Tag: Dustin Molleken

Lots of action for the Pirates' minor league affiliates on Thursday....

Richmond Flying Squirrels� 9,� Altoona Curve� 6�� (Game 1)..� (box)

This was the wrap-up of a suspended game from... awhile back.� 2B Jordy Mercer had 3 hits in the game with an RBI, and LF Jim Negrych had a single, a double, and an RBI for the Curve.� The Curve scored first, with 3 runs in the bottom of hte 1st, on a double by 3B Shelby Ford, an RBI single by Mercer, walks to both C Kris Watts and LF Brandon Jones (back when he was still on the team), and a 2-RBI single by RF Miles Durham.

Richmond came back to tie the score with 3 runs in the top of the 2nd, on four singles and a throwing error by 1B Matt Hague. Then they took the lead with another 3 runs in the top of the 3rd, on a walk and three doubles.� Starter Tim Alderson was responsible for 6 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits and a walk over 3 innings.� Dustin Molleken took over for Alderson, and retired the side in the top of the 4th inning.� The Curve began the bottom of the inning with a walk to Durham, a single by CF Anthony Norman, and a sacrifice bunt by Molleken, to put both runners into scoring position.� That was when play was halted.� When the game resumed, SS Chase d'Arnaud singled, scoring Durham.� PH/3B Josh Harrison grounded to short, which let Norman score also.� Mercer singled again, but was left on base.� The Curve had closed the gap, 6-5

Derek Hankins took over for Molleken after the restart.� He pitched 5 innings, scattering two hits and a walk over the first four of those innings.� The Curve also put runners on base in the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings, but did not score.

In the top of the 9th, Hankins gave up a single and an RBI double, then three more singles, increasing Richmond's lead to 9-5.� The Curve got one of the runs back in the bottom of the 9th, when Hague walked, and moved to third on a fielding error that also put Watts on base.� Jim Negrych singled into left field, bringing in Hague from third.� Watts also tried to score, coming from second base, but he was out at the plate on the throw in from left field, ending the game.

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Curve� 5,� Flying Squirrels� 1�� (Game 2)..� (box)

The Curve turned the tables in the second game, which was scheduled for only 7 innings.� Rudy Owens buzzed through 6 scoreless innings, allowing only 2 hits and one walk, while striking out 5 batters.� He surrendered a single in the 2nd and a double in the 4th, then a walk in the 6th.� It was Owens' 11th win of the season.� Daniel Moskos wrapped things up in the 7th inning.� He loaded the bases with two walks and a single.� A grounder force out brought in Richmond's only run, but then Moskos ended the game with a strikeout.

2B Jordy Mercer's bat was still hot, as he collected another 2 hits.� He and LF Jim Negrych both singled in the 4th, then C Hector Gimenez reached on a throwing error, which brought in Negrych with the first run of the game.� A walk to 3B Josh Harrison and singles by 1B Matt Hague and Mercer scored Harrison with another run in the 5th.� SS Chase d'Arnaud added three more runs with a 3-run homer in the 6th, also plating CF Anthony Norman, who had walked, and pinch-hitter Andrew Lambo, who had singled.

Looking in on the Pirates' minor league affiliates on Tuesday... the State College Spikes have a scheduled day off.

Hagerstown Suns� 5,� West Virginia Power� 4 (box)

A single, a double, and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th gave the Suns the extra-inning win over the Power this afternoon.� The Power were held to 6 hits and scored all 4 of their runs in one inning, the 5th.� 3B Jesus Brito led off the inning with a single, and CF Evan Chambers was hit by a pitch.� Both scored on DH Jose Hernandez's line drive double into center field.� 1B Aaron Baker brought in Hernandez with his 16th home run of the season, and the Power had their 4 runs.

