Tag: Kyle McPherson

One early game in the rest of the Pirates' minor league organization on Wednesday, and two later games:

Dunedin Blue Jays �2, �Bradenton Marauders �1 (box)

The Blue Jays broke a tie that had lasted 5 innings with a run in the bottom of the 9th to take the win over the Marauders on Wednesday afternoon. �Both teams scored a run in the 4th inning. �C Eric Fryer supplied the Marauders with their run on a solo homer in the top of the 4th. �In the bottom of the inning, starter Brian Leach got two outs, then gave up a run on a walk and two singles.

Dunedin starter Joel Carreno held the Marauders in check for 5 of his 6 innings, while striking out 9 batters and allowing 9 hits. �The Marauders got a runner as far as third base in the 5th, when SS Walker Gourley, making his 2010 debut, led off with a single. �2B James Skelton also singled, moving Gourley to third base. �But a strikeout and a double play ended the inning without a run scoring. �The Marauders put at least one runner on base in 5 other innings, but never got a runner as far as third base.

Brian Leach also went 6 innings, scattering 3 hits and 3 walks, with 4 strikeouts. �He worked around a single base runner in 3 other innings besides the 4th. �Tom Boleska took over for Leach in the 7th. �He gave up a single and hit a batter in the 7th, and gave up a single to Dunedin DH Travis d'Arnaud in the 8th, but did not let those runners score.

Boleska got into trouble in the bottom of the 9th. �With one out, he gave up a double, then intentionally walked the next batter. �He suffered the loss when an RBI single plated the winning run. �Eric Fryer posted two singles for the Marauders besides his homer. �1B Calvin Anderson singled twice, and CF Austin McClune also singled. �Tony Sanchez had a pinch-hit appearances but struck out.

Richmond Flying Squirrels 4, �Altoona Curve 2 (box)

Curve starter Tim Alderson had little trouble with the Squirrels for the first four innings on Thursday evening, using two double plays to erase two of the three base runners he'd allowed (two singles and a hit batter). �But he had problems in the 5th, when Richmond scored 5 runs on two walks, four singles, and a sacrifice fly, and Alderson could not get out of the inning. �One of the walks forced in a run, and it didn't get any better from there. �Alderson threw 89 pitches in his 4.2 innings, and allowed a total of 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, with 4 strikeouts, while working entirely out of the stretch.

The Curve scored their first run in the top of the 1st. �SS Chase d'Arnaud opened the game in Richmond with a line drive single into right field. �A ground out moved him to second base, and he stole third base, then scored on 1B Matt Hague's RBI single. �The Curve managed only a couple of walks over the next three innings, until LF Alex Presley led off the 5th by beating out an infield single. �Alderson sacrifice bunted him to second base, and Presley scored on d'Arnaud's second single of the game, also an infield hit. �The Curve had one last chance in the 9th, when 2B Josh Harrison and RF Miles Durham hit back-to-back singles with two outs. �But a fly out by Presley ended the threat and the game.

Dustin Molleken relieved Alderson to finish up the 5th inning with a ground out. �He also pitched the next two innings, allowing only a walk. �Ronald Uviedo pitched the 9th inning, and he also gave up a walk, then struck out two batters.

West Virginia Power �2, �Kannapolis Intimidators �0 (box)

Kyle McPherson and Maurice Bankston combined for 9 shutout innings against Kannapolis on Friday. �McPherson scattered 4 hits, no walks over 7 innings, while striking out 9 Kannapolis batters. �He had to work around 3 errors by his teammates to keep the Intimidators from scoring. �The first error came in the top of the 1st -- a throwing error by 3B Jesus Brito. McPherson worked around that runner, then around back-to-back singles in the 3rd. �A throwing error by 2B Jarek Cunningham stopped what should have been a double play in the 5th, allowing the batter to reach second base, but McPherson got a strikeout and a ground out to end that inning. �A throwing error by Brito in the 7th after a single put runners on second and third bases, but again McPherson worked around them, leaving both of them right there.

