Continuing to work our way up through the pitchers in the Pirates' minor league organization:

Jhonathan Ramos  --  L/L,  5' 8",  156 lb 
Ramos is a 21 year old Venezuelan native, who split the 2010 season between State College and West Virginia.  After some time in extended spring training, Ramos began the season in West Virginia in June.  He made two starts and five relief appearances, and at first did well, with 5 scoreless innings over his first two games.  He gave up 6 hits in those two games, but after that, he just kept giving up hits and runs.  In 15 innings for the Power in June, Ramos allowed 14 earned runs and 28 hits, though just 2walks, and 13 strikeouts.  He earned a 0-1 record and an 8.40 ERA.  Ramos was sent to State College for July and most of August, and he did well there, with a 3-1 record and a 1.62 ERA in 16 relief appearances.  He threw 33.1 innings and allowed 22 hits and 4 walks, with 28 strikeouts.  Ramos returned to the Power at the end of the season for 2 more games.  He pitched a total of 4 scoreless innings and allowed one hit, no walks, with 5 strikeouts.  Ramos spent the winter pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League for Los Bravos de Margarita.  He made 18 relief appearances for 13.2 innings, and earned a 3-2 record and a 2.63 ERA.  He still gave up hits (13), but only 4 earned runs and 5 walks, with 9 strikeouts.  Ramos is another reliever who should be in the mix for a bullpen spot in West Virginia, but that bullpen is going to be crowded.  Ramos could return to State College for a part of the season, or possibly get a try in A+ Bradenton.


Marc Baca --  R/R,  6' 2",  220 lb
Baca was the Pirates' 42nd round pick in the 2009 draft.  He's pitched entirely in relief for the Pirates, beginning at State College in 2009, where he made 18 appearances for 18 innings, and earned a 1-3 record and a 3.00 ERA.  Baca was promoted to West Virginia for 2010, where he ran hot and cold.  He began the season with a 2-0 April, with one save and a 5.59 ERA.  He pitched 9.2 innings and allowed 6 earned runs with 13 hits, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts.  The next two months went very well, with a 1-1 record and 2 saves, and a 0.98 ERA.  He pitched 27.2 innings and allowed 3 earned runs, with 24 hits, 10 walks, and 27 strikeouts.  Baca had some tough outings in July, and allowed 16 runs on 18 hits in 8 games.  He also walked 9 batters and his strikeouts dropped to 6.  August/September were not a lot better.  He pitched 18.2 innings in 9 games, and allowed 13 runs (6.27 ERA) on 20 hits.  He walked 8 and struck out 13.  Overall, Baca earned a 5-3 record and a 5.26 ERA for the season, with 4 saves.  In 65 innings, he allowed 75 hits and 38 earned runs, with 31 walks and 51 strikeouts.  The strikeout rate (7.1 K/ 9 innings) was better than in 2009 (5.0 K/ 9 innings), but the walk rate (4.3 walks/ 9 innings) was a little worse than in 2009 (3.0 walks/ 9 innings).  Baca's fastball velocity is in the high 80's.  At age 24, he doesn't appear to be ready for A+, but he could get squeezed out by all of the other prospects who are also going to try to fit into the West Virginia bullpen.  

Rays  9,  Pirates  5
The Pirates out-hit the Rays 10-9 this afternoon in Port Charlotte, Florida, but the Rays made the most of their opportunities and took the win.  The Pirates got busy in the top of the 1st, when Pedro Ciriaco, in center field again, opened the game with a single, then stole base.  He moved to third on a fly out, then scored on C Ryan Doumit's double into right field.  RF Matt Diaz started the top of the 2nd with a single, and advanced to third base on a throwing error.  He scored on a wild pitch.  1B Andy Marte doubled, was bunted over to third base, and scored on starting pitcher Charlie Morton's soft looper single into left field, giving the Pirates a 3-0 lead.  
The lead did not last long.  Morton got out of the first inning with a double play, but began the bottom of the 2nd by loading the bases on a double, a bunt, and a hi batter.  A 2-RBI double and a sacrifice fly brought in 3 runs for the Rays to tie the game.  The Pirates took the lead again in the 4th.  Marte led off with a single into right field, and 2B Corey Wimberly reached on a fielding error.  Morton bunted them up one base each, then both scored on SS Josh Rodriguez's line drive single into right.  
Morton sailed through the bottom half of the 3rd and 4th innings, but loaded the bases again in the 5th, on a walk and two singles.  Then he got wild and forced in one run with a hit batter, and a second run with a walk, and the game was again tied, at 5-5.  Morton got out of the inning with two fly outs, and a force out at the plate on a little dribbler that did not leave the home plate area.  
Joel Hanrahan took over on the mound for the 6th inning.  He retired the first two batters he faced, then walked the next two.  A wild pitch moved the two runners up to second and third base, then an RBI single brought in both runners, giving the Rays a 7-5 lead.  Jose Veras pitched a perfect 7th inning, with one strikeout.  The Rays scored 2 more runs off Chris Resop in the 8th inning.  A double, and a bunt back to the mound that turned into a single, put two runners on base.  A sacrifice fly drove in one run, and a triple plated the second.  

2B Gift Ngoepe led off the top of the 9th with a walk, then SS Jordy Mercer singled through to left field, but both were left on base.  LF Evan Chambers, 3B Andy Vasquez, RF Robby Grossman, and 1B Matt Hague also got into the game. 


The Indy Indians were scheduled to play the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees this afternoon in Bradenton.  No word as yet -- results from the minor league camp can be hit or miss.


The Pirates pared down their camp roster by four more this morning.  Pitcher Daniel McCutchen was optioned to AAA Indianapolis, where he could either be a starter or pitch in long relief.  Relievers Tyler Yates and Sean Gallagher were also reassigned to minor league camp, and are both expected to go to the Indy Indians' bullpen.  C Wyatt Toregas and INF Josh Fields were also reassigned to minor league camp.  

Pitcher Fernando Nieve, who was reassigned to the minor league camp on Monday and released on Tuesday, was not unemployed for long.  On Thursday, he signed a minor league contract with the Astros.