PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

Tuesday's action in the Caribbean winter leagues, with Pirates' players and friends: MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Venados de Mazatlan 2, �Mayos de Navojoa 1 Los Venados' pitchers held Navojoa to just 2 hits, one of which was a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th. �SS Brian Bixler went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base for Mazatlan. �Mazatlan scored their first run in the top of the 1st, on a lead-off double by RF Christian Quintero and a single by 3B Freddy Sandoval. �C Miguel Ojeda gave them their only other run, with a solo homer in the 4th. Yaquis de Obregon 2, �Naranjeros de Hermosillo 1 Ty Taubenheim pitched 6 innings for Hermosillo, but suffered the loss as he did not get any run support. �Taubenheim gave up 2 runs in the 2nd inning, on a double and three singles, getting out of a worse mess with a timely double play. �He scattered only 2 other hits and a walk over his 5 other innings of work, which also included 5 strikeouts. �A fielding error by SS Jose Luis Sandoval, plus the walk and one of the hits, put Taubenheim into another jam in the 3rd inning, but a perfect throw from RF Darnell McDonald (Reds) to C Geronimo Gil cut down a runner at the plate to keep another run from scoring. �Hermosillo's bullpen finished up with 2 more scoreless innings. Obregon's pitching staff held Hermosillo scoreless until the top of the 9th, when CF Trent Oeltjen (Diamondbacks) had the first of 3 singles in the inning, and came around to score on Gil's RBI single. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE Tigres de Aragua 13, �Aguilas de Zulia 8 These two teams combined for 31 hits, but also for 7 errors. �1B Hector Gimenez was part of Aragua's 4-run rally in the 1st inning, reaching base on a error, and moving 3B Luis Maza, who led the team with 4 hits, to third base. �The next batter grounded into a force play at second, with Gimenez being the one who was forced out. �Gimenez took the field to play first base in the bottom of the inning, but then was replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the 2nd inning. �Aragua scored 4 more runs in the 4th, 2 in the 6th, 2 in the 8th, and one more in the 9th. �The 9th inning began with a pinch-hit single by former Indy Indian Jorge Cortes, who was subsequently forced out at second base. Cardenales de Lara 9, �Tiburones de La Guaira 8 Lara held a 9-5 lead going into the bottom of the 8th inning, when former Pirate Romulo Sanchez took the mound for Lara. �He hit the first batter he faced, then after a strikeout, gave up an RBI double. �A ground out and a strikeout ended the inning. �La Guaira scored 2 more runs in the bottom of the 9th, but still fell one short of Lara.

The Pirates removed relievers Craig Hansen, Denny Bautista and Chris Bootcheck from the 40-man roster today. It is not surprising that any of...

Scottsdale Scorpions 7, �Surprise Rafters 3 box Every member of the Scorpions' lineup but one had at least one hit in Monday night's game, and the one who didn't hit, SS Hector Gomez (Rockies), contributed an RBI and scored a run. �Both CF Jose Tabata and 2B Chase d'Arnaud singled and scored a run. Six of the Scorpions' runs came in the 6th inning. �C Buster Posey (Giants) began the fun with an infield single. �Chase d'Arnaud grounded to second, but the Rafters' second baseman had trouble handing the ball and both Posey and d'Arnaud were safe on the error. �After a fly out, LF Thomas Neal (Giants) doubled, scoring both Posey and d'Arnaud. �A wild pitch moved Neal to third base, and Hector Gomez reached base when the Rafters' second baseman made his second error of the inning -- this one was a throwing error. �That allowed Neal to score, and left Gomez on second base. �DH Pedro Ciriaco (Diamondbacks) greeted a new Rafters' reliever with an RBI single, bringing in Gomez, and a passed ball put Ciriaco on second base. �Jose Tabata grounded to shortstop, forcing Ciriaco to hold up on second, but Tabata beat out the throw to first for an infield single. �After a ground out that advanced the runners up a base, 1B Brandon Allen (D'backs) doubled, plating Ciriaco and Tabata, and the Scorpions had a 6-1 lead. �RF Domonic Brown (Phillies) added a solo home run in the 9th inning. Joe Martinez (Giants) made his second start for the Scorpions and earned his first win of the AFL season. �He pitched 3 innings and allowed only one run on 3 hits and a walk, with 3 strikeouts. �The run came in the bottom of the first, with a lead-off walk, followed by a single and a sacrifice fly. �Martinez gave up a lead-off single in the 2nd and a lead-off double in the 3rd, but did not allow those runners to score. � The Rafters scored two runs in the 7th inning off reliever Steve Edlefsen (Giants). �That inning began with a double, a walk, and a single to load the bases. �A walk forced in a run and marked the end of Edlefsen's night. �Michael Schwimer (Phillies) came on in relief and got the first batter he faced to pop out into foul territory, but then he threw a wild pitch, and the runner from third scored the Rafter's second run of the inning.

