39 F
Pittsburgh

Premium Article Drop

Pirates Prospects Daily

Pirates Win Opener in Extra Innings

The Pittsburgh Pirates won in extra innings on Opening Day, beating the Miami Marlins by a 6-5 score after a Jared Triolo RBI single...

Prospect Watch

ARCHIVES

Game 35: Buc Bats Break Out Hibernation

Thanks goodness for Wrigley. The Pirate bats woke up. Big time.

Alderson Struggles, Grossman Takes One For the Team

Richmond Flying Squirrels 4, �Altoona Curve 2 (box)

Curve starter Tim Alderson had little trouble with the Squirrels for the first four innings on Thursday evening, using two double plays to erase two of the three base runners he'd allowed (two singles and a hit batter). �But he had problems in the 5th, when Richmond scored 5 runs on two walks, four singles, and a sacrifice fly, and Alderson could not get out of the inning. �One of the walks forced in a run, and it didn't get any better from there. �Alderson threw 89 pitches in his 4.2 innings, and allowed a total of 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, with 4 strikeouts, while working entirely out of the stretch.

The Curve scored their first run in the top of the 1st. �SS Chase d'Arnaud opened the game in Richmond with a line drive single into right field. �A ground out moved him to second base, and he stole third base, then scored on 1B Matt Hague's RBI single. �The Curve managed only a couple of walks over the next three innings, until LF Alex Presley led off the 5th by beating out an infield single. �Alderson sacrifice bunted him to second base, and Presley scored on d'Arnaud's second single of the game, also an infield hit. �The Curve had one last chance in the 9th, when 2B Josh Harrison and RF Miles Durham hit back-to-back singles with two outs. �But a fly out by Presley ended the threat and the game.

Dustin Molleken relieved Alderson to finish up the 5th inning with a ground out. �He also pitched the next two innings, allowing only a walk. �Ronald Uviedo pitched the 9th inning, and he also gave up a walk, then struck out two batters.

Time to replace Iwamura with Walker

Aki IwamuraThe Akinori Iwamura acquisition made sense at the time, but things have changed. Even if we factor in expected positive regression, Iwamura is likely to provide slightly below average production for the season. At 31-years-old and on a one-year contract, that’s just not very valuable. It is time to replace Iwamura with the rejuvenated Neil Walker.

Walker’s 4 Hits and Kratz’s 3 Hits Stun Red Wings

IMG_3155

Luke Carlin congratulates Erik Kratz after his 2-run homer.

Indianapolis Indians 8, �Rochester Red Wings 3 (box)

IMG_3126The Indianapolis Indians came from behind again on Thursday afternoon at Victory Field, scoring 7 unanswered runs to beat the Red Wings. �The Indians piled on 14 hits, led by 2B Neil Walker's 4 hits, DH Erik Kratz's 3 hits, and CF Kevin Melillo's 3 hits. �Both Kratz and LF Brandon Moss homered in the late inning rallies.

The Indians had at least one runner on base in every inning but the 8th. �They began with two hits in the 1st, when�Kevin Melillo singled, and Walker doubled down the right field line and into the Red Wings' bullpen. �Melillo tried to suprise the Red Wings and steal second base, but Rochester's starter Deolis Guerra, making his AAA debut, didn't blink. �He didn't balk either, but easily threw out Melillo at second base (photo).

RF Brandon Jones led off the 2nd inning with another double down the right field line and into the Wings' bullpen. � C Luke Carlin worked a walk. �This time, the Indians did get Guerra to balk. �That put Jones on third base (and Carlin on second) and in position to score when Erik Kratz lifted a sacrifice fly into center field.

IMG_3114Starter Donnie Veal (photo) looked good in the early innings. �He walked the first batter he faced, RF Jason Repko, then retired the next six batters he faced, including two strikeouts in the 2nd inning. �He began to struggle in the 3rd, beginning when his third pitch glanced off DH Erik Lis' helmet. �With the new thicker helmets, Lis seemed to barely feel it -- didn't even go down. �Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez was not even sure that the pitch had hit Lis, but after some jawing by Lis and a conference between the umpires, Lis was awarded first base. �Veal got the next two batters out, and then threw a ball into the dirt, which bounced up and hit SS Trevor Plouffe in the knee. �With runners on first and third, Veal gave up a single to LF Brian Dinkelman, and Lis came around from second to tie the score at 1-1.

The Red Wings took the lead in the 3rd. �With one out, CF Dustin Martin dropped a perfectly placed bunt to the left of the mound, and raced to first before Veal's throw could get there. �3B Danny Valencia crushed a double to the center field wall, and Martin came around from first base to score.

Veal again hit Erik Lis with a pitch in the 4th inning, this time just grazing his jersey. �It was the third hit batter for Veal in the game, but unlike in his last start, it did not get him a warning from the umpires.

Curve Shut Out, West Virginia Powers Up

Harrisburg Senators 7, �Altoona Curve 0 (box)

It was a tough afternoon in Altoona on Wednesday, as the Curve were held to just 3 hits in this shutout. �1B Matt Hague, RF Miles Durham, and LF Alex Presley were the only Curve batters to get hits, and all three were singles. �SS Chase d'Arnaud and Hague also reached base on walks. �The singles came in the 2nd (Durham), 4th (Hague), and 5th (Presley) innings, and all three runners were left on base when the innings ended. �D'Arnaud walked to lead off the 6th inning, but was erased in a double play. �Hague walked in the 7th, and he was also eliminated in a double play. �The Curve never had a base runner reach second base, nor did they ever have more than one runner on base in any one inning.

Curve starter Justin Wilson pitched 5 scoreless innings to begin his outing. �He allowed only one batter over the minimum in the first three innings (a walk). �Another batter who walked to open the 4th inning was picked off base. �Wilson gave up two singles in the 4th, but left them stranded. �The Senators finally scored against Wilson in the 6th inning, on a hit batter, a stolen base, and an RBI double. �Wilson went 6 innings total, allowing that one run on 3 hits, with 6 strikeouts, but without run support, his strong outing turned into a loss.

Things fell apart for reliever Corey Hamman, who took over to begin the 7th inning. �It began with a walk and a 2-run homer. �Hamman got the next two batters to strike out, but a wild pitch on strike three put the second of those on base. �After another walk, a 3-run homer gave Harrisburg a 6-0 lead. �Mike Dubee relieved Hamman to finish the inning, then pitched a scoreless 8th. �Danny Moskos pitched the 9th inning, and gave up one more run on a double and a single. �A hit batter and another single had a Harrisburg batter rounding third and heading for the plate, but RF Durham and 2B Josh Harrison got the ball right on target to C Hector Gimenez, who�tagged the runner out at the plate.

Game 34: Bailey Tosses Complete Game Shutout

If I wasn't crying, I'd be laughing. I had no idea when I woke up this morning that I'd be writing about another gem from the Reds. Nor did I think I'd reference Chad Hermansen in my post.

Lincoln Dominates Red Wings, 3 RBI For Alvarez

IMG_3111

Indianapolis Indians 5, �Rochester Red Wings �2 (box)

IMG_3067Indians' starter Brad Lincoln (photo) made his seventh and longest start of the season this afternoon at Victory Field, going 8 innings to earn his 4th win. �He was aided by 3 RBI by DH Pedro Alvarez, who doubled and homered, as well as RBI hits by 1B Brian Myrow and LF Kevin Melillo.

Lincoln got right down to business and worked quickly all afternoon -- the game lasted only 2 hours 12 minutes. �He began his work by retiring the first 13 batters he faced in order. �He went to a full count in only one of those 13 batters, and struck out one batter in each of the first three innings. �When the Rochester batters did make contact, they hit easy balls, mostly right to Lincoln's teammates behind him.

Rochester RF Dustin Martin was the first Red Wing to reach base against Lincoln, with a one-out double down the right field line in the 5th inning. �Lincoln hit the next batter, 3B Danny Valencia, then gave up another hit, a grounder through the hole and into right field by DH Jacque Jones. �That scored Martin from second base. �1B Brock Peterson next fired a liner right back at Lincoln. �The ball struck Lincoln's right leg as he finished his follow-through, but Lincoln was able to turn and recover the ball, and still make the throw to first base to get Peterson out. �Manager Frank Kremblas and the Indians' trainer Thomas Pribyl came out of the dugout to check on Lincoln, who was shrugging it off. �After a trial pitch to prove that he was indeed ok (photos below), Lincoln remained in the game and ended the inning with a ground out.

IMG_3095

IMG_3097

Lincoln further proved that his leg was fine when he retired the Red Wings in order again in the 6th inning. �With one out in the 7th, Dustin Martin got to Lincoln again, this time with a little bunt into the no-man's-land between third base and the pitcher's mound. �Danny Valencia singled through the hole into right field, moving Martin to third base, and Jacque Jones picked up a second RBI with a sacrifice fly to score Martin again. �A grounder forced out Valencia at second base to end the inning.

IMG_3070

(Photo: �3B Doug Bernier makes an out in foul territory.)

Lincoln had been efficient with his pitches, throwing only 37 pitches over the first four innings. �That 5th inning took 18 pitches, as Lincoln faced 6 batters. �Then he needed 12 pitches for the 6th and only 11 pitches for 5 batters in the 7th. �That was still only 78 pitches over 7 innings, and Lincoln was still not letting that leg bother him. �He may have been tiring a little in the 8th, but allowed just a two-out single to SS Trevor Plouffe, but left him stranded when he struck out LF Brian Dinkelman to end the inning. �Lincoln threw 16 pitches in the 8th, for a total of 94 pitches (63 strikes).

In The Pink — Photos from May 9th

IMG_2796

More photos from May 9th, with the Indianapolis Indians wearing pink jerseys for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Left: �Pedro Alvarez takes a practice swing; �Right: Doug Bernier coaches at firstIMG_2830

IMG_2813

Left: �Rowdie leaps past Neil Walker; � Right: Alvarez at third base

IMG_2828

IMG_2785

Left: Argenis Diaz at shortstop; � �Right: �Brian Friday

IMG_2799

IMG_2810

Click on "read more" �or on the title above "In the Pink" -- to see more photos

Penn Looks Strong in Indians’ Loss

IMG_3042

Rochester Red Wings 7, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

IMG_3023

Three runs in the top of the 10th inning broke a 4-4 tie and gave the extra-inning win to the Red Wings at Victory Field on Tuesday night. �With the usually reliable Jean Machi on the mound for the Tribe, the inning began in a promising way: �Machi threw one pitch and got one ground out. �Then things went downhill. �Rochester's RF Brian Dinkelman bounced a double down the left field line, and he moved to third base on a wild pitch. �2B Luke Hughes was hit by the next pitch to put runners on the corners. �Machi got DH Dustin Martin to tap one back to the mound,a and the Indians were nearly out of the jam. �But the ball was rolling slowly, and even though Machi fielded it cleanly, whirled, and fired to second base to force out Hughes, �SS Brian Friday's (photo) relay throw to first base was not in time to beat Martin to the bag. �Dinkelman scored from third base, and the Red Wings had the go-ahead run. �Martin stole second base, then advanced to third on another wild pitch by Machi. �3B Danny Valencia followed with another slow roller to the right side of the infield between the mound and the third base line, for an infield hit, scoring Martin. �LF Jacque Jones doubled, driving in Valencia, and the Red Wings had a 7-4 lead. �Machi walked 1B Brock Peterson, before striking out C Allan de San Miguel to end the inning.

IMG_3054The Indians had come from behind three times already during the game, and in the bottom of the 10th, they made one more effort. �RF Brandon Moss led off with a line drive single into center field. �After C Erik Kratz lined out to center field, LF Kevin Melillo (photo), in his first start with the Indians, ripped a double into the right field corner, which moved Moss over to third base. �Brian Friday grounded to first base, allowing Moss to score. �This time the Indians' catch-up bid fell short, as the rally and the game ended with a strikeout by CF Jose Tabata, and the Red Wings had the win.

Righty pitcher Hayden Penn (photo at the top), who had been designated for assignment by the Pirates, then sent to Florida for extended spring training, joined the Indianapolis Indians today and was immediately inserted into the starting rotation. �Penn was limited to 80 pitches, and he stretched those pitches out so that he could pitch 6 innings -- he actually threw only 78 pitches, with 55 strikes. �He gave up 3 hits on 8 hits, no walks, with 6 strikeouts. �Penn pitched well against most of the Red Wings' batting order, but he had trouble with the very top of the order: �CF Jason Repko and SS Trevor Plouffe.

Game 33: Cueto Fires One Hitter

The headline says it all.

Rain Cuts Curve Short

Harrisburg Senators 3, �Altoona Curve 2 (box)

Rain cut short the late-morning/early afternoon game in Altoona on Tuesday, and didn't give the Curve a chance to catch up to the Senators for a second time. �Starter Derek Hankins gave up an unearned run in the top of the 2nd. �A lead-off double and Hankins' own throwing error on a pickoff attempt put a runner on third base with no outs. �After a walk, a grounder for a double play was enough to score the runner from third base.

The Curve batters went down in order for the first two innings. �Two Harrisburg errors put C Kris Watts on third base and SS Chase d'Arnaud on first with two outs in the 3rd inning, but a fly out ended that threat as the rain began to fall. �Altoona got onto the scoreboard in the 4th, tying the game on a single by 1B Matt Hague and an RBI double by RF Miles Durham. Durham went to third base on a ground out, but was left there when the inning ended.

Harrisburg didn't let the tie last long. �They scored 2 more runs in the top of the 5th, on a walk and a 2-run homer, taking a 3-1 lead. �The Curve came right back in the bottom of the inning. �Watts was hit by a pitch, and pinch-hitter Jim Negrych doubled into right field, moving Watts to third base. �A sacrifice fly by d'Arnaud plated Watts and moved Negrych to third base. �He could not advance further, though, as a ground out and a line out ended the inning. �At that point, the rain was much harder, and the umpires called for a rain delay. �After nearly two hours of waiting and hoping for another chance to score, it was clear that the rain was not going to stop. �Since 5 full innings had been played, it was an official game, and the Curve were on the losing end.

The rain also held Alex Presley to just 2 at-bats, both of which were outs. �That ended his 24-game on-base streak.

Six Scoreless For Morris In Loss; Hughes Wins #6

Daytona Cubs �2, �Bradenton Marauders 1 (box)

Starter Bryan Morris pitched 6 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and a walk, while striking out 4 Cubs' batters. �Unfortunately he did not earn a win, as the Marauders lost in extra innings. � Morris had to work around a fielding error and a walk in the top of the 1st inning, but got out of the frame leaving two runners on base. �He allowed only one base runner over the next 4 innings, and that was a double to lead off the 4th. �Back-to-back singles began the 6th inning, and a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, but Morris got a strikeout and a pop out to end that inning.

The Marauders were also held scoreless over the first 5 innings. �They had at least one runner on base in each of those innings, but base running errors erased two of the runners. � Four runners were left on base, two after singles and two after walks. �Finally in the 6th, Daytona starter Brooks Raley was relieved, and the Marauders got going. �With one out, four consecutive singles, by C Tony Sanchez, LF Quincy Latimore, 3B Jeremy Farrell, and 1B Calvin Anderson brought in one run, and the Marauders had a slim lead.

Casey Erickson took over for Morris to begin the 7th inning. �He retired the side in order in the 7th, but then gave up a run on a double and a single in the 8th to tie the game. �SS Brock Holt singled in the bottom of the 7th, but was left stranded. �They also went down in order in the 8th and 9th, and the game went into extras.

Noah Krol relieved Erickson to begin the 9th. �He gave up a lead-off single, but did not let that runner score. �Then in the top of the 10th, a walk, a stolen base, and a triple brought in the go-ahead run for Daytona. �The Marauders could not respond in the bottom of the inning, and Krol was charged with the loss.

This was Bryan Morris' fourth straight start in which he did not allow an earned run. �That gives him 26 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. �Morris's ERA stands at 0.66 -- 3 earned runs over 40.2 innings.

Pirates Prospects Daily

Pirates Prospects delivered to your inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.