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Tag: Gorkys Hernandez

Curve Rallies Fall Short; Power Held To 3 Hits

Erie SeaWolves 10, �Altoona Curve 7 (box)

A 4-run rally in the 8th and a franchise-record 16 opposing batters struck out could not push the Curve past the SeaWolves on Sunday in Altoona. �Curve batters C Kris Watts doubled twice and 1B Matt Hague singled twice in the losing effort.

The Curve scored first, when CF Gorkys Hernandez singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error in the bottom of the 1st. �After a couple of quiet innings, Erie took the lead in the top of the 4th, on a 2-run homer by 1B Michael Bertram. �Matt Hague tied the game in the bottom of the frame, when he led off with a single, went to second on DH Jim Negrych's bunt, to third on a wild pitch, and scored on LF Alex Presley's RBI single.

Curve starter Rudy Owens had allowed only a single and a walk over the first three innings, then a walk and the homer in the 4th. �Another homer, by C Max St. Pierre, led off the 5th, and Owens then gave up three singles and a walk for two more runs, and Erie was ahead, 5-2. �The SeaWolves just kept coming, scoring 3 runs (2 earned) in the 7th off reliever Mike Dubee. Dubee gave up a single and a walk, then a fielding error loaded the bases with SeaWolves. �CF Wilkin Ramirez cleared the bases with a double, and Erie was ahead 8-2. �They added another run in the 8th on a triple by St. Pierre and an RBI ground out, then a homer by RF Josh Burres lifted the Erie total to 10 runs.

The Curve rallied in the bottom of the 8th, as they batted around. �Watts opened the inning with a double, Hernandez walked, and pinch-hitter Jose De Los Santos singled to load the bases. �A single by Hague scored Watts, and the bases were still loaded. �A walk to Negrych forced in Hernandez, and a fielding error let De Los Santos score. �Presley's grounder force out plated Hague, and left runners on the corners, but a fly out ended the inning, with the Curve closer at 10-6.

Watts also doubled to begin the 9th inning, and the Curve had hopes that another rally might get them a win. �The third Erie error of the game, on a ball hit by Shelby Ford, put runners on the corners. �Hernandez grounded back to the mound for a fielders' choice, scoring Watts, and that was all the Curve could get.

Owens pitched 5 innings, and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, with 9 strikeouts. �Dubee struck out 4 in his 2 innings of work, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits and 2 walks. �Ronald Uviedo pitched the final two innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, no walks, with 3 strikeouts.

Wins For Molleken, Adcock and Erickson; Saves for Moskos, Krol, and Foster

The Indianapolis Indians lost, but the rest of the Pirates' affiliates won on Saturday.

Altoona Curve �9, �Erie SeaWolves �7 (box)

A 6-run 2nd inning boosted the Curve to an early lead, and a late-inning rally kept them on top for a win at home on Saturday. �The Curve sent 11 batters to the plate in the 2nd, collecting 8 hits for their 6 runs. �DH Jim Negrych got the fun started with a single through the hole into right field. �2B Josh Harrison and LF Alex Presley both doubled, and RF Miles Durham added another single, and two runs were in before an out had been recorded. �After a fly out, SS Chase d'Arnaud singled, bringing in both Presley and Durham, and a fielding error accounted for the second run (so only one RBI for d'Arnaud) and moved d'Arnaud to third. �Three more consecutive singles, by CF Gorkys Hernandez, 3B Jordy Mercer, and 1B Matt Hague, and another run came in. �That brought it back to Negrych, who this time brought the 6th run in with a sacrifice fly, before a ground out by Harrison ended the inning.

Starter Tim Alderson elected to work entirely out of the stretch as he worked on mechanics. �He�kept the SeaWolves from scoring over the first three innings, but gave up one run in the 4th on a single and an RBI double. �He ran into more trouble in the 5th, giving up a single, a double, a sacrifice fly, and another double, and then another single, for 3 runs. �Alderson was relieved at that point, just one out away from qualifying for the win, having surrendered 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over his 4.2 innings, with 6 strikeouts. �He was replaced by Dustin Molleken, who gave up another single, but the throw in from Durham in right field put the runner from first out at third base to end the inning. �Curve 6, SeaWolves 4.

