Nick Gonzales keeps hitting.
The middle infielder, playing second base on Tuesday night for Indianapolis, went 2-for-4 with a walk. That extends his hitting streak...
The Pirates have Gold Glove third basemen in Ke'Bryan Hayes and Jared Triolo. They've got another candidate in the system in power hitter Jack Brannigan.
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...
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...
Cheering for Pirates' players and friends in Thursday's winter league action....
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Gigantes de Carolina 5, Senadores de San Juan 4 -- Los Gigantes plated a run in the bottom of the 11th inning for the walk-off win. Carolina posted 15 hits, and 3 of those were by LF/RF Luis Matos. Benji Gonzalez came into the game to pinch-hit in the 8th inning, when he put down a sacrifice bunt in the rally that tied the game and eventually sent it into extra innings. Gonzalez remained in the game to play second base. He struck out in his only other plate appearance.
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VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Bravos de Margarita 2, Tigres de Aragua 1 -- A solo home run by Margarita's DH Frank Diaz in the bottom of the 9th gave the win to Los Bravos. Los Tigres scored their only run in the 6th inning, when C Raul Chavez singled and came around to score on an RBI double. Margarita tied the score in the 7th with an RBI single. Chavez had a pair of singles in the game. LF Lastings Milledge and CF Jorge Cortes each had a single in the game. 1B Hector Gimenez was 0-for-4. Ronny Cedeno came in to pinch-run for Chavez after his single in the 8th, but did not score. Miguel Perez took over behind the plate for the rest of the game. Margarita's Andy LaRoche did not get into the game.
Pirates' farmhand LF Quincy Latimore singled twice, doubled twice, and scored twice as Adelaide chomped on Melbourne in their Australian Baseball League season opener.� Former Altoona Curve pitcher Paul Mildren made the start for the Bite, pitching 7 shut-out innings to earn his team's first win.� Mildren worked around 6 hits and a walk, and a couple of errors (each team committed 4 errors), and he also picked a runner off base.� In the last three innings he pitched, only one batter reached base, on a single.� Melbourne's only run came in the 8th, off reliever Chris Lawson, and that one was unearned, coming on a throwing error, a single, and a double play.
The Bite were able to take advantage of the Aces' errors.�� They scored one run in the 2nd inning on a walk, a fielding erorr, and a single.� In the 4-run 4th inning, two errors made the Bite's job easier.� Two lead-off walks and a single brought in the first run.� A throwing error and an RBI single plated 2 more runs.� A fielding error and another RBI single added the fourth run of the inning.
Latimore singled in the 1st inning and walked in the 3rd inning for Adelaide, but did not score.� In the 4th, Latimore struck out -- his only plate appearance when he did not reach base.� In the 6th, Latimore started the Bite's rally with a single, then stole second base and scored on an RBI double by DH Ben Wigmore.� A single, a double, and an RBI ground out gave Adelaide their seventh run in the 7th inning.� Latimore led off the 8th with a walk, then scored on Wigmore's 2-run homer.
The Bite's roster page lists pitcher Mitch Fienemann as being "reassigned", and C Dylan Child (and infielder Dayle Child) as being "reserve".�� I can understand the "reserve" part, but I'm not sure what or where Fienemann might have been reassigned to.
All four Pirates hitting prospects started, but the Mesa Solar Sox lost 9-6:
-Andrew Lambo (.299) started in right field, batting sixth. Lambo went 0-for-2...
The Mesa Solar Sox caught up to the Desert Dogs two times in Wednesday night's Arizona Fall League game, but they couldn't do it a third time.
The Desert Dogs took the early lead, scoring a total of 4 runs (3 earned) off Solar Sox starter Jake Muyco (Cubs) in the first 4 innings. Reliever Eddie McKiernan (Angels) finished off the 4th for Muyco, then pitched a scoreless top of the 5th.
The Solar Sox tied the game in the bottom of the 6th with a 4-run inning. 2B Josh Harrison walked and scored, as both C Tony Sanchez and SS Jordy Mercer each drove in a run. 3B Josh Vitters (Cubs) drove in one run in the 5th, and another in the 7th. RF Andrew Lambo was hit by a pitch in the 5th, and was later removed from the game, though it's not clear whether or not it was due to being hit. In the shuffling of players that occurred when Lambo came out, Harrison was moved to left field.
With Chris Carpenter on the mound for Mesa in the top of the 7th, the Desert Dogs broke the tie. Two runs scored on a double, two singles, and a walk. The Solar Sox answered right back with 2 more runs in the bottom of the 7th, to tie the score at 6-6. They took advantage of 3 walks, including one to Sanchez, and Vitter's RBI.
