Tag: Carlos Maldonado

The Pirates have added a minor league catcher, Kawika Emsley-Pai, to the fold.  The Washington State native was the Diamondbacks' 10th round pick in the most recent (2010) draft, signed out of University of Texas.  He made his pro debut with the Yakima Bears in the Northwest (short season) league, where he caught a bit more than half of the Bears' games.  In his 42 appearances, Emsley-Pai hit .167, with 3 doubles and 8 RBI.  He made just one error behind the plate and had 8 passed balls.  Base runners had about a 50-50 chance against him -- 17 stolen bases allowed, and 19 runners thrown out.  The 22-year-old was released by the D'backs, but the Pirates think he will be able to fill in, probably either at State College or West Virginia.  

On to the winter league games:
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Bravos de Margarita  9,  Leones de Caracas  5  --  Los Bravos scored 5 runs in the 7th inning, to put them out of reach for Los Leones.  Los Leones scored early, with a 2-run homer in the top of the 1st, and 2 more runs on a single and four walks in the 3rd.  C Carlos Maldonado had an RBI walk in that inning.  Margarita got onto the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the 3rd, on a single, a triple, and a sacrifice fly.  An error, two singles, and a wild pitch gave Los Bravos 2 more runs in the 5th, to tie the score.  In the 7th, Los Bravos pounded out a double, three singles, and a grand slam to take the lead.  Jean Machi took the mound for Margarita for the final two innings.  He struck out the side in the 8th, then struck out 2 more in the 9th, but also gave up a solo homer, and a single and a walk after the homer.  LF Mike Ryan went 0-for-4 for Caracas.   

Tigres de Aragua  3,  Aguilas de Zulia  2  --  A pair of doubles began the bottom of the 11th for Los Tigres, for the walk-off win.  Neither team had a hit for the first 3 innings of the game.  Zulia scored their 2 runs in the 6th, beginning with a single, a bunt, and an RBI single.  Wil Ledezma came on in relief for Aragua, and he gave up an RBI double, to give Zulia a 2-0 lead.  Los Tigres tied the score in the 7th inning when LF Lastings Milledge reached base on an error, and came in on a 2-run homer.  Both teams threatened in the 8th, but neither scored, and then the bats were mostly quiet until the 11th inning.  CF Jorge Cortes singled into left field in the 5th for Los Tigres, but was out when he tried to reach second base.  Cortes also doubled in the 8th inning, and was replaced by a pinch-runner, who got as far as third base but did not score.  

In the Dominican championship series, Los Toros del Este took a 2-game-to-0 lead with a 3-1 win over Los Estrellas de Oriente.  Two runs in the top of the 8th broke a 1-1 tie and gave Los Toros the win.  The Puerto Rican League had a night off from their playoff series.  The Mexican Pacific League will begin their championship series on Friday.   

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE
Canberra Cavalry  5,  Sydney Blue Sox  1  (Thursday)  --  The Cavalry scored 3 runs in the 5th, giving them plenty of insurance over the Blue Sox, who were held to just 3 hits.  Jarryd Sullivan pitched 3 scoreless innings for Sydney, allowing only one hit.  He gave up a double in the 6th, then retired the side in order in the next two innings.

Adelaide Bite  12,  Brisbane Bandits  0  (Friday)  --  The Bite chomped on the Bandits, in a game that ended early, due to a 12-run lead after 6.5 innings.  Back-to-back homers gave the Bite 5 runs in the 2nd inning -- a grand slam by 3B Stan Welch (Mets), then a solo blast.  Another solo homer began the 3rd inning, and another grand slam, by 1B Tom Brice, came in the 4th.  Two singles, a walk, and two RBI ground outs finished the scoring in the 5th.  DH Quincy Latimore went 0-for-3 with a walk for the Bite.  After a dribbly little hit down the third base line by the Bandit's lead-off hitter, Bite starter Brandon Maurer (Mariners) retired the next 21 batters he faced, including 8 strikeouts.  
The Bite finish the season with a double-header against the Bandits on Saturday.  They are currently a half-game behind league-leading Perth Heat in the standings.  The Heat are scheduled to play a double-header against the Melbourne Aces on Saturday.  
 