Erie moved within one run of the Curve in the 7th, when Molleken gave up a double, a wild pitch to move the batter to third base, then a sacrifice fly. �The Curve responded in the bottom of the inning with 3 more runs to maintain a bigger lead. �Hernandez led off with a double, and Hague walked. �A grounder by Negrych forced Hague out at second, but left runners on the corners with two outs. �Harrison brought both Negrych and Hernandez in with a line drive double into left field, and he moved to third on the throw in to the plate. �That meant that he was able to score on a wild pitch, and the Curve had a 9-5 lead.

Jeff Sues came in fro Molleken to begin the 8th inning, and he was greeted by a solo home run by Erie 1B Michael Bertram. �Sues got two outs, then gave up a single, a wild pitch, and another single. �Danny Moskos finished the inning for Sues with a fly out. �Moskos had to work around a fielding error by SS d'Arnaud and 2B Harrison in the 9th, but still kept Erie from scoring, to earn his 7th save of the season. �Molleken was credited with the win, his first of the season.

Gorkys Hernandez had a 3-hit night for the Curve, with a double and one RBI. �Jim Negrych, Josh Harrison, and Alex Presley each had 2 hits for the Curve.

Presley’s Streak Ends As Curve Lose In 11th

Richmond Flying Squirrels �2, �Altoona Curve �1 (box)

Three singles in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Squirrels the walk-off win on Thursday night in Richmond. �Reliever Ronald Uviedo, who had allowed runs to score in only one of his previous 8 appearances for the season, gave up the singles in the 11th and suffered his second loss.

The Curve scored first, way back in the top of the 1st inning. �With one out, CF Gorkys Hernandez singled, 2B Josh Harrison walked, and 1B Matt Hague brought Hernandez in with an RBI single. �Richmond responded with a run off starter Derek Hankins in the 4th, scoring on a double and two ground outs.

The scoreboard filled up with a lot of donuts after that. �The Curve went down in order for three consecutive innings, until SS Chase d'Arnaud walked in the 5th. �He stole second base and went to third on a wild pitch, but got no farther. �Harrison walked in the 6th but was eliminated in a double play.

In the 7th, the Curve got close. �C Kris Watts doubled and moved to third base on a wild pitch. �Pinch-hitter Jim Negrych lined out to left field, and when Watts tried to tag up and score, he was thrown out at the plate. �They loaded the bases in the 10th, on a single by 3B Jose De Los Santos (in his first game back since being involved in a collision with Gorkys Hernandez on Monday), an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Jordy Mercer, and a single to short by d'Arnaud. �But Hernandez bounced into an inning-ending double play, and the threat ended. �Hague and RF Miles Durham had back-to-back singles in the 11th, but both were left on base.

Meanwhile, Derek Hankins was also pitching well. �He scattered 4 singles and a walk over the other 5 innings he pitched besides the 4th. �He left after 6 innings, with the game tied. �Tony Watson relieved Hankins, and he pitched 3 shutout innings, allowing three singles and a hit batter. �A timely double play got him out of a jam in the 7th, when he had runners on first and second with one out. �Ronald Uviedo replaced Watson to begin the 10th. �Uviedo gave up a two-out single and a walk, then ended the inning with a strikeout. �But when he returned in the top of the 11th, the Squirrels ended the game quickly.

Matt Hague and Miles Durham each had two hits for the Curve. �Watts' double in the 7th was the Curve's only extra base hit. �LF Alex Presley's hitting streak came to an end at 19 games (2nd longest in Curve history) when he went 0-for-4, but he did continue his on-base streak with a walk in the 1st inning.

