The World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 tournament started this weekend, with round-robin group play that has Team USA in action down in Mexico.
Representing Team...
The DSL Pirates teams ended their seasons this week, which brings the rookie-level affiliates to an end.
I've been reviewing the best performing hitting and...
Another big round of cuts this morning... that leaves only one over the magic number in camp. �It means that, despite his troubles yesterday, Jeff Karstens�has made the starting line-up.
Virgil Vasquez will be a starter in Indianapolis. �There was thought of having him stay in Pittsburgh as long relief, but there could also be some benefit of keeping Vasquez ready to pop back up to Pittsburgh if necessary. �Vasquez is on the 40-man roster. �He made 4 appearances for the Pirates this spring. �The first consisted of two innings of work on March 6th, and he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 2 and struck out 2. �Then Vasquez made 3 starts. �The best came on March 12, when he pitched 3 scoreless innings with 2 hits. �The worst came on March 17th, when he gave up 6 runs on 7 hits in 2.1 innings. �The start at the end of last week was in the middle: �3 runs on 5 hits over 5.2 innings. �Vasquez also made a start in a minor league game, pitching 5 scoreless innings. �Though the spring results weren't amazing, the 26-year old has stated that he felt good and felt comfortable on the mound, particularly in the most recent outings. �Vasquez has two seasons of AAA experience, pitching for the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons. �He made a total of 52 starts for the Mud Hens, earning a 24 - 17 record and a 4.44 ERA. �Over 314 innings of work, he gave up 318 hits and 70 walks, and struck out 242 batters. �It will be nice to have some of those strikeouts on our side in Indianapolis, instead of for the Mud Hens. �
Righty reliever�Chris Bootcheck is a LaPorte, Indiana native, who was assigned to minor league camp, and will likely be assigned to the Indy Indians also. �He too has had several seasons of experience at the AAA and major league levels in the Angels' organization. �The 30-year old Bootcheck signed as a minor league free agent over the winter. �He�made 14 Grapefruit League appearances this spring, for a total of 13.1 innings. �He's allowed 7 earned runs and 13 hits, 6 walks, and 17 strikeouts. �The first 5 outings were scoreless, and he really only had two appearances that were difficult -- on March 9th, he gave up 3 runs on 2 hits, and on March 14th, he gave up 2 runs on a hit and a walk. and both of those times, the real trouble was that he gave up a home run. �
Denny Bautista, a 26-year old righty reliever, has several seasons of experience at the major league and AAA levels for several clubs. �He made 35 relief appearances for the Pirates last season, after joining the team... � He pitched 41.1 innings in Pittsburgh, earning a 4-3 record and a 6.10 ERA, with 46 hits, 28 walks, and 34 strikeouts. �He was non-tendered after the season, and re-signed to a minor league contract. �Bautista has struggled this spring, pitching 12.1 innings in 11 appearances and allowing 9 earned runs on 15 hits. �He walked 6 and struck out 11 batters. �Bautista was assigned to minor league camp, and he too should be on the Indianapolis roster. ��He has an escape clause in his contract, if he is not on the major league roster on/by June 1st. �
Jason Davis also signed a minor league contract with the Pirates over the winter, after splitting last season between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. �The righty made 20 starts for the Indians, totalling 116.1 innings, with a 6-9 record and a 4.41 ERA. �He gave up 113 hits and 47 walks, and struck out 68 batters. �Like several others, Davis got his chance up in Pittsburgh, and like most of the others, he had his troubles there. �He made 4 starts and 10 relief appearances for the Pirates, and earned a 2-4 record and a 5.29 ERA. �He walked more than he struck out (17 BB, 13 K), and gave up more hits (38) than innings pitched (34). �Davis, who will be 29 next month, made 9 relief appearances this spring. �In 13 innings, he allowed only 2 runs on 8 hits, with 8 walks and 9 strikeouts, for a 1.38 ERA. �He gave up one run on one hit in his first outing on Feb 27th, and one run on two hits in his last appearance on March 29th. �In between, he pitched 10 scoreless innings. �Davis had been in consideration for a long relief role out of the Pirates' bullpen, but they opted for AAA for him. �
OF Jeff Salazar got a long look from the Pirates this spring, after being signed to a minor league contract. �He appeared in most of the Pirates' Grapefruit League games, often as a later-inning replacement. �He hit .280, with 4 home runs and 15 RBI, including two 2-hit games. �But the outfield is crowded, and other players, particularly prospects, are getting priority, so Salazar was assigned to minor league camp, and Indianapolis. �Salazar had split the last two seasons between AAA and the majors in the Diamondbacks' organization. �Last year, he hit .364 at Tucson, but only .211 for Arizona.
