw, and the speedy Valbuena was credited with a hit.  Valbuena stole second base, then Burres walked former Indy Indian C Luke Carlin.  Indians' C Dusty Brown helped Burres out by picking Valbuena off second base -- caught him napping.  Burres looked like he might get out of the inning when he struck out CF Ezequiel Carrera, but DH Cord Phelps, who went 3-for-3 with 2 walks in the game, tripled to the right-center field wall, driving in Carlin from first base, to give the Clippers a 1-0 lead.  

Burres gave up two singles in the 4th inning, but got out of that jam with a timely double play, started by SS Pedro Ciriaco, and turned by Chase d'Arnaud at second base.  Burres got into more trouble in the 5th, though.  He walked Valbuena, then gave up a single to Carlin.  Once again, Dusty Brown came to the rescue, throwing out Valbuena trying to steal third base.  Carlin remained on first base on the play, and when Carrera grounded to second, Carlin was out in a force play at second base.  Unfortunately for the Tribe, Carlin disrupted Ciriaco enough so that he couldn't get off a throw to first base, leaving Carrera at first base.  Phelps stepped to the plate next, and smacked his second hit of the game down the left field line.  LF Alex Presley got to the ball quickly, but he had to make two grabs at it before he could pick it up.  By the time he could get the ball back in, Phelps was on second, and Carrera had scored.  


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At the same time, the Indians were not having much luck against Columbus starter David Huff.  They were putting runners on base, but were not able to push them around to score.  CF Gorkys Hernandez began the bottom of the 1st with a walk, but was out in a double play.  Presley lined a single into right field, but he was picked off first base and caught in a run-down.  D'Arnaud (photo) doubled over the head of the Clippers' right fielder, sending the ball all the way to the wall, in the 2nd inning, but he was left on base.  Harrison and Brown worked back-to-back walks in the 5th, but Harrison was caught trying to steal second base, and Brown was left stranded.  

Brian Burres exited the game after 5 innings of work.  He threw 75 pitches (46 strikes), and gave up those 2 runs on 6 hits, with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.  Tony Watson came on in relief for the 6th inning.  Watson had trouble finding the plate, and went to the full count (plus foul balls) on the first three batters he faced.  He struck out Clippers' RF Chad Huffman, but then walked both 2B Jason Kipnis and LF Jordan Brown.  A fly ball, tracked down and caught on a nice play by RF Andrew Lambo, gave Watson the second out.  Another fly ended the inning.  Watson had thrown 33 pitches (19 strikes).




Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Watch 4/7/11

DAILY SUMMARY Top Pitcher: Kyle McPherson (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 HR) Top Hitter: Quincy Latimore (2-for-4, 2...

Game 7 Recap: Rogers Wrecks Home Opener

Great weather (61 degrees). Nice crowd (second largest in PNC history). Home for the first time after a successful road trip to start the...

Minor Transactions: Pena, Sanchez, Verdugo

Matt Eddy of Baseball America has some minor league transactions.  The ones we haven't heard about already: -The Pirates signed catcher Rodolfo Pena.  This isn't...

How To Use Pirates Prospects

At Pirates Prospects, you will find the best and most in-depth coverage of the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system.  However, the site is more...