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Walker’s Homer Lifts Bravos
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:�
LHP Danny Moskos
LHP Donnie Veal
LHP Tony Watson
SS Chase d'Arnaud
SS�Brian Friday
OF Jose Tabata
In Venezuelan League play last night:
Bravos de Margarita 4, �Navegantes de Magallanes 3
3B Neil Walker's�solo home run in the 4th inning tied the game for Los Bravos and sent them on their way to a win. �
Two doubles and a single gave Magallanes their first two runs in the bottom of the 1st. �Walker (photo) started a rally for Margarita with a single into right field in the top of the 2nd. �Two more singles loaded the bases and moved Walker to third. �He scored on a sacrifice fly by C JC Boscan, and an RBI single by LF Francisco Leandro tied the game at 2-2. �
Magallanes got the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Two singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners for SS Argenis Diaz, who singled up the middle to bring in a run and give Magallanes a 3-2 lead. �Another single loaded the bases, but the next batter flied out to center field. �The runner from third tagged up, as did Diaz at second base, but Diaz was tagged out at third base by his Indy Indians teammate Neil Walker for the double play, and no run scored. �
Walker tied the game again by leading off the 4th inning with a rising line drive over the right field wall. �Leandro opened the 5th with a walk, moved to second on a single by 2B Eider Torres, and scored the winning run on CF Frank Diaz's RBI double. �Torres also tried to score from first base on the double, but he was thrown out at the plate. �
Argenis Diaz also singled in the 4th inning but was picked off base. �Former Indy Indian LF Mike Ryan had a single and a double for Magallanes but did not score. �Jean Machi pitched to one batter in the bottom of the 9th for Magallanes, striking him out. �Former Indy Indian Scott Strickland earned his second save for Margarita with a scoreless bottom of the 9th. �
OF Jonel Pacheco played in Los Bravos' first game but has not played since due to pain in his right thumb. �He has been taking batting practice, and is almost ready to get back to playing. �
Tiburones de la Guaira 5, �Tigres de Aragua 4
1B Hector Gimenez singled Los Tigres' rally in the top of the 1st, when one run came in, and Aragua scored again in the 3rd, giving them a 2-2 tie with La Guaira. �The tie lasted until the top of the 8th, when Gimenez singled again, and DH Wilson Ramos followed the single with a 2-run homer. �But La Guaira came back in the bottom of the frame, scoring 3 runs on a double, three singles, and a sacrifice fly to take the lead and the win. �
Cardenales de Lara 7, �Leones de Caracas 1
Caracas was held to just 5 hits, and former Pirate DH Carlos Maldonado was hitless in 3 trips to the plate. �Lara scored 3 runs in the 2nd inning and 4 runs in the 5th, with a total of 11 hits.
Aguilas de Zulia 5, �Caribes de Anzoategui 2
Zulia scored in all but one of the first 5 innings to take a 5-0 lead. �Los Caribes got one run back in the 6th, and scored one more off reliever and former Pirate Chris Hernandez in the top of the 9th inning. �Hernandez got the first out of the inning, gave up a double, got another out, gave up an RBI single, then struck out the next batter for the final out. �
The Mexican Pacific League had a scheduled day off on Monday.
Bixler Also Has 2 Hits In His Winter League Debut
A look at some winter ball with the Pirates and their friends:
Mexican Pacific League
Venados de Mazatlan 4, �Tomateros de Culiacan 3 (10 innings)
SS Brian Bixler (photo) singled in his first at-bat with Mazatlan, and then singled again in the 9th inning. �Mazatlan scored 2 runs in the 5th inning, then Culiacan came back with 2 runs of their own in the 7th. �Each team scored another run in the 8th inning, and the tie continued into the bottom of the 10th, when Los Venados' CF Ruben Rivera led off with a double, and came in to score on 1B John Lindsey's (Marlins) walk-off RBI single. �
Venezuelan Winter League
Leones de Caracas 2, �Bravos de Margarita 1
3B Neil Walker doubled in the 7th inning, but was left stranded on third base, and he also walked for Margarita. �Margarita scored first, with a double and a single in the first inning, but Caracas tied it up with a solo homer in the bottom of the frame. �Los Bravos were held scoreless after that, with former Pirate Romulo Sanchez contributing two scoreless innings for Caracas. �
Caracas scored again in the 7th. �The inning began with a double by Los Leones' Raul Padron, and a bunt attempt failed, as Margarita pitcher Michael O'Connor was able to scoop the bunt and fire to Neil Walker at third, who tagged Padron in time for the out. �A grounder force out left a runner at first base with two outs, but a stolen base and a missed catch error put that runner on third. �Pirates' farmhand Edgar Gutierrez�was brought on to pitch next, and he gave up a single, which scored the winning run, though it was charged to O'Connor. �That was the only batter Gutierrez faced. �He was relieved by Damian Moss, who got a ground out to end the innning. �Margarita threatened in the bottom of the 9th, with runners on first and second with no outs. �But the runner on second was picked off, and Walker bounced into a double play to end the game. �
Tigres de Aragua 5, �Tiburones de la Guaira 2
1B Hector Gimenez singled for Aragua, while former Pirates' farmhand�SS Anderson Machado hit an RBIsingle and scored, and walked. �Former Indy Indian (2003-04)�C Alex Delgado singled and doubled and had 3 of Aragua's RBI.
Aragua scored one run in the 2nd inning on a single, a wild pitch, and an RBI double. �La Guaira tied it up with two doubles in the 3rd, but missed out on another scoring opportunity when a runner was out at the plate on a fielder's choice. �Aragua took the lead again in the 5th, on a single, a sacrifice bunt by Anderson Machado, and an RBI single by Alex Delgado. �La Guaira missed another opportunity in the 6th, when they had a runner picked off second base, and another runner thrown out at the plate on what could have been an RBI double. �
A fielding error and a walk set up Anderson Machado to hit his RBI single in the 6th inning, giving Aragua a 3-1 lead. �Alex Delgado had a 2-RBI single in the 8th inning, pushing the lead to 5-1. �La Guaira scored one run in the bottom of the 9th on two singles and a throwing error. �
Aguilas de Zulia 2, �Navegantes de Magellanes 1
SS Argenis Diaz and LF Mike Ryan were both hitless in the game for Magellanes. �Los Navegantes scored their run in the 1st inning, on a single and a double, but despite another 6 hits, could not push another runner across the plate. �Zulia scored one run in the 3rd on a single, a throwing error, and an RBI double. �They added the go-ahead run in the 5th, on a double, a fielding error, and a sacrifice fly. �Former Pirate Chris Hernandez earned his first save with a scoreless 9th inning for Zulia. �
