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Tag: Quincy Latimore

Cunningham Homers Twice; Power Hold On For The Win

Monday evening's games in the Pirates' lower minor leagues

Harrisburg Senators  6,  Altoona Curve  2
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The Curve were able to put runners on base but not push them across the plate tonight.  Starter Bryan Morris worked around a double in the 1st and a pair of walks in the 3rd to keep the Senators scoreless in the first three innings.  He got into trouble in the 4th, with a lead-off triple, followed by a walk and an RBI double.  A single drove in 2 more runs for a 3-0 Harrisburg lead.  The Curve had left CF Starling Marte stranded on third base in the 1st, after his single, stolen base, and a throwing error.  2B Brock Holt also singled in the 3rd and was left on base.  SS Jordy Mercer answered the Senators' 3-run inning with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the 4th, but LF Quincy Latimore singled in that inning, and he was also left stranded.  

Tim Alderson
took over for Morris to begin the 5th inning, and he pitched 2 scoreless frames.  He loaded the bases in the 6th with a single and two hit batters, but ended the inning with a ground out.  Mike Colla allowed a triple in his scoreless 7th.  Then Noah Krol came on for the 8th, and gave up 3 more runs on a single, an RBI double, an RBI triple, and a wild pitch.  

The Curve put two runners on base in the 7th, when 1B Miles Durham singled and 3B Jeremy Farrell walked, but both were left on base.  Marte singled again in the 8th, and again could not come around to score.  The final Curve run scored in the 9th, when Durham tripled, then scored on Latimore's sacrifice fly.  


Three Hits For Rojas, But Losses All Around

Losses all around in the Pirates' minor league organization:

Augusta Green Jackets  5,  West Virginia Power  3
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A 4-run 2nd inning by Augusta had the Power trying to catch up for most of the game.  With Zack Dodson getting the start, Augusta scored on two singles, a throwing error by 3B Eric Avila, a 2 RBI triple, and an RBI ground out.  Only two of the runs were earned.  Dodson retired the side in two other innings, and walked two batters in the 4th.  The Power posted 8 hits (to Augusta's 5 hits), and put runners on base in each of their first four innings but could not bring any of them around to score.  The top of the 5th began with back-to-back singles by LF Rogelios Noris and SS Gift Ngoepe.  2B Drew Maggi dropped down a sacrifice bunt, but a missed catch error by the Augusta first baseman put Maggi safe on first, moved Ngoepe to third, and allowed Noris to score.  Ngoepe scored on an RBI ground out.  

Dodson was relieved by Brooks Pounders to begin the bottom of the 5th.  Pounders surrendered another unearned run, on two singles, a passed ball, and a wild pitch in the 5th.  He retired the side in order in both the 7th and 8th innings.  Ryan Beckman retired the side in order in the 8th inning.  

The Power continued to put runners on base in each inning, and they scored again in the 8th.  RF Dan Grovatt walked, moved to second base on a ground out, and scored on DH Justin Howard's line drive single into left field.  Ngoepe also singled in the 3rd inning.  CF Mel Rojas singled three times:  in the 1st, the 3rd, and the 7th.  He also stole second base in the 1st. 


Curve Win Home Opener; Four RBI For Baker

Altoona Curve 2,  Richmond Flying Squirrels  0
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The Altoona Curve put on a pitching demonstration in their home opener, as four pitchers combined for a shut-out and held the Squirrels to just 3 hits.  Aaron Thompson made the start, and he dominated Richmond.  Thompson retired the first 10 batters he faced.  He gave up a walk in the 4th inning, but left that runner on base.  He gave up a triple to lead off the 5th, but a grounder to third let 3B Jeremy Farrell fire the ball back to C Tony Sanchez, who tagged out the runner at the plate.  Thompson had to work around a single and a fielding error in the 6th, but after a sacrifice bunt, two timely strikeouts got him out of that jam.   Thompson also struck out 5 batters in his second win of the season.  

The Curve posted 8 hits, and 3 of those were singles by RF Brad Chalk, who had been off to a slow start for the season (1-for-16).  He singled in the 3rd, the 6th, and the 8th, though he didn't score.  Altoona scored their first run in the 4th, when Sanchez led off with a walk, then scored all the way from first base on 1B Miles Durham's double into center field.  SS Jordy Mercer belted a home run over the left field wall in the 5th inning for the Curve's second run.  That was all the offense that was needed.  The Curve put two runners on base in the 6th, when Chalk singled and pinch-hitter Kris Watts was hit by a pitch, but both were left on base.  They threatened in the 7th, when CF Starling Marte led off with a single into right field and stole second base.  He moved to third on a ground out, and tried for home when Sanchez grounded to third, but was thrown out at the plate on a play similar to what the Curve did to the Squirrels in the 5th.  Sanchez and LF Quincy Latimore also had singles in the game.  

Mike Colla, Michael Dubee, and Noah Krol each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Curve.  Krol allowed one hit in the 9th, but left that base runner on, and earned his 3rd Save.