Three HIts for Marauders, Power, and Harrison

Three hits were the common theme in these minor league games on Monday:

Palm Beach Cardinals �1, �Bradenton Marauders �0 (box)

The Marauders were held to just 3 hits in this shut-out on Monday night in Palm Beach. �CF Robbie Grossman, DH Starling Marte, and C Tony Sanchez were the only batters to get a hit, and all three hits were singles. �Grossman and Sanchez also walked in the game, and Marte was hit by a pitch.

Two of those base runners came in the top of the first. �With two outs, Marte was hit by a pitch, and stole second base, then Sanchez walked. �A wild pitch put the runners on second and third bases, but they were left there when LF Quincy Latimore struck out to end the inning. �The next 14 Bradenton batters were retired in order, until Grossman singled in the 6th. �Grossman was thrown out trying to steal second base.

Marte and Sanchez led off the 7th inning with back-to-back singles, but Marte was picked off and caught stealing, and Sanchez was left on base after two ground outs. �Grossman also walked in the 9th inning, and went to second base on a balk, but was again left stranded.

In a sad twist, Bradenton starter Nate Adcock also gave up only 3 hits in his 7 innings of work. �It was his longest start of the season -- his first four starts were all 5 innings in length. �Adcock struck out a season-high 8 batters (he's struck out 7 batters twice) and did not allow any walks. �Unfortunately, one of the hits was a solo home run by Palm Beach's RF Alex Castellanos to lead off the 3rd inning. �That was the only run of the game, making Adcock the hard-luck loser. �Adcock gave up a single to begin the 2nd inning, but got a pop-out double play to erase the runner. �Castellanos also singled with two outs in the 5th, and he was Palm Beach's only runner left on base.

Casey Erickson relieved Adcock to pitch the 8th. �He also gave up a two-out single, but that runner was caught stealing second base to end the inning.

Negrych Still Hot; McClure Doubles Twice

The West Virginia Power and the Kannapolis Intimidators were rained out in Kannapolis on Saturday. �It appears that they will play a double header on Sunday in the afternoon.

Erie SeaWolves �4, �Altoona Curve �3 (box)

A late-inning home run by the SeaWolves gave them the win over the Curve for the second night in a row. �This time it was Erie's C Max St. Pierre who sank the Curve, with his 3-run blast in the 7th inning. �Curve reliever Dustin Molleken was St. Pierre's victim. �Molleken had taken the mound to begin the 7th inning with the Curve ahead 3-1. �He gave up a single to the first batter he faced. �A grounder to short forced that runner out at second, but left the batter safe at first. � After a walk put a second runner on base, St. Pierre homered over the left field wall, to give the SeaWolves the go-ahead run and the win.

Mike Crotta made the start for the Curve, and pitched well. �He went 6 innings and allowed one run on 3 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 6 batters. �Crotta retired the first 6 batters he faced, but gave up the first Erie run -- to St. Pierre -- in the 3rd inning. �St. Pierre led off the frame with a walk, went to third on a single, then scored on an RBI ground out. �Crotta had a runner on base in each of the 4th and 5th innings, but eliminated both of those runners with double plays. �He also worked around a lone single in the 6th.

1B Matt Hague tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the 4th inning with a solo home run -- his second homer of the season. �In the 5th, the Curve loaded the bases with back-to-back singles by LF Alex Presley and SS Jose De Los Santos, followed by CF Gorkys Hernandez being hit by a pitch. �DH Jim Negrych plated Presley and De Los Santos with an RBI single, giving the Curve a 3-1 lead.

Marauders Pitchers Throw One-Hitter; Presley’s Homer and 5 RBI


Bradenton Marauders 6, �Jupiter Hammerheads 0 (box)

Four Marauders#039; pitchers combined for a one-hitter against the Jupiter Hammerheads on Monday night in Bradenton. � Starter Brian Leach made the start and got the win. �He pitched 5 innings and it was he who gave up the only hit, a one-out single in the 3rd. �That base runner was promptly thrown out trying to steal second base. �Leach walked a batter in the 2nd inning and another in the 4th, and one more runner reached base on a missed catch error by 1B Calvin Anderson in the 5th. �Mike Colla also walked a batter in the 6th, but he pitched two hitless, scoreless innings. �Tom Boleska and Noah Krol each pitched a perfect inning to finish the game for the Power. �The four pitchers struck out a total of 9 batters -- 4 for Leach, 2 each for Colla and Boleska, and one for Krol.

