Pittsburgh Pirates

Bucs Lose Rollercoaster

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:47:27 -0500

From up five early to a 9th inning comeback against Francisco Rodriguez to losing it in the 10th, this one had it all. All except a Pirates win, that is. This one was delayed by rain and it was a make up for an earlier rain out. Striking an irony chord somewhere.

The Pirates jumped on Tim Redding early for five runs. Garrett Jones and Robinzon Diaz each had three hits and two RBI. However, Paul Maholm couldn't hold the lead as the Mets scored eight runs in the middle three frames.

The Pirates tied it up in the 9th off of Rodriguez when Adam LaRoche stroked a two run dinger. But, the Mets countered with a run in the 10th off Matt Capps as Ryan Church singled in Fernando Tatis, who had homered earlier in the game. Rodriguez tossed a perfect 10th to lock it down.

Maholm went 4-1/3 and gave up six runs and 11 hits. Redding gave up five runs and got just seven outs.

The Good

Garrett Jones was single short of the cycle.

The Bad

Delwyn Young was held hitless again and was tossed for arguing balls and strikes.

The Rest

Former Bucco Elmer Dessens made his 4th appearance of the year in relief for NYM.

This was the first time all year that Maholm gave up more than four runs in a home start. He has never been touched for more than six runs in a start at PNC.

The last Pirate to have a double, triple and homer in the same game before his 50th career game was Richie Hebner way back on 5-4-69. Garrett Jones did it today.

Tatis scored four times, establishing a single game high for his career.

Welcome Jeff Salazar. Bucs most recent recall from Louisville was 0-1 in a pinch hitting role in his Bucco debut.

Broadway Homers Twice, But Bats Take Two From Tribe

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:50:00 -0500

The Indians' holiday weekend began with a double header in Louisville -- but not in a good way.

Game 1

Louisville Bats 2,

Indianapolis Indians 1

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The Indianapolis Indians were able to put a few runners on base in Game 1 against the Bats at Slugger Field in Louisville this evening, but only one managed to come around to score. That lone run belonged to LF Larry Broadway (photo), who blasted a solo homer in the top of the 7th inning.

Starter Eric Hacker (photo) struggled in the early innings. The bottom of the 1st inning began with a single by Bats' CF Drew Stubbs. Hacker quickly picked Stubbs off first base, with a controversial call at first base. The umpire's call stood, of course, and after a second out, Hacker walked RF Chris Heisey. 1B Kevin Barker followed with a double into center field, which Tribe CF Luis Cruz could not get to, scoring Heisey with the first run of the game.

The Bats' 2nd inning began with a double by LF Daniel Dorn and an RBI single by 2B Chris Valaika, and Louisville took a 2-0 lead. Hacker settled down after that, retiring the Bats in order in the 3rd inning, and working around a lead-off walk by Dorn in the 4th. In the 5th, Hacker gave up a lead off single to Stubbs, who was then forced out at second base on a grounder, leaving 3B Edwin Encarnacion on first base. Heisey bunted Encarnacion to second base, and was himself safe at first when Eric Hacker couldn't pick up the bunt, for a fielding error. That ended Hacker's evening, and manager Frank Kremblas brought in reliever Donnie Veal. Veal induced the dangerous Kevin Barker to ground into an inning-ending double play, preventing any runs from scoring. Veal also retired the side in the bottom of the 6th, to complete his best outing since his first with the Indians on June 8th.

Luis Cruz (photo) had three of the Indians' 6 hits. He singled in the top of the 1st inning, and his single was followed by another single off the bat of 3B Hector Gimenez, but both runners were left standing on base when a fly out and ground out ended the inning. Cruz doubled in the 3rd inning, and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Again, though, Cruz was not able to go any further before the inning ended. In the 6th inning, Cruz led off with another single, but was thrown out trying to steal second base. The only other member of the Tribe to get a hit was SS Brian Bixler, who had a 2-out double in the 2nd inning. The first inning was the only one in which the Tribe had two base runners on at the same time.

Eric Hacker was charged with the loss, which was his second overall, but his first with the Indians.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: Larry Broadway's solo homer to break the shut-out in the last inning. It was a line drive that just kept going and kept rising until it sailed over the right field wall.

Indians Defensive Gem of the Game: The double play induced by Donnie Veal to end the 5th inning. It came with two runners on base, and kept any further runs from scoring.

Game 2

Bats 3, Indians 2

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The second game of the double-header was another low-scoring contest with the advantage going back and forth between the two teams. Despite Larry Broadway's second home run of the night, the Indians could not keep up with the Bats. Louisville scored one run in three straight innings, all charged to spot starter Jeremy Powell, who suffered his 4th loss of the season.

Powell (photo) did get some help from CF Chris Barnwell to keep Louisville from scoring in the 1st inning. With one out, 3B Edwin Encarnacion singled, and CF Chris Heisey smacked a double to the base of the wall in center field. Barnwell positioned himself to catch the ricochet off the wall, whirled and fired in to the infield. SS Luis Cruz took the relay and threw a perfect strike to C Hector Gimenez, who tagged Encarnacion out at the plate by a few feet. A ground out ended the inning.

The Indians got onto the scoreboard first, in the top of the 2nd inning. Miguel Perez, playing first base in this game, singled to start the rally. RF Chris Snelling walked on 4 pitches, and 2B Brian Bixler followed with a double into the gap in left-center. Perez scored easily from second base. Snelling raced around from first base, but by the time he got to the plate, he was thrown out easily, without a slide.

The Bats came right back to tie the score in the bottom of the inning. SS Adam Rosales led off with a double down the left field line. He advanced to third base on a ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly by 2B Chris Valaika. They added another run in the 3rd, when LF Drew Stubbs singled, stole second base, and scored standing up on an RBI single by 3B Edwin Encarnacion. That put the Bats ahead, 2-1.

LF Larry Broadway tied the score for the Indians in the 4th inning. His second home run of the day also sailed over the right field wall, quite a ways over the Spiderman-climbing-the-wall imitation by Bats' RF Darnell McDonald.

The Bats' Valaika gave his team the lead again in the bottom of the 4th. His RBI double brought in Adam Rosales from first base, and the Bats were up 3-2. The Bats threatened again in the 5th inning. Drew Stubbs was hit by a pitch, and he promptly stole second base, on a throw that got past 2B Brian Bixler, though SS Luis Cruz was backing up Bixler and the ball did not get far. After a fly out, with a 1-0 count on Kevin Barker at the plate, Stubbs stole third base. Hector Gimenez's throw to third was very close, but Stubbs was ruled safe, to the dismay of Jeremy Powell. Powell must have said the wrong word or words to the umpire, and he was summarily ejected from the game. Tribe reliever Juan Mateo (photo), who had already been warming up in the bullpen anyway, replaced Powell, and ended the inning with a ground out by Barker.

Mateo worked his way out of a jam in the bottom of the 6th. Darnell McDonald pounded a ball to the right field wall, and the rebound off the wall got past RF Chris Snelling, allowing McDonald to easily reach third base. Mateo intentionally walked Chris Valaika to pitch to C Corky Miller. The strategy worked, as Miller grounded into a 6-4-3 double play (SS Luis Cruz to 2B Brian Bixler to 1B Miguel Perez) to end the inning without a run scoring.

The Indians put runners on base in each of the last three innings, but could not get them around to score. 3B Pedro Lopez walked in the 5th, but was left stranded. Larry Broadway walked to lead off the 6th, but was eliminated in a double play. Miguel Perez also singled in the 6th, but was left on base. Pinch-hitter Brian Myrow singled down the right field line with one out in the top of the 7th, but tried to stretch it to a double and was tagged out at second base. A ground out ended the inning and the game.