Rubinstein And Cunningham Homer In Bradenton Win

One win on Monday night in the Pirates' lower minor leagues:

Akron Aeros  6,  Altoona Curve  5
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CF Starling Marte had 3 hits for the Curve in their loss in Akron.  Starter Aaron Pribanic gave up only a double over the first 3 innings, then surrendered a solo homer in the 4th.  Akron scored 2 runs in the 5th, when rehabbing Cleveland Indians' star Grady Sizemore doubled after two singles.  

The Curve had only one hit, a single by LF Quincy Latimore, in their first 5 innings, though they also had two batters reach on errors -- 2B Brock Holt in the 3rd and C Tony Sanchez in the 4th.  Down 3-0 going into the top of the 6th, the Curve got going.  With one out, Marte beat out a bunt single, and SS Jordy Mercer walked.  Sanchez also beat out an infield single to third to load the bases, and 1B Miles Durham's line drive into left field brought in Marte, leaving the bases loaded again.  Latimore plated Mercer with a sacrifice fly.  Then 3B Jeremy Farrell drove in Sanchez and Durham when he tripled into center field, giving the Curve a 4-3 lead.  

Tim Alderson relieved Pribanic to begin the 6th inning.  He gave up two singles in that inning, but kept the Aeros from scoring.  Akron also singled twice in the bottom of the 7th, including one by Sizemore, but this time, a throwing error by Holt on the force attempt let in one unearned run.  After a ground out, a double drove in two more runs, also unearned, and Akron had the lead back, 6-4.

The Curve added one more run in the 8th, when Latimore walked, then came around to score on Farrell's double into right field.  Walks to DH Eric Fryer and RF Brad Chalk loaded the bases again, but the Curve could not capitalize, and all three were left stranded.  Tom Boleska finished the game for the Curve with a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th.  Alderson was charged with the loss, as well as a Blown Save.  

Two Hits Each For Latimore, Snyder, Rubinstein, And Power

All of the Pirates' minor league affiliates lost their season openers on Thursday night:

Erie SeaWolves  3,  Altoona Curve 2

One run in the bottom of the 9th made the difference, as the Curve lost in Erie, PA.  The SeaWolves were first onto the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the 5th inning.  Curve starter Bryan Morris had already escaped from two jams in the early innings.  In the 2nd, RF Brad Chalk threw out a runner who was trying to stretch a double into a triple, then Chalk ended the inning when he threw to C Tony Sanchez to nail a runner who was trying to score from second base on a single.  Morris loaded the bases in the 4th with a single and two walks, but a timely double play, 3B Jeremy Farrell to 2B Brock Holt, to 1B Miles Durham, ended that inning without a run scoring.  Morris' luck ran out in the 5th, though, when a walk and a 2-run homer gave Erie a 2-0 lead.  

The Curve missed a scoring opportunity in the top of the 2nd, when Sanchez singled into left field, and LF Quincy Latimore lined a double just out of the reach of the Erie left fielder.  But with runners on second and third, Erie starter Jacob Turner struck out both Farrell and DH Eric Fryer to end the inning.  Turner allowed only two base runners for the next 4 innings -- he walked Holt, and he hit Sanchez with a pitch.  (Sanchez has got to stop being a magnet for opposing pitchers' pitches.)  After Turner left the game, the Curve were able to put men on base again.  Farrell singled and Fryer walked in the 7th, though they didn't score.  The 8th inning began with back-to-back walks to Holt and CF Starling Marte.  SS Jordy Mercer bunted them over to second and third, then another walk to Sanchez loaded the bases.  Latimore came through again, with another double off the left field wall, missing a grand slam by inches, to plate both Holt and Marte and tie the game at 2-2.  

Reliever Anthony Claggett finished the 5th inning for Morris with a strikeout and a pickoff of one of the runners Morris had put on base.  Aaron Pribanic and Jared Hughes each pitched a perfect inning, with one strikeout for Pribanic and two for Hughes.  Michael Dubee struck out the side in the 8th inning to preserve the tie.  The Curve batters could not get anything going in the top of the 9th, though, and Dubee came back out to pitch the bottom of the 9th.  With one out, a single and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position, and a ground out moved him to third base.  Then a sinking line drive, just inches away from the diving Latimore's glove, fell in for a hit, scoring the runner from third base for the walk-off win.  
Dubee was charged with the loss.  Morris got a no-decision, with 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks, plus 3 strikeouts, in 4.1 innings.  The Curve had just 4 hits, two of them doubles by Latimore.  


