The Pirates stretched their Opening Day winning streak to four games. Garrett Jones hit two homers and knocked in three and the Pirates also got three RBI from Ryan Doumit and newcomer Ryan Church. That outburst supported Zach Duke, who earned the win with five innings pitched.

Two more players for the Indy Indians, who open (along with the rest of the minors) on Thursday:

Steve Pearce was the Pirates' 8th round pick in the 2005 draft. �He exploded onto the Pirates' radar with an amazing 2007 season, during which he hit .347 with 11 homers and 24 RBI in 19 games at A+ Lynchburg, .334 with 14 homers and 72 RBI in 81 games at AA Altoona, and .320 with 6 homers and 17 RBI in 34 games at AAA Indianapolis. �He made his major league debut on Sept 1st of that year, and hit .294 in 23 games with the Pirates, though without any homers. �The 2008 season was more of a struggle for Pearce. �He was busy learning how to play the outfield while in Indianapolis, and he hit better when he played first base than when he was stationed in right field. �He hit .251 overall for the Indians, with 12 homers and 60 RBI, and earned a call up to the Pirates, but also struggled more there, hitting .248 with 4 homers and 15 RBI in 37 games.

Pearce returned to Indianapolis to begin the 2009 season. �He got off to a very slow start, with just 3 hits in his first 9 games. �He got on a roll in the last 8 games of the month, going 13-for- 33, including ging 4-for-5 with a double and a home run on April 23rd. �That slid into more hitting in the first half of May, when Pearce hit .333. �After another slow week, he had 9 hits in 5 games at the end of the month, including another 4-for-5 game on May 29th. �That gave him a .288 average for the month of May, with 3 homers and 15 RBI.

Rob Biertempfel tweets that the Pirates will likely trade Brandon Moss for a prospect today.

If you have been following PLC’s 2009 vs. 2010 series closely, you may have noticed some things that did not add up. The offense, defense and pitching is all projected to be close to average. That would seem to indicate a season around .500. However, when compared to the 2009 numbers, the team only projects to improve by about five wins, which would be a win total of 67. Something’s off.

Two bullpen additions to the Indianapolis Indians for the 2010 season.... only a few days until Opening Day!

Steven Jackson is a right-hander from South Carolina, who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th round of the 2004 draft. �After three seasons in their organization, almost entirely as a starting pitcher, Jackson (along with Ross Ohlendorf) was traded to the Yankees in the deal for Randy Johnson. �The Yankees put Jackson into the starting lineup to begin the 2007 at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but found that he did much better working out of the bullpen. �Jackson also split the 2008 season between AAA and AA in the Yankees' organization. �He started in Trenton, where he made 15 relief appearances, for 31.1 innings, earning a 1-3 record and 2 saves, with a 5.74 ERA and 37 strikeouts. �He got better when he moved up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. �In one start and 33 relief appearances, Jackson had a 3-0 record and 4 saves, with a 3.17 ERA over 48.1 innings, including 54 strikeouts. �Jackson began the 2009 season back at S/W-B, and had pitched in 7 games, earning one save, in 14.1 innings. �He had a 1.88 ERA but had allowed 16 hits with 3 earned runs, 3 walks, and 8 strikeouts. �But the Yankees needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster, so Jackson was designated for assignment, and the Pirates claimed him off waivers on May 18th. �He was optioned to AAA Indianapolis, where he made 4 relief appearances over the rest of May: �one scoreless 1-inning performance, two scoreless 2-inning performance, and one inning in which he gave up 4 earned runs on 3 hits and a walk.

The Pirates made the last moves needed this morning to get their roster ready for Opening Day:

Infielder Ramon Vasquez was designated for assignment. �The Pirates have 10 days to release him, trade him, or waive him. �He's owed a $2 million contract, but the Pirates have said that they would pay that out if they need to. �Vasquez's spot on the 40-man roster opens up....

Pitcher�Jose Ascanio was placed on the 60-day disabled list. �He had shoulder surgery and isn't expected to be back for quite some time yet. �That opens another spot on the 40-man roster.

Pitcher Joel Hanrahan was placed on the 15-day disabled list. �His right elbow strain is expected to be rested and ready to go within another week or so. �Still, another roster spot opens.

Relief pitchers DJ Carrasco and Jack Taschner, who were in camp as non-roster invitees on minor league contracts, both made the major league team. �They were added to the 40-man roster, filling in two of those vacated spots.

Reliever Hayden Penn, who was claimed off waivers this past week, has made the major league team. �He's also on the 40-man roster. �Management has indicated that they will want to see some consistency in his pitching.

Outfielder John Raynor, the team's Rule 5 Draft Pick, has made the major league team. �He was already on the 40-man roster. �He'll also have to remain on the 25-man roster, unless he's on the Disabled List, for the entire season, or else be offered back to the Marlins.