Baker was the only Power batter who had more than one run in the game.� Besides the home run, he also singled in the 4th, but was forced out at second base.� SS Benji Gonzalez singled to lead off the 3rd inning, but was left on base. LF Rogelios Noris doubled to lead off the 6th.� Both RF David Rubinstein and� Noris were hit by pitches (back-to-back) in the 2nd inning.� Both C Ramon Cabrera and Chambers reached base two throwing errors in the 9th.� All four of them were left on base.

Jason Erickson pitched into the 7th inning for the Power, but he did not figure into the decision.� He gave up a run in the 3rd inning on a double, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single.� LF Noris prevented another run from scoring on a single, when he made a perfect throw in from left field to the plate, with Cabrera making the tag at the plate. Erickson gave up lone singles in the 4th and 5th, then gave up a solo home run in the 6th inning.

The Suns tied the score in the 7th inning.� With two outs, Erickson gave up a bunt single, a stolen base, and a walk.� Justin Ennis relieved Erickson, but the first batter he faced doubled into left field, scoring both base runners, to tie the game at 4-4.� Ennis gave up a single and a walk in the 8th, but did not let either runner score.� Zach Foster took over for the 9th, and retired the side in order then, but he suffered the loss when he gave up the run in the 10th.� The Power had two base runners on in the 8th (two errors) but they did not score either.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have reaquired infielder Brian Bixler (photo) from the Cleveland Indians' organization.� Bixler, who was originally drafted by the Pirates in the second round of the 2004 draft, played in the Pirates' organization for all of his career until he was traded to Cleveland in January 2010 for infielder Jesus Brito. Bixler did not make the Cleveland major league team out of spring training, and he was removed from their 40-man roster.� He has been playing for AAA Columbus, and has appeared in several games against the Indy Indians.� For the Clippers, the 27-year-old Ohio native has been hitting .278 with 13 doubles, one triple, 3 homers, and 27 RBI.� That's about the same average but with a little less power than he showed with the Indy Indians in 2009.� Bixler has not been able to take his AAA level success up to the major league level.� In a total of 68 games with the Pirates, Bixler hit .178 with 7 doubles, one triple, and 5 RBI, and struck out 62 times.� Bixler will join the Indy Indians after the All-Star break.


The Indy Indians are off for their All-Star break.� The AAA All-Star game will be played on Wednesday in Lehigh Valley.� The game will not be on ESPN2 as in past years, but will be televised on the MLB network.� It will also be on-line on milb.com.�� More Monday action in the Pirates' minor league organization:

Richmond Flying Squirrels� 6,� Altoona Curve� 3..... suspended (box)

They got into the 4th inning before rain halted play in Altoona this afternoon.� The Curve got busy in the bottom of the 1st, with a double by 3B Shelby Ford, and an RBI single by 2B Jordy Mercer. Mercer stole second, then went to third on walks to C Kris Watts and LF Brandon Jones. RF Miles Durham drove in both Mercer and Watts with a line drive single into left field.� Durham also stole second, but was left there when the inning ended.

Starter Tim Alderson retired the side in the top of the 1st, but struggled after that.� The Squirrels came right back in the top of the 2nd to tie the score.� The inning began with three consecutive singles, which brought in one run.� A throwing error by 1B Matt Hague loaded the bases, and another single drove in two more runs.� A sacrifice bunt moved two runners into scoring position -- and provided the first out of the inning.� A hit batter loaded the bases again, but an infield fly rule pop out and a grounder force out ended the inning.� The second inning did not go any better.� A double, a walk, and a double opened the inning, bringing in 2 runs.� After two ground outs, another double drove in the Squirrels' 6th run.� Alderson was relieved by Dustin Molleken to begin the top of the 4th, and Molleken retired the side in order.

The Curve went down in order in the 2nd.� Mercer and Watts both singled in the 3rd, though neither scored.� The bottom of the 4th began with a walk to Durham and a single by CF Anthony Norman, moving Durham to third.� Molleken's sacrifice bunt moved Norman to second base, and that's how things stood when play was halted.� The game will be resumed on August 26th.

