PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

The West Virginia Power and the Delmarva Shorebirds had the last game of their series rained out. �Since the two teams are not scheduled to meet again this season, the game will not be made up. �

In a late-morning game, the Bradenton Pirates collected 9 hits but could only push one run across the plate. �Rehabbing 2B Greg Picart had 3 of the 9 hits, including a double. �Another rehabbing infielder, 3B Neil Walker, also had a hit. �The Pirates' only run came in the 2nd inning, when CF Wesley Freeman led off with a single, and scored on RF Melvin De La Cruz's RBI double. �The Pirates had three other innings when they had two runners on base, but never got a base runner past second base.

Meanwhile, the Pirates' pitching staff was not having a good day. �Starter Ron Uviedo, also on a rehab assignment, gave up one run in the 1st inning on a double and two singles. �He then gave up a double and a single with one out in the 2nd inning, before being removed from the game. �Rinku Singh was brought in to deal with the jam, and had his toughest professional appearance yet. �The first thing he faced was a double steal, as a runner stole home and another stole second base -- which may be something Singh had never even seen before. �He struck out the first batter, then gave up a double, scoring another run (charged to Uviedo). �Next came a wild pitch, two walks, and two singles, and the Tigers had a total of 5 runs in the inning, three charged to Singh. �

Edgar Gutierrez took the mound for the next 4 innings, and allowed one run to score in the 4th, on a walk, a stolen base, a single, and a sacrifice fly. �Sandobal Septimo pitched the final 3 innings for the Pirates, and he also allowed one more run, on a solo homer in the top of the 9th. �

One big bad inning was all it took to doom the Spikes. �Starter�Ricardo Paulino pitched 4 scoreless innings, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the 1st, and then allowing only a ground-rule double over his next three innings. �Nelson Pereira pitched a scoreless 5th, but then came the 6th: �a single, a double, and a walk loaded the bases. �The second strikeout of the inning gave everyone a glimmer of hope. �Then a grad slam cleared the bases and gave the Jammers a 4-0 lead. �They added another run in the 7th on a single, a stolen base, and two wild pitches by Pereira. �Zachary Foster relieved Pereira to end the inning. �Then Brandon Holden pitched a scoreless 8th inning, and Teddy Fallon got out of a bases-loaded jam for a scoreless 9th. �

The Spikes were held to just 3 hits of their own in the game. �After going down in order for the first 3 innings, 2B Ty Summerlin reached base in the 4th on a fielding error -- and was promptly caught stealing second base. �3B�Pat Irvine recorded the Spikes' first hit with a triple in the 5th, but was left stranded 90 feet from the plate. �Pinch hitter Butch Biela also got as far as third base, but no further, in the 8th inning. �He singled, went to second on a passed ball and on to third on a ground out. �The only inning in which the Spikes had two base runners on at the same time was in the 9th, when SS Andy Vasquez singled and CF Evan Chambers walked. �But they too were left stranded as a fly out and a ground out ended the game. �

Two solo homers gave the Cardiac 'Cats the win in extras tonight. �Going into the top of the 9th, the Hillcats were trailing the Dash 6-5, and since the Dash had caught up in the bottom of the 7th, the Hillcats had only managed a walk by 1B Matt Hague and a double by C Kris Watts. �Then LF Alex Presley retied the game with a lead-off home run, his 3rd blast of the season, in the top of the 9th. �The next three Lynchburg batters went down in order. �With closer RJ Rodriguez on the mound, the Dash had only a lone single in the bottom of the 9th. Then DH Jared Keel broke the tie in the top of the 10th with a one-out bomb over the left field wall. �All that remained was for reliever Harvey Garcia to mop up with three quick outs, including two strikeouts, in the bottom of the inning, and the Hillcats had another miraculous win. �

Lynchburg had jumped out to a good start in the game, with a 3-run 1st inning. �SS Chase D'Arnaud and Alex Presley opened the game with back-to-back walks, and a wild pitch moved them up a base each. �After a pop up and a strikeout, a walk to Kris Watts loaded the bases, and another wild pitch allowed D'Arnaud to score. �Jamie Romak reached base on a fielding error at third, and bot Presley and Watts came in to score --three runs on no hits.

The second inning did not get any better for the Dash pitcher. �He again walked the first two batters he faced, this time 3B Eddie Prasch and CF Jose De Los Santos. �Another walk to D'Arnaud and two passed balls brought Prasch across the plate, and a sacrfice fly by SS Jo rdy Mercer scored De Los Santos, and the Hillcats led 5-0, still without having recorded a hit. �In fact, they didn't have a hit until Prasch led off the 4th with a single. �

Then Hillcats' starter Chi-Hung Cheng started having some trouble. �He had worked out of a jam in the 1st inning and made use of a timely double play. �But in the 2nd inning, he gave up a single, a 2-run homer, and a triple, though that last runner was left on base. �Hillcats 5, Dash 2.

Cheng settled down for the next two innings, allowing just two singles and a walk. �But the 5th inning began with a single, a walk, and a 3-run home run to tie the game, and two more singles after that. �Cheng exited after 5 innings of work, having allowed 5 runs on 12 hits and 2 walks. �

Moises Robles relieved Cheng to begin the 6th, and he allowed an unearned run on a 3-base fielding error by CF Jose De Los Santos and a sacrifice fly. �The score remained 6-5 in favor of the Dash until Presley and Keel worked their magic in the 9th and 10th innings. �

The Curve recorded 11 hits, led by a 3-hit performance by 1B Miles Durham, and scored 4 runs in the 4th inning to get past the BaySox. �Starter Danny Moskos earned his 6th win of the season with 5 innings of work, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. �He gave up one run in the bottom of the 1st inning on two singles, and an RBI grounder. The Curve tied it up in the top of the 2nd, when LF Jeff Corsaletti reached on a throwing error, and then moved around the bases courtesy of singles by Miles Durham and C Steve Lerud. �With the bases loaded, a sacrifice fly by 2B Ray Chang scored Corsaletti, and the game was tied at 1-1.

In the 3rd inning, a double, a walk, and a 3-run homer gave the BaySox a 4-1 lead. �Once again, the Curve came back in the next inning, this time taking the lead. �Four doubles, by DH Jason Delaney, Miles Durham, 3B Angel Gonzalez, and SS Brian Friday, plus a single by Ray Chang had Curve base runners zipping around the diamond, with RBI for Durham, Chang, Gonzalez, and Friday. �

The Curve threatened again in the 6th inning, when a single by Durham, a double by Lerud, and a walk to Friday loaded the bases, but a new relief pitcher and a ground out ended the inning without a run scoring. �

Dustin Molleken pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief, scattering 3 hits and striking out 2 batters. �Michael Dubee earned his first save of the season with the Curve with a scoreless 9th inning. �