ALTOONA Game: Altoona Curve vs Trenton Thunder, 6:30 p.m. Site: Blair County Ballpark. Pitching: LHP Rudy Owens vs. LHP Andy Pettitte. Weather: 75 degrees. Lineups: Altoona Curve: 1. Chase d'Arnaud, 2B 2. Josh...

According to Rob Biertempfel, the Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to start Starling Marte in Altoona at the beginning of the 2011 season.  Biertempfel also...

The Pirates offense continues to sputter while the pitching remained sharp. James McDonald pitched eight shutout innings, but the Pirates were unable to break through and were beaten by New York in ten innings.

The Bradenton Marauders had a strong debut season in the Florida State League, finishing with a 39-31 record in the first half, which fell...

The Pirates had another late inning rally. This time they held on for the win by getting three ninth inning runs off Francisco Cordero. All three runs came around on a two-out double by Andrew McCutchen and Joel Hanrahan shut the door in the bottom of the inning.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed right handed pitcher Chris Leroux off of waivers from the Florida Marlins, and have designated right handed pitcher Brian...

The Oakland Athletics have signed Akinori Iwamura after the former Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman was released on Friday.  Iwamura hit for a .182/.292/.267 line...

A few notes on Monday, as we wait for the Curve to play again....

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The Altoona Curve will face off against the Trenton Thunder on Tuesday, to begin the Eastern League championship series.� Curve's Rudy Owens will oppose Andy Pettitte, who is on a rehab assignment from the Yankees.� Sounds unfair, but even Curve manager Matt Walbeck says it's allowed, and they'll be ready for Pettitte.

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Alex Presley made a pinch-running appearance for the Pirates this evening in their 1-0 extra-inning loss to the Mets.� Presley came on in the top of the 9th to run for C Chris Snyder, who had walked.� Presley tried to steal second base, but was thrown out.

Neil Walker's hitting streak came to an end at 18 games -- he walked twice, but did not have a hit in the game.� Walker hit .350 while in the streak, including 5 homers and 18 RBI.

John Bowker made another start for the Pirates, this time in right field.� He went 0-for-3 at the plate.

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Akinori Iwamura, who spent most of the season with the Indy Indians, has been signed by the Oakland A's.� The A's need some help at third base because of injuries.

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The Pirates have designated RHP Brian Bass for assignment.� Bass made 41 appearances (1 start) for the Indianapolis Indians this season, with a 4-4 record and 2 saves and a 3.26 ERA.� He pitched 69 innings for the Tribe, allowing 74 hits and 23 walks, while striking out 53 batters.� He got progressively better over the second half of the season, with a 1.57 ERA over 13 relief appearances in August and September.� Bass made 3 appearances for the Pirates in late April/early May, then was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Indianapolis.� He was again added to the 40-man roster when the Pirates expanded their roster at the beginning of September, but has made just one relief appearance, allowing one earned run on no hits and 2 walks on Sept 8th against Atlanta.� Overall with the Pirates, Bass pitched 7.1 innings, but allowed 9 hits and 11 runs (10 earned), with 10 walks and 5 strikeouts.

The reason for removing Bass was that the Pirates picked up RHP Chris Leroux on waivers from the Marlins.� The 26-year-old Montreal native opened the 2010 season with the Marlins, and was struggling, then developed a strain in his right elbow.� After a stint on the DL, he joined the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs.� In 18 relief appearances over July and August, Leroux pitched 19.2 innings for the Zephyrs, with a 0-3 record and one save, and a 5.95 ERA.� He walked only 4 batters and struck out 18 batters.� Back with the Marlins after the September call-ups, the righty made 3 more relief appearances, allowing 3 runs in 3 innings, on 5 hits and 2 walks.� The Pirates were interested in a big hurler (he' 6'6") with a strong arm and a lot of strikeouts in AAA, who is also a ground-ball pitcher.

The 2010 Indianapolis Indians had a few top prospects, but no where near the wave of talent needed to immediately turn the Pittsburgh Pirates...

