Tag: Cesar Valdez

3B Brian Friday and 2B Chase d'Arnaud













Durham Bulls  12,  Indianapolis Indians  3
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For the second night in a row, the Indianapolis Indians struggled both at the plate and in the field, as they fell to the Durham Bulls in the first game of a 4-game series at Victory Field.  The Bulls posted 19 hits for 12 runs, in a game that seemed similar to last night's game against the Norfolk Tides.  They scored in all but three innings (same as the Tides last night), and had runners on base in every inning (as did the Tides).  In addition, the Bulls put the first runner on base in each of the first five innings, and in seven of nine innings.  

Sean Gallagher (photo) made the start tonight, and like yesterday, he had two batters reach base against him in the top of the 1st inning.  Gallagher hit the first batter, CF Desmond Jennings, with a pitch.  Jennings stole second base on the first pitch to LF Justin Ruggiano.  Then Ruggiano lined into left field, and Jennings came around to score.  An alert play by Tribe LF Alex Presley had the ball back in to the infield and to second base quickly, and Ruggiano was tagged out at second base by 2B Chase d'Arnaud.  

3B Russ Canzler began the 2nd inning with a looping single into right field, but after a pop up, Canzler was erased in a strike-out-throw-out double play.  Former Indy Indian 2B JJ Furmaniak led off the 3rd inning with a double into the right-center field alley, and after a sacrifice bunt, a sacrifice fly by Jennings brought Furmaniak in to score, giving the Bulls a 2-0 lead.  


The Bulls increased their lead to 4-0 in the 4th.  DH Chris Carter led off with a solo home run, which saw RF Andrew Lambo trying to climb up the padded right field wall (it never works) in a desperate attempt to grow 12 feet taller.  Gallagher walked Canzler after the homer, and two outs later, he hit Furmaniak with a pitch.  SS Ray Olmedo gr ounded sharply to first, and the ball dinged off 1B Andy Marte's glove for a single.  Canzler was off and running with the pitch, and he came around to score, even though d'Arnaud got to the ball quickly.  A ground out to third and an excellent scoop by 3B Brian Friday ended the inning.  

Columbus Clippers  6,  Indianapolis Indians  4
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A big inning by the Clippers and too many missed opportunities by the Indians added up to another loss for the Tribe as the two teams opened a 3-game series at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.  Neither starting pitcher made it out of the 4th inning.  3B Josh Harrison (photo) had two hits for the Indians and came around to score twice.


The Indians got started with an unearned run in the top of the 1st.  With one out, SS Chase d'Arnaud singled up the middle and LF Alex Presley singled into left field, sending d'Arnaud to third.  Presley stole second base, then 1B Matt Hague walked to load the bases.  DH Andy Marte grounded to short, where Columbus SS Cord Phelps had the ball pop out of his glove.  Everyone was safe on the error and d'Arnaud scored from third.  But the inning ended with a strikeout by C Dusty Brown, and all three runners were left on base.  Josh Harrison made it a 2-0 lead when he led off the top of the 2nd with a long and high blast into the left field bleachers.  

Brian Burres, in his fourth start of the season, zipped through the bottom of the 1st, thanks to a stunning play by Harrison at third.  His counterpart at third base, Lonnie Chisenhall, smacked a sharp grounder to third, where Harrison made the scoop, then made a throw across his body on the run, in time to nab Chisenhall at first.  Burres gave up a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd, to RF Travis Buck, followed by a double by Phelps, though Burres was able to work around the double and leave Phelps on base.    

Toledo Mud Hens  7,  Indianapolis Indians 1
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The Indianpolis Indians struggled in the cold and the fog tonight at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, as they lost to the Mud Hens, earning a split of the 4-game series.  Starter Rudy Owens (photo) suffered his first loss of the season, after having won his first two starts.  

The Mud Hens attacked Owens as soon as they came to the plate in the bottom of the 1st.  CF Andy Dirks led off with a grounder to first.  Tribe 1B Matt Hague made a diving stop, but he had to wait for Owens to move to first, and by the time Owens got there, Dirks was safe.  After a strikeout, LF Timo Perez and 1B Ryan Striekby both singled, and Dirks came in to score.  A sacrifice fly by RF Clete Thomas brought in Perez, and the Mud Hens had a 2-0 lead.  