Two losses to the Bats, who are in first place in the Western Division of the International League, drops the Indians down to 6.5 games behind the Bats.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: Larry Broadway did it again, with another solo home run, his 6th of the season.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: The outfield assist in the 1st inning -- Chris Barnwell, who doesn't play centerfield very often, played the bounce off the wall perfectly, and fired in to the infield. From there, Luis Cruz made an excellent throw to the plate so that Hector Gimenez could easily tag out Edwin Encarnacion.

NOTES:

Garrett Jones had a great second day with the Pirates. In Pittsburgh's loss to the Mets in a make-up game, Jones went 3-for-5. He doubled to lead off the 2nd inning and came around to score. He hit an RBI triple in the 3rd inning, and again scored a few minutes later. Then in the 7th, he had a solo home run.

Go Tribe!

[Photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]

Homers for Tabata, Hernandez, Romak (2), Hague

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:30:00 -0500

Thursday in the Pirates' lower minor league organization.

Big surprise -- the GCL Bradenton Pirates were rained out. That's 5 games now that they've been unable to play -- and they've only played 4 games.

Altoona Curve 4, Reading Phillies 3

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Home runs by RF Jose Tabata and CF Gorkys Hernandez gave the Curve the boost they needed. Altoona scored their first two runs in the 2nd inning. LF Jeff Corsaletti reached base on a fielding error, and he moved around the bases on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out, then scored on 3B Angel Gonzalez's RBI single. Two more singles, by starting pitcher Tyler Herron and 2B Jim Negrych brought Gonzalez home. Tabata's homer led off the bottom of the 3rd inning, and Hernandez's came with two outs in the 4th. The Curve's only other big threat came after Tabata's blast in the 3rd. 1B Jason Delaney followed the homer with a double and Corsaletti walked. After an out, C Steve Lerud was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. But Gonzalez tapped one back to the mound, which R-Phils' pitcher Vance Worley threw back to the plate to force out Delaney, and the relay over to first base completed the inning-ending double play.

Herron worked around a runner on base in each of the first 4 innings, but didn't allow a run until the 5th. After two strike outs (for a total of 7), he walked two batters, then gave up an RBI single, and then walked another batter to load the bases. Jeff Sues came into the game to relieve Herron and got a strikeout to end the 5th. Sues went on to retire the next 7 batters he faced, until the bottom of the 8th, when he gave up a double, a single, and a 2-RBI double. Sean Smith relieved Sues and ended the 8th with a ground out to preserve the Curve's lead. Smith earned the save (his 5th) when he retired the R-Phils in order in the 9th. Sues earned his 2nd win.

Winston-Salem Dash 11, Lynchburg Hillcats 10

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A 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th gave the Dash the walk-off win over the Hillcats. The 'Cats went into the inning leading 10-9, and brought closer RJ Rodriguez in, looking for his 16th save of the season, but a hit batter and the homer gave him his 2nd loss instead.

2B Chase D'Arnaud and 1B Matt Hague led the Hillcats with 3 hits each, including a triple and two doubles for D'Arnaud and a double and a homer for Hague. RF Jamie Romak had "only" 2 hits, but they were both home runs, coming in back-to-back innings, for 5 RBI.

D'Arnaud's triple opened the game, and he scored on CF Alex Presley's sacrifice fly. Romak's first homer came in the 4th inning, after newcomer DH Eric Fryer was hit by a pitch. A single by LF Jared Keel and a double by D'Arnaud added another run in the 4th. Romak added another three runs in the 5th with his second home run, after Hague had doubled and Fryer had singled. D'Arnaud reached base in the 6th on a wild pitch that came on strike three, and he came home when Hague homered.

Justin Wilson got the start for the Hillcats. He gave up 5 runs on 10 hits, no walks, with a strikeout, in 5.1 innings. A solo home run began the scoring by the Dash in the bottom of the 3rd inning, and two doubles and a wild pitch brought in another run in that inning. Wilson gave up another solo homer in the 4th inning. In the 6th, he got an out, then gave up a single, before being relieved by Moises Robles. Robles gave up a double and a sacrifice fly, and the run that scored was charged to Wilson. Another single nearly scored another run, but Jamie Romak's throw from right field to C Kris Watts was on-target and Watts tagged out the runner at the plate.

Ramon Aguero, in his first appearance since being promoted from West Virginia, took the mound to begin the 7th, and the results were not good. A single and a fielding error by SS Jordy Mercer put runners on the corners with one out. A ground out brought in one run, and a double added a second run. A fielding error and a throwing error on one play by D'Arnaud allowed a third run to score, and a ground-rule double brought in the 4th run of the inning, to tie the score at 9-9.

Lynchburg took the lead again in the 8th, when 3B Jose De Los Santos walked and scored on D'Arnaud's second double. That set up the 9th inning, and the walk-off win by the Dash.

LYNCHBURG NOTES:

The Pirates have released righty reliever Christian Castorri. He had made 5 appearances for the Curve earlier this season, but allowed 12 hits and 10 runs in just 4.2 innings. With Lynchburg, Castorri pitched 20 innings in 13 appearances, but gave up 16 runs on 32 hits, even though he struck out 19 batters.

Lake County Captains 4, West Virginia Power 1

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Power starter Rafael De Los Santos pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, scattering 3 hits and 4 walks, with 2 strikeouts, but did not get a part of the decision. He worked around a base runner in each of the first 4 innings, but made use of a double play, a runner caught stealing, and picked another runner off first base. With two outs in the bottom of the 6th inning, De Los Santos gave up a single and a walk, and was relieved by Wilson Ortiz, who ended the inning with a ground out.

Captains' starter Danny Salazar also pitched 6 scoreless innings, and the Power also had at least one batter reach base in each inning. They also fell victim to double plays, as well as an outfield assist, throwing out DH Erik Huber at third base after 1B Calvin Anderson's single.

The Power broke the scoreless tie in the top of the 7th, when Anderson walked and went to second on a balk. 3B Bobby Spain's grounder sent Anderson to third base, and 2B Brett Willemburg's ground out brought him home. They threatened in the 8th, when C Tony Sanchez singled, and Huber walked. A grounder force out put runners on the corners, but they couldn't bring them in.

Duke Welker made his first relief appearance of the season, coming in to relieve Ortiz in the 7th inning. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, but got into trouble in the 8th. A single and a throwing error by Welker on a bunt put runners on second and third bases. Another single brought in two runs. Another bunt with another throwing error, this time by the catcher Sanchez, allowed a third run to score, and a single plated the 4th run of the inning. Only one of the runs was earned, but Welker was charged with the Blown Save and his 9th loss. The Power had two singles in the 9th, by RF Austin McClune and SS Adenson Chourio, but the rally fell short.

State College Spikes 4, Auburn Doubledays 3

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RF David Rubinstein got to wear the hero hat for the Spikes, as his two-out single in the bottom of the 9th scored CF Evan Chambers for the walk-off win.

Rubinstein led the Spikes with 3 hits in the game. He started the 3-run rally in the 2nd inning with a single. C Craig Parry followed with a grounder force out, and singles by 3B Matt Payne, 2B Ty Summerlin, and SS Brock Holt brought in two runs. LF Jose Hernandez was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Chambers, in his first professional game since signing with the Pirates, brought in Summerlin with a sacrifice fly. Chambers walked three times, was hit by a pitch, and lined out in his debut.

Starter Kyle McPherson pitched 6 innings for the Spikes, and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk, while striking out 7 batters. He gave up one run in the top of the 1st inning on a double and a sacrifice fly. He allowed only a walk and a double over the next 4 innings. Then in the 6th, the D-Days scored twice on a single, a triple and a sacrifice fly, tying the score at 3-3.

Zachary Foster relieved McPherson to begin the 7th. After allowing a walk and a single, he retired the next 6 batters in order. He gave up a single to lead off the 9th, but that runner was thrown out trying to steal second base. After another out, Marc Baca finished the inning with a pop out.

After the 2nd inning, the Spikes put runners on base in every inning but the 7th, but could not push another run across. Then with the score tied and one out in the bottom of the 9th, Chambers and 1B Aaron Baker both walked. DH Kyle Morgan struck out, but David Rubinstein's RBI single to left field won it for the Spikes.

Kratz and Bootcheck Named to IL All-Star Team

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:04:42 -0500

The International League All-Star team roster has been set, and it includes two members of the Indianapolis Indians: C Erik Kratz (photo) and righty reliever Chris Bootcheck.

Kratz is hitting .280 with 17 doubles, 3 home runs, and 20 RBI for the Indians. He has also stolen 6 bases this season. He hit .308 during the month of June, and currently has a hit in 9 of his last 10 games. Kratz has also thrown out 31% of runners trying to steal a base.

Bootcheck, (photo) the Indians' closer, has appeared in 30 games for the Indians.

He has a 1-2 record with 14 saves (second highest in the International League) and a 2.91 ERA. In 34 innings on the mound, he has walked only 6 batters and struck out 48. The La Porte, Indiana native has not allowed a run in the month of June.

The AAA All-Star game will be held on Wednesday July 15th in Portland, Oregon. It will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Home Run Trot's June All-Star Team: Position Players

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:20:00 -0800

The monthly All-Star team is another feature I'm bringing over from my old blog. For those unfamiliar with my previous work, here are the April and May posts. I'm bringing the All-Star team over to MLB Notebook with a twist. It's going to be divided into two posts. One for the position players and a second for the pitching staff. Now that I'm working with some other great writers, these monthly posts can properly be used to start a discussion.

*All stats are compiled as of 7 PM EST on July 1.

Catcher: Bengie Molina, San Francisco Giants
Making this selection was not tough, unlike April and May. Molina is making his second appearance on this team. He leads all catchers with 10 home runs and 45 RBI. He also has 14 doubles and a triple. His numbers stayed pretty even with his April and May numbers. He's also sporting a .996 fielding percentage with only 2 errors.

First Base: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Pujols makes his third straight appearance on this team. Pujols leads MLB in home runs (30) and RBI (77). He's also scored 61 runs and has a .332 batting average. This pick was a no-brainer.

Second Base: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Second base has proven to be perhaps the toughest pick to make. Utley makes the team for a second time because he picked up the pace in June with 6 home runs, 19 RBI and a .320 average. He's tied for second among second basemen with 51 RBI. He leads all second basemen with a .999 OPS.

Third Base: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants
Sandoval takes the spot from Evan Longoria on the strength of his June. In 94 June at-bats, Sandoval had 8 home runs, 20 RBI, 9 doubles, and a .394 batting average.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
Ramirez makes the team for the first time. He's batting .345 with 100 hits in 290 at-bats. He also has 13 home runs, 58 RBI, 26 doubles, and 12 steals. His middling .975 fielding percentage and 7 errors can be overlooked this time.

Thursday's Games of the Day

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:45:00 -0800

Thursday brings us another short schedule with only nine games scheduled. Thursday is still filled with good games. The Mets and Pirates finish a series that began in June. Houston and San Diego face off in a matchup of teams just out of last place in their divisions. The Phillies look to beat the Braves and stay in first in the NL East. And the Brewers and Cubs renew their rivalry. Those games and more can be found below.

New York Mets at Pittsburgh: This game is a makeup of the June 3 game that was postponed. If Paul Maholm and the Pirates beat the Mets again, will Carlos Beltran comment again about how the Mets shouldn't lose to the Pirates? The Mets are depleted and throw Tim Redding out there. Adam LaRoche has four homers against the Mets since 2006, including one off Redding.

Houston at San Diego: Because a series between two teams in next to last place is better than a series between two teams in last place. The surprising Wandy Rodriguez takes the mound for Houston. Adrian Gonzalez's status for the game is in doubt, which obviously doesn't help the Padres.

Philadelphia at Atlanta: The Phillies need a win here to keep from falling behind the Marlins in the NL East. The Braves would extend their winning streak to four games if they win. Both JA Happ and Javier Vazquez go for their 6th win. Happ has a 9.00 ERA against the Braves. Chase Utley has a .333 average and 5 RBI against Vazquez.

Wells, Lee Lead Cubbie Charge

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:19:47 -0500

Randy Wells continued his solid pitching effort and Derrek Lee hit a two run first inning homer as the Cubs took two of three at PNC.

Wells evened his record at 3-3 (he's won his last three starts) and lowered his ERA below 2.50. He went seven and allowed one run on six hits (five singles and a double) and one walk.

Lee's homer was all Wells would need. The Pirates only run came in the home half of the first as Andrew McCutchen came around on a Brandon Moss single.

Virgil Vasquez didn't do himself much disservice. He went six and gave up three runs - a Kosuke Fukudome tater in the sixth was the final tally off him. He gave up seven hits and three walks. He struck out a pair.

Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg finished up, with Gregg getting a save.

The Good

McCutchen had two hits.

As did Jason Jaramillo.

The Bad

Where did the offense go? Traded, perhaps? This will be an interesting month as I expect Jack Wilson to be practically given away. There is no chance the Pirates will pick up his 2010 option. So, why keep him? Adam LaRoche might also be gone.

The Rest

Garrett Jones made his Bucco debut and was hitless in four at bats. His last appearance in the Show was 9/30/07. Bet that seemed like an eternity for him.

Also making his debut for the Steel City Nine was Joel Hanrahan. He tossed one scoreless inning as the first man out of the pen.

This was Wells first appearance against the Pirates and Vasquez' first appearance against the Wriglies.

Coming into the night, Moss was one of 22 players with 200 PAs in 2009 with fewer than 20 RBIs. Of the other 21 players, 10 of them had double digits in steals. So, yes, the club has been getting leadoff hitter-like RBI production from the middle of the order.

Eastern League All-Stars Named; Homers by Negrych, Delaney, Romak

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:15:46 -0500

The Eastern League has named it's All-Star teams. The Southern Division team includes three members of the Altoona Curve:

OF/1B Jason Delaney (photo)

SS Brian Friday

LHP/Starter Danny Moskos

The Eastern League All-Star Game will be held on July 15th in Trenton.

The Indianapolis Indians have a scheduled day off on Wednesday. They are heading to Louisville tomorrow, where they will play a double-header on Thursday and a single game on Friday.

The GCL Bradenton Pirates had a double-header scheduled for today, since they've had a few rainouts in the past few days, but guess what -- it was rained out too.

Indian pitching prospects Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, who have been working out at Bradenton and generally learning how to play this game, are expected to make their pro debuts soon with the Bradenton Pirates.

The Pirates have signed 3rd round draft pick OF Evan Chambers to a contract. He will be reporting to State College. SS John Gourley (13th round) and 18th rounder Ryan Beckham were also signed today. Their top 4 picks are now signed, and 15 overall. Check out the updated draft list here.

West Virginia Power 5, Lake County Captains 4

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DH Robbie Grossman led the Power with 3 hits, and LF Quincy Latimore added his 6th home run of the year, as both teams scored in only one inning.

Quinton Miller made his debut with the Power, and he allowed only a walk over the first 3 innings. Then in the 4th, he gave up a walk, and two singles, to load the bases. He walked in the Captains' first run. An RBI ground out scored the second run of the inning, and a wild pitch brought in the third run. A sacrifice fly plated one more, and the Captains had a 4-0 lead.

The Power put at least one runner on base in all but two innings, but only scored in the 6th. 3B Bobby Spain led off with a walk, and CF Starling Marte singled. A wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet, so that Spain could score on RF Austin McClune's sacrifice fly and Marte could score on a wild pitch. Back-to-back walks to 2B Danny Bomback and C Josue Peley set up Quincy Latimore, who blasted his 3-run homer to take the lead. The Power got a runner as far as third base in the 1st inning, when Latimore and Grossman both singled, and a grounder that turned into a double play allowed Latimore to get over to third base, where he was left stranded. In the 3rd inning, Grossman singled again, stole second base, and went on to third on a ground out, but again was left stranded.