An update on some recent roster moves by the Pirates:

Pitcher Jose Veras took a few days, but did sign a minor league contract with the Pirates.  Veras is a 30-year-old who was first signed by the Rays in 1998.  He began playing in the US in 2002, and split both the 2003 and 2004 at the AA and AAA levels.  He was granted free agency after 2004 and was signed by the Rangers for 2005, spending that season at the AAA level, where he made 57 relief appearances with a 3.80 ERA.  Veras signed with the Yankees after that, and pitched in their organization for the next 3+ seasons.  He split that time between the AAA level (2.56 ERA in 95 innings, with 115 strikeouts) and the major league club (4.50 ERA in 102 innings, with 94 strikeouts).  The 2008 season was his best of those, with 60 relief appearances for the Yankees and 3.59 ERA and a 5-3 record.  In 2009, the Yankees traded Veras to the Cleveland Indians, where he finished the last 3 months of the season.  The Dominican native made 22 relief appearances for Cleveland with a 1-2 record and a 4.38 ERA, with 22 strikeouts.  He signed with the Marlins for 2010 and began the season in AAA New Orleans.  He began the season slowly, but got better in May and was tough in June:  a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings (10 games) with 12 strikeouts.  That earned him a promotion to the Marlins, where he finished the season with 48 relief appearances.  In 48 innings, he earned a 3-3 record and a 3.75 ERA with 54 strikeouts.  Veras did not play winter ball this off-season.  The righty will be competing for a spot in the Pirates' bullpen

C Wyatt Toregas has also been inked to a minor league contract.  He was the Cleveland Indians' 24th pick in the 2004 draft, and began his pro career in 2005, reaching the AAA level in 3008 and the major leagues in 2009.  Toregas hit .284 for the Columbus Clippers (AAA) in 60 games in 2009, with 7 homers and 69 RBI.  In 19 appearances for the Indians in that season, he hit only.176 with 6 RBI.  The Virginia native was still on the Indians' 40-man roster at the beginning of 2010, but spent the entire season in the minor leagues, possibly battling injuries.  At AA Akron, he got into just 17 games, hitting .203 with one home run and 6 RBI.  At AAA Columbus, he was in just 14 games and hit .200 with 2 homers and 6 RBI.  He has a slim chance of sticking with the Pirates out of spring training, but will more likely be in Indianapolis to begin 2011.

In addition to Veras and Toregas, a few other minor leaguers have been invited to big league camp for spring training:  catchers Tony Sanchez and Eric Fryer, infielders Chase d'Arnaud and Brian Friday, and outfielder Andrew Lambo.  

Checking in on Pirates' players and friends in the winter league playoffs on Monday...

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
 Criollos de Caguas  2,  Senadores de San Juan  1 -- Los Criollos broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the bottom of the 9th.  SS Luis Figueroa walked, and moved to second base on a balk.  After an intentional walk, an RBI single let the speedy Figueroa score from second base for the walk-off win.  The win moves Caguas into second place in the round robin tournament, with Los Leones de Ponce in first place, San Juan in third, and Carolina fourth.

 
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Leones de Caracas  8,  Tigres de Aragua  5  --  Los Tigres de Aragua posted 15 hits, but their 4 errors came back to hurt them.  Caracas scored first, with 2 runs in the top of the 1st, on 3 singles and an error.  Los Tigres responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning, on a walk, and 3 singles, including liners up the middle by 1B Hector Gimenez and LF Lastings Milledge.  C Carlos Maldonado gave Los Leones the lead again in the top of the 4th with a solo home run.  Milledge tied the score again in the bottom of the frame with a lead-off single, scoring on a double and a sacrifice fly.  Then Aragua forged ahead to score 2 runs in the 5th, on a lead-off double, an RBI double by Gimenez, and an RBI single by Milledge.  Two singles and an error gave them another run in the 6th, for a 6-3 lead.  Caracas came closer in the 7th inning, when Maldonado led off with a walk.  Another walk and two RBI singles brought in 2 runs, cutting Los Tigres' lead to 6-5.  The top of the 9th began with a single, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI double for Los Leones.  A walk and a single added another run, but a fielding error by Milledge in left field allowed the go-ahead
run to score.  Los Tigres could not answer in the bottom of the inning.  1B Raul Chavez singled for Los Tigres, but did not score.  LF Mike Ryan was hitless for Los Leones.  Jose Ascanio pitched the bottom of the 8th for Caracas.  He gave up 2 singles, but left both runners on base.  He was the pitcher of record when the winning runs scored in the top of the 9th, so was credited with the win.  