Owens put the Mud Hens down in order in the 2nd, and that was the only inning in which he did that.  Toledo picked up another run in the 3rd, when Perez singled to the right side of the mound, just out of reach of Owens.  Strieby doubled over RF Andrew Lambo's head and off the wall, and by the time Lambo was able to chase down the ricochet, Perez had scored easily.  The bottom of the 4th began with a triple by DH Danny Worth.  That ball also hit the wall over CF Alex Presley's head, and the throw came back in to the infield, but was cut off by 2B Brian Friday, as Worth slid into third.  Owens threw a wild pitch, and Worth scored easily.  Owens gave up a double to Perez (his third hit of the game) in the 5th, and walked Strieby, but kept them from scoring.  Owens finished up with 5 innings of work, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, with 7 strikeouts.  He threw 87 pitches, of which 59 were strikes.

Toledo Mud Hens  6,  Indianapolis Indians  0   (Game 1)
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The Indianapolis Indians began this double header on a down note, as they were held to just one hit at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio.  

Mud Hens' starter Charlie Furbush dominated the Indians' batters through all 7 innings of this game.  He struck out 9 Tribe batters and did not walk any.  The only hit he allowed was by C Jason Jaramillo to lead off the top of the 3rd inning.  Jaramillo did not even reach second base -- he was forced out on a grounder by LF Corey Wimberly.  Wimberly was the only other Indian to reach base, when he was safe at first on a fielding error by 3B Danny Worth in the 6th.  

The Mud Hens got to Tribe starter Brad Lincoln early in the game.  In the bottom of the 1st, lead-off batter CF Andy Dirks began the inning with a double down the left field line.  2B Scott Sizemore was hit by a pitch, and LF Timo Perez moved both along one base with a sacrifice bunt.  DH Scott Thorman brought in Dirks with an RBI single, and 1B Ryan Strieby drove in both Sizemore and Thorman with an RBI double into center field.  

Lincoln retired the side in order in the 2nd inning, but the Mud Hens came back at him in the 3rd.  The inning began with back-to-back singles by Sizemore and Perez.  Lincoln struck out the next two batters, but both base runners stole the next base on the second strikeout.  RF Clete Thomas drove both in with a single up the middle.  Lincoln and the Indians had a bit of better luck, when Jaramillo threw out Thomas as he tried to steal second base, ending the inning.  Toledo picked up one more run in the 4th, with singles by 3B Danny Worth and C Max St. Pierre, then a sacrifice fly by Dirks.  

Lincoln also retired the side in the 5th, and that was all for him for the night.  He had allowed the 6 runs on 8 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts.  He threw 86 pitches, with 60 strikes.  Cesar Valdez relieved Lincoln to begin the 6th inning.   He gave up a single to former Indy Indian SS Argenis Diaz in the 6th, but left him on base.  


Indians Hitting Gem of the Game: Well, there was only one hit to choose from -- Jason Jaramillo's (photo) single in the third inning.  

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game:  In the bottom of the 5th, Corey Wimberly made a diving catch of a line drive in left-center field, off the bat of Scott Thorman.  Both Wimberly and Alex Presley, who was in center field tonight, raced for the ball, but Wimberly cut in front of Presley and made the catch.  

Brian Burress pitched 7 shutout innings and struck out 8 in today's start.












Louisville Bats  6,  Indianapolis Indians  4
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A two-run home run by Bats' RF Brian Barton in the bottom of the 13th gave the Bats the win over the Indians, on a long sunny afternoon in Louisville today.  Tony Watson had come on in relief to begin the 13th, and after two quick outs, he was one out away from ending the game, when he gave up a single to 2B Kris Negron.  That was followed by the long blast over the left-center field wall.  

Brian Burres made the start for the Indians, facing off against the Cincinnati Reds' Homer Bailey, who was making a rehab start.  It was a pitching duel, and though Burres looked better than Bailey, neither one of them allowed a run.  Burres gave up two singles to open the bottom of the 1st, then struck out the next three batters to get out of the inning.  He gave up a single in the 2nd, but struck out two of the other three batters he faced.  Then Burres struck out the Bats in order for the next 4 innings -- 14 consecutive batters retired.  With one out in the 7th, Burres gave up the Bats' 4th hit, then set down two more to finish his afternoon's work.  Burres struck out 8 batters and did not walk any.  He threw 81 pitches, with 56 strikes.