Bankston pitched the last two innings. �He gave up three singles in the 8th, but the first was doubled off first base after a fly out, and the other two were left stranded. �He gave up a walk in the 9th, but struck out two, earning his first save of the season. �The win was McPherson's second of the year.

The Power batters were having to work hard to get their runs. �Kannapolis starter Terry Doyle struck out 14 Power batters in his 7 innings of work, including 3 strikeouts each by LF Rogelios Noris and DH Kyle Morgan. Each member of the Power line up struck out at least once.

The Power put a runner on base in each of the first three innings, but couldn't score. �CF Evan�Chambers singled and stole second base in the 1st inning, and C Ramon Cabrera singled and went to second on a wild pitch in the 2nd, but neither could come around to score. �Cunningham singled in the 3rd, but was also left stranded. �Noris finally got the scoring started in the 4th, when he led off with a solo home run, his second homer in two days.

After the homer, the next 12 Power batters went down in order. �In the bottom of the 8th, when Doyle had been relieved by Garrett Johnson, the Power were able to get things going again. �RF Wes Freeman greeted Johnson with a double, SS Benji Gonalez walked, and Chambers loaded the bases with his second hit of the game. �Cunningham was hit by a pitch, forcing in Freeman with the Power's insurance run. �A grounder to first forced Gonzalez out at the plate, and Chambers was caught out between third and the plate, and no further runs scored.

Altoona Curve �6, � �Harrisburg Senators �1 (box)

Washington Nationals' #1 Prospect Stephen Strasburg was scheduled to make one last AA start on Sunday afternoon, before heading over to AAA Syracuse. �The Curve wanted to make sure Strasburg learned one more lesson at the AA level before being promoted. �That lesson: �sometimes you have to take a loss. �The Curve were not all that cowed by Strasburg the first time they faced him, back on April 11th, and they were not any more impressed today. �After going down in order in the top of the 1st, the Curve began the top of the 2nd with a walk by 1B Matt Hague, followed by three consecutive singles by 2B Jim Negrych, RF Miles Durham, and LF Alex Presley. Negrych just beat out the throw from the shortstop for an infield single. �Durham floated a little single over the head of the Senators' center fielder. �Presley's single through the right side of the infield�brought Hague and Negrych in to score with the throw in from the outfield not even close, and the Curve had a 2-1 lead. �C Kris Watts walked, again loading the bases. �Strasburg got his mound opponent Justin Wilson to strike out. �SS Chase d'Arnaud grounded to short, and it looked like Strasburg was going to get out of the inning with a double play. �Watts was forced out at second, but Senators' 2B Michael Martinez threw wildly to first base, and the ball skittered away, as two runs came across the plate, and d'Arnaud was safe at first. �The Curve took a 4-1 lead.

The Curve kept poking at Strasburg, and made him work for his outs. �In the 3rd inning, 3B Jordy Mercer led off with a walk, and Hague singled. �After a fly out, a double play got Strasburg out of the inning. �Strasburg retired the side in the 4th, but began the 5th by hitting d'Arnaud with a pitch. �Singles by CF Gorkys Hernandez and Mercer loaded the bases, but again Strasburg got a timely double play. �Hague grounded to third, and the Senators started a 5-2-3 double play, forcing d'Arnaud out at the plate. �That was the end of Strasburg's afternoon. �He finished with 4.2 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts, and was charged with the loss. �Strasburg has allowed 9 runs (4 earned) in his 5 starts -- 8 of those, including all of the earned runs, have been by the Curve.

Starter Justin Wilson gave up a run to the Senators in the bottom of the 1st, on a single, a walk, and an RBI single that slipped just past d'Arnaud. �Wilson worked around runners on base in each of the next three innings, but allowed only that one run over 4 innings, on 4 hits and 3 walks, with 2 strikeouts. �Mike Dubee, just returned to the Curve from Indianapolis, pitched the next three innings for the Curve. �Dubee retired 9 batters in order, with one strikeout. �That earned him his first win. �Ronald Uviedo followed Dubee by retiring all 6 batters he faced, also with one strikeout.

