Cheering for the Pirates' players and friends in Tuesday's winter league action...
I'll be going on the road for a few days... catch up with everyone at the beginning of next week.


VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

Cardenales de Lara  6,  Tigres de Aragua  2  --  Los Tigres were held to 5 hits.  They scored their 2 runs in the 7th inning on a walk, a triple, and a single.  Aragua also had two singles in the 3rd inning but didn't score, and 3 walks in the 6th, but a double play and a pop out ended that inning without a run scoring.  Los Tigres' only other hit in the game was a double by 1B Hector Gimenez to lead off the 9th inning.  Raul Chavez pinch hit in the 9th, but popped out to end the game.  Lastings Milledge started the game in left field, and popped out to end the 2nd inning (with no runners on base).  He was removed from the game as the bottom half of the inning began, but no explanation was given.  CF Jorge Cortes went 0-for-3 for Los Tigres.  Former Indy Indian C Alex Delgado had an RBI single in the 4th for Lara, and doubled and scored on a 2-run homer in the 6th. 

Bravos de Margarita  2,  Navegantes del Magallanes  1  --  Pitching ruled for the first 6 innings of this game.  Margarita scored a run in the 7th on two singles and added another run in the 8th on a walk and two more singles.  Los Navegantes scored just one run, which came in the bottom of the 9th, on a walk and a double.  Justin Thomas took the mound in relief for Los Bravos to begin the bottom of the 5th.  He worked around a lead-off single for a scoreless 5th, then loaded the bases on two singles, a sacrifice bunt, and an intentional walk to begin the 6th inning.  Edgar Martinez relieved Thomas and got a strikeout and pop out to end the inning with the bases still loaded.  Ronald Belisario earned his 7th save for Margarita, even though he was responsible for Los Navegantes' run in the 9th.  

Leones del Caracas  5,  Caribes del Anzoategui  4  --  Four runs in the top of the 9th were not enough for Los Caribes to catch up to Los Leones.  Adenson Chourio came into the game to pinch-run in the 9th, with the bases loaded and one run already walked in.  A double lined into center field scored the runners from second and third, but Chourio was out at the plate on the throw in from center field.  C Carlos Maldonado was the one who tagged out Chourio.  Maldonado's lead-off homer in the 8th gave Caracas what turned out to be the winning run.  He also singled in the 2nd and walked in the 6th.   

Surprise Rafters  7,  Mesa Solar Sox 2

It was a good news-bad news kind of game for the Pirates' contingent of the Mesa Solar Sox.  The good news was that 2B Josh Harrison had two hits in the game, raising his average to .329. Harrison had struggled in the early part of the Arizona Fall League season, but turned it on after that, and has finished strong.  The bad news is that Harrison's two hits were half of the Solar Sox' total for the day.  

The other piece of bad news is that DH Jordy Mercer was hit by a pitch in the top of the 7th inning and had to leave the game.  

The Solar Sox missed out on a big chance in the top of the 1st, when they couldn't take advantage of three Rafters' errors.  Josh Harrison began the game by reaching base on a missed catch error at first base.  He was eliminated, though, when SS Andrew Romine (Angels) bounced into a double play.  3B Josh Vitters (Cubs) singled and RF Andrew Lambo reached base on a fielding error at third.  When the Surprise third baseman then made a throwing error, Lambo moved to second and Vitters went on to third.  A fly out ended the inning without a run scoring.  

The Rafters' SS Cale Iorg (Tigers) had a big day, beginning in the bottom of the 1st, when he hit the second of a pair of lead-off singles, stole second in a double steal, and scored the second run on a 2-RBI double.  Iorg's day got even better in the bottom of the 2nd, with Jake Muyco (Cubs) still on the mound for the Solar Sox.  Muyco gave up a single and two walks, and Iorg followed with a grand slam.  That gave the Rafters a 6-0 lead.  

Robert Fish (Angels) pitched a perfect inning for the Solar Sox in the 3rd, then BJ Rosenberg took the 4th inning.  Rosenberg gave up a single, then Iorg drove in another run for the Rafters with an RBI single.  Ryan Brasier (Angels) and Aaron Pribanic each retired the side in order in one inning apiece.  

Harrison led off Mesa's 3rd inning with a line drive into center field, and Romine walked.  A ground out moved both into scoring position, but they remained there when a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning.  The Solar Sox had only one base runner over the next three innings, when 1B Josh Satin (Mets) walks in the 6th.  The Solar Sox scored their only runs in the 7th.  Mercer led off by being hit by the pitch, and he was replaced on first by pinch-runner Ryan Flaherty (Cubs).  LF Tim Kennelly (Phillies) pushed Flaherty to third base with a line drive into left field.  Flaherty scored on C Kai Gronauer's (Mets) ground out to short.  Harrison's second single of the game, grounded through to left field, and Kennelly advanced to third base.  Kennelly scored on Romine's ground out.  The rally ended with another ground out, and that was the end of the game.  

All of today's AFL games were halted at 7 innings.  Tomorrow's (Wednesday's) games will all go 9 innings, then back to 7 innings again for the last games on Thursday.  The point is to help teams limit pitch counts and innings for the pitchers.  The championship game between the Scottsdale Scorpions and the Peoria Javelinas on Saturday will not have an innings limit, though.