Quinton Miller was relieved by Noah Krol to begin the 5th inning. Krol pitched 2 scoreless innings, working around a lead-off hit in each inning, and he was credited with his first win. Diego Moreno also pitched 2 scoreless innings, and Wilson Ortiz earned his first save of the season with a scoreless 9th inning.

Reading Phillies 8, Altoona Curve 4

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The Curve had the early lead, but a 6-run 2nd inning was more than the Curve could overcome. 2B Jim Negrych opened the game with a solo home run over the left field wall. The Curve loaded the bases after the home run, with a walk to LF Jeff Corsaletti and singles by CF Jose Tabata and SS Brian Friday, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the inning without another run scoring. They added 3 more runs in the next inning, though. C Milver Reyes led off with a double, and pitcher Danny Moskos reached on the fielders' choice when Reyes was tagged out at third base. Four consecutive singles, by Negrych, Corsaletti, Tabata, and 1B Jason Delaney scored 3 runs.

The R-Phils came roaring back in the bottom of the 2nd. Danny Moskos gave up a lead off single, then got a line out that should have been a double play, but a throwing error by Friday put a runner on second base instead. A double brought in the first run. Then a fielding error by Negrych, two singles, and a 2-run homer gave the R-Phils a 6-4 lead. Moskos allowed another run in the 5th, when two singles put runners on the corners, and a squeeze bunt brought the runner in from third base. Moskos pitched 5 innings and allowed 7 runs (only 2 earned) on 10 hits, no walks, and 2 strikeouts.

Michael Dubee pitched a scoreless 6th inning, but gave up an unearned run in the 7th. A lead-off double, a passed ball, and a walk put runners on the corners with one out, and at that point, Dubee was relieved by Jean Machi. The first batter Machi faced bounced back to the mound, and Machi threw wildly to first base, allowing the run to score (charged to Dubee).

The Curve threatened in the 4th inning, loading the bases with a single by Negrych (his 3rd hit of the game), a double by Corsaletti, and a walk to Tabata. But a grounder to third turned into a force out at the plate on Negrych, and a strikeout ended the inning. Jason Delaney added another run with a solo homer to lead off the top of the 9th inning. Pinch-hitter Steve Lerud singled after the homer, and advanced to third base on a fielding error. Another throwing error in the infield allowed Lerud to score, but that was all the Curve could get.

Salem Red Sox 5, Lynchburg Hillcats 4

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Three fielding errors by the Hillcats meant 4 unearned runs for the Red Sox, and the 'Cats could not overcome the damage, despite recording 11 hits, including 3 by 2B Chase D'Arnaud. The trouble began in the top of the 1st inning, when a fielding error by 1B Matt Hague put a runner on second base, and a single brought him home. Starter Bryan Morris gave up only a lone single over the next 2 innings, but two errors in the 4th inning brought more problems. After a lead-off single, an error by 3B Jose De Los Santos put runners on first and second. A single, a double steal, and a walk loaded the bases, and the error by RF Jamie Romak allowed 2 more runs to score.

The Hillcats scored one run in the bottom of the 1st, on a lead-off double by D'Arnaud and an RBI single by SS Jordy Mercer. Mercer tried to stretch the single into a double, and he was tagged out at second base. Matt Hague singled and C Kris Watts doubled in the inning, but they were left stranded in scoring position. Jamie Romak added a solo home run in the 4th inning, and the Hillcats got 2 runs in the 7th. Romak singled, CF Alex Presley tripled, and LF Jared Keel singled to tie it up.

Paul Mildren finished the 4th inning for Bryan Morris, and went on to pitch 3 more scoreless innings, allowing only one hit. Mike Colla pitched the 8th inning, but he gave up a tie-breaking solo home run, and was charged with the loss. RJ Rodriguez pitched a scoreless 9th inning, including 2 strikeouts, along with a single and a walk.

Auburn Doubledays 6, State College Spikes 1

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The Spikes couldn't get going tonight, as they were limited to 6 hits. One of the hits was a triple, by CF Edward Garcia with two outs in the 2nd inning. A walk to C Miguel Mendez put runners on the corners, and 3B Ty Summerlin's RBI single scored Garcia. The Spikes went down in order over the next three innings, until they put up two more 2-out hits, singles by 1B Aaron Baker and RF David Rubinstein in the 6th. They were left on base when a strikeout ended the inning. After two more 1-2-3 innings, Baker and Garcia singled again in the 9th, but it was too little too late, and they couldn't push a run across.

Spikes' starter Nelson Pereira retired the side in order in the 1st inning, but gave up 2 unearned runs in the 2nd inning. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs, and a fielding error by SS Andy Vasquez brought in one run. The bases were still loaded, and Pereira walked the next batter to force in a run. He was relieved by Brandon Holden, who finished the 2nd inning with a fly out, and put the D-days down in order in the 3rd inning.

Ricardo Paulino took over on the mound for a scoreless 4th inning. He gave up a run in the 5th, on a single, a walk, and an RBI single. Two singles and a 2-RBI double brought in two more runs in the 6th inning. Auburn added one more run in the 9th off reliever Alan Knotts on a hit batter, a stolen base, and an RBI double.

BDD: The Nationals Don't Get It

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:10:00 -0800

In my latest piece at BDD, I look at the Morgan/Milledge + others trade from the Nationals side.

Check it out.

Links For Wednesday; Mariotti, Red Sox, Zorilla Interview

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:25:00 -0500

Ladies and gentlemen, here are your links for Wednesday. And, since we took off yesterday, you get double the fun...

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jeff Suppan, due to make $12.75-M this season, has struggled so far in 2009. Suppan is currently 5-6 with a 4.86 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, a performance that has hovered near replacement-level.

So how are Brewer fans taking out their frustration, you ask? By attempting to auction off Suppan on eBay.

Tom Verducci published his All-Star ballot yesterday. You can compare his picks to the staff of Around the Majors' by following the link.

Eric Seidman had an interesting post over the weekend about why we need to consider sample sizes before making conclusions about a player's hot streak or slump.

Friend of the site Sarah Green produced her All-Hot Team over at UmpBump.

This next link deserves its own post, really. Tommy Rancel, who attempted to unlock the Zobrist Code earlier this spring, returns with Part Two. This time, though, Rancel went straight to the man, the legend, Zorillia himself.

Richard Justice had a nice profile on reliever LaTroy Hawkins.

FanHouse blogger (and former hated Sun Times columnist) Jay Mariotti says that steroid guessing is bad journalism, becoming yet another writer from the "old guard" to call out Midwest Sports Report blogger Jerrod Morris. It didn't take long for Morris, the blogger who penned the infamous Raul Ibanez post, to fire back.

I, of course, side with Morris here, but ATM is fair and balanced, so I present you with both sides.

Crazy contest between the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox last night. I turned the game on when I got home from work. After watching the Boston offense light up Camden Yards in the early innings, I left the broadcast on in the other room while I took care of some chores around my apartment. A few hours later, it dawned on me that the announcers had stopped talking. Thus, I assumed the game was over, with the Red Sox taking a win in dominant fashion. When I heard the voice of Dennis Eckersley again about an hour later, I just assumed that NESN was airing a replay of the earlier game. It turns out, though, there was a lengthy rain delay and the Boston bullpen, among the best in the game, imploded when play resumed, allowing the Orioles to get back in the game. Baltimore eventually came out victorious, winning 11-10.

The Orioles made history, writes Jeff Zrebieck.

Ozzie Guillen to the Cubs down the road?

Brian Cashman told reporters that the Eric Hinske deal made sense for the New York Yankees.

Pulling a Buster Olney here: Matt Garza was the man for the Tampa Bay Rays, writes Joe Smith.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus is ready to begin rehabbing in Florida, writes Joe Strauss.