West Virginia Power 8, �Kannapolis Intimidators 1 (box)

The West Virginia Power powered up, recording 17 hits on their way to 8 runs, to beat the Intimidators in Kannapolis on Monday night. �The West Virginia starter Kyle McPherson was also showing his Power, going 7 innings and allowing just one runs on 5 hits and a walk, with 3 strikeouts. �McPherson, in his best outing of the season, worked around a double in each of the first two innings. �In the 4th inning, he gave up a lead-off single followed by another double, and this double scored a run. �A Kannapolis runner reached base in the 6th on a throwing error by SS Benji Gonzalez, and another reached on a single in the 7th, and was erased by a double play.

Meanwhile, each member of the Power lineup had at least one hit, and C Ramon Cabrera led the charge by going 4-for-5, with a triple and 2 RBI. �1B Kyle Morgan had a single and two triples, and DH Aaron Baker homered and doubled. �They started with 2 runs in the 1st inning. �A walk by 3B Jesus Brito, a double by Baker, and a throwing error by the Kannapolis pitcher brought in two unearned runs.

The 4th inning began with a single by LF Rogelios Noris and Morgan's first triple, for an RBI. �Morgan scored on Cabrera's single. �Two more singles, by CF Evan Chambers and 2B Jarek Cunningham loaded the bases, and a walk to Brito forced in the third run of the inning. �Power up 5-0.

The Power put two runners on base in each of the 5th and 6th innings, but did not bring any of them around to score. �The 7th began with Morgan's single, and he scored on Cabrera's triple. �Gonzalez plated Cabrera with an RBI single. �Aaron Baker added one more run in the 8th with his solo home run. �Morgan tripled for the second time after the homer, but was left on base

McPherson's win was his first of the season. �Ryan Kelly pitched the last 2 innings for the Power, allowing just one hit, while striking out two batters.

Altoona Curve �9, �Akron Aeros 6 (box)

The Curve swept the 3-game series with the Akron Aeros in their own park with an afternoon win on Wednesday. �DH Jim Negrych continued his hot hitting by going 3-for-4 at the plate, including 2 doubles. �C Kris Watts added a 2-run homer, and SS Chase d'Arnaud and 1B Matt Hague each had 2 hits.

Akron had the early lead. �They scored twice in the 1st inning, with a single and back-to-back doubles off Curve starter Tim Alderson. Another double, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly added a run in the 2nd inning, giving the Aeros a 3-0 lead. �That didn't last long. �The Curve came back with 4 runs in the top of the 3rd. �3B Josh Harrison singled and went to second base on a wild pitch. �He scored on Negrych's double. �Watts walked, then d'Arnaud also doubled, scoring Negrych. �A single from Hague brought in both Watts and d'Arnaud, and the Curve had a 4-3 lead.

The Aeros tied the score at 4-4 in the 4th inning, on a single, a passed ball by Watts, and an RBI single. �Altoona took the lead again in the top of the 5th. �Negrych led off the inning with a single, and Watts' homer gave the Curve a 6-4 lead. �The Aeros fought back and tied the score again in the bottom of the inning. �A walk and a single with two outs chased Tim Alderson from the game. �Tony Watson came on in relief, but he gave up a double, scoring both base runners. �Alderson was responsible for those runs, for a total of 6 (5 earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks, plus one strikeout.

Finally, the Curve scored an unanswered run in the top of the 6th. �With one out, RF Alex Presley singled into center field. �Josh Harrison lined a single into right field, but was out at second when he tried to stretch it into a double. �While the Aeros were busy with Harrison, Presley was able to score the go-ahead run. �The Curve then added two insurance runs. �In the 8th, Matt Hague led off with a walk, and 2B Shelby Ford singled, moving Hague to third base. �That gave LF Jose De Los Santos the chance to bring in Hague with a sacrifice fly. �In the 9th, walks to Watts and CF Gorkys Hernandez plus a single by Hague gave Altoona even more insurance.