Los Caribes de Anzoategui beat Los Aguilas de Zulia 5-2 in the other Venezuelan game.  There is still another week to go in this round robin tournament.  Tonight's results mean that Los Caribes, Los Leones, and Los Tigres are all tied in first place with identical 8-5 records.  


The Dominican League round robin playoffs ended with Los Toros del Este on top.  Los Estrellas de Oriente and Los Gigantes del Cibao tied for second place, and Los Leones del Escogido finished in fourth place.  Los Estrellas will face Los Toros del Este in the championship series.

The Mexican Pacific League was off on Monday.  Los Algodoneros de Guasave are leading Los Tomateros de Culiacan 3 games to 2 in the semifinal round of the playoffs.  The winner of this 7-game series will face Los Yaquis de Obregon in the finals.  

Cheering for Pirates' players and friends in the few winter league playoff games on Sunday....

DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Gigantes del Cibao  8,  Toros del Este  2 --   A 7-run 7th inning by Los Gigantes included a 2-run homer and a 3-run homer, and it gave them all the firepower they would need.  Former Indy Indian Tim Harikkala finished the 5th inning after Los Toros scored their runs, then loaded the bases with a double and two walks in the 6th, though another reliever was able to end the inning without a run scoring.  Juan Perez pitched the 8th inning for Los Gigantes and struck out the side.  

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Leones de Ponce  7,  Gigantes de Carolina   6  --  2B Benji Gonzalez singled and tripled for Los Gigantes, but Ponce pulled it out with 2 runs in the bottom of the 10th.  Los Gigantes began the game with 3 runs in the top of the 1st.  They added a run in the 6th on a single and Gonzalez's RBI triple.  A double and a single gave them another run in the 7th.  Los Leones scored one run in the 5th, then tied the score with 3 walks and a grand slam in the 7th.  The game went into extra innings, but Carolina quickly scored a run in the top of the 10th with a single and a double.  But in the bottom of the frame, Ponce had a runner reach base on an error, and a 2-run homer gave them the walk-off win.  Gonzalez also singled in the 4th but was caught stealing.  

Senadores de San Juan  8,  Criollos de Caguas  2  --  Another game with 3 runs scored in the top of the 1st, and Los Criollos were chasing Los Senadores for the rest of the game.   Los Criollos scored their runs in the 7th, on a pair of doubles and an RBI single by 3B Ramon Vazquez.  SS Luis Figueroa singled in the 4th, but was left on base.  

The Dominican and Puerto Rican Leagues wind up their round-robin playoff series this weekend, while the Venezuelans continue theirs for another week or so.  

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Criollos de Caguas  5,  Gigantes de Carolina  2  --  Los Criollos began the scoring with a fly out-RBI for 3B Ramon Vazquez after two singles.  An RBI single gave them a run in the 3rd, and a 2-run homer made it 4-0 in the 5th.  Los Criollos wrapped it up with a run in the top of the 7th, on two singles, a walk, and a throwing error.  Carolina scratched out a run in both the 7th and 8th innings.  SS Luis Figueroa singled and walked for Los Criollos, but did not score.

Leones de Ponce  7,  Senadores de San Juan  2  --  A 4-run inning in the top of the 8th gave Los Leones the win.  San Juan out-hit Ponce, 10 - 9, but they couldn't bring the runners around, leaving 11 on base.  RJ Rodriguez pitched the bottom of the 9th for Ponce, but gave up three consecutive singles to open the inning, which drove in one run.  He struck out two, then loaded the bases with another single, then ended the inning with a grounder force out.


VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Aguilas de Zulia  7,  Bravos de Margarita  4  --  Los Bravos got the game started with 3 runs in the top of the 1st, on three singles and two throwing errors.  But Los Aguilas scored a run in the bottom of the 1st, another in the 3rd, and took the lead with a 3-run homer in the 5th.  They added a run on a double and a triple in the 6th, and their 7th run on a double, a hit batter, and a single in the 7th.  Jhonathan Ramos came on in relief for Los Bravos after that run scored in the 7th, and he ended the inning with a ground out.  Ramos came back out to begin the bottom of the 8th.  The first batter of the inning reached on a fielding error, then Ramos gave up a single.  A ground out and a line out followed, and then Ramos was relieved.  Another ground out ended the inning without a run scoring.  