Colorado Rockies right-hander Jason Marquis shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jim Peltz says that Marquis is the Rockies' ace. While that may be a stretch, the veteran has been huge for Colorado, leading the charge in their hot streak. No promises, but he may be the topic of a future post.

The Cincinnati Reds are definitely looking for a bat, according to general manager Walt Jocketty, whose not afraid to make a deal.

Dave Cameron had a different take on the Nats-Pirates swap.

In an absolute must read, Joe Posnanski and Bill James (what a team, by the way) discuss the age-33 falloff phenomenon.

Mike Axisa, our guest on Minor League Notebook Weekly this week, did a Q & A with Ben Badler of Baseball America.

Jerry Crasnick discusses the Indians' fall in his latest. The Cleveland offensive woes even prompted one SB Nation poster to come up with a short play: Dysfunction at the Bat.

Get ready, America: Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel are set to make their minor league debuts.

Sanchez Debuts With Power; Baker, Black, and Irwin Debut Too

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:40:45 -0500

The GCL Bradenton Pirates were again rained out in Florida, but the rest of the affiliates were busy on Tuesday night.

Reading Phillies 6, Altoona Curve 5 (12 innings)

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It took three extra innings, but the R-Phils' Kevin Mahar finally sent everyone home with a two-out solo homer off Sean Smith in the bottom of the 12th.

The Curve put up 5 runs in the 2nd inning to get the scoring started. LF Jonel Pacheco walked and 2B Jim Negrych singled to start the inning. Both scored on 1B Miles Durham's triple. C Steve Lerud was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. 3B Angel Gonzalez brought Durham in with a sacrifice fly, and Lerud was able to go to second base when the R-Phils catcher missed the catch on the throw in from the outfield. A sacrifice bunt by pitcher Mike Crotta advanced Lerud to third base, and Lerud scored when SS Brian Friday smashed his 5th home run of the season over the left field wall.

Mike Crotta worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning (a single, a hit batter, and a walk) with a timely double play. He couldn't get out of trouble in the 3rd though. With two outs, a single, a double, and three more singles, plus two throwing errors, brought in 4 runs, cutting the Curve lead to 5-4.

The next 5.5 innings were scoreless. Crotta pitched 5 innings, and allowed those 4 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits and a walk, with 5 strikeouts. He was relieved by Corey Hamman, who pitched a scoreless 6th inning. Dustin Molleken retired the side in both the 7th and 8th innings. The Curve could not get much going either. Angel Gonzalez singled in the 6th, but was forced out at second to end the inning. Jim Negrych and Miles Durham both singled in the 8th, but were left stranded.

Then in the bottom of the 9th, with Molleken on the mound, the R-Phils tied the game with a walk and a triple. Two strikeouts, an intentional walk, and a fly out ended the inning, sending the game into extra innings.

Both teams went down in order in the 10th, with Scott Nestor pitching the perfect 10th, including 2 strikeouts. The Curve also went down in order in the top of the 11th, and Sean Smith came on to retire the R-Phils in the bottom of the inning, with a single and 2 strikeouts. Three more Curve batters went down in the 12th, and the game ended with two outs in the bottom of the inning with Mahar's home run.

Salem Red Sox 13, Lynchburg Hillcats 4

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A 5-run 4th inning pushed Salem over the top, and they just kept going, as the two teams combined for 26 hits in this game. Salem struck first with 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning off Hillcats' starter Jeff Locke, on a walk, a double, a throwing error by Locke, and two RBI ground outs.

The Hillcats tied it up in the bottom of the 3rd inning. DH Kent Sakamoto led off with a single, but was forced out at second on 2B Chase D'Arnaud's grounder. 3B Jose De Los Santos singled, and SS Jordy Mercer brought in both D'Arnaud and De Los Santos with a triple. 1B Matt Hague scored Mercer with a sacrifice fly.

Jeff Locke had settle down to keep the Red Sox scoreless in the 2nd and 3rd innings, working around a single and a double in the 3rd. But the wheels fell off in the top of the 4th, as the Red Sox scored 4 times on three singles, a double, and a triple off Locke, all without an out being recorded. Chris Cullen came on to relieve Locke, and he gave up another RBI double (the run still charged to Locke) for the 5th run of the inning. Cullen was responsible for the 3 runs Salem added in the 5th inning, on a solo home run, followed by a 2-out double, a single, and another double. Harvey Garcia relieved Cullen, and he gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th inning to give Salem a total of 13 runs. Christian Castorri pitched the top of the 9th and struck out the side.

The Hillcats managed just one more run, in the 6th, when CF Alex Presley led off with a single, LF Jared Keel walked, and Sakamoto brought Presley in with an RBI single. Sakamoto had a total of 3 hits (a double and two singles) and C Kris Watts also singled twice for the 'Cats.

West Virginia Power 3, Lake County Captains 0

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C Tony Sanchez made his A-level debut with the Power, recording an RBI single, and throwing out 2 of 4 runners trying to steal second base. 1B Erik Huber had a 4-hit night, with a double and 3 singles, and CF Austin McClune singled three times.

Starter Rudy Owens scattered 7 hits over 6 scoreless innings, striking out 3 batters along the way, to earn his 9th win of the season. He worked out of a jam in the 5th, when he gave up two singles and a stolen base, putting runners on second and third bases with one out. Owens got a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning without a run scoring. His biggest threat came in the 6th, when he hit the first batter, Delvi Cid, with pitch, and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second base. With two outs, a single into center field sent Cid racing for home, but a perfect throw from CF Austin McClune to C Tony Sanchez nailed Cid out at the plate to end the inning and preserve the shutout. Ryan Kelly pitched the last 3 innings to earn his 5th save, allowing 2 hits and a hit batter.

The Power had at least one base runner in every inning but the 2nd, but could not get a runner across the plate until the 6th. Erik Huber led off the 6th with a double, and he came around to score on Tony Sanchez's RBI single. They added another run in the 7th, when 2B Danny Bomback led off with a walk, but was forced out at second base on SS Adenson Chourio's bunt. Singles by Austin McClune and Erik Huber brought Chourio in to score. Chourio scored again in the top of the 9th, after a lead-off single, and another RBI single by Huber.

Mahoning Valley Scrappers 6, State College Spikes 4

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Three recently drafted players made their pro debuts with the Spikes last night: C Aaron Baker (5th round), and relievers Victor Black (supplemental round) and Phillip Irwin (21st round). State College took an early 4-0 lead, but the Scrappers scored in each of the last 3 innings to take the win. The first 8 Spikes' batters went down in order, but with 2 outs in the 3rd inning, C Craig Parry reached second base on a throwing error, and scored on 2B Brock Holt's RBI single. Three more runs came in in the 4th. RF David Rubinstein led off with a single and stole second base. He scored on DH Aaron Baker's triple. Baker scored on CF Edward Garcia's RBI single, and Garcia scored on LF Butch Biela's double.

Jason Erickson allowed only one hit in his 4 inning start, and he erased that base runner with a double play. He also had a base runner in the 1st inning, when a batter reached on a fielding error by SS Andy Vasquez. Newcomer Phillip Irwin pitched a perfect 5th inning, striking out 2 batters, and Victor Black matched Irwin's performance with a perfect 6th, also with 2 strikeouts.

The Scrappers scored one run in the 7th, when Mike Williams gave up a 2-out triple and a double. Then they tied the score with 3 unearned runs in the 8th. A throwing error by 3B Pat Irvine began the inning. After a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a fly out made it look like the Spikes might get out of the inning. A single brought in one run, and Williams was relieved by

Teddy Fallon. Fallon gave up a walk and a 2-run double (both charged to Williams) to tie the score. Fallon continued in the 9th inning, when he gave up a lead-off triple, a walk, and a 2-RBI single.

The Spikes could not answer in the bottom of the 9th, despite a 2-out double by Pat Irvine, and the Scrappers got the win.

Busy Day For Bucs

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:50:00 -0500

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a busy day on Tuesday, pulling the trigger on two different trades.