Super-utility�Andy Phillips also came to camp on a minor league contract. �His bid for a bench role on the Pirates was hampered by a lower back injury that kept him off the field for about three weeks. �He can play both infield and corner outfield, and was signed with the idea that he could cover almost anywhere. �The 32-year-old veteran has a wealth of major league experience, mostly with the Yankees, and also 52 games with the Reds in 2008. �Phillips got into only 12 Grapefruit League games, but he's made the most of his plate appearances, hitting .421 (8-for-19) with 7 RBI. �He's 1-for-4 since his return to the field. �He'll be able to play almost anywhere on the field in Indianapolis also.
Garrett Jones can play both first base and outfield. �He has been playing for several seasons �at AAA Rochester in the Twins' organization, where he was a home run and RBI machine: �81 homers and 324 RBI over the past 4 seasons. �The Twins already had strong players at his positions in the majors, though, and Jones was stuck. �He came to Pirates' camp on a minor league contract, with only an outside chance of making the 25-man roster. �In 29 game appearances for the Pirates this spring, most as a later-inning replacement, Jones has hit 4 homers and 12 RBI, while hitting a solid .294. �It will be nice to have some of that power in Indianapolis.
C Erik Kratz has been in camp, on the sidelines of the Robinzon Diaz-Jason Jaramillo competition. �Kratz signed a minor league contract, and either �he or Miguel Perez�will be the back-up to Diaz in Indianapolis. �Kratz has split the past three seasons between AA New Hampshire and AAA Syracuse in the Blue Jays' system. �He hit .229 over those stints with Syracuse, and .237 for New Hampshire. �Kratz saw action in only 7 games with the Pirates this spring, and had a double in 6 at-bats. �
Luis Cruz has been told he's made the 25-man roster. �<
span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight:bold;">Craig Monroe has
been about 98% assured that he did too. �Monroe's contract has an escape clause, if he doesn't make the 25-man roster, and that clause goes into effect today. �
Still potentially on the bubble: �pitchers Jesse Chavez, Evan Meek, Craig Hansen, Sean Burnett, and Rule 5 pick Donnie Veal. �Of those, Chavez and Meek still have options. �Burnett and Hansen would have to go through waivers to get to Indy. �Veal would have to be offered back to the Cubs. �Phil Dumatrait will begin the season on the DL. �
These moves firm up the Indy Indians' starting rotation: �Tom Gorzelanny, Jimmy Barthmaier, Daniel McCutchen, Vasquez, and Davis. �
Homers accounted for much of the early scoring in the game. �CF Nate McLouth hit a 2-run homer for the Pirates in the 3rd inning, after LF Nyjer Morgan had doubled. �The Red Sox Chip Ambres came back in the next inning with a 3-run homer off Pirates' starter Paul Maholm.��Morgan tied it up in the bottom of the inning when his RBI single brought in SS Jack Wilson. �Morgan also hit a double later in the game. �
Several minor leaguers came over to big league camp for the afternoon: �CF Robbie Grossman, 2B Pedro Lopez,�1B Jamie Romak, RF Maiko Loyola, 2B Jose De Los Santos, and�PH�Eddie Prasch. � Loyola was robbed of a hit in the 8th, when his soft liner was speared on a leap by the Red Sox' shortstop. �Prasch got on base in the 9th when he was hit by a pitch. �
Maholm pitched 4 innings, and allowed 5 more hits besides the home run. �Sean Burnett, Donnie Veal, and Juan Mateo all pitched scoreless innings. �Yoslan Herrera pitched the 8th inning. �He loaded the bases on a drop-in single behind first base, and two walks, with a strikeout in between. �Then he got a hot grounder to third base and 3B�Ramon Vazquez started the double play that ended the inning without a run scoring. ��Daniel Haigwood came on to pitch the 9th, and gave up Sox' Ambres' second home run of the game, a no-doubt-about-it solo shot. �Haigwood was charged with the loss. �
Indianapolis Indians 3, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 1
Triples by catchers were the order of the day for the Indians. �Robinzon Diaz went 2-for-2, both triples, and Miguel Perez also tripled. �Diaz scored the first run of the day in the 5th inning, when 1B Larry Broadway followed Diaz's triple with an RBI single. �OF Steve Pearce led off the 6th inning with a walk, and he scored on Perez's triple. �Broadway's second RBI hit of the game plated Perez.
