Looking at two shortstops today, both of whom should be starting the season at AAA Indianapolis:
Brian Friday was the Pirates' 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft. �The Houston native reported to State College in mid-July, and got in 40 games with the Spikes, hitting .295 with 2 homers and 13 RBI. �He spent most of 2008 with A+ Lynchburg, but his season was disrupted by a prolonged bout of back problems. �Despite missing about 2 months, Friday hit .287 with 20 doubles, 2 home runs, and 29 RBI. �He showed better plate discipline and fewer strikeouts than the previous season. �Friday was assigned to AA Altoona in 2009, and he got off to a blistering start, going 11-for-22 in his first 6 games. �An ear infection landed Friday on the DL after the first week of the season, and kept him out of the lineup until mid-May. �When he returned, Friday went on another tear, with a 7-game hitting streak, including four games in a row where he had 2 hits per game. �He slowed down at the end of the month, though, and hit .264 for the month of May. �He had another strong week in mid-June, but overall it was a slow month, as Friday hit only .206, plus 9 RBI. �July was a better month, and the righty's average popped up to .256, while his RBI total popped up to 15. �He also dropped his strikeout rate, from 14 and 15 in May and June, down to 9 in July. �Friday finished out the season on a high note. �He had a hit in all but two of his first 20 games in August, including a 10-game hitting streak (11-for-33). �He had 9 doubles, and 14 RBI, and hit .284 for August/Sept. �On the down side, he also struck out 28 times in August/Sept. �He finished with a .265 average, 22 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, and 46 RBI. �On the field, Friday played exclusively at shortstop. �He made 25 errors with the Curve, about on a par for what he did in Lynchburg the previous season.
Indianapolis Indians 7, �Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 5
Three home runs gave starter Daniel McCutchen plenty of run support, as the Indians won this afternoon's AAA level minor league game in Clearwater, Florida. �McCutchen pitched 4 scoreless innings and allowed just 3 hits and a walk. �He also struck out two batters. �It took him 61 pitches to get his business done. �Chris Jakubauskas pitched 2 more scoreless innings, with 2 hits and another 2 strikeouts. �The Iron Pigs runs all came in the final two innings of the game.
RF Jose Tabata got the fun started with a solo home run in the top of the 1st inning. �LF Jon Van Every added 2 more runs with his homer in the 4th. �SS Brian Friday homered in the 5th inning, another solo blast. �The Tribe added 3 more runs in the next two innings, piling up 10 hits.
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Because of yesterday's rainouts and the fact that the Pirates did not have a major league level Grapefruit League game scheduled for today, starter Kevin Hart pitched in an A level game in Bradenton. �Hart pitched 3.1 innings, and gave up 2 runs. �Three of the four hits he allowed were infield singles and the other was a line drive into center field. �He struck out two batters in the first inning and walked two in the second inning. �He made a total of 74 pitches, and was working on throwing off speed pitches to left-handed batters.
Octavio Dotel, who has been sidelined with a strained left oblique muscle, pitched one inning (18 pitches) in another game this afternoon. �He struck out three batters and was pleased with his performance.
The Minor League portion of the Grapefruit League began today, and the Indianapolis Indians kicked off their spring training games with a win. �Visiting in Clearwater, Florida, the Indians beat the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (Philadelphia) by a score of 3-0.
CF Gorkys Hernandez opened the game with a triple, and SS Brian Friday followed with a 2-run home run to give the Indians a 2-0 lead before the Iron Pigs could even catch their breaths. �The Tribe scored again in the 4th inning, when C Tony Sanchez led off with a double, and 1B Matt Hague brought him in with an RBI single.
On the mound, five Indians' pitchers combined to shut out the Iron Pigs and hold them to 3 hits. �Starter Virgil Vasquez pitched 4 innings and allowed 2 hits, while striking out 4 batters. �Vasquez earned the win, and reliever Jeff Sues earned the save with a scoreless inning, allowing 2 walks.
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Meanwhile, back in Bradenton, the Pirates lost to the Tigers, 6 - 3. � (box)
The Pirates scored in the second inning, when 1B Bobby Crosby led off with a walk, then scored on RF Ryan Church's double. �3B Andy LaRoche lined out, but it was deep enough to let Church move up to third base. �He scored when Tigers' starter Nate Robertson committed a balk. �In the 7th, with one out, 3B Pedro Alvarez doubled into center field. �LF Jose Tabata singled, and CF John Raynor plated Alvarez with a single off the glove of the Tigers' shortstop.
Starter Kevin Hart did not help himself in his bid to join the Pirates' starting rotation. �He pitched to 12 batters over 1.2 innings, walked 6 of them, hit one of them, and gave up a hit. �He was lucky to escape allowing only one run. �Jeff Karstens got a ground out to finish the 2nd inning, then pitched a 1-2-3 third inning. �DJ Carrasco and Brendan Donnelly each gave up 2 runs in one inning of work, and Vinnie Chulk gave up another run in his inning. �Steven Jackson allowed 2 hits but no runs; Evan Meek and Anthony Claggett both retired the side in order in one inning of work.
Also getting into the game: �2B Gift Ngoepe came in to play second base and did fine; he had a foul pop out in his only trip to the plate. �PH/DH Neil Walker had a line-drive single to lead off the 8th inning, but did not score. �C Erik Kratz went 0-for-1 with a walk. �1B Steve Pearce, RF Jon Van Every, and SS Doug Bernier also got into the game.