After the game, Alderson was reassigned to A+ Bradenton.� He had made 17 starts for the Curve, and in 86.2 innings, Alderson had allowed 105 hits and 54 earned runs (5.30 ERA).� He had 26 walks and 57 strikeouts, and batters hit .307 against him. His record:� 7-5.

Jeff Locke is being promoted from Bradenton to Altoona -- a pitcher swap.� Locke has a 9-3 record with the Marauders.� He also has 17 starts, for 86.1 innings, allowing 82 hits and 42 earned runs (3.54 ERA).� Locke has walked 14 and struck out 83, and batters hit .248 against him.

The State College Spikes have a scheduled day off today, and the GCL Pirates were washed out again.

Binghamton Mets �9, �Altoona Curve �6 (box)

Three runs in the top of the 10th broke a 6-6 tie and gave the Mets the extra-inning win. �Ramon Aguero took the mound for the Curve to begin the inning, and he began by giving up a single. �The next batter dropped down a bunt, but C Kris Watts grabbed it fast enough to make the force out at second base, leaving a runner on first. �Aguero walked the next batter, then gave up a double that brought in both runners. �Moments later, another double drove in the third run of the inning.

Watts led off the bottom of the 10th with a double, and SS Chase d'Arnaud walked, but two ground outs ended the inning before either of them could score, and the Mets had the win.

Curve starter Rudy Owens could not get through the 5th inning tonight, as he gave up 5 runs on 13 hits, though he also struck out 6 batters. �The Mets got going right away in the top of the 1st, on two doubles and three singles, scoring 3 runs off Owens. �A double play got Owens out of a jam in the 2nd inning, after he'd given up another double and single pair. �Back-to-back doubles brought in a run for the Mets in the 3rd inning. �Owens did retire the side in order in the 4th, but got right back into trouble in the 5th. �A lead-off home run, followed by a strikeout and 3 consecutive singles to load the bases, and that was all for Owens. �Dustin Molleken came on in relief and left the bases loaded when he struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

The Curve began their comeback in the bottom of the inning. �They had put at least one runner on base in each of the first 4 innings, but could not get any of them around to score. �With one out in the bottom of the 5th, CF Gorkys Hernandez and 3B Josh Harrison hit back-to-back singles, with Hernandez going to third on Harrison's hit. �1B Hector Gimenez's sacrifice fly brought in Hernandez. �Three consecutive singles by 2B Jordy Mercer, LF Brandon Jones, and RF Miles Durham brought in two more runs, and the Curve had come within 2 runs of the Mets.

Dustin Molleken reached base on a throwing error to begin the 6th inning. �He moved to second base on Chase d'Arnaud's single and then to third on Hernandez's ground out. �Josh Harrison's sacrifice fly brought Molleken in to score, and the Curve crept closer. �They took the lead in the bottom of the 8th. �Kris Watts led off with a single, and he was bunted to second by LF Anthony Norman, who entered the game in a double-switch. �D'Arnaud walked, and a ground out by Hernandez moved both runners into scoring position. �Harrison obliged with a single lined into center field, scoring both Watts and d'Arnaud, to give the Curve a 6-5 lead.

Binghamton tied the score again in the top of the 9th, on back-to-back doubles off reliever Diego Moreno. That took the game into extra innings, when the Mets got the win.

The two teams combined for 33 hits in the game -- 19 for the Mets and 14 for the Curve. �Gorkys Hernandez, Josh Harrison, and Kris Watts had 3 hits each.

Curve starter Bryan Morris has been selected to play in the Futures' Game on the US team. �He will be facing teammate Gorkys Hernandez, who will be on the World team. �Bradenton's Tony Sanchez was also named to the US team, but will have to miss the game due to his fractured jaw.

The GCL Pirates were off, as usual for a Sunday. �In other holiday action....