Homer Bailey (photo) allowed only 2 hits in his 5 innings, with 2 strikeouts.  He buzzed through the first inning, then with one out in the 2nd, Bailey gave up a double into left field to RF Andrew Lambo.  3B Josh Harrison grounded to third, but a throwing error put him safely on first.  C Dusty Brown's fly out let both runners advance.  2B Brian Friday worked a full count, then took a walk, but with the bases loaded, Burres bounced to third, where  3B Todd Frazier took just a couple steps to force out Harrison and end the threat.  

Andrew Lambo and Corey Wimberly just "hanging out" in the dugout











Louisville Bats  5,  Indianapolis Indians  2
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Three home runs by the Bats, including two in one inning, put the Bats on top of the Indians tonight at Victory Field.  Starter Justin Wilson (photo) gave up the three homers, accounting for 4 of Louisville's runs, and he was charged with his first loss of the season.

Chris Reineke made the start for Louisville, and he and Wilson seemed intent on matching one another for the first 5 innings of the game.  Both Reineke and Wilson retired the side in the 1st inning.  Both gave up a walk (to C Devin Mesoraco and 3B Josh Harrison) and a hit (single to 2B Chris Valaika and double to 1B Andy Marte) in the 2nd inning.  Both retired the side in order in the 3rd and 4th innings.  

Both Reineke and Wilson gave up one run in the 5th inning.  Wilson retired the first two Bats' batters of the inning, giving him a streak of 10 batters retired in order.  Then CF Kris Negron lifted a home run over  the left-center field wall, to give the Bats a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the inning, Reineke gave up a lead-off single when Harrison beat out a surprise bunt.  2B Pedro Ciriaco grounded deep to short, forcing Harrison out at second, but SS Zack Cozart was not able to make a throw to first, and Ciriaco was on with a fielder's choice.  After a fly out, Justin Wilson came to the plate.  Instead of being an easy out, Wilson worked a full count, then fouled off three more pitches.  Then he blasted a ball off the left field scoreboard for an RBI double.  Ciriaco scored from first, and the score was tied at 1-1.

Andy Marte is congratulated on his home run in the 5th







Columbus Clippers  7,  Indianapolis Indians  5
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A pair of home runs and 11 hits were not enough for the Indians to overcome the Clippers and escape the sweep at Victory Field on Sunday afternoon.  Like in the three previous games, the Indians had a runner on base in the bottom of the 9th, but could not keep the inning going long enough to bring him in.  

With the scheduled starter, Daniel McCutchen, called up to the Pirates, Brad Lincoln (photo) made the start for the Tribe.  Lincoln has been on the Pirates' 15-day Disabled List due to a forearm bruise, which happened when he was hit by a come-backer in a game at the end of spring training.  Lincoln was originally due to start for the Bradenton Marauders today, but the roster shuffling saw Lincoln traveling to Indiana instead.  Before the game, manager Dean Treanor said that he was hoping to see at least 4 innings from Lincoln, who had not really had enough time to get completely stretched out in his shortened spring training.


Lincoln looked great on the mound, and even looked like he may have lost some weight since he was here last year.  He buzzed through the first three innings, allowing only a double to the Clippers' 9-hole hitter RF Bubba Bell in the 3rd.  Eight of the first nine outs were groundouts, with Lincoln also getting one strikeout.  Clippers' 2B Cord Phelps led off the top of the 4th with a solo homer to straight away center field, which landed in the ground cover in front of the pine trees.  Lincoln hit the next batter, 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, with a pitch, but C Dusty Brown cut Chisenhall down as he tried to steal second base.  Two more quick outs finished the 4th inning.


Lincoln did come back out to begin the 5th.  He got SS Luis Valbuena to line out right to 2B Pedro Ciriaco (photo)for the first out.  (Ciriaco just had to stick out his glove, and didn't even take a step.)  Then he hit LF Jared Head with a pitch, and got a fly out.  That was all for Lincoln for the day.  He had thrown 72 pitches (42 strikes), a very reasonable count for where he is in his "spring".  Lincoln was responsible for 2 runs on 2 hits, with 2 strikeouts in 4.2 innings.  


Cesar Valdez came in from the bullpen to relieve Lincoln, but he struggled in his 0.2 innings.  With two outs and a runner on first when he entered the game, Valdez gave up an RBI double to Bell (Bell's second hit of the game).  That scored the runner from first, and Bell advanced to third on the throw.  CF Ezequiel Carrera walked on a full count, then Phelps blasted his second home run in two innings, this one sailing so high over the right field wall, that RF Andrew Lambo merely turned in his tracks and watched it go.  That gave the Clippers 4 runs in the inning, one charged to Lincoln and three to Valdez, for a 5-0 lead.  Chisenhall reached base next, on a grounder to first that popped out of 1B Matt Hague's glove and over his shoulder for an error.  It turned out to not matter, as Valdez finally got a strikeout to end the inning.  