In the first move, Pittsburgh sent veteran Eric Hinske to the New York Yankees in exchange for low-level minor leaguers Casey Erickson and Eric Fryer.

While Erickson and Fryer have limited upside, the Pirates really didn't have any need to keep Hinske on the roster anymore. Thus, it's hard to knock the organization for trying to get some value in return, anything, for the soon-to-be free-agent's services.

Erickson, already 24 years old and still pitching in A-Ball, is certainly not an elite prospect. Plus, he has already transformed into a reliever, limiting his potential value down the road. He has been successful at Charleston in the Carolina League, though, posting a 2.25 ERA and 2.54 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) mark. The 6-foot-3 right-hander, a 10th-round selection out of junior college back in 2006, has produced rates of 7.57 K/9 and 2.66 BB/9 without allowing a home run in 44.1 innings pitched.

Erickson, who was also drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of high school in 2004, can touch 94 MPH on the radar gun, but generally sits in the low-90s with his fastball. He also mixes in an average curve ball and improving change-up. Barring a major breakout or improvement in velocity, though, he profiles as nothing more than a marginal major league reliever; he didn't make the Yankees' organization Top 20 list by any major scouting publication.

Fryer has now been traded twice in the past four months; the Milwaukee Brewers sent him to New York in exchange for left-hander Chase Wright--the guy who gave up four consecutive home runs to the Boston Red Sox--back in spring training. Like Erickson, he is 23 years old and has been playing against much younger competition for the Tampa Yankees in the Florida State League. The Ohio State product has put up a career minor league line of .286/.363/.424 and .787 OPS since being drafted by the Brewers in the 10th round of the 2007 draft. He's limited defensively, however, and unlikely to stick at catcher long term. Once he moves to another position on the diamond, his value will diminish greatly. Making matters worse, he has struggled to produce against more advanced pitching in 2009, batting just .250/.333/.344 with a .320 Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) in 255 plate appearances.

As Kevin Goldstein wrote on his Twitter account, the pair of prospects solely represents bodies to add to the Pittsburgh farm system. While the return is hardly anything to write home about, though, it's clear that Hinske was expendable; a free agent at the end of the season, he was obviously unlikely to be part of the next truly great Pirates team and cleared waivers two weeks ago. Thus, the thought processes used--even though the players may never make an impact--were sound, also providing a bit of payroll relief.

On the Yankees' end, Hinske was a nice pickup. The former Rookie of the Year has struggled in his first year with the Pirates, posting a line of .255/.373/.368 with just a single home run. His OPS+ of 103 is above average, but his .333 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) will come down to earth when his luck regresses back to the mean. The biggest surprise with him so far, though, is the sudden power outage. In a comeback performance with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, he came out raking and finished with 20 homers and a solid .347 wOBA in 381 plate appearances. The fly balls haven't found the seats for him in Pittsburgh, though, as his Isolated Power (IsoP) has fallen from .218 to .113.

While Hinske isn't performing at the same level as he did in Tampa Bay, the power totals should improve; ZiPS projects him to hit .237/.333/.407 the rest of the way, with his average dropping and IsoP rising. He's not much of a defender (he has been worth -4.7 fielding runs in his career, according to FanGraphs), but he can play multiple positions, including third base. With Alex Rodriguez expected to require rest every few days, he could be a nice fill-in for New York at the hot corner. Plus, he adds insurance if Rodriguez faces any more injury issues. Essentially taking the roster spot from replacement-level infielder Cody Ransom, he could net the Yanks about a win in the standings; he was worth 2.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) for the Rays in '08 when accounting for batting, fielding, replacement and positional factors, with the total sitting at 0.3 in '09. He won't set the world on fire, but, at a relatively cheap price, Brian Cashman and the Yankees were wise to acquire him.

The bigger trade for Pittsburgh, rumored since the weekend, became official later in the afternoon. The Bucs sent reliever Sean Burnett and starting left fielder Nyjer Morgan to the Washington Nationals in exchange for reliever Joel Hanrahan and once-hyped outfield prospect Lastings Milledge.

Although many Pirate veterans were disappointed by another big move (weeks after saying goodbye to Nate McLouth), the thought processes used by Neil Huntington in this player swap were excellent. Milledge, who has seen his stock bottom out completely, will eventually determine the outcome of this deal, but the buy-low mindset used here is exactly the approach the Pirates should be taking to rebuild the ship. Not too long ago, the former first-rounder was considered one of the premier outfield prospects in the game; heck, in high school, Perfect Game USA compared him to Wille Mays*, and he probably would have gone earlier than 12th in the first round if not for off-field issues that forced him to transfer schools his senior year.

*Perfect Game, it's worth pointing out, also raved about his makeup, writing, "We should add, that in the 3 or 4 years we have gotten to know him and watched Lastings play... We have never seen anything other than great character, politeness and a willingness to do what it takes. We think he has championship caliber makeup and will be a Big League star performer!"

Now, which seems more far-fetched?: the Mays comparison or the make-up assessment?

It hasn't worked according to plan for Milledge, however, as he has produced a meager line of .261/.326/.400 and .89 OPS+ in 1,004 plate appearances in the majors. He got his New York career off to an auspicious start when he high-fived fans on the right field line after delivering a big home run shortly after making his debut, an act which rubbed many within the industry the wrong way. Since then, his personal baggage and issues--which boiled over this spring, when Nationals manager Manny Acta became so fed up with him that he sent him packing to Triple-A--have garnered more attention than his performance. As well, he graded out statistically as one of the worst defensive center fielders in the game in '08, compiling a -17.1 UZR in 1,185.2 innings at the position during his first full year playing there at the highest level.

That said, Milledge is still only 24 and tremendously talented; the scouts who loved him in high school weren't wrong to praise his ability. Due to his tremendous tools, many analysts applauded the Nationals for acquiring him in the 2007 offseason, seeing it as a buy-low even then; Jim Bowden, infatuated with troubled but talented outfielders loaded with tools, sent Ryan Church and Brian Schneider to the Mets, causing many people to rip Omar Minaya for giving up on Milledge too soon. With his struggles in his debut in the nation's capital (0.1 WAR total, a tick above replacement-level) and demotion to the minors in April, though, his value is even lower this time around.

Sure, Milledge may never pan out. Perhaps he's a legitimate cancer with personal issues that will prevent him from ever harnessing his talent and seeing it translate into results. For a team like the Pirates, though, he was more than a risk worth taking. He's under team control at an affordable rate until 2013, potentially giving the club a cost-efficient asset who could emerge as a solid regular if he can put his problems behind him.

Hanrahan has posted an alarming 7.71 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched, which may make the casual Pittsburgh fan a bit weary. He has missed bats to the tune of 9.64 K/9 rate, though, while producing a 3.56 FIP, an excellent predictor of ERA going forward. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has struggled with command (3.86 BB/9), but has fallen victim to some bad luck and was unfortunate to pitch in front of an embarrassingly terrible Nationals defensive unit; the Nats rank 29th in the majors with a putrid .681 Defensive Efficiency Rating. As a result of both factors beyond his control, his BABIP is a ridiculously high .451, 100-plus points greater than his .347 career mark. ZiPS has his ERA at 3.80 the rest of the way, so if he continues to miss bats, he'll be a capable addition to the bullpen for Pittsburgh.

Hanrahan, also under team control until 2013, throws hard. His average fastball velocity for his career is 93.8 MPH, coming at 95.2 in '08 and 93.9 in '09. He primarily relies on the heater (66.1% of his pitches) but also mixes in a mid-80s slider and mediocre change-up. With his velocity, the 27-year-old should be able to keep putting up healthy strikeout rates.

The Pirates did have to give up two decent (but expendable) pieces to pull off the move.