An abbreviated schedule in the Caribbean leagues on Monday: MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Caneros de Mochis 8, �Venados de Mazatlan 3 Mochis scored 2 runs in each of four consecutive innings to take the victory over Mazatlan. �2B Brian Bixler had a single for Los Venados, but also struck out three times. �Mazatlan scored one run in the 4th inning on two walks and an RBI single. �CF Ruben Rivera added another run in the 6th with a solo home run, then a single, a walk, and an RBI single following the homer brought in another run. �Team USA pitcher Ehren Wassermann (White Sox) made his Mexican Pacific League debut for Mazatlan. �He finished the 4th inning, after two runs had already scored, then came back for the 5th inning. �Wassermann gave up a lead-off homer, then three singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly for another run. �Back once again to begin the 6th, Wassermann got two outs and gave up a single. �He was charged with the run scored by that batter, when the next reliever gave up a home run to the first batter he faced. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE Navegantes del Magallanes 11, �Leones del Caracas 4 Yoslan Herrera made the start for Magallanes and pitched 4.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk, with 2 strikeouts. �One of the runs came in the 3rd inning, when former Pirate DH Jose Castillo led off with a single, then scored on a ground out and an RBI single. �In the 5th, Herrera gave up a lead-off single, but erased that base runner with a double play. �He allowed a walk, then was relieved. �But a subsequent home run brought that base runner across the plate, making Herrera responsible for his run. �Team USA reliever Cedrick Bowers (Phillies) pitched a perfect 8th inning, including 2 strikeouts, for Magallanes. On the offensive side, former Indy Indian Mike Ryan fell a single short of hitting for the cycle, and was responsible for bringing in 5 of Los Navegantes' runs. �He doubled in two runs in the 4th inning, hit a solo home run to lead off the 8th, and tripled in the 9th inning, plating two more runs. �CF Ezequiel Carrera tripled twice for Magallanes, and scored both times -- he was the first run of the game in the top of the 1st, and then he led off the 9th with a triple, and scored, prior to Ryan's triple. �SS Argenis Diaz went 0-for-4 at the plate, though he reached base on a fielders' choice/ error in the 5th inning and was later forced out at second base. DOMINICAN LEAGUE Estrellas de Oriente 5, �Toros del Este 1 C Robinzon Diaz had 3 of Los Estrellas' 8 hits -- a double and two singles -- and also collected an RBI. �He singled in the 2nd inning but was left stranded on base. �He doubled a run in in the 4th inning, then scored on an RBI single. �Diaz singled again in the 6th inning, and scored in that 3-run rally. �Los Estrellas' pitchers held Los Toros to just 3 hits. �The only run Los Toros scored was in the 7th, on a walk, a wild pitch, and an RBI single. �Former Indy Indian Roberto Giron pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief and allowed one hit, while striking out 3 Toros, and he earned the win.

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Arizona Fall League play begins today. �The Pirates' prospects are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, and they are joined by prospects from the Giants, the Diamondbacks, the Rockies, and the Phillies, plus three pitchers from Japan. �Participating Pirates:�

Arizona Fall League play begins today. �The Pirates' prospects are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, and they are joined by prospects from the Giants, the Diamondbacks, the Rockies, and the Phillies, plus three pitchers from Japan. �Participating Pirates:�

Arizona Fall League play begins today. �The Pirates' prospects are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, and they are joined by prospects from the Giants, the Diamondbacks, the Rockies, and the Phillies, plus three pitchers from Japan. �Participating Pirates:