PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

Cheering for Pirates' players and friends in Wednesday's winter league action (the new minor league free agents did not get into the games):

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Criollos de Caguas  2,  Leones de Ponce  1 --  Not a lot of hitting or scoring here.  Ponce scored one run in the 3rd inning on a pair of doubles.  Los Criollos tied it up in the 6th with a walk, a single, and a throwing error.  3B Ramon Vazquez walked, then another single brought in the winning run.  SS Luis Figueroa singled in the 1st inning, but was left on base.  


VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Caribes de Anzoategui  2,  Navegantes del Magallanes  1 --  Same thing in this game, not much offense.  The difference is that Los Caribes scored one run in two different innings -- a homer in the 2nd, and a double, a single, and an RBI grounder in the 7th.  Los Navegantes scored on a double and two wild pitches in the 6th.  Reliever Jean Machi pitched a perfect bottom of the 8th for Los Navegantes: two strikeouts and a ground out. 

Tiburones de La Guaira  5,  Aguilas del Zulia  4  --  This first game of a double-header was supposed to be only 7 innings, but the score was tied at 1-1 from the 5th through the 7th.  Los Tiburones scored 2 in the top of the 8th on a 2-run homer.  With Chris Hernandez on the mound for La Guaira, Los Aguilas responded with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th, and Hernandez was charged with a Blown Save.  Then three singles gave La Guaira the go-ahead run again in the top of the 9th.  An error and a wild pitch added an insurance run, which they would need.  Zulia scored a run in the bottom of the inning on three singles, but their rally was cut short, and Los Tiburones held on for the win, credited to Hernandez.


DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Estrellas de Oriente  5,  Tigres del Licey  4  --  Los Tigres started the scoring in the 4th inning, on a single, a wild pitch, and an RBI single by Jake Fox.  Fox moved to second on an error on a pick-off attempt, then scored on an RBI single.  Robinzon Diaz also singled in the inning.  Diaz also singled in the 8th after a walk, and two errors on the play brought the run in.  A home run in the 6th gave Los Tigres one more run.  Los Estrellas scored one run in the 4th, and collected a 2-run homer in the 5th.  They took the lead in the bottom of the 8th on four singles.  

Toros del Este 10,  Aguilas Cibaenas  1  --  Los Aguilas scored one run on a triple and a sacrifice bunt in the 2nd inning, then gave up 10 unanswered runs, including 6 Toros' runs in the 8th inning.  SS Pedro Ciriaco walked in the 3rd inning but was out in a force play at second base.  He was 0-for-3 for the rest of the night.


MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Tomateros de Culiacan 2,  Venados de Mazatlan  1 --  Los Venados were held to just 2 hits, and scored their only run in the 5th, on a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI ground out.  Culiacan's 2-run homer in the 2nd inning was all the scoring they needed.  LF Rogelios Noris came into the game as a late-inning defensive replacement, and struck out in his only plate appearance. 


AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE
The game between the Adelaide Bite and the Canberra Cavalry had to be postponed.  They will try for a double-header on Friday (early Friday morning for most of us).  The two teams are already scheduled to play a double-header on Saturday.
The Bite are reporting that the Pirates have signed reliever Jackson Lodge to a contract.  Lodge is a product of the Australian Baseball Academy, where he had a 2-3 record and a 2.03 ERA in 40 innings last year.  Lodge has pitched in 4 games for the Bite so far this season, with mixed results.  On Nov 13th, he pitched the 8th inning of the Bite's 8-3 win over Melbourne.  After striking out the first batter, Lodge gave up two doubles and two singles, for 2 runs.  On the 18th, he pitched to 4 batters in the Bite's win over Perth, and retired all four, including one strikeout.  Two days later, he earned a "Hold" in another victory over Perth, but he faced only two batters -- a ground out and a single, and that runner eventually came around to score.  On the 26th, Lodge came on in relief in the 4th when the starting pitcher had to leave the game due to an arm injury.  Lodge hit the first batter he faced, then ended the inning with a ground out.  But he got into trouble in the 5th, giving up 2 runs on a walk, three singles, and a sacrifice fly.  He retired two batters in the 6th, then was relieved.  It will be interesting to see where Lodge is assigned in the US -- the Pirates will surely be watching his progress in the ABL.



 

The Pirates have added three players, signed as minor league free agents, and all invited to the Big League camp for Spring Training.  All three could have a shot at the major league club (some more outside than others) or could be slotted for AAA Indianapolis.

RHP Fernando Nieve is a 28-year-old Venezuelan native.  He is currently pitching for Los Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he has made 4 starts and one relief appearance.  In 19.2 innings, Nieve has allowed 22 hits and 7 earned runs, with 14 strikeouts.  Nieve started his pro career in the Astros organization in 1999, reaching Houston for the first time in 2006.  He pitched in 40 games for the Astros in that season (3-3 record and 4.20 ERA).  He didn't get back to the majors again until 2008, when he made 11 appearances for the Astros (0-1 record and 8.44 ERA).  The righty was claimed off waivers by the Mets in early 2009, and split the past two seasons mostly between the Mets and the AAA Buffalo Bison.  His 2009 season was marred by a long stint on the DL due to a muscle injury in his right thigh, but he was able to play for the entire 2010 season.  He made 8 starts for the Bison -- 2-1 record, 5.62 ERA, 40 innings, 49 hits, 25 runs, 13 BB, 31 K. For the Mets in 2010, Nieve made 1 start and 39 relief appearances.  In 42 innings, he earned a 2-4 record and a 6.00 ERA, with 37 hits, 28 runs, 22 BB and 38 K.

INF Andy Marte is a 26-year old, who was first signed by the Braves in 2000.  He was considered a hot prospect for awhile, but his bat rarely got that message.  Marte hit .275 for the AAA Richmond Braves in 2005, and made his major league debut in that year, but hit just .140 in 24 games for Atlanta.  He was traded to the Boston Red Sox in late 2005, then not two months later traded on to the Cleveland Indians.  In parts of 5 seasons with Cleveland, Marte never hit above .229.  That .229 average came in the 2010 season, when he appeared in 80 games with the Indians.  He also had 5 homers and 19 RBI, and even made one pitching appearance for the Indians -- one inning, no hits, one strikeout.  Marte is playing for Los Tigres del Licey in his native Dominican Republic this winter.  In 13 games, he has a .171 average with 2 homers, 5 RBI, 6 BB, and 10 K.  

C Dusty Brown is a California native, who was the Red Sox' 35th round pick in the 2000 draft and has been in the Red Sox organization for his entire career until today.  He reached the AAA level at Pawtucket for the first time in 2007, for 8 games.  For the next 3 years, Brown spent most of his seasons in Pawtucket, where he played a total of 241 games and hit .260 with 21 homers and 107 RBI.  In 13 games for Boston over the past two seasons, he hit .267 (4-for-15) with one homer and 3 RBI.  The 28-year-old is also playing winter ball, for Los Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican league.  In 27 games, he's hitting .216 with 2 homers and 9 RBI.