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Bradenton Marauders �5, �Palm Beach Cardinals �3 (box)

The Marauders jumped out to an early lead with 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. �1B Calvin Anderson began the inning with a single up the middle, and 3B Adam Davis walked. �Both were advanced with a sacrifice bunt by RF Austin McClune. C James Skelton brought them both in with a 2-RBI double, and another double by SS Greg Picart brought in Skelton.

Three straight singles by McClune, Skelton, and DH Erik Huber gave the Marauders another run in the 4th inning.

The Cardinals scored an unearned run off starter Jeff Locke in the 2nd inning. �A fielding error by 3B Davis put a runner on base, and a double combined with an interference error by SS Picart allowed the run to score. �A single, a walk, and an RBI single added an earned run in the 4th. �Locke pitched a total of 6 innings, allowing those runs on 5 hits and a walk, while striking out 6 batters.

Bradenton scored their final run in the 8th. �With two outs, Anderson doubled, and Davis walked. �McClune singled into right field, and Anderson raced around from second base to score. �Davis tried to score from first base, but was out at the plate on a good throw in from right field.

Mike Colla pitched 2 innings in relief, and allowed another unearned run in the 7th. �With two outs and a runner on first, a throwing error by Colla on a pick-off attempt put the runner on second, and another throwing error by Davis on the next play allowed the runner to score. �Noah Krol pitched a perfect 9th inning to earn his league-leading 19th save (Florida State League).

Bradenton Marauders �11, �Ft. Myers Miracle �1 (box)

The Marauders scored early, then poured it on with two late-inning rallies to take a big win over Ft. Myers tonight. �Starter Aaron Pribanic earned his 4th win for the Marauders with 6 innings of work, allowing one run on 7 hits, no walks, and 2 strikeouts. �He scattered 4 of the hits over the first 5 innings, then gave up the lone run in the 6th, on a double and an RBI single, plus one more single. � Mike Colla earned his first save with 3 scoreless innings, in which he scattered 3 hits and a walk, while striking out 4 batters.

The Marauders began scoring in the 2nd inning. �CF Austin McClune walked, then scored on 3B Adam Davis' double. �A wild pitch moved Davis to third base, and after a walk, SS Greg Picart brought in Davis with an RBI single. �McClune also walked to led off the 4th inning. �Davis was hit by a pitch, and DH James Skelton moved both runners up one base with a sacrifice bunt. �Picart's RBI ground out brought McClune across the plate. �In the 5th, it was RF �Robbie Grossman who led off with a walk. �Singles by C Eric Fryer and LF Quincy Latimore brought in Grossman, and Bradenton was up 4-0.

Two errors by the Miracle got the Marauders' 8th inning rally started. �Picart reached on a fielding error and a throwing error let 2B Jose De Los Santos reach base on a sacrifice bunt and moved the runners to third and second bases. �Picart scored on a wild pitch, then C Eric Fryer walked and stole second base. �Latimore's grounder fielder's choice brought in De Los Santos, and McClune's single plated Fryer. �Those three runs gave the Marauders a 7-1 lead.

The 9th inning brought another rally, again started with a lead-off single. �It was Skelton who walked, then Picart singled and De Los Santos grounded into a force out at second, which was probably hoping to be a double play, but De Los Santos is too speedy. �The grounder force out brought in Skelton. �Grossman doubled and Fryer tripled, for two more runs, then 1B Calvin Anderson doubled, driving in Fryer with the 4th run of the inning.

Tuesday's action in the Pirates' lower minor league organization

GCL Yankees �11, �GCL Pirates �4 (box)

Chris Jakubauskas, who suffered a concussion while pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates back in April, made his first appearance in a real game today, with the GCL Pirates. �He pitched 3 innings, and suffered the loss as he gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk. �He did strike out 5 batters. �Jakubauskas retired the Yankees in order in the 1st inning, then gave up a run on a triple and a sacrifice fly in the 2nd. �He allowed a lone walk in the 3rd inning, but began the 4th with a single, a double, and a 3-run homer, followed by another single.