Tony Watson pitched 3 more innings. �He had a batter reach in the 6th on a throwing error by d'Arnaud, but retired the other 9 batters he faced. �Watson was credited with the win. �Jeff Sues earned his third save with a scoreless 9th inning.

Altoona Curve �13, �Erie SeaWolves 5 (box)

The Curve exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 9th inning, to take the first game in their series against the SeaWolves in Erie. �The Curve went into the 9th already leading 6-5. �They sent 11 batters to the plate in the 9th, beginning with a single by LF Alex Presley, and SS Chase d'Arnaud being hit by a pitch. �Both moved up one base on a throwing error, and Presley scored on DH Jim Negrych's RBI single. �RF Miles Durham doubled, scoring d'Arnaud, and an intentional walk to C Hector Gimenez loaded the bases. �CF Gorkys Hernandez brought in Negrych with an RBI single. �Then 2B Josh Harrison and 1B Matt Hague greeted a new reliever with back-to-back doubles, each plating two more runs.

Altoona had begun the game with 2 runs in the top of the 1st, when d'Arnaud and Negrych opened the game with two walks, and Gimenez scored both with a 2-RBI double. �Durham's 3-run homer in the 3rd inning followed another walk to Negrych and a single by 3B Jordy Mercer. Hague added a solo home run in the 4th inning.

Tim Alderson started for the Curve and gave up a solo home run to the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 1st. �He gave up another homer in the 5th, after a single and a walk. �Alderson pitched 5 innings, allowing those 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts, to earn his first win of the season. �Dustin Molleken pitched 2.1 innings, and he gave up the SeaWolves' final run in the 7th, on a single and a triple. �The runner on third was thrown out at the plate on a subsequent fielders' choice play, when SS d'Arnaud threw to Hector Gonzalez at the plate for the tag out. Danny Moskos earned his first save with 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, and striking out 2 batters.

The Curve are now 7-1 for the season -- their best start in franchise history.

Remember to tune in to ESPNews on Sunday afternoon after 2 pm (Eastern), to see Harrisburg's Stephen Strasburg pitch against the Altoona Curve. �They have said that they will only show the half innings when Strasburg is on the mound, but that means we get to take a look at the Curve batters.

On to Saturday evening's games:

Altoona Curve 1, �Harrisburg Senators 0 (box)

These two teams took a scoreless tie into the bottom of the 10th inning, but the Curve came out on top with their third win of the season. �That was when 2B Josh Harrison led off with a single through the hole into left field. �C Kris Watts dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Harrison to second base, and LF Jim Negrych walked. �LF/RF Jose De Los Santos was the hero of the night, with his RBI double into left field to bring Harrison home with the only run of the game.

Prior to that inning, the Curve had only managed two hits. �RF/1B Miles Durham singled in the bottom of the 1st inning, and 3B Jordy Mercer walked, but both were left on base when the inning ended. �Senators' pitcher Tom Milone retired the next 16 Curve batters in order, has he pitched 6 scoreless innings. �The Curve batters managed two walks off Harrisburg reliever Rafael Martin in the 7th inning, but again they were both left stranded. �Mercer singled in the 9th inning, but was forced out at second on a grounder.

The Curve pitching staff were keeping up with their Harrisburg counterparts. �Tim Alderson made his first start of the season and threw 5 scoreless innings. �He gave up two singles in the top of the 1st, but CF Gorkys Hernandez's throw in to 2B Josh Harrison was in time to force out the lead runner at second base. �Alderson scattered a walk and two more singles over the next three innings, and then retired the side in order in the 5th. �He also struck out two batters. �Reliever Derek Hankins took over for Alderson to begin the 6th inning. �Hankins pitched 2 innings and gave up 2 walks, with one wild pitch, but did not allow a run to score. �Ronald Uviedo took the next two innings, and he walked just one batter then erased him with a double play. �Danny Moskos came on to pitch the top of the 10th inning and retired the side in order. �Moskos was the pitcher of record when De Los Santos hit his walk-off double in the bottom of the inning, so he was credited with the win.