Two Pirates' minor leaguers have been chosen to play in the MLB Futures game, which is held during the All-Star festivities.  OF Starling Marte will be on the World team, and INF Chase d'Arnaud was named to the USA team -- though that might change if d'Arnaud is indeed called up to Pittsburgh.  

The State College Spikes' game against the Jamestown Jammers was postponed due to rain.  They will go for two on Friday night, beginning at 6:05 pm.  


New Hampshire Fisher Cats  2,  Altoona Curve  0      
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This shortened game was a pitching duel, with the two teams combining for just 7 hits.  Kyle McPherson pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits.  Two of those hits were solo homers, both coming in the 4th inning, and that accounted for all of the Fisher Cats' scoring.  The only other 'Cats' hit was a single to lead off the 1st inning, and that runner was picked off base.  McPherson walked two batters, one in the 1st, and former Indy Indian Craig Stansberry in the 5th.  Stansberry was caught stealing second base.  Anthony Claggett pitched the bottom of the 6th, walking one and hitting one batter with a pitch.  

The Curve batters collected 4 hits.  CF Starling Marte led off the top of the 1st with a double, the only extra-base hit for the Curve.  SS Jordy Mercer singled, and C Tony Sanchez was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.  But new Curve player RF Andrew Lambo lined right to the 'Cats' first baseman, who doubled off Sanchez for a double play.  The other 2 hits happened in the 4th.  Sanchez led off with a single up the middle, but he was caught stealing.  3B Jeremy Farrell also singled, but was left on base.  There were only 2 more base runners for the Curve for the rest of the game -- Sanchez walked in the 6th and 1B Matt Curry walked in the 7th, and both were left on base.  

This was scheduled to be Game 1 of a double-header, and so was scheduled for 7 innings.  But this game was also interrupted by rain, and the second game was washed out.  The Curve move on to Harrisburg to begin a series tomorrow.  They will play New Hampshire again in mid-August, and will have to do the make-up then.  

The Pirates have optioned infielder Josh Harrison back to the Indianapolis Indians today.  Harrison has been with the Pirates for about 3.5 weeks, and has appeared in 16 games in that time, playing mostly third base.  He also missed a few days due to an oblique strain.  He hit .283 (17-for-60) with 2 doubles and 4 RBI in that time, with one walk and 5 strikeouts.  Harrison was hitting .321 for the Indians when he left at the end of May, with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 11 RBI.  While solid at the plate, the Pirates have some concerns about Harrison's defensive play.   He made 10 errors while with the Indians and one error since joining the Pirates.

The next move that's expected is for the Pirates to call up infielder Chase d'Arnaud (photo).  D'Arnaud is hitting .280 for the Indians, but while he began the season with a slow April (hitting .217), he stepped it up to .329 in May and .299 for June.  He also has 12 RBI in May and 14 RBI in June.  He's also hitting lefties much better than right-handed pitching:  .258 vs Left, and .241 vs Right.  D'Arnaud is not on the Pirates' 40-man roster, so 
the Pirates will have to make another move to open up a spot.  
 

Indianapolis Indians 10,  Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs  5
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The newest Indian, Josh Rodriguez, went 3-for-3 with 4 RBI as the Indianapolis Indians overcame a 4-0 deficit to beat the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA tonight.  The Indians posted 15 hits, while the Iron Pigs put up 14 hits; the Tribe also worked 8 walks.  SS Brian Friday also had 3 hits for the Indians, as all but one of the starting lineup had at least one hit.  The Tribe pitchers combined to strikeout 14 Iron Pigs' batters.


Once again, several former Indy Indians were on the field for Lehigh Valley:  CF Rich Thompson (2005-06), LF Brandon Moss (2010), 1B Tagg Bozied (2009).


Starter Rudy Owens (photo), who has been having trouble getting through the first inning in many of his starts this season, had problems again tonight.   Rich Thompson led off with a line drive off 1B Matt Hague's glove and into short right field for a single.  As usual for the speedy Thompson, he stole second base.  SS Pete Orr moved Thompson to third base with a single tapped back to the mound and deflected by Owens.  RF John Mayberry brought in both Thompson and Orr with a 3-run homer.  Owens got Brandon Moss to pop out, but Tagg Bozied blasted a no-doubt-about-it homer over the left field wall and well past the bullpen, for a 4-0 lead.  Owens also gave up a double to 2B Josh Barfield after the homer, but a fly out and a strike out ended the inning.  

The Tribe put runners on base in each of the first three innings, though none of them came around to score.  Chase d'Arnaud, who was on third base again tonight, led off the top of the 1st for the Indians by reaching first when SS Orr made a high throw to first base, bouncing it off the screen in front of the Indians' bullpen.  Friday singled, moving d'Arnaud to second, and a fly out by LF Alex Presley moved d'Arnaud to third.  But RF John Bowker bounced into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning, keeping d'Arnaud from scoring.  

The Indians threatened again in the 2nd inning, when Hague lined a ball off the Iron Pigs' 3B Cody Overbeck's glove and into left field.  With one out, new Indian 2B Josh Rodriguez grounded to short, where SS Orr made the scoop then fumbled the ball a bit, and Rodriguez was credited with his first Indians' hit.  A grounder by CF Gorkys Hernandez forced out Rodriguez at second, but left runners on the corners with two outs.  They got no further that time either, as Owens struck out to end the inning.  Presley singled in the 3rd inning, but was left on base.