Joan Montero finished the 4th for Jakubauskas, then gave up a run on a single, a wild pitch, and four walks in the 5th. �Dovydas Neverauskas completed the 5th, and gave up 2 runs in the 6th, ona double, a walk, and a 2-RBI single. �The Yankees scored 4 runs in the 8th, though only one was earned. �The inning began with a throwing error b 2B Luis Solano, then a double and a single both brought in a run. �Another fielding error and two more singles gave the Yankees a total of 11 runs. �Rinku Singh pitched a scoreless 9th inning for the Pirates, allowing a single and a walk, then getting a line-out into a double play before ending the inning with a strikeout.

The Pirates' bats could not keep up with the Yankees. �They scored one run in the 2nd, when C Elias Diaz led off with a double, was sacrifice bunted to third, and scored on a fielder's choice by Solano. �The Pirates added a run in the 4th. �RF Gregory Polanco led off with a single up the middle. �A grounder by LF Exicardo Cayonez forced Polanco out at second but left Cayonez at first. �Cayonez stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Yankees' catcher. �He scored on a wild pitch. �Another error contributed to the Pirates' run in the 6th. �SS Kevin Mort singled and 3B Eric Avila and Diaz both walked. �The fielding error on Solano's ball to short allowed Mort to score. �Polanco scored the Pirates' final run in the 8th, when he doubled, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on Cayonez's RBI single.

Bradenton Marauders �13, �St. Lucie Mets �1 (box)

Brian Leach won his third game of the season with 7 shutout innings against St. Lucie. �Leach scattered 4 hits, no walks, and had one batter reach base on an error. �He never had more than one runner on base in any one inning. �He also struck out 8 Mets' batters.

The only run the Mets scored came in the 8th inning. �Ramon Aguero took over for Leach to begin the 8th. �He gave up a single, then a passed ball and a ground out put the runner on third base. �Another single drove in the run. �Noah Krol pitched a scoreless 9th, allowing one single.

While the Marauders' pitching staff was holding the Mets down, the Mets' pitching staff was having a lot more trouble with the Marauders' bats. �They were quiet for the first two innings, then exploded for 5 runs in the 3rd. �CF Austin McClune began the fun with a walk. �DH Andrew Walker dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but when the Mets' pitcher missed the pick-up, the Marauders had runners on first and second with no outs. �2B Adenson Chourio also bunted, and the bases were loaded. �SS Greg Picart cleared the bases with a triple into right field. �RF Robbie Grossman kept things going with a walk, and a wild pitch put him on second base, though it didn't let Picart score. �Picart did score on C Tony Sanchez's sacrifice fly, and a single by LF Quincy Latimore drove in Grossman.

McClune got the next inning started too, this time with a single. �Walker walked, and Chourio singled, scoring McClune. �A balk moved both runners into scoring position, and a wild pitch brought in Walker. �Grossman's sacrifice fly plated Chourio, and the Marauders were up, 8-0.

It was Grossman's turn to triple in the 6th, which brought in both Walker, who had reached base on a fielding error, and Picart, who had singled. �Picart drove in his 4th run of the game with a single in the 8th, after McClune walked and Chourio singled for the second time. �Another fielding error by the Mets put Latimore on base in the 9th, and 1B Calvin Anderson brought him in with his 6th home run of the season.

New Britain Rock Cats �8, � �Altoona Curve �7 (box)

A 9th inning rally by the Curve came up short, as the Curve fell to the Rock Cats on Saturday. �The final inning was a wild one, and by the time it was done, the two teams had combined for 30 hits -- 18 by the Rock Cats and 12 by the Curve.

Curve starter Jared Hughes gave up 6 runs on 12 hits over 4.2 innings and suffered the loss, giving him an 8-3 record for the season. �The Rock Cats scored their first run in the top of the 1st, on a lead-off double, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single. �The Curve came right back at them, tying the game in the bottom of the frame. �SS Chase d'Arnaud tripled, then scored on 3B Josh Harrison's sacrifice fly.