Burnett, a 26-year-old southpaw, has been an effective bullpen arm in Pittsburgh, posting a 3.06 ERA and 134 ERA+ in 32.1 innings pitched. His peripherals are less than stellar, though, as he pitches to his defense and doesn't miss a lot of bats (6.40 K/9). He has also had command problems at times (4.18 BB/9) and been assisted by an unsustainable .218 BABIP and 78.2 strand rate. Given the disparity in ERA, it's surprising that he actually has a higher FIP (4.50) than Hanrahan, who also has better stuff. The former first-rounder (2000) gets by with a four-pitch arsenal that includes a high-80s fastball, high-70s slider and low-80s change-piece.

Morgan is an easy player to root for. A former hockey player, he won over the local media with his personality and quickly became a fan favorite in the Steel City. Like Hinske, however, he was never going to be a factor on a contender in Pittsburgh and objectively isn't really anything special. He is what he is offensively: a speedy player who can hit for a nice batting average and draw some walks. He has almost no power (.090 career IsoP, .376 career slugging), though, and, despite his wheels, is an inefficient base stealer; he has been thrown out 18 times in 52 total chances. Entering Tuesday, Morgan is hitting .277/.351/.356 with a 93 OPS+ and .315 wOBA. Most encouraging, he has improved his walk rate (9.4%) while working better at-bats. Still, the Juan-Pierre Junior nickname is merited and does a nice job of distinguishing his upside as a hitter; ZiPS has him producing a .307 wOBA from this point on.

Most of Morgan's value, however, comes from his excellent outfield defense. Indeed, he has been one of the best left field defenders in baseball so far, producing a 12.4 UZR and 23.6 UZR/150; he leads the majors in UZR. Largely due to the runs that he has shaved off with his glove, he has been worth 1.9 WAR. Considering the nightmare mix of fielders--being generous there--the Nats have run out, from Adam Dunn to Josh Willingham, he'll be a major upgrade for Washington on this front, perhaps helping them stay out of the cellar in defensive efficiency. He doesn't become arbitration-eligible until 2011, so he'll provide some nice value for his new club if he continues to play stellar defense; plus, adding a plus defender to the mix will go along way to help the Nats' young pitching staff. For that reason, Mike Rizzo deserves some credit.

Overall, the Pirates had a productive day as Huntington continues to build for the future. Unlike his predecessor Dave Littlefield, whose sole priority was seemingly to keep his job (moral hazard 101), he has done what he thought was right for the long-term health of the franchise, regardless of the short-term backlash and consequences among the media and fan base. For a team that is going on its 17th losing season and wandered aimlessly for decades, that kind of vision is paramount.

Milledge is a nice gamble, and, even if he doesn't emerge as an impact player, the cost of two expendable and replaceable pieces in Burnett and Morgan won't do any serious damage. Hinske wasn't exactly a building block, either. Although he didn't fetch much in return, the idea of adding depth and saving money was solid.

For the Yankees, Hinske could provide a nice boost down the stretch, as well as insurance for A-Rod; call him GEICO. If he regains the power stroke, the Yanks could be looking at 1.0-WAR-level production in return for two minor leaguers whose departure will hardly make a dent to their farm system depth.

Washington upgrades its defense, an absolute necessity for that outfield, and rids itself of one of Bowden's toolsy outfielder reclamation projects. Still, Pittsburgh was the winner from a process perspective.

Tyler Hissey is the host of Minor League Notebook Weekly. To reach him, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Wednesday's Games of the Day

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:35:00 -0800

July begins with several teams either looking to extend winning streaks or stop losing streaks. San Francisco and St. Louis continue a series that impacts the early Wild Card race. Colorado looks to turn their luck around against the Dodgers. Plenty of pitchers are looking for win number eight, nine, or ten on July 1. Nyjer Morgan joins the Nationals. Adam Jones and Marco Scutaro begin July looking to end recent slumps. Those, and plenty of other good storylines, can be found in Wednesday's Games of the Day.

Washington at Florida: The Nyjer Morgan era begins in Washington. He and his new teammates will face the 7-1 Josh Johnson. Johnson is 4-0 agains the Nats in his career. Nick Johnson has a .556 batting average against Josh Johnson.

Tampa Bay at Toronto: The Rays keep rolling. They defeated Toronto 4-1 on Tuesday running their win streak to 8 games and handing Toronto their fourth straight loss. The series finale features James Shields and Ricky Romero, two very exciting pitchers. Shields is 0-2 with a 4.09 ERA in his last three starts against the Jays. Look for him to turn it around thanks to his team being hot right now. He'll get help from Marco Scutaro who is in the midst of a 1-for-16 slump with his last hit coming on June 26.

Boston at Baltimore: Josh Beckett goes for win number 10 against Brad Bergesen. Bergesen was 3-0 in June. Beckett is 4-1 lifetime at Camden Yards. I'm looking for Adam Jones to rebound from a poor June. Doing it against Josh Beckett might not happen. Teammate Luke Scott has a .545 batting average with 1 homer and 3 RBI against Beckett.

Lincoln Struggles in 2nd AAA Start as Indians Lose A Wild One

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:30:00 -0500

Toledo MudHens 9,

Indianapolis Indians 7

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The Toledo MudHens broke a 7-7 tie with 2 runs in the 8th inning to win a wild game over the Indianapolis Indians at Victory Field tonight. The two teams combined for 23 total hits, and both teams took advantage of the other's mistakes -- including 4 errors by the Indians.

Tribe starting pitcher Brad Lincoln (photo), who was making his second start at AAA, had a much tougher time than in his debut on Wednesday in Lehigh Valley, when he gave up just one run on 2 hits in 6.2 innings. Tonight Lincoln struggled with his control, going deeper into counts in the 3rd and 4th innings than he had in the first two innings. He ultimately lasted only 3.2 innings and was responsible for 6 runs (3 earned), on 6 hits and 2 walks, and struck out one batter.

The MudHens scored in each of the first 5 innings. The second batter of the 1st inning, 2B Scott Sizemore, took Lincoln's 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for a solo home run. Sizemore had faced Lincoln (photo) several times before tonight, when Sizemore was on the Erie SeaWolves and Lincoln was on the Altoona Curve, so Lincoln was not a mystery to him. In fact, Sizemore had another hit off Lincoln in the 4th inning, along with a third hit in the 8th inning.

The Indians' first error of the game led to an unearned run for Toledo in the 2nd inning. SS Brent Dlugach led off with a single to second base. Tribe 2B Shelby Ford was able to dive and knock the ball down, but by the time he found the ball underneath him, he had no throw. 3B Mike Hessman followed with a double down the left field line and into the Indians' bullpen, moving Dlugach to third base. LF Wilkin Ramirez tapped a grounder to 3B Chris Barnwell, who quickly fired the ball back to the plate as Dlugach raced for home. Barnwell's throw was low, and as C Erik Kratz dug the ball out of the dirt, Dlugach slid in, and was called safe -- he probably slid his leg in underneath Kratz's to touch the plate before Kratz could apply the tag. That was an unearned run, and Toledo led 2-0. RF Jeff Frazier bounced back to the mound, where Lincoln started a 1-6-3 (Lincoln to SS Brian Bixler to 1B Brian Myrow). Hessman went to third on the play, but he was left there when C Max St. Pierre lined out to Luis Cruz, who was in center field last night.

[Photo -- infield conference: #41 Chris Barnwell, #5 Shelby Ford, #16 Brian Myrow, #3 Brian Bixler]

Another blunder in the 3rd inning for the Indians, and another run for the MudHens. DH Will Rhymes led off with a double into left field. A sacrifice bunt by Scott Sizemore moved Rhymes to third base, and a walk to CF Clete Thomas put runners on the corners. Thomas started to steal second base, which startled Brad Lincoln into balking, and that brought Rhymes in from third base. MudHens 3, Indians 0.