A few more pitchers in the Pirates' minor league organization:

Justin Wilson --  L/L,  6' 2",  233 lb
Wilson was chosen by the Pirates in the 5th round of the 2008 draft.  He signed late, so made his pro debut in 2009 with A+ Lynchburg.  He had a 6-8 record there, with a 4.50 ERA, but in the last two months of the season, he was showing some improvement, with 10 earned runs in 47.1 innings over his last 9 games (1.90 ERA).  Wilson was promoted to AA Altoona for 2010, and he began with a rough month of April, when he allowed 9 runs on 13 hits in 12.1 innings (6.57 ERA).  He also walked 10 batters that month.  Wilson turned it around in May, when he allowed just 5 runs on 19 hits in 32.2 innings, for a 1.38 ERA.  Though he still walked 12 batters, he also struck out 36 batters in the month, including a 10-strikeout game and a 7-strikeout game.  Wilson settled out in the middle in July, when he earned a 3.65 ERA with 10 earned runs in 24.2 innings, and then a 3.19 ERA in August/Sept with 13 runs in 36.2 innings.  He finished the regular season with an 11-8 record in 27 games (one relief appearance), with 49 earned runs and 109 hits in 142.2 innings.  Wilson has had control problems, and that continued in 2010.  He walked 71 batters (4.5 walks/ 9 innings), and he also struck out 134 batters (8.5 K/ 9 innings).  Wilson won both of the games he started for the Curve in their playoff run, pitching 6 scoreless innings with 2 hits in the first round, and then 7 scoreless innings with 5 hits in the championship round.  After the regular season, Wilson participated in the Arizona Fall League, where he got into 6 games for the Mesa Solar Sox.  He gave up 9 runs on 19 hits, including 2 homers, with 8 walks and 16 strikeouts.  The 23-year-old Wilson is ready for AAA, where he'll need to keep working on his command and keep up the strikeouts.  He might get sent to Altoona again, though, if the Pirates fill up Indianapolis with a lot of "major league ready" pitchers.  


Tony Watson  --  L/L,  6' 4",  223 lb
The Pirates took Watson in the 9th round of the 2007 draft.  Watson was named the Pirates' minor league pitcher of the year in 2008, when he pitched in Lynchburg.  He was promoted to Altoona to begin 2009 and made 5 starts there.  He pitched just 15.1 innings and allowed 14 earned runs and 22 hits, which were probably due to the elbow problems that put him onto the DL for the rest of the season.  Watson returned to Altoona for 2010, where he pitched mostly in relief and stayed healthy.  He began with a hot April, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 13.2 innings over 5 relief appearances for a 1.98 ERA.  He made 8 appearances in each of May and June, and continued to do well, with 10 runs on 20 hits in 36.2  innings (2.45 ERA).  July was going well for Watson until the end of the month, with just 2 runs in 15.1 runs in 5 relief appearances.  Then he was moved back to the starting rotation -- and gave up 10 runs in a combined 10.2 innings.  Watson stayed in the rotation for the rest of the season, and finished the year well, with 10 runs on 30 hits in 40 inning over 7 starts.  that gave him a 6-4 record and 2 saves for the season, with a 2.67 ERA and 111.1 innings, with 33 earned runs and 82 hits.  His control was solid, with 24 walks for the season (1.9 walks/ 9 innings) and 105 strikeouts (8.5 K/ 9 innings).  Like Wilson, Watson also made 2 starts in the Curve's playoff run, allowing 2 runs in each of 2 starts, and winning both games.  The Pirates placed the 25-year old Watson onto the 40-man roster last fall.  He should be promoted to Indianapolis for 2010, where he' likely be used out of the bullpen.  He has a chance of making a trip up to Pittsburgh by the end of the season.  

Nothing unexpected here, though maybe a few days earlier than they had earlier suggested....