Kyle Smit (Cubs) relieved Carpenter to finish the 7th inning, but he suffered the loss when he gave up a solo home run to Phoenix's DH Matt Wallach (Dodgers) in the top of the 8th. Four more hits, including a 2-RBI double gave Phoenix 3 runs in the 8th, and the Solar Sox could not answer. Steven Geltz (Angels) finished the game for Mesa with a scoreless 9th, though he made it a little interesting by giving up a hit and two walks, then striking out two batters.
Winter league action with the Pirates' players and friends on Wednesday...
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Tigres de Aragua� 6,� Bravos de Margarita� 0� (Game 1) -- SS Ronny Cedeno's 3-run homer in the 4th inning put the game away for Los Tigres.� Aragua scored one run in each of the first three innings.� A single, a sacrifice bunt by Cedeno, and an RBI single by DH Hector Gimenez plated the run in the 1st inning.� A walk, a single by CF Jorge Cortes, and an RBI ground out brought in the run in the 2nd.� Gimenez also drove in the run in the 3rd with another RBI single.� LF/RF Lastings Milledge was hitless in this game, as was Margarita's 3B Andy LaRoche. Los Bravos were held to just 3 hits.
Tigres de Aragua� 2,� Bravos de Margarita� 0� (Game 2)� -- RF Lastings Milledge blasted a solo homer over the left field wall in the top of the 1st, and that was all the scoring Los Tigres needed.� Milledge added another RBI in the 7th inning with a single to give Aragua some insurance, and he also walked in the 3rd inning.� Los Tigres needed only 5 hits in the game, with 1B Hector Gimenez getting one of those.� CF Jorge Cortes walked in three trips to the plate, but SS Cedeno and C Raul Chavez were both hitless.� 3B Andy LaRoche singled to lead off the 2nd inning for Margarita, but did not score.
Aguilas de Zulia� 5,� Navegantes del Magallanes� 1� -- DH Mike Ryan scored Magallanes' only run, which came in the 6th inning, when he singled, then scored on an RBI double.� Ryan also singled in the 1st inning.� Zulia scored one run in both the 1st and 2nd innings, then 2 more in the 6th, and one in the 7th.� Corey Hamman took the mound in relief in the 7th, with two outs and a runner on 2nd base.� He gave up an RBI single to the only batter he faced, though the run was charged to the previous pitcher.
Earlier today the list of minor league free agents came out, with 19 players from the Pirates' organization electing minor league free agency. Baseball...
Cheering for some Pirates' players and friends in Tuesday's winter league action...�� The Australians are back in action on Thursday, which will be late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning for most of us.
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VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Tigres de Aragua� 6,� Bravos de Margarita� 0� -- A Pirate-filled game... 2B/3B Andy LaRoche singled twice and walked for Los Bravos, but his teammates could not get him or anyone else pushed across the plate.� LaRoche singled to lead off the 2nd inning, went to second on a fielding error, and to third on a wild pitch, but he was out at the plate on what seems to have been a wild pitch or passed ball.� LaRoche worked the second of two walks in the 4th inning, but was erased in an inning-ending double play.� Another double play took him off the bases in the 9th, after another lead-off single.� Meanwhile, the Pirates playing for Los Tigres also got off to a frustrating start.� DH Hector Gimenez walked in the 2nd, and LF Lastings Milledge followed by beating out a tapper back to the mound.� But a double play ended that inning without a run scoring.� It got better in the 5th, when Milledge walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on CF Jorge Cortes' RBI double into right field.� A single and a home run by C Wilson Ramos gave Los Tigres 2 more runs in the 6th.� In the 8th, with two on (walk and single) and two outs, Jhonathan Ramos came on to pitch for Los Bravos.� Gimenez was the first batter he faced� -- and he blasted a 3-run over the left field wall, to give Aragua a 6-0 lead.� Ramos got Milledge to ground out to end the inning, and he was relieved for the next inning.� So, one hit each for Gimenez, Milledge, and Cortes, but an 0-for-4 night for SS Ronny Cedeno.
Caribes de Anzoategui� 7,� Tiburones de La Guaira� 1� -- The score was tied at 1-1 going into the bottom of the 8th, when Los Caribes exploded for 6 runs.� After a lead-off double, Adenson Chourio was brought in to pinch-hit.� He was intentionally walked, and a sacrifice bunt put both runners into scoring position.� Another intentional walk loaded the bases, then an unintentional walk forced in the go-ahead run.� An RBI grounder plated Chourio, then back-to-back homers, 3-run and solo, gave Los Caribes all the insurance they would need.