More errors and deep pitch counts did Lincoln in, in the 4th inning. He walked Mike Hessman to begin the inning. Wilkin Ramirez smashed a ball right back at Lincoln, who knocked it down, picked it up, looked to see that he had no play at second base, and threw to first base -- where 1B Brian Myrow missed the catch, ruled an error. Luckily neither runner advanced any further, but there should have been an out. A high pop fly did bring the first out of the inning. Max St. Pierre slipped a single through the hole and into left field, where LF Pedro Lopez, who is truly an infielder (photo), overran the ball before being able to pick it up and throw it back in. Hessman scored easily on the play. With the infield playing in, Will Rhymes grounded out to shortstop, which should have been the third out of the inning. But instead, Scott Sizemore got another chance to hit, and he knocked a 2-run single into right field, scoring Ramirez and St. Pierre. That was the end of Brad Lincoln's night. Jason Davis came in from the bullpen and ended the inning with a pop fly to Bixler, but the MudHens had a 6-0 lead.

Yesterday, the MudHens chipped away at the Indians' early lead, and tonight, it was the Indians' turn to return the favor. After managing just a single by Brian Myrow and a walk to RF Larry Broadway (photo) over the first 3 innings, the Indians got to Toledo starter Chris Lambert in the 4th inning. Luis Cruz opened the inning with a single down the right field line, and Erik Kratz blooped a single off the end of his bat and into left field. Lambert got two outs, and then a 3-2 count on Broadway, so when he singled into right field, the two base runners were already off and running on the pitch. Both Cruz and Kratz scored, Kratz coming all the way from first base. The Indians had nibbled a bit at the lead: MudHens 6, Indians 2.

The Tribe's 4th error of the game brought in another Toledo run in the top of the 5th. Jason Davis gave up a double to 1B Jeff Larish and a single to Brent Dlugach, which moved Larish to third base. Things looked good when Davis struck out Mike Hessman, and got Wilkin Ramirez to fly out to short left field. That is, until the throw back in from LF Pedro Lopez, which went to Chris Barnwell. Barnwell saw that Dlugach had thought the ball was going to fall in, so he'd gone on to second base, and now had to race back to first -- so Barnwell took the relay from left field and fired to first base in hopes of doubling Dlugach off. But the throw to first base went wide, and Larish took the opportunity to score from third base. MudHens 7, Indians 2.

In the bottom of the 5th, the Indians stopped nibbling at the lead and instead took a huge bite, scoring 5 runs as they batted around. Shelby Ford got it going with a triple off the base of the wall in right center field. He was clearly thinking triple, because he did not slow down or hesitate in the least as he approached and rounded second base. He slid it to third just ahead of the throw, which came in a few feet down the line toward home plate. Pedro Lopez lined a 0-2 pitch into right-center field, which got past the outfielder's dive, scoring Ford and putting Lopez on second base. Chris Barnwell flied out to right field, but the next three batters recorded hits -- Luis Cruz singled into right field, Erik Kratz bounced sharply to third, but 3B Mike Hessman could only knock it down, and he had no throw, as Lopez scored from third base.

Brian Myrow broke his bat with a bloop into center field, and the bases were loaded. Hector Gimenez made the second out of the inning with a foul pop near third base. That set up Larry Broadway for his second RBI hit of the night. He singled up the middle, again plating Cruz and Kratz. CF Clete Thomas fumbled trying to field the ball, and his error let manager Frank Kremblas wave Brian Myrow on to home. Myrow slid in as the throw finally came in to the plate late. [Photos -- Myrow slides in as Erik Kratz (#14) and Luis Cruz (#6) tell him to slide. The umpire is blocking the view in the second photo, but you can see Myrow's hand touch the plate.] The inning ended when Brian Bixler struck out, but the Indians had tied the score, 7-7.

Unfortunately, that was all the damage the Indians' batters could do. The MudHens' bullpen retired the next 10 batters in order. Jay Sborz pitched the 6th and 7th innings and Clay Rapada took the 8th. Ryan Perry struck out Shelby Ford to begin the 9th, then walked Pedro Lopez and Chris Barnwell, before getting a fly out and a ground out to end the inning.

Jason Davis finally shut down the Toledo scoring machine by retiring the side in order in the 6th inning. Donnie Veal (photo), working on his rehab time, needed to pitch for a second day in a row, so he came on to begin the 7th inning. He ran the count full and then walked Clete Thomas, then struck out Jeff Larish on three pitches. That was all he needed to do, and Veal was relieved by Mike Koplove. Koplove (photo below) had not allowed a run to score in any of his previous appearances since joining the Indians, but he broke that streak tonight. He finished the 7th inning for Veal without allowing a run, but got into trouble when he came back out for the 8th inning. With one out, Max St. Pierre beat out an infield hit to shortstop, and Will Rhymes doubled into center field to score St. Pierre.

Scott Sizemore picked up his 3rd hit of the game with a single into right field, bringing Rhymes around to score. The throw in from Larry Broadway in right field to second base beat Sizemore to the bag, and he was tagged out trying to make it a double. The two runs broke the tie and gave Toledo the 9-7 lead. Denny Bautista pitched a scoreless 9th inning for the Indians, allowing only a single to Mike Hessman.

Mike Koplove was charged with the loss -- his 4th of the season and his first with the Indians.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: Two 2-RBI singles by Larry Broadway (photo below), who was fresh off the Disabled List. The single in the 4th broke the shutout, and the one in the 5th tied the game.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: The double play in the 2nd inning, off the bat of Jeff Frazier, going Brad Lincoln to Brian Bixler to Brian Myrow. One run had already scored in the inning, but the double play halted the MudHens' momentum, at least temporarily.

NOTES:

Mucho roster shuffling:

Larry Broadway was going to be coming off the DL today anyway, so it worked out that a roster spot opened up when Garrett Jones was called up to Pittsburgh.

The call-up of Jeff Salazar, who was told during batting practice (Jones was told this morning) that he needed to get to Pittsburgh ASAP, leaves another roster spot open on the Indians.

Lastings Milledge will join the Indians in a week or so, and the Pirates will be watching his performance here very carefully.

C Ryan Doumit is supposed to be starting a few days of rehab work in Bradenton with the GCL Bradenton Pirates (if they can get some games in between rain outs). The Pirates have announced that Doumit will join the Indians for a rehab assignment probably starting on Sunday.

Go Tribe!

[photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]

Ohlendorf Frustrates Cubs on Momentous Day

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:23:10 -0500

So why was this a momentous day? Two reasons:

1. The 100th anniversary of the opening of Forbes Field

2. For the second straight year the Pirates have traded away 2/3 of their starting outfield.

Ross Ohlendorf picked up his 7th win by tossing seven shutout innings to overshadow (at least temporarily) all of that. He allowed three singles, a double and no walks while striking out eight.

Freddy Sanchez played the role of a man picking up the empty pieces of an offense. He had a part in all three Pirate runs, driving in a pair and scoring the third. He also stole a base.

The Cubs didn't threaten until they put two on with none gone against John Grabow in the 8th. But Grabow held on, whiffing Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome before getting Derrek Lee to ground out. Matt Capps pitched the 9th for the save.

The Good

A winning June. First one since 1996. Unbelievable.

Nice job by Ohlendorf. Second on the staff in wins.

Need more of that from Sanchez.

I have to say I'm happy thus far on the return for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett. Lastings Milledge seems to have been around for a while, but he just turned 24. The only member of the club younger than him is Andrew McCutchen.

Ted Lilly gave up all three runs to the Pirates. The first of which scored when Freddy Sanchez scored from second on a strike three when Geovany Soto's throw to Lilly covering home went through the pitcher's wickets.

The Bad

McCutchen is just 1-18. His first struggle at this level. Hopefully he works out of it soon.

Delwyn Young has two hits in his last 18 at bats.

The Rest

Ohlendorf established a single game mark for whiffs.

Welcome Garrett Jones who was brought up from Indy before the game. He didn't appear tonight. He spent the better part of the last four years in AAA averaging better than 20 homers a year.

Lilly was 3-0 in his career against the Pirates coming in.