Catchers Tony Sanchez and Eric Fryer and pitchers Donnie Veal and Cesar Valdez were all reassigned to minor league camp this morning.  Sanchez and Fryer are both likely to begin the season at AA Altoona.  Both had their 2010 seasons at A+ Bradenton shortened by taking pitches to the head.  Veal is still in the process of rehabbing from elbow surgery, and is not likely to be ready to pitch competitively until June or July.  Valdez, who came to the Pirates' from the Diamondbacks (Zach Duke trade), has spent the last two seasons at the AAA level, but was a very very long shot to make the major league club to begin the 2011 season.

Minor league spring training games will begin in about 10 - 12 days. 

Pirates  4,  Blue Jays  1
Pitchers were the story for the Pirates this afternoon in Dunedin, Florida.  Five Pirates' pitchers combined to hold the Blue Jays to 4 hits this afternoon in Dunedin, Florida.  Charlie Morton made his second strong start in the Grapefruit League.  He gave up one run in the top of the 1st, courtesy of two former Pirates:  CF Rajai Davis led off with a double, legged out when LF Matt Diaz was a little slow in picking up (the Pirates should have anticipated Davis' speed).   3B Jose Bautista drove the run in with a single slipped through into left field.   Morton ended the inning by inducing a double play, then he retired the side in both the 2nd and 3rd innings.  That included a nice barehanded snatch of a bunt attempt, and a whirl to throw the batter out at first.  Brad Lincoln buzzed through the next three innings, retiring all 9 batters he faced.  Morton and Lincoln each struck out one batter, and neither gave up a walk.  Tyler Yates and Jeff Locke each took an inning, and neither gave up a hit, though Yates walked one.  Cesar Valdez gave up the other two Jays' hits in the 9th inning.  After a strikeout, he surrendered two singles, and with a wild pitch, that gave him runners on the corners.  But he picked the runner off first, then ended the game with a strikeout.

The Pirates' hitters were having some trouble with Blue Jays' starter Brett Cecil.  Cecil struck out 5 of the first 6 Pirates' batters, and allowed only one hit, a double by C Jason Jaramillo, in the 3rd inning.  Jaramillo doubled again to lead off the 6th inning.  CF Andrew McCutchen followed with a walk, then a ground out put both runners into scoring position.  3B Pedro Alvarez drove in both with a standing triple into the right field corner, to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.  They added a run in the 7th, when 2B Brian Friday doubled into left field with two outs, then scored on C Dusty Brown's single.  Another two-out rally provided the Pirates' fourth run in the top of the 9th.  SS Pedro Ciriaco lined a singled into right field, then stole second base.  3B Josh Rodriguez slipped a single into left field, and Ciriaco came around to score.  Rodriguez also stole second base, and Brown was hit by a pitch, but the rally ended when CF Corey Wimberly popped out.  
 
Also getting into the game:  Jeremy Farrell pinch-hit (ground out) in the 8th inning;  his father, John Farrell, is the new manager of the Blue Jays.  1B Josh Fields, LF Alex Presley, RF Gorkys Hernandez, and 3B Andy Marte also played.

The Pirates played two split-squad spring training games this afternoon (Monday):

Orioles  6,  Pirates  4
The Pirates were held to 5 hits at McKechnie field this afternoon, but one of the big ones was a 2-run homer over the left field wall in the bottom of the 9th by RF Miles Durham, who was up from minor league camp.  1B Lyle Overbay also singled for the Pirates, scoring the first Pirates' run of the game in the 5th.  3B Pedro Alvarez knocked in the remaining run for the Pirates, in the 6th inning.  LF Jose Tabata led off the inning with a single, stole second base, then scored on Alvarez's single    Alvarez also doubled for the Pirates.

LF John Bowker, SS Brian Friday, CF Mel Rojas, 3B Andy Marte,  1B Steve Pearce, 2B Chase d'Arnaud, 2B Jim Negrych, and C Wyatt Toregas all got into the game for the Pirates.   

Paul Maholm took the loss for the Pirates.  He gave up a run in the 1st inning on a double and a single, then another on a solo homer in the 2nd.  Jeff Locke allowed a run on two hits in the 6th.  He allowed a single and a walk, then with two outs, an RBI single brought in a run.   Justin Wilson got the first out, then walked the next three batters to load the bases in the 8th.  A double and a sacrifice fly drove in all three of the base runners.  Jeff Karstens pitched 2 scoreless innings, then Tyler Yates, and Mike Crotta each pitched a scoreless frame.   Cesar Valdez finished up the 8th for Karstens, then pitched a scoreless 9th, facing only 4 batters.