The Greensboro Grasshoppers won the South Atlantic League North first half last week, putting the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the post-season....
The Pirates have Gold Glove third basemen in Ke'Bryan Hayes and Jared Triolo. They've got another candidate in the system in power hitter Jack Brannigan.
Indianapolis Indians 8, Rochester Red Wings 3 [ box ]
Brad Lincoln earned his 6th win of the season, pitching into the 8th inning at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY this afternoon. The win meant that the two teams split the 4-game series. Lincoln gave up 3 runs (one earned) to the Red Wings, and struck out 7 batters. The Indians posted 16 hits, with each member of the lineup picking up at least one hit. 2B Brian Friday led the offense with 4 hits (4-for-5), and DH John Bowker drove in 3 runs.
The Tribe jumped right out to an early lead with 4 runs in the top of the 1st. SS Chase d'Arnaud began the game with a single into left field, and a wild pitch moved him to second base. Friday lined a single into left field, and d'Arnaud scored from second base. LF Alex Presley grounded to short, and a force at second removed Friday, but Presley was safe at first base. Presley came in on Bowker's 2-run homer for a 3-0 lead. Three singles -- by 3B Andy Marte, RF Miles Durham, and C Wyatt Toregas -- brought in Marte for the 4th run of the inning. The Indians added 2 more runs in the 3rd. 1B Matt Hague doubled with one out, and he scored on Toregas' liner into left field. CF Gorkys Hernandez walked, then d'Arnaud singled into left field. Toregas scored easily on d'Arnaud's hit, but Hernandez was thrown out at the plate when he tried to come around and score from first. Indians up, 6-0.
Lincoln took the mound in the bottom of the 1st with a 4-run lead in his pocket. He gave up a single to SS Trevor Plouffe, the first of three for him in the game, but erased him with a double play. Three singles, including one by Plouffe, and a fielding error by Hernandez brought in two runs for the Red Wings in the bottom of the 3rd. Lincoln retired the side in order of the 4th, and he worked around two singles in the 5th. He gave up another unearned run in the 6th, on a single and a fielding error by Presley. The Red Wings went down in order in the 7th also, then began the 8th with two singles and a strikeout. That was all for Lincoln, who allowed 9 hits and a walk on the way to the 3 runs. He did not hit any batters (sometimes a problem for Lincoln, who likes to pitch inside). He threw exactly 100 pitches, with 66 strikes. Justin Thomas came on in relief, and got two quick outs to end the inning without a run scoring.
The Indians threatened again in the 4th, when Friday led off with a double. He moved to third base on a ground out. Bowker grounded to short, where Plouffe made the scoop and fired back to the plate, where Friday was tagged out. Presley singled in the 7th, went to second base on a ground out, and on to third on a wild pitch, but was left there when the inning ended.
Another rally brought in 2 more runs for the Tribe in the top of the 9th. Friday also opened this inning with a double (ground-rule). He scored from second on Bowker's line drive single into deep right field, and Bowker moved to second base on the throw in from the outfield. Bowker advanced to third base on Marte's ground out, and scored on Hague's RBI single.
Jose Ascanio pitched the bottom of the 9th for the Tribe. He pitched a perfect inning, with a ground out and two strikeouts, in his second appearance since returning to the Indians from Pittsburgh.
The Indians will be traveling to Lehigh Valley, where they will have 4 games against the Iron Pigs.
Less action than usual for a Sunday afternoon -- the Bradenton Marauders are still on their All-Star break, and the game between the West Virginia Power and the Lakewood BlueClaws was cancelled due to wet grounds at Appalachian Power Park. The South Atlantic League All-Star Game will be held on Tuesday.
LF Quincy Latimore and RF Anthony Norman posted 2 hits each, and Latimore scored 3 of the Curve's 4 runs as Altoona took the win. Latimore's first hit was a double lined into left field in the bottom of the 2nd inning. He scored on Norman's single. The two combined again in the 4th inning for another run. With two outs, Latimore walked, then Norman singled into right field. When the Harrisburg right fielder made a throwing error, Latimore had the chance to round third and score. Latimore homered to lead off the 7th inning, and at that point, he was responsible for all of the Curve runs.
With former Pirate farmhand Jimmy Barthmaier on the mound for Harrisburg in the 8th, CF Starling Marte began the inning with a single. Marte advanced to second base on a ground out by 3B Jeremy Farrell, then he stole third base. C Tony Sanchez's RBI single up the middle brought Marte in to score the final run for the Curve.
Phillip Irwin made the start for the Curve and pitched 6 scoreless innings. He hit a batter in the top of the 1st, then retired the next 13 Harrisburg batters, until he gave up a lone single in the 5th. He allowed a single and a walk in the 6th, for the biggest threat he had faced, but left both on base to end the inning. Bryan Morris relieved Irwin to begin the 7th inning. He put the side down in order in that inning, but gave up an unearned run in the 8th. A throwing error by Sanchez, a double, and an RBI ground out brought in the run. Morris allowed a single in the 9th, but did not allow another run to score. Irwin won his first game of the season, and Morris earned his third Save.
PLAYER PROFILE: PHILLIP IRWIN
The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted right handed pitcher Phillip Irwin to Altoona today, and immediately put him in the rotation. Irwin made...
Indianapolis Indians 7, Rochester Red Wings 5 (Game 1) [ box ]
A 4-run 6th inning gave the Indians the edge this afternoon at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY, despite being out-hit 13-9. SS Chase d'Arnaud led the Tribe with 3 hits and 2 RBI, and LF Alex Presley and 3B Andy Marte had 2 hits apiece.
Both teams got their scoring started early with 2 runs in the 1st inning. With former Indy Indian (2009) Eric Hacker making the start for Rochester, d'Arnaud began with a strikeout, then 2B Corey Wimberly was hit by a pitch. Presley walked, and when Hacker pick-off attempt went wild, both runners moved into scoring position on the error. RF John Bowker's grounder let the Rochester third baseman fire back to the plate, where Wimberly was tagged out. With Bowker still on first base, Marte lined a double into left field, scoring both Presley and Bowker for the early 2-0 lead.
The Red Wings came right back in the bottom of the inning. The first batter Brian Burres faced, CF Dustin Martin, doubled into right field, and the next batter, SS Trevor Plouffe, smacked a 2-run homer to tie the score.
Marte doubled again in to lead off the top of the 4th, and when the Wings' right fielder misplayed the ball, Marte advanced to third. A sacrifice fly by 1B Matt Hague plated Marte, to give the Indians a 3-2 lead.
Burres had a tough second inning to work through. The lead off batter, 3B Chase Lambin, led off with a single, but was picked off first and caught stealing. After a ground out, a walk, a single by Martin, and another walk loaded the bases. Burres got out of the jam with a ground out, leaving the bases full. Burres also got lucky in the 4th, when another single by Lambin and a double by C Steve Holm had Lambin rounding third and heading for the plate. Presley made the play on the double in left field, then his throw in was relayed by d'Arnaud, who fired on to C Wyatt Toregas for the tag out of Lambin at the plate.