Caribes de Anzoategui  6,  Leones de Caracas  5  --  This one took 13 innings to decide.  Los Leones broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 8th when C Carlos Maldonado started a rally with a single.  He was replace by a pinch-runner, who scored on an RBI single.  Los Caribes tied the score again with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th, and the game went into extras.  Neither team could get much going in the 10th or 11th, and though Los Caribes threatened in the bottom of the 12th, they still could not get a run across.  Los Leones broke the tie in the top of the 13th.  A double, an intentional walk, and a fielder's choice loaded the bases.  A grounder to third was fired back to the plate, for a force out at home.  Then LF Mike Ryan, who had already singled twice and walked three times in the game, grounded to second base.  The runner going from first to second was out, but Ryan was able to beat out the throw to first, and a run scored.  But Los Caribes were not done yet -- a single and two walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame, and a line drive single into left field drove in two runs for the win.  Jose Ascanio pitched a perfect inning in the bottom of the 8th for Caracas.

Cheering for the Pirates' players and friends in winter league playoff action ...

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Tigres de Aragua  5,  Bravos de Margarita  4  --  A double and a single in the top of the 10th gave Los Tigres the winning run.  Los Tigres had started the scoring in the top of the 1st, on three singles, including an RBI single by LF Lastings Milledge.  Los Bravos countered with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 4th.   Milledge tied the score with a solo home run in the top of the 6th.  With Jean Machi on the mound for Margarita in the top of the 8th, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a wild pitch put a Tigres' batter on third base, and he scored on an RBI single.  Machi came back to pitch a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 9th.  Los Bravos tied the score again in the bottom of the 9th on a solo homer.  Los Tigres broke the tie in the top of the 10th, then held off Los Bravos in the bottom of the frame.  Wil Ledezma pitched a perfect 6th inning for Los Tigres, then gave up a 2-out single in the 7th.  C Raul Chavez and 1B Hector Gimenez picked that runner off first base to get Los Tigres out of the inning.  Gimenez went 0-for-4 at the plate, and Chavez went 0-for-2.  Miguel Perez came into the game as a late-inning defensive replacement behind the plate, but did not have a plate appearance.  

Leones del Caracas  10,  Caribes de Anzoategui  6  --  Seven runs in the top of the 1st gave Los Leones an edge that Los Caribes could not overcome.  Los Leones sent 11 batters to the plate in the 1st inning, and the first 6 batters reached base safely:  single, single, walk, grand slam, single, single (by C Carlos Maldonado).  After a pop out, LF Mike Ryan hit a 2-run homer, which was followed by a double, before the inning ended.  Maldonado added another RBI single in the 2nd inning, and Caracas picked up another 2-run homer in the top of the 9th.  Los Caribes scored in all but one of the first 6 innings, but four of those innings brought in just one run, not enough to catch up.

Just a few winter league playoff games on Monday night..  The Mexican Pacific and Puerto Rican leagues were off tonight.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Gigantes del Cibao  6,  Estrellas de Oriente   5  --  The game began with a solo home run from the first batter of the game, plus another run in the top of the 1st for Los Estrellas.  Los Gigantes tied the score with 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.  Eight scoreless innings followed, until Los Estrellas scored 3 runs in the top of the 11th, all charged to Los Gigantes' Juan Perez, on one hit and 3 walks.  Ronny Paulino pinch-hit in the inning but struck out.  Perez was saved from being charged with the loss when Los Gigantes answered with 4 runs in the bottom of the 11th.  One hit and 5 walks contributed to those 4 runs.


VENEZUELAN LEAGUE  
Leones del Caracas 8,  Aguilas de Zulia   5  --  These two teams combined for 29 hits, as Los Caracas cut short Los Aguilas' 9th inning rally and held on for the win.  Caracas scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st, on a double, two singles, a hit batter, and a sacrifice fly.  They added 3 more runs in the 3rd on three solo homers (not back-to-back), including one by C Carlos Maldonado.  Solo homer number four came in the 5th inning.  Maldonado drove in Los Leones' final run with an RBI double after a single in the 7th.  Los Aguilas scored one run in the 5th and another in the 8th.  They rallied in the top of the 9th with a pair of singles and a 3-run homer, plus a double, but that was all Caracas would allow.  

Tigres de Aragua  4,  Bravos de Margarita  1  --   Los Tigres began the game with 3 runs in the top of the 1st, on two singles and three doubles.  1B Hector Gimenez drove in a run with his RBI single, and LF Lastings Milledge doubled.  Los Tigres went on to record 11 hits.  Milledge singled in the 4th, but was out at second when CF Jorge Cortes bounced into a double play.  A single and a double added another run for Los Tigres in the 8th.  Jhonathan Ramos pitched 2 innings for Los Bravos.  In the 6th, he retired Los Tigres in order.  Ramos began the top of the 7th with two ground outs (Gimenez and Milledge), then gave up a single to Cortes, another single, and hit C Raul Chavez with a pitch to load the bases.  But he ended the inning with a pop out, leaving all three runners on base.  Los Bravos were held to just 3 hits over the first 8 innings.  Two of those hits came in the 4th, when Los Bravos loaded the bases on a hit batter, a walk, and a single.  A sacrifice fly drove in their only run of the game.  Another single loaded the bases again, but a strikeout ended the inning.  Los Bravos threatened again in the bottom of the 9th, loading the bases again on 2 singles and an error.  Los Tigres got out of the jam with a pop out in foul territory and a game-ending double play.  

The Pirates' mini-camp begins tomorrow in Bradenton....  just 35 days until Spring Training begins,  81 days until major league opening day, and 87 days until the minor league opening day (not that anyone here is counting, of course....)

Meanwhile, the Caribbean leagues continue with their playoffs.  The Mexican Pacific League will begin the semifinal round on Tuesday. 

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE 
Caribes de Anzoategui  5,  Leones del Caracas  4  --  LF Mike Ryan singled in the bottom of the 1st for Los Leones, and a walk, another single, and an error gave Los Caribes 2 runs in that inning.  They added a solo homer in the 5th, followed by a run on a single, two walks, and a sacrifice fly.  Then Los Caribes roared back at Los Leones in the top of the 6th.  A solo homer opened the inning, then a walk and a strikeout were followed by three singles and 2-RBI double, then a sacrifice fly, for 5 runs total.  C Carlos Maldonado went 0-for-4 for Los Leones.

Bravos de Margarita  4,  Aguilas de Zulia  3  --  Jean Machi was credited with the win, as he was the pitcher of record when Los Bravos won the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th.  Los Aguilas scored 3 runs in the top of the 4th, with a solo homer, and a 2-RBI single.  Three singles gave Los Bravos their first run in the bottom of the 3rd.  With two outs in the bottom of the 5th, three consecutive singles, a fielding error, and a balk brought in 2 more runs for Margarita to tie the score.  Machi came on to pitch the 8th and 9th innings for Los Bravos.  He faced just 6 batters, allowing a single, but then erasing that runner with a double play.  The bottom of the 9th began with a single, then two bunts, one with a throwing error by the Aguilas' pitcher, put two runners in scoring position.  An intentional walk loaded the bases, and an RBI single ended the game. 


PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Criollos de Caguas  4,  Senadores de San Juan  3  --  Each team had a 3-run homer -- Los Criollos' came in the 4th inning, and Los Senadores' came in the bottom of the 9th.  The deciding run came in the top of the 6th by Los Criollos.  A double, an intentional walk to 3B Ramon Vazquez, and an RBI single drove in the winning run.  Vazquez walked twice in the game, while SS Luis Figueroa walked once, but neither had a hit.

The Caribbean leagues continue their playoffs, though the Mexican Pacific League has the night off....

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Leones de Ponce  5,  Senadores de San Juan  2  --  Reliever JR Rodriguez earned his first playoff save with a perfect 9th inning for Los Leones.  His teammates broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 7th with a 2-run homer, followed by another run on two singles, a sacrifice bunt, and a wild pitch.

Criollos de Caguas  4,  Gigantes de Carolina  0  --  Los Gigantes were held to just 4 hits, and even with 5 walks, they could not push a run across the plate.  Los Criollos were held to just 3 hits, but they took advantage of 7 walks, 3 hit batters, and 2 errors to score their 4 runs.  Their first run came in the bottom of the 1st, on a hit batter, a sacrifice bunt by SS Luis Figueroa, two walks, and a sacrifice fly.  3B Ramon Vazquez led off the 4th with a single, and he came around to score with help from a bunt, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly.  Los Criollos' final two runs scored in the 6th, and with just one hit.  Vazquez reached on a fielding error, then a hit batter, a balk, and a sacrifice fly brought him in.  Figueroa drove in the final run with an RBI double.


DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Gigantes del Cibao  7,  Toros del Este  5  --  Los Toros began the scoring with 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th -- three singles, and a 3-run homer.  Los Gigantes answered with 4 runs of their own in the top of the 5th, on 5 singles and a sacrifice fly.  One of the singles, which loaded the bases, came off the bat of CF Rich Thompson.  Los Toros scored one more run in the bottom of the 5th, but Los Gigantes scored 3 in the top of the 7th, with 4 singles and a sacrifice fly.  

Leones del Escogido  2,  Estrellas de Oriente  1  --  Ronny Paulino, making a rare appearance playing first base, drove in Los Estrellas only run with an RBI ground out in the 1st inning.  With one out in the 6th, Los Leones popped two singles.  Franquelis Osoria came on to pitch for Los Estrellas, but the only batter he faced hit an RBI single to tie the game.  Another single brought in the go-ahead run.  

A few Pirates' players and friends appeared in Wednesday's winter league playoff games:

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE 
Leones del Caracas  2,  Aguilas de Zulia  0  (Game 1)--  Another pitching duel tonight, with each team posting just 5 hits each.  Los Leones scored a run in the 6th on a single, a bunt, a ground out, and an RBI single.  They added another run in the 7th, on a ground-rule double, a sacrifice bunt by LF Mike Ryan (who was shifted over from Los Navegantes del Magallanes) and an RBI ground out.  Jose Ascanio pitched the top of the 8th for Caracas.  He gave up a lead-off single, but got the next batter to line into a double play at first base, and another line out ended the inning.  

Leones  14,  Aguilas 5  (Game 2)  --  Oh, that's where all the hits went -- to the second game, with 13 hits for each team.  Three Leones' batters collected 3 hits each.  C Carlos Maldonado singled twice and walked, scoring twice for Los Leones.  LF Mike Ryan also scored twice, with a single and a walk.  The 6-run 6th inning pushed Los Leones over the top, and it included 3 walks, a triple, a double, and Maldonado's RBI single.  

Tigres de Aragua  4,  Bravos de Margarita  1  --  Los Tigres' pitchers held Los Bravos to just 3 hits, and the only Margarita run came on two errors and an RBI single in the 5th.  Aragua scored their first run in the 3rd inning on a single and a double.  Four singles, including one by 1B Hector Gimenez, brought in 2 runs in the 5th.  A single, a stolen base, and an error gave Los Tigres their last run in the 8th inning.  LF Lastings Milledge and CF Jorge Cortes also had a single each in the game.   


DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Estrellas de Oriente  2,  Toros del Este  1  --  A double, a bunt, and an RBI single in the top of the 10th broke a 1-1 tie to give Los Estrellas the win.  A double, a bunt, and an RBI ground out brought in Los Estrellas' first run in the 6th.  A pair of singles around a ground out pushed in a run for Los Toros in the 8th.  DH Ronny Paulino singled twice and walked for Los Estrellas, but was out at second base twice and left on base once.

Gigantes del Cibao  9,  Leones del Escogido  6  --  CF Rich Thompson is looking like a strong addition to Los Gigantes for their playoff drive.  He contributed a single, a double, 2 RBI, and a run in tonight's win.  The game began with Thompson's double, and a bunt and a throwing error allowed the speedy Thompson come around to score.  A ground out and a wild pitch gave Los Gigantes a second run in the top of the 1st.  Los Leones tied the score in the bottom of the inning.  Thompson gave Los Gigantes the lead again in the top of the 2nd, with an RBI ground out that followed 3 singles.  Escogido took the lead back in the bottom of the frame with 3 runs, for a 5-3 score.  Los Gigantes tied the score at 5-5 with two singles and two doubles in the 4th.  Then they recaptured the lead in the 5th, scoring 3 runs on a pair of two-out singles and a pair of fielding errors.  Thompson drove in Los Gigantes' final run in the top of the 7th, with an RBI single following a double.  

Cheering for the Pirates' players and friends in Sunday's winter league play...

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE   (playoffs)
Criollos de Caguas  5,  Gigantes de Carolina  0  --  Caguas' starter Dylan Owen (Mets) pitched 7 no-hit innings, and two relievers finished the deal with a string of 6 consecutive ground outs.  Owen walked 2 Carolina batters, one to lead off the 2nd, and one to lead off the 7th.  Los Criollos scored one run in the 4th.  The bottom of the 5th began with a walk by 3B Ramon Vazquez, then a bunt and a throwing error put runners on the corners, and a walk loaded the bases.  SS Luis Figueroa bounced into a double play, but that let Vazquez score from third base.  Two RBI singles brought in two more runs.  A walk and two throwing errors (5 total errors for Los Gigantes) gave Caguas their final run in the 7th.


Leones de Ponce  5,  Senadores de San Juan  4  --  Los Leones were leading 4-2 going into the top of the 8th, which opened with a walk.  Los Leones brought in RJ Rodriguez to pitch, but he gave up a walk and made a throwing error, with allowed a run to come in.  A hit batter and an RBI grounder tied the score, and Rodriguez was charged with a Blown Save.  Rodriguez retired the side on three ground outs in the top of the 9th, and in the bottom of the 9th, he was saved.  A hit batter, a double, and a walk-off single gave Ponce and Rodriguez the win.


DOMINICAN LEAGUE (playoffs)
Estrellas de Oriente  2,  Leones del Escogido  1  --  Not a lot of hits in this game either.  Los Leones were held to 3 hits, and scored one run in the 1st, on a single a walk, and a wild pitch.  Los Estrellas tied the score with a solo homer in the 3rd.  They took the lead in the 6th on back-to-back doubles, the first by DH Ronny Paulino.  Franquelis Osoria pitched to one batter in the 4th for Los Estrellas.  He threw a wild pitch, but got a strikeout.

Just a few more days in the winter leagues' regular seasons...

DOMINICAN LEAGUE (round robin playoff series)
Leones del Escogido  6,  Gigantes del Cibao  4  --  Three runs in the bottom of the 6th gave Los Leones the win, despite being out-hit 13 - 12.  Former Pirate Rich Thompson made his first Dominican League appearance, playing right and center field for Los Gigantes.  He singled twice and walked, and drove in Los Gigantes' first run in the top of the 2nd inning.  

Toros del Este  4,  Estrellas de Oriente  0  --  Los Estrellas also had the better hit totals (8-6) but still lost when they couldn't push any runners across the plate.  DH Ronny Paulino, taken from Los Tigres del Licey in the pre-playoff draft, doubled for Los Estrellas.  

 
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Leones de Ponce  7,  Gigantes de Carolina  1  (Game 1)  --  Los Leones scored in each of the last four innings of the 7-inning game, posting 12 hits.  Los Gigantes managed only 4 hits, and scored their only run on a solo homer in the bottom of the 7th.  Eric Krebs came in from the bullpen for Los Gigantes when another reliever was ejected (after hitting a batter).  Krebs threw a wild pitch, moving runners to second and third bases.  A ground out brought in the runner from third base (charged to the previous pitcher), then Krebs ended the inning with a strikeout.

Leones  7,  Gigantes  6  (Game 2)  --  Benji Gonzalez got the start at second base for Los Gigantes.  He doubled to lead off the bottom of the 1st, and scored on a ground out and a fielding error.  Gonzalez walked to load the bases in the 5th, and a sacrifice fly gave Los Gigantes a second run.  Ponce scored 3 runs in the 3rd on two singles and two doubles, then 2 runs in the 5th on a single, a walk, and a 2-RBI triple.  A single and a pair of doubles gave them two more in the top of the 7th, and Los Gigantes were behind 7-2 going into the bottom of the 7th (a 7-inning game).  With RJ Rodriguez on the mound for Los Leones, Los Gigantes rallied in the bottom of 7th.  Gonzalez opened the frame with a walk, then went to second base on a passed ball.  With two outs (both strikeouts), A double plated Gonzalez, then a walk, a wild pitch, and a triple gave Los Gigantes two more runs.  The second wild pitch of the inning brought in the 4th run.  CF Luis Matos was hit by a pitch, but Rodriguez finally got a third strikeout to end the inning and the game.