1B/OF Steve Pearce has been optioned to AAA Indianapolis. �This is not unexpected, especially with Raynor making the team. �Pearce has this option year left, which others did not have, so this avoids exposing another player to waivers.

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Minor league rosters should be finalized within the next couple of days. �The Indy Indians usually arrive in town by Tuesday and have a couple of workouts. �The minor league season will begin the on Thursday, with the Indians and the West Virginia Power on the road, and the Altoona Curve and the Bradenton Marauders opening at home.

Dejan Kovacevic reports that Hayden Penn has likely made the opening day roster. UPDATE (12:40 PM): From the same link, Dejan adds that Ramon Vazquez...

Phillies (Reading Phillies) �4, �Pirates (Altoona Curve) �3 � (box)

The Pirates' spring training schedule ended this afternoon with another game at Citizens' Bank Park in Philadelphia. �The starters got things going, and the Philadelphia starters did all of their scoring, but by the end of the game, it was mostly the AA level players who were on the field -- and they scored two of the Pirates' three runs.

Starter Paul Maholm pitched 3 innings, and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits -- and apparently was not feeling well most of the day. �He gave up a double followed by an RBI single in the 2nd inning, and two singles for the second run in the 3rd inning.

Hayden Penn, who was acquired by the Pirates off waivers from the Marlins this week, made his second appearance in a Pirates' uniform. �He had pitched 1.2 innings and gave up 2 hits (one brought in a run) on Thursday. �Today, he entered the game in the 4th inning, and it was not the inning he wanted to show off to Pirates' management. �Jayson Werth sent Penn's 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for a solo home run. �A double and a single put runners on the corners with no outs. �A double play let the runner from third base score, before Penn struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Brendan Donnelly, Octavio Dotel, Jack Taschner, and Michael Dubee each pitched a 1-2-3 inning to wrap it up for the Pirates. �Dubee, up from the Curve, had the experience of pitching in front of his father, Phillies' pitching coach Rich Dubee, and a host of family and friends -- in the stadium where he hung out with his dad as a teen and a college student.

The Pirates' regulars got the first run on the board, in the 2nd inning. �1B Jeff Clement led off with a single, 3B Andy LaRoche walked, and SS Ronny Cedeno singled to load the bases with no outs. �C Jason Jaramillo popped into an unusual double play: �he popped up to short left field, and the runners held up because it looked like Phillies' shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who was going backwards, was going to catch it. �But at the last second, the ball popped out of his glove. �Clement scored from third, with an RBI going to Jaramillo. �Rollins was able to pick up the ball and fire in to second, to force out Cedeno, and then the relay to third beat LaRoche, for a double play.

The Curve players started entering the game in the 4th inning: �RF Miles Durham, SS Chase d'Arnaud, and 3B Jordy Mercer, with Steve Pearce at first base. �RF�Alex Presley and 2B Josh Harrison came in for the 5th, and C Hector Gimenez in the 7th. �Jim Negrych and Kris Watts each got a pinch-hitting appearance. �D'Arnaud singled in the 6th, but was left on base. �Negrych, Durham, and Pearce led off the 8th inning with consecutive singles, and Negrych came around from second to score easily on Pearce's RBI single. �Presley singled with one out in the 9th, and Watts moved him to third base with a line drive into right field. �Durham's RBI single brought in Presley, but Watts and Durham were left stranded on base when Pearce struck out to end the inning and the game.

That's it for the spring. �The Pirates headed right to Pittsburgh after the game. �They will have a workout tomorrow, and the final roster decisions must be made by 3 pm.

The Indianapolis Indians were also scheduled to play their last spring training game today, against the Phillies' AAA team, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. �No word about the results. �Minor league rosters should be announced within a couple more days.

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A couple of middle infielders to look at today, who fall somewhere between "prospects" and "veterans":

Shelby Ford was the Pirates' 3rd round pick in the 2006 draft. �His career has been plagued by injuries, including back injuries, hip flexors, and a sprained wrist. �When he was healthy in 2008, Ford hit .285, with 23 doubles, 10 triples, 4 homers, and 32 RBI, but that came in only 81 games. �He was assigned to the Arizona Fall League in the fall of 2008, and hit .294 there, with 3 homers and 11 RBI. �Ford was invited to major league camp for spring training in 2009, and guess what happened there ? �He got hurt, of course -- the sprained wrist, which delayed his start to the 2009 season by a week or so.

The Texas native was assigned to AAA Indianapolis when he got off the Disabled List, and got off to a slow start. �In fact, the wrist was still bothering him, and he had to sit out a number of games in the second half of the month. �He got going in the first week of May, going 8-for-23 over the first few days, but then slumped again, and finished May with a .168 average. �Unfortunately, June wasn't any better, with a .154 average, and only 4 RBI. �Ford had some better luck in July, with several multi-hit games, including a 5-for-5 game on July 5th in Norfolk (one homer, four singles). �That gave him a .259 average for July, but couldn't boost his season average enough. �On August 5th, Ford was reassigned to AA Altoona, leaving behind a .188 average in Indianapolis, with 11 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, and 27 RBI in 86 games. �He finished the season with the Curve, playing in 29 games over the last month of the season. �Ford went 8-for-24 in his first week in Altoona, but slipped after that. �He finished the season with a .233 average for the Curve, including 2 homers and 17 RBI.

Ford was not invited back to major league camp in 2010, and it's clear that he took a big step backwards last season. �He did get to come up from minor league camp for three Grapefruit League games in March, and had a single and a triple in three plate appearances. �With a crowded middle infield in Indianapolis already -- Brian Friday, Argenis Diaz, Doug Bernier, and even Neil Walker trying out second base -- Ford might not be back in Indianapolis for the start of the 2010 season. �The infield in Altoona is going to be busy too, with Chase d'Arnaud, Jordy Mercer, and Josh Harrison. �At 25 years old, Ford is going to need to stay healthy and get his bat going quickly if he hopes to stick around and not slip further out of the picture.

Philadelphia Phillies �5, �Pittsburgh Pirates (and Altoona Curve) 3 (box)

Several members of the Altoona Curve traveled north with the Pirates to play in two games at Citizens' Bank Park in Philadelphia. �The starting lineup was about what the Pirates' starting nine will be on Opening Day, except for the pitcher -- Zach Duke will be the Opening Day starter, and Ross Ohlendorf made tonight's start. �Unfortunately, it was not a good night for Ohlendorf. �He began the game by giving up a double and two singles to the first three batters he faced, bringing in one run. �He did settle down at that point and retire the next 8 batters he faced, but then surrendered a single and a 2-run homer to Ryan Howard in the 3rd inning. �Back-to-back doubles brought in another run in the 4th, and Chase Utley added a solo home run in the 5th. �Three relievers, Javier Lopez, DJ Carrasco, and Evan Meek each pitched a scoreless inning when Ohlendorf headed to the showers after 5 innings (9 hits, no walks, 5 runs, 3 strikeouts).

The Pirates' 3 runs all came in the 3rd inning, with the major league starters still in the game. �With one out, CF Andrew McCutchen doubled into left field, and he scored on RF Garrett Jones' liner into center field. �Jones advanced to second base on the throw in from the outfield, which was not even close as McCutchen streaked towards the plate. �LF Lastings Milledge brought Jones in from second base with another line drive into center. �Milledge stole second base, then he scored from there when 1B Jeff Clement singled. �The Pirates posted a total of 10 hits, with McCutchen picking up a second hit, and 3B Andy LaRoche also singling twice. �Ross Ohlendorf also had a hit.

From the Curve, two players got into the game: �2B Chase d'Arnaud and LF Miles Durham. They each had a turn at the plate in the 9th inning, but both grounded out. �Still, they got to play on a major league field, and were clearly having fun.

The Pirates have announced that starting pitcher Virgil Vasquez was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, for a player-to-be-named-later.

Vasquez had been invited to spring training with the Pirates and was being considered for a spot in the starting rotation. �But, he did not fare well in three appearances early in March, as he allowed 6 earned runs and 9 hits in just 2.1 innings. �He was reassigned to the minor league camp on March 15th. Vasquez had been expected to start 2010 in the Indianapolis starting rotation, where he made 19 starts and earned a 7-4 record and a 3.93 ERA in 2009. �No word yet about the Rays' plans for Vasquez. �We could see him again when the Indy Indians play the Durham Bulls in late June.

We've looked at a lot of prospects, and now there are a few players left -- mostly veterans, who will likely be playing in Indianapolis in 2010. �Today, a couple of relief pitchers:

Vinnie Chulk is a 31-year old righty, who signed as a minor league free agent with the Pirates during the December Winter Meetings. �The Blue Jays drafted Chulk out of college as their 12th round pick in 2000. �Over the next several years, he pitched in the Toronto organization, including parts of 4 seasons in the majors. �He was traded to the Giants in 2006, and finished that season in their bullpen, then continued to pitch in San Francisco in 2007 and in both San Francisco and AAA Fresno in 2008. �In 2009, Chulk signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians. �He was in the Cleveland bullpen by mid-April, and made 8 relief appearances there over the season, going 12 innings and allowing 5 earned runs on 10 hits, with 10 walks and 4 strikeouts. �For most of 2009, Chulk was stationed in the bullpen for the AAA Columbus Clippers, though he missed some time while on the Disabled List with an ankle strain. �He pitched well in Columbus, making 18 relief appearances (21.2 innings) and allowing 5 earned runs on 22 hits for a 1-0 record, 4 saves, and a 2.08 ERA. �He got the walks back down -- just 7 -- and struck out 16 batters.