The Bradenton batters posted 10 hits on their way to 6 runs. �LF Quincy Latimore, 1B Calvin Anderson, and 2B Greg Picart had two hits each, and Latimore collected 2 RBI. �RF Austin McClune scored the first run in the bottom of the 1st, when he singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on DH Tony Sanchez's RBI double. �The Marauders had a big 3rd inning, scoring 4 runs. �Picart got things started with a lead-off single, though he was forced out at second base on SS Brock Holt's grounder. �Another grounder by McClune moved Holt to second base. �CF Starling Marte plated Holt with an RBI single. �A walk to Sanchez and a double by Latimore brought in two more runs, and 3B Jeremy Farrell's double brought in Latimore with the fourth run. �A single by Latimore and a double by Anderson added one more run in the 6th inning.

Starters Struggle for Power and Curve

The Bradenton Marauders were rained out on Sunday afternoon in St. Lucie.

Asheville Tourists �6, �West Virginia Power �3 (box)

Hunter Strickland got into trouble in the first two innings, and the Power could not catch up to the Tourists this afternoon in Charleston, West Virginia. �Strickland opened the game by giving up a walk, a single, and a 3-run home run before he could recored an out. �In the 2nd inning, he gave up a double, a single, and RBI grounder and an RBI double, and the Tourists were leading 5-0. �Strickland also gave up two singles in the 3rd, and one more in the 4th, though that runner was erased in a double play. �Strickland finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th. �He finished his 5 innings having allowed 5 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks, with 4 strikeouts.

The Power managed only two hits and a walk over the first five innings, but did not ever really threaten to score. �In the 6th, SS Benji Gonzalez singled, then moved to second on a ground out. �He got as far as third base on a wild pitch, but got no further before the inning ended. �3B Jesus Brito also got to third after a double and a ground out in the 7th, but didn't score. �Finally, in the 8th inning, when Asheville starter Wes Musick finally sat down, C Ramon Cabrera led off with a single, 2B Adenson Chourio walked, and Gonzalez singled to load the bases. �CF Evan Chambers singled, driving in Cabrera and Chourio with the Power's first runs of the game. �1B Kyle Morgan was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, with one out. �Brito's sacrifice fly scored Gonzalez, to make the score 5-3.

Maurice Bankston pitched 2 scoreless innings for the Power, allowing one walk and striking out one batter. �Ryan Kelly pitched the last two innings. �He worked out of a first-and-third jam in the 8th inning (double and hit batter), but gave up a solo home run in the 9th inning. �Strickland was charged with the loss, his second of the season.

Gonzalez was the only Power batter to have two hits in the game, and Brito's double was the only Power extra-base hit of the game. �Morgan and Chourio also had singles.

Erie SeaWolves �8, �Altoona Curve �2 (box)

The Curve posted only 6 hits in the game, and the SeaWolves doubled up their hits and made better use of the hits they made.

DH Jim Negrych got the Curve started in the top of the 1st, with a one-out single. �3B Jordy Mercer walked, and a wild pitch moved both runners up. �RF�Miles Durham brought in Negrych with a sacrifice fly to give the Curve an early 1-0 lead.

Starter Justin Wilson worked around two singles in the 1st inning and put the side down in order in the 2nd, but had some trouble in the 3rd. �A single and a double put runners on the corners, and an RBI ground out tied the game. �Wilson's wild pitch brought in the second runner to give Erie a lead they would not give up. �Wilson got through the 4th, picking a runner off second base. �In the 5th, two walks and a fielding error by Wilson on a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases. �A ground out brought in one run, and a single plated the second run. �When the runner from first went to steal second base, the runner from third scored on the throw down to second base. �That chased Wilson from the game, and he was eventually charged with the loss, going 4.2 innings and allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits and 3 walks. �He also struck out 4 batters.