New Britain kept going against Hughes. �Two singles and two grounders brought in a run in the 2nd inning, to give New Britain a 2-1 lead. �Hughes gave up a lead-off single in both the 3rd and 4th innings, and both times a double play erased the runner. �He was not so lucky in the 5th inning. �A double and a single complicated by a throwing error by 2B Jordy Mercer brought in a run. �A wild pitch moved the second runner to third base, and he scored on a sacrifice fly. �A single and two doubles, plus a fielding error by LF Alex Presley brought in two more runs, and the score was 6-1. �Hughes was done for the evening, with Tony Watson coming on to finish the inning. �Watson went on to pitch 3 more scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits while striking out 3 batters.

After their run in the 1st inning, the Curve batters found the going tough. �They went down in order in three of the next four innings, though they did get back-to-back singles by 1B Matt Hague and Mercer with two outs in the 4th. �Both were left on base. �D'Arnaud doubled in the 6th inning, and reached as far as third base, but after CF Gorkys Hernandez walked, a double play and another ground out ended the inning. �Presley also had a single in the 7th and was also left on base.

Dustin Molleken took the mound for the Curve in the top of the 9th. �He gave up two singles, then a double, which brought in both of the base runners, to give New Britain an 8-1 lead. �The bottom of the 9th began with a pinch-hit appearance by James Skelton, who was just promoted from A+ Bradenton to fill the roster spot vacated by Jim Negrych when he was moved up to Indianapolis. �Skelton led off with a single. �He scored when another pinch-hitter, Anthony Norman, tripled on a liner into right field. �Norman scored on Mercer's double, and Mercer scored on C Hector Gimenez's single. �With the score bumped to 8-4, the Rock Cats brought on a new pitcher, who started by getting Presley to bounce into a double play. �But the Curve were not down yet. �RF Miles Durham doubled, and he came around to score on DH Shelby Ford's single. �A fielding error put d'Arnaud on first and Ford on second base. �Hernandez brought both of them in with the second triple of the inning, and the Curve were within one run of tying the game, at 8-7. �That was as far as they got, though, as Skelton struck out in his second at-bat in the inning.

Some early games today in the lower minors:

Asheville Tourists �11, �West Virginia Power �5 (box)

All of the Power's scoring was done with home runs today, and even that wasn't enough to catch up to Asheville. �They did not score at all in the first 6 innings, despite getting a reasonable number of runners on base -- 2 walks to CF Evan Chambers and DH Kyle Morgan, one�walk to C Pat Irvine, two doubles by Chambers and one by LF Rogelios Noris, a single by 2B Jarek Cunningham.

The Power were behind 7-0 going into the top of the 8th, when they finally got some runs. �Noris walked, and 1B Aaron Baker blasted his 7th home run of the season to put the Power onto the scoreboard. �They added 3 more runs in the 9th, when SS Benji Gonzalez doubled, then Cunningham and Noris smacked back-to-back home runs. �That was not nearly enough, though.

Nate Baker pitched 5 innings in his start for the Power, and he allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and a walk. �A single, a wild pitch, and two ground outs brought in the first Asheville run in the 1st inning. �Two singles, a double, a triple, a wild pitch, and a double steal all contributed to bring in 3 runs in the 2nd. �Another triple plus a sacrifice fly added a run in the 5th, and the Tourists had a 5-0 lead. �Gabriel Alvarado relieved Baker to begin the 6th inning. �He retired the side in order, for the first time in the game, in the 6th, but then gave up 2 more runs in the 7th, on a single, an RBI double, a walk, and two more singles. �Jhonatan Ramos took over on the mound in the 8th, and he got into trouble quickly, as the first four batters reached base safely -- double, single, walk, and double. �The double plated 2 runs, and after two outs, another double drove in 2 more runs, and the Marauders were down 11-2. �Not even a 9th inning rally could change their fate.