Outfielder Alex Presley (photo) made his first major league start this afternoon, manning right field for the Pirates in their 3-1 win over the Reds in Cincinnati.� Presley, who just turned 25 this week, appeared in his third major league game.� He had pinch-hit and played right field on Wednesday, his birthday, and picked up his first major league hit.� He pinch-ran on Friday, but was forced out at second base on the subsequent play.� Today, Presley singled with two outs in the top of the 8th, on a sharp grounder that got past Reds' 2B Brandon Phillips.� He then advanced to second when Neil Walker walked.� Unfortunately both were left on base.� Presley was 1-for-4 overall, with a walk, and he nearly beat out an infield single in the top of the 1st.� There was only ball hit near him in right field -- he was unable to come up with the ball on a diving attempt on Joey Votto's double in the 4th inning.

Walker walked twice, and he did beat out the infield single in the top of the 1st, extending his hitting streak to 18 games.� John Bowker also made the start, at first base for the Pirates.� He went 0-for-3 at the plate, but he began the 9th inning rally with a walk.� C Ryan Doumit followed the walk with a single, and he was replaced by pinch-runner Pedro Ciriaco. LF Lastings Milledge bunted, but the Reds turned it into a force out, getting Bowker at third.� With runners on first and second, pinch-hitter Garrett Jones singled, loading the bases.� Then another pinch-hitter, Jose Tabata grounded to first base, and Reds' 1B Votto was able to fire to the plate, forcing out Ciriaco, but leaving the bases loaded still.� Then CF Andrew McCutchen lined a double into left field, clearing the bases for 3 runs, and the Pirates had the 3-1 lead, and very soon after, the win.

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The Altoona Curve and the Trenton Thunder (Yankees) will begin the championship round of the Eastern League playoffs on Tuesday in Altoona.

Go to any Pittsburgh Pirates forum and you'll see some variation of the following conversation: Fan #1: Ronny Cedeno is a horrible shortstop. Fan #2: According...

Altoona Curve� 10,� Harrisburg Senators� 5 ...���� (box)

The Curve doubled up the Senators tonight, winning their second game of the series in the Senators' home park.� That gave Altoona a 3-1 game win of the season, advancing them to the championship round of the Eastern League playoffs.

Five home runs by the Curve kept the runs coming, as the Curve totalled 12 hits.� CF Andrew Lambo and LF Jim Negrych had 3 hits each, and Lambo and RF Miles Durham contributed 3 RBI each.� 2B Chase d'Arnaud homered for the second game in a row, and Lambo, Durham, SS Jordy Mercer, and C Hector Gimenez also had home runs.

After a quiet first inning, the Curve got things going in the top of the 2nd, with a walk to Lambo,� a single by Negrych, and Durham's 3-run home run.� The Senators came right back in the bottom of the inning.� The first batter of the inning reached on a fielding error by SS Mercer, then C Jhonatan Solano hit a 2-run homer to put the score at 3-2.

The Curve responded with two 2-run home runs in the top of the 3rd.� With one out, 3B Josh Harrison walked, and Mercer homered.� Then Hague walked and Lambo homered.� They added another run in the 4th, on a walk by d'Arnaud, a singled up the middle by Mercer, and an RBI line drive single into left field by Lambo.� Curve up, 8-2.

Starter Tony Watson continued his solid performance after the Senators' home run in the 2nd.� He worked around a single in the 3rd and another single in the 4th.� He retired the side in order in the 5th.� The 6th inning began with a lead-off home run by 1B Chris Marrero.� Watson retired the next three batters, plus the first two in the 7th, before giving up a walk.� At that point, he gave way to Craig Hansen, who threw a wild pitch, but finished the inning with a ground out.� Watson had allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks, with 4 strikeouts in his 6.2 innings of work.

Hector Gimenez kept the Curve humming with a solo home run in the 7th inning, and Chase d'Arnaud added his solo blast in the 8th.