Derek Hankins relieved Wilson and ended the 5th inning. �But Hankins gave up a double and a 2-run homer in the 6th inning, to make the score 7-1. �A single and a double added another run in the 7th inning.

After the 1st inning, the Curve threatened in the 2nd inning, when C Hector Gimenez led off with a double and 1B Matt Hague single, moving Gimenez to third base. �That's as far as he got, though. �Two outs ended that inning, and the next 10 Curve batters after that also were retired in order. �Jordy Mercer walked in the 6th, but was left stranded. �Three Curve went down in order in the 7th, too. �Finally in the 8th, the Curve scored again. �LF Alex Presley led off with a single, and CF Gorkys Hernandez was hit by a pitch. �Jim Negrych grounded to short, and Hernandez was forced out at second, but Negrych made it to first base safely. �Mercer doubled, scoring Presley, but the Curve still left two runners on base.

Michael Dubee pitched the 8th inning for the Curve. �He gave up a single, but that runner was erased when a line drive right to Hague at first base let Hague make an unassisted double play.

Curve Make Strasbourg Work For Win; Power Win #1

Harrisburg Senators 6, �Altoona Curve 4 (box)

As the world looked in on the baseball-happy town of Altoona, via ESPNews and MLB, Stephen Strasburg made his pro debut against the Curve. �Some people, maybe those who thought Strasburg didn't need to bother with the minors at all, �may have thought that Strasburg would breeze through this start. �The Curve were not among that group, though. �Yes, Strasburg got his first pro win in his first pro start. �Yes, he did strike out 8 batters. �But the Curve did not make it easy, as they scored 4 runs off Strasburg on 4 hits and 2 walks, and reminded Strasburg and anyone else that those guys with the bats in their hands are dangerous, no matter who's on the mound.

With Curve radio broadcaster Dan Zangrilli and former Pirate pitcher Stan Belinda doing the honors on national tv, Strasburg started off strong. �He got 2B Jim Negrych on a sky-high pop out to short, and got CF Gorkys Hernandez to ground out. �Then LF Alex Presley lined Strasburg's 2-0 pitch to the base of the wall in right field, and sped around to score when RF Miles Durham followed with a line drive into center field. �C Kris Watts worked a walk, even though the 4th ball came in at 98 mph. �3B Josh Harrison struck out to end the inning, but the Curve had scored a run off Strasburg.

Strasburg settled down to retire the Curve in order in the 2nd and 3rd innings, with 2 strikeouts in each. �He began the 4th inning with a fly out off Durham's bat, but then Kris Watts worked another walk. �Josh Harrison bounced a grounder to Harrisburg SS (and former Curve and Indy Indian) Pedro Lopez. �Lopez scooped up the ball as he was moving behind second base, and flipped it to his 2B Michael Martinez. �But Martinez missed the flip, and instead of an inning-ending double play, both runners were safe. �1B Shelby Ford struck out, then SS Jose De Los Santos slipped a single just under his counterpart Lopez's glove and into center field. �Watts scored easily, and when the throw in from CF Leonard Davis came in to the plate way up the line and got past the Harrisburg catcher, Harrison rounded third and slid into the plate just ahead of the tag. �Next up was Altoona pitcher Rudy Owens, who had told the Altoona Mirror's Cory Geiger that he was more concerned about his first professional plate appearance against Strasburg than about pitching against the big prospect. �(Below the AA level, designated hitters are always used and pitchers never hit.) �Owens needn't have worried. �He collected his first pro hit and his first RBI too, with a single up the middle, scoring De Los Santos from third base. �A strikeout ended the inning, with the Curve ahead 4-0.

