This is the 2nd in a series of articles examining how small payroll teams have found success in recent years. The goal is to try and determine what methods were successful in an attempt for the Pirates to emulate them.
Following the signing of Lyle Overbay, Rob Biertempfel reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates are stepping up their efforts to trade catcher Ryan Doumit. Doumit...
Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been talking to free agent first baseman Lyle Overbay, according to Morosi's sources. Morosi mentions...
Project Prospect, a great independent prospect evaluation outlet, released their top 25 prospects for the 2011 season yesterday, and listed Jameson Taillon as the...
The Dominican and Puerto Rican All-Star squads faced off this evening (Sunday), and a four of the Pirates' former players and friends were involved, all on the Puerto Rican team:
Puerto Rican All-Stars 4, Dominican All-Stars 3 The Puerto Ricans and Dominicans put runners on base in the first three innings, but couldn't get any of them around to score. The Puerto Ricans finally got onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the 4th. Two singles and a ground out put two runners into scoring position. Former Indy Indian (2007) LF Luis Matos reached base on a throwing error at short, and both runners came in to score. A double brought in Matos to give the Puerto Ricans a 3-0 lead. The Dominicans came right back to tie the game in the top of the 5th. A double and a single plated one run, and a 2-run homer by 3B Victor Mercedes made it a 3-3 tie. The Puerto Ricans scratched out another run in the bottom of the 7th. A single, the third error by the Dominican shortstop, a ground out, and an RBI single gave the Puerto Ricans the lead. Former Pirate farmhand RJ Rodriguez pitched the top of the 8th for the Puerto Ricans. He struck out the first two batters of the inning, then finished it with a fly out. Former Indy Indian (2004) SS Luis Figueroa singled for Puerto Rico in the 1st inning, but didn't score. Former Pirate 3B Ramon Vazquez doubled in the 2nd, and also did not score.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Aguilas de Mexicali 2, Venados de Mazatlan 1 -- A pair of singles around a sacrifice bunt gave Los Aguilas the first run of the game in the top of the 1st, and they repeated the trick for another run in the 6th. Two singles and a throwing error brought in Los Venados' only run in the 7th. RF Rogelios Noris singled in the 8th for Los Venados but was left on base. His fellow Pirate farmhand Matt Hague came in to play first base for Mexicali in the 8th, but did not get a plate appearance.