Tom Gorzelanny�got the win for the Indians, with 5 scoreless innings of work, on 4 hits and 2 walks, with 6 strikeouts. �Dave Davidson earned the save with a perfect 9th inning. �
NOTES:
The Pirates' broadcasters reported that a minor league prospect from Norway, Lirpa Sloof, has now hit a home run in a dozen or so straight games in Pirates'�minor league camp. �Never heard of Sloof before? �Hmmm..... just read his name backwards, and remember what day it is today.
Right-handed pitcher Bryan Morris is a first-round draft pick whom the Pirates didn't draft -- he came to the Pirates in last summer's three-way trade between the Red Sox, the Dodgers, and the Pirates.
Shawn Nottingham, a southpaw relief pitcher, was obtained from the Cleveland Indians today, in exchange for a minor league player to be named later. �
Nottingham was the Mariners' pick in the 13th round of the 2003 draft. �He made 12 relief appearances at the Rookie level that season, pitching 19.1 innings and striking out 17 batters. �In 2004, Nottingham began his season in May, and at the AAA level, where he made 3 relief appearances. �That did not go so well -- he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in 2 innings. He pitched the rest of the season at A- level Everett, where he made 14 starts and earned an 8-3 record and a 3.15 ERA. Nottingham missed much of the 2005 season with a variety of ailments: �shoulder impingement and elbow strain. �In 2006, he reached the A+ level Inland Empire, where he made 26 starts, pitching 155.1 innings and earning a 5-12 record and a 4.17 ERA. �He walked only 52 batters and struck out 136 batters. �At the end of August, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, and finished the season with a start for the A+ Kinston Indians, allowing one run on 5 hits in 4 innings. �
Nottingham advanced to AA Akron in the Cleveland organization in the 2007 season. �He again pitched a lot of innings (149) in making 26 starts (plus one relief appearance). �His record was 9-12 with a 4.77 ERA, and he walked 59 while striking out 96. �Last season, Nottingham began the season again in AA Akron, but as a relief pitcher. �He made 19 appearances, for 33 innings, but gave up 26 runs on 40 hits while walking 16 batters -- a big jump in his walk rate and in his WHIP, which had been in the 1.30- 1.40 �range up to 1.70. �His strikeout rate remained high, as he struck out 33. �He was sent to A+ Kinston, where he returned to the starting rotation and made 14 starts. �He pitched 70 innings and earned a 3-4 record with a 4.58 ERA, with 76 hits, 26 walks, and 70 strikeouts. �Nottingham was invited to the Hawaiian Winter League, where he made 13 relief appearances for the North Shore Honu. He pitched a total of 21 innings and has a 4.71 ERA, with 9 walks (dropped back down again) and 26 strikeouts. �
The Pirates will have Nottingham report to minor league camp. �His HWL work might help earn him a spot on the AA Altoona roster, or he might have to prove himself at A+ Lynchburg before he makes the jump up.
Monday's game:
Pirates 3, Reds 2
box�
C Jason Jaramillo's RBI single in the 9th inning gave the Pirates the win this afternoon over the Reds. �SS Jose De Los Santos, up from the minor league camp for the afternoon, walked and stole second base. �He came around to score on CF Jeff Salazar's RBI single. �Salazar also stole second base, and then 2B Andy Phillips walked.�� That set up Jaramillo, whose single let Salazar scramble home from third base with the winning run. �
The Pirates were held to only 5 hits, though they made them count. �C Ryan Doumit, RF Eric Hinske, and starting pitcher �Ross Ohlendorf had the other hits. �Ohlendorf also worked a walk.
In addition to a successful day at the plate, Ohlendorf had a successful day on the mound. �He pitched 5.1 innings and allowed 3 hits, 2 walks, and one run, while striking out 3 batters. �His Grapefruit League ERA rose to�0.87. �The run he gave up came on two doubles, the first of which fell in when CF Nate McLouth lost the ball in the sun (not an unusual problem in Bradenton), and the second double given up by reliever Denny Bautista. �Bautista finished that inning and pitched the next, allowing a total of 3 hits. �Jesse Chavez allowed the other Reds' run on 2 hits in his inning of work. �Chris Bootcheck added a scoreless top of the 9th, with 2 hits. �Bootcheck was the pitcher of record when the tying and winning runs came across in the bottom of the 9th, so he got the win. �
Indianapolis Indians 7, Las Vegas 51's 5
RF Steve Pearce hit a 2-run homer in the 6th inning to give the Indians the winning runs, and the Tribe also scored 4 runs in the 4th inning, sparked by C Robinzon Diaz's 3-run double. �3B Neil Walker went 3-for-3 with a single, a double, a triple, and 2 RBI. �Reliever Brian Slocum pitched 4 innings and allowed one run on 2 hits, with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. �Juan Mateo earned his second save, pitching the 9th inning and allowed one run on 2 hits. �
