PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

The Indians won game one of today's double header.






All the rain that was in Central Indiana yesterday moved east today.
The Altoona Curve hosting the Akron Aeros were rained out today.  That game will be made up on Saturday May 21st.
The West Virginia Power hosting the Greensboro Grasshoppers were also rained out.  No make-up date has been announced yet.  
The Bradenton Marauders had a scheduled day off today.  They are going to play their next two "home" games against the St. Lucie Mets in Port Charlotte (Charlotte Sports Park), on Wednesday and Thursday, due to roof repairs at McKechnie Field.   

Indianapolis Indians  5,  Durham Bulls  2
(box) 

The Indianapolis Indians and the Durham Bulls split today's double-header at Victory Field.  The first game began at 11 am, with buses full of school kids present, under dark and dreary skies.  As the first game wrapped up, the sun came out, and by the middle of the second game, there were sunny skies and happy clouds.

LF Alex Presley (photo) began the game on a sunny note for the Indians.  With two outs in the bottom of the 1st, Presley blasted a solo home run over the right field wall at the 362' mark, into a group of lucky school kids.  

Starter Brad Lincoln buzzed through the first two innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 2 batters.  With one out in the top of the 3rd, Lincoln ran the count full then walked Bulls' SS Ray Olmedo.  CF Desmond Jennings slipped a ground ball through the right side of the infield for a single, moving Olmedo to second base.  RF Justin Ruggiano crushed a long ball off the top of the wall in the deepest part of the park, just inches from being a home run.  The ball ricocheted off the wall, driving in both Olmedo and Jennings, as Ruggiano slid safely into third base.  The Bulls had taken the lead, 2-1.  

The Tribe answered right away with 2 runs in the bottom of the frame.  2B Brian Friday led off with a bloop single into short left field.  CF Gorkys Hernandez bunted Friday to second base, and DH Corey Wimberly followed by dropping another bloopy hit into the space behind third base, out of the reach of any of the Bulls.  Friday scrambled around to score from second base, tying the score.  Wimberly promptly stole second base.  After a pop out, Presley grounded through the left side of the infield, sending Wimberly around to score.  The throw in from left field was not in time to get the speedy Wimberly at the plate, but Bulls' C Robinson Chirinos alertly threw down to first base, where he caught Presley in the middle of nowhere -- too far from first to get back before the throw, and too far from second base to get there either.  Presley was out in the run-down (photo), ending the inning.  

The Indianapolis Indians were rained out on Monday night.  They and the Durham Bulls will try for two on Tuesday.  Tuesday's first game is scheduled for 11:05 am, early for a Baseball In Education Day.  That game is scheduled to be shown on the MLB network.  (It's absolutley pouring down rain now.)

The Marauders played a morning game to accommodate the school kids; the Curve and Power play in the evening.

Palm Beach Cardinals  5,  Bradenton Marauders  1
(box) 

A 4-run inning was enough for Palm Beach to secure the win this morning.  Marauders' starter Kyle McPherson had allowed just one hit over the first two innings, but with one out in the 3rd, he hit two successive batters with pitches.  A fielding error by SS Benji Gonzalez allowed the next batter to reach base safely, loading them up.  An RBI single drove in the runner from third, leaving the bags still full of Cardinals.  Then a double lined into left field cleared the bases to give the Cardinals a 4-run inning.  McPherson put Palm Beach down in order in the 4th and 5th innings, then gave up another run on a pair of doubles in the 6th.  He finished with 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits, no walk, and 4 strikeouts in his 6 innings of work.

2B Jarek Cunningham led the Marauders' batters with 2 hits, a single and a double, and 1B Aaron Baker drove in the only Marauders' run.  Bradenton missed a big chance in the 2nd inning, when both 3B Elevys Gonzalez and C Travis Scott walked, then LF Adalberto Santos's infield single loaded the bases.  But a strikeout and a pop out ended the threat with all three runners still in place.  Cunningham began the 3rd inning rally with a double lined into left field.  One out later, Baker lined a single into center field, and Cunningham raced around from second base to score the Marauders' only run.  The Marauders had another chance with the bases loaded in the 7th -- DH Cole White walked, then Cunningham and CF Evan Chambers both singled, but a fly out ended that opportunity.  Scott had the only other Bradenton hit, with a single to lead off the 4th.

Duke Welker pitched a quick 7th inning for the Marauders, getting three ground outs.  Jason Erickson took the bottom of the 8th, and gave up two singles, then got a double play when the next batter lined out to Baker, who threw to SS Benji Gonzalez to double off the runner from second base.  Erickson gave up one more single, but then ended the inning without a run scoring.