Hughes Shines In Curve Win; Farrell Homers Again

Altoona Curve �6, �Harrisburg Senators 1 (box)

Starter Jared Hughes earned his first win of the season with 5 solid innings of work for the Curve tonight. �Hughes retired the first 11 Senators he faced, before giving up a solo home run to CF Leonard Davis in the 4th inning. �That was the only run he would allow. �Hughes allowed a single after the home run, but left that runner stranded. �In the 5th, the first three Senators reached base on three consecutive singles. �But Hughes calmly struck out the next two batters, then got a force out at second base to end the inning without a run scoring.

The Curve got onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the 3rd inning. �With two outs, CF Gorkys Hernandez and SS Chase d'Arnaud hit back-to-back singles. �3B Jordy Mercer followed with a line drive into left field for a 2-RBI double. �Hernandez and d'Arnaud contributed to the Curve's 3-run 4th inning also. �C Hector Gimenez opened the inning with a single, and advanced to third base when CF Davis misplayed the ball. �A walk to 2B Josh Harrison put runners on the corners for 1B Matt Hague. �Hague's sacrifice fly plated Gimenez. �LF Alex Presley and Hernandez both singled, with Hernandez's bringing in Harrison. �D'Arnaud added a double to bring Presley home with the third run of the inning, giving the Curve a 5-1 lead. �Mercer scored the final Curve run in the 7th, when he led off with a single and stole second base. �He advanced to third base on a ground out, then scored on Harrison's RBI single up the middle.

The Curve bullpen wrapped up the game with four scoreless innings. �Tony Watson pitched the 6th and 7th innings, giving up only one walk, while striking out 2 batters. �Dustin Molleken pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th. �Jeff Sues loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single in the 9th inning, but got the necessary grounder to short to end the inning without a run scoring.

Prospect Watching: Gorkys Hernandez

Continuing to look at the prospects -- another outfielder today:

Gorkys Hernandez came to the Pirates from the Braves' organization. �The Venezuelan native came to the US in the Tigers' organization, and hit very well in his two seasons with them: �.327 for the GCL Tigers, and .293 for A level West Michigan. �He was traded to the Braves, and played at their A+ level Myrtle Beach affiliate in 2008, hitting .264, with 23 doubles, 5 homers, and 42 RBI. �Though he had stolen 54 bases at the A level in 2007, he did not do much stealing in 2008 -- just 20 steals and 4 times caught stealing. �The drop was thought to be due to a hamstring injury. �Hernandez was moved up to the AA level (Mississippi) to begin the 2009 season. �In 52 games, he hit .316 with 11 doubles and 19 RBI. �He stole bases at about the same rate (10) and struck out at a little higher rate than in 2008 (54 K's). �In early June, the outfielder was traded to the Pirates in the deal that sent Nate McLouth to the Braves. �Hernandez was assigned to AA Altoona, but his success in the Southern League did not translate well into the Eastern League. �He hit .244 over 24 games for the rest of June, with just 4 RBI and just 2 stolen bases. �He also struck out 19 times in 24 games. �In July he showed a little more power: �.243 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI, three stolen bases, but a whopping 25 strikeouts in 28 games. �Hernandez's average climbed a bit in August/September, when he hit .285 over 34 games. �He contributed 14 RBI, but still struck out at a high rate -- 32 K's. �That gave him a .262 average for his time with the Curve, with 14 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 31 RBI. �He stole a total of 9 bases but was caught 8 times. �He also walked 24 times and struck out 76 times. �In the field, Hernandez made 4 errors while with the Curve, but he has good speed in the field and has a strong throwing arm. �There was also some concern about attitude issues when a couple of incidents occurred on the field, but after those two incidents, nothing more happened. �It may have been a matter of a 21-year-old getting used to a new place and new coaching staff. �Hernandez was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster at the end of the season, and he's reported to spring training with the major league club. �He got into 8 Grapefruit League games with the Pirates, and went 2-for-10 at the plate, with a walk and 4 strikeouts. �In the first round of cuts, Hernandez was optioned back to Altoona, where he'll begin the 2010 season. �He'll need to be working on that strikeout rate, and the Pirates would like to see him show more power. �It would be interesting to have him stealing more bases too.

Indy Indians Begin Minor League Games With A Win

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.

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.