MVN: Most Valuable Network

Visiting our Pirates' farmhands and friends in fall and winter ball, in Friday's games:

Jeff Sues' blog has another guest blogger, Derek Hankins this week.

And, if you aren't still too burned up about Matt Wieters, this Royals' blog by Chris Hayes is fun, particularly the clever photo.  

The Scottsdale Scorpions are in third place (um, that's last place) in the AFL American Division, with 5 games left to play.  The last regular season game will be on Thursday.  The Scorpions are 9 games off the pace, so there is no hope of any playoffs.  The Mesa Solar Sox and the Peoria Saguaros are currently tied for first place in the division.  In the National Division, the Phoenix Desert Dogs are in first place, 5 games ahead of the Peoria Javelinas and 10 games ahead of the Surprise Rafters.

Well, this is why the Scorpions are in last place.  The Saguaros held them to only 4 hits, all singles, by 2B Kevin Frandsen (Giants), DH Chris Pettit (Angels), 3B Chris Johnson (Astros), and CF Brian Bogusevic (Astros).  They also walked 5 times. There were only two innings when the Scorpions did not have base runners on, but they couldn't get any of them around to score.  LF Jamie Romak walked once and was left on base.  

The Scorpion pitching staff wasn't having any better a night.  The Saguaros scored 5 runs in the 1st inning off starter Brad James (Astros), on two doubles, two singles, and three walks.  They added another run in the 2nd inning off Nick Green (Angels) on two more doubles.  Green then pitched three scoreless innings, before Kevin Pachardo (Giants) took over for the 6th inning, and allowed two runs (one earned).  

The Hawaiian Winter League wraps up their regular season play today.  The championship game will be played tomorrow, featuring our West Division winner, the West Oahu Cane Fires.  The East Division winner is yet undetermined, as the Waikiki Beach Boys (18-17 record) are only half a game ahead of the Honululu Sharks (17-17).  Those two teams play one another in today's final regular game, and the winner will take the division and proceed to the final game.

DH Miles Durham's 2-run homer in the 8th inning sparked the Cane Fires to victory.  RF Caleb Gindl (Brewers) had three hits, including a 2-run homer in the 5th inning.  The Honu got onto the scoreboard first with 2 runs in the 1st inning.  SS Haruki Kurose (Saitama Seibu Lions) reached base on an error to lead off the 3rd inning for the Cane Fires, and singles by 2B Mark Halberg and Gindl brought Kurose in with the 'Fires first run.  Gindl's homer in the 5th gave the Cane Fires a 3-2 lead.  Gindl led off the 8th inning with another single, and he scored on Durham's homer, making the score 5-2.  3B Tyler Henson (Orioles) doubled following the homer, and he scored on Honolulu native C Matt Inouye's RBI single.  That gave the Cane Fires the cushion they needed, when the Honu loaded the bases on a walk and two singles in the bottom of the 9th inning.  Three runs scored, on another single, a ground out, and a sacrifice fly, but the Cane Fires still held the lead.  Moises Robles earned his 5th save in Hawaii by pitching a scoreless 9th inning, allowing only a lone single, to preserve the win.  Harrison Bishop pitched the 6th inning for the Cane Fires, retiring the side in order on 9 pitches.

Ronald Belisario earned his 2nd save with a 3-up-3-down 9th inning for La Guaira.

Former Pirate farmhand LF Ray Sadler hit his third homer this week, a 2-run blast in the 8th inning to give Los Caribes the insurance they needed.  Sadler also scored in the 2nd inning, when he beat out the relay on a grounder that could have been a double play.  He stole second base (off former teammate Caracas' C Carlos Maldonado), and scored on RF Jose Tabata's RBI single.  Tabata tried to reach second base on the throw in to the plate from left field.  The throw wasn't in time for Maldonado to get Sadler out, but Maldonado came up firing to second base, where Tabata was caught in the middle of the basepath.  Maldonado's single figured into Caracas' rally in the bottom of the inning, which tied the score at 1-1.  Caracas scored again to take the lead in the 5th inning, on an RBI triple by DH Matt Murton (A's).  Los Caribes came right back with 2 runs in the 6th inning, on three singles (one by Sadler) and a double.  Adenson Chourio made his Venezuelan league debut in the 8th inning as a pinch runner, and he scored on Sadler's home run.  Maldonado singled again in the 9th inning, and was replaced by a pinch runner, who was left on base when the game ended.  

Jorge Charry pitched 2 innings for Ponce, recording 6 outs in a row, including 3 strikeouts.  

Luis Cruz played third base for Obregon, and walked once in 5 trips to the plate.  He advanced as far as third base, but was stranded at the end of the inning.  

C Robinzon Diaz made his first appearance with Oriente (he had been playing for Licey), going 0-for-5, but reaching base on a force-out bunt and then coming around to score in Oriente's 4-run 6th inning.  3B Tony Blanco led Oriente with two homers, a 3-run blast in the 2nd inning, and a solo homer in the 8th.  C Ronny Paulino walked 3 times for Licey.  Marino Salas pitched the final inning for Oriente, and gave up a run on two singles.  Franklyn German got the last out in the 8th inning for Licey, and then pitched the 9th inning, allowing a single but then erasing the base runner with a double play.