2011 Prospect Watching: Latimore, Durham, Norman

More outfielders in the Pirates' minor league organization, as we get closer to the start of spring training games:

Quincy Latimore  --  R/R,  5' 10",  175 lb
Latimore, who just turned 22 years old a few weeks ago, was the Pirates' 4th round pick in the 2007 draft.  He's progressed up one level each of the past four seasons, reaching A+ Bradenton for the 2010 season.  He had an up-and-down-and-up-again year, but that means that he worked around a mid-season slump and finished up stronger.  He started with a .298 average in April, dropped down to .245 in May, and worked his way back up, so that he ended up with .266 overall for the season.  That included 31 doubles, 19 homers (highest he's had in a season), and 100 RBI.  On the downside, Latimore has continued to have a high strikeout rate in his three full seasons in the organization, with 136 strikeouts in 134 games for the Marauders in 2010.  He walked only 30 times all season, which means he's not taking many pitches.  He has some speed, which gave him 11 stolen bases (caught only once), but is not enough to make him great in center field.  He played most of his games in left field in Bradenton, and just a few in right and center.  Latimore spent the winter in Australia playing for the Adelaide Bite in the latest iteration of Australian Baseball League.  A big fan favorite in Adelaide, Latimore's time there mirrored his Bradenton season -- started off hot, slumped, then had some big hits for the Bite in the playoffs.  He finished the regular season with a .313 average over 31 games, with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, and 25 RBI.  The strikeout problem continued in Australia, where he struck out 32 times in those 31 games.    Latimore's power numbers are propelling him along, and he should begin the season in AA Altoona, but his upward momentum is going to come to a halt if he can't get the strikeout numbers down and the patience at the plate up.

Perth Wins Australian Championship

Perth Heat  7,  Adelaide Bite  1
The Perth Heat dominated the Adelaide Bite in the tie-breaker winner-takes-all third game of the Australian Baseball League championship series.  Pitchers ruled during the first four innings of the game, though the Adelaide bats had no bite for the rest of the game either.  The Bite went down in order in the first two innings, then DH Scott Gladstone singled to lead off the 3rd.  But Gladstone was immediately thrown out trying to steal second base, and the next 9 Bite batters were retired in order.  Perth starter Benjamin Moore hit a batter in the 6th and had a Bite runner reach base on an error in the 7th, but he worked around those runners with ease.  He gave up a single in the 8th, but erased that minor threat with a double play.  Moore allowed two more hits in the 9th, and even though one of those was a solo homer by 3B Stefan Welch, he held on to finish the inning for the complete game.  LF Quincy Latimore went 0-for-4 for the Bite.
Former Altoona Curve hurler Paul Mildren made the start for the Bite, and like Saturday's starter, he was able to keep the Heat scoreless for 4 innings.  The first inning was a bit tricky.  Mildren gave up a lead-off single, though that runner was caught stealing.  Then a walk and another single put two runners on base.  A timely double play got Mildren and the Bite out of the jam.  Mildren went on to retire the next 10 batters in order, taking him into the 5th inning.  As on Saturday, that's when things fell apart.  A single, a walk, and a ground out put two runners into scoring position, and a double drove both runners in.  Another single plated the runner from second base, and the Heat had a 3-0 lead.  That was all for Mildren, who was charged with the loss.  He was replaced by the Bite's top reliever, Dushan Ruzic, who finished the 5th, then retired the Heat in order in the 6th and 7th.  The Heat rallied again in the 8th inning.  A single and a double drove in one run, then a 2-run homer made the score 6-0.  The Heat added one more run on a hit batter, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and a sacrifice fly.  The Bite's lone run in the top of the 9th was too little, too late, and the Heat had the championship and the Claxton Shield, the traditional trophy of Australian Baseball.


So, that's the end of the 2010-2011 winter ball.... just in time for Spring Training, as the Pirates' pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton today! 

Perth Wins Game Two, Tying Series

Perth Heat  9,  Adelaide Bite  2
The Perth Heat came roaring back to win the second game of the Australian Baseball League's championship series on Saturday (early hours for US time zones), forcing a winner-take-all final game on Sunday.  Bite starter Brandon Maurer had the Heat under his thumb for the first four innings.  He struck out the side in the 1st, and went on to allow only two base runners over the next three innings -- a batter reached on an error in the 2nd and a single in the 4th.  But Perth came out swinging in the top of the 5th, starting with a lead-off homer.  A walk and two singles loaded the bases, then after a line out to short, two singles drove in three runs.  Maurer got a strikeout, but then gave up a walk to load the bases, and he was relieved by Reed Brown.  The first batter Brown faced, Heat CF Ronnie Welty, smashed a grand slam over the right field wall to give Perth an 8-run inning.  The Heat added an extra run in the 8th on a double, a wild pitch, and a single.  
The Bite scratched out their first run in the 3rd inning, on a double by 1B Ben Wigmore, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI ground out.  3B Stefan Welch led off the 8th inning with another double.  Like the Heat in the top of the inning, a wild pitch moved the runner to third base, and an RBI ground out drove in the run.  LF Quincy Latimore beat out a grounder to second for a single to open the 4th inning, but he was left on base.  

Two Hits For Latimore In Championship Opener

Adelaide Bite  4,  Perth Heat  3  
The Bite opened the Australian League's championship series with a win over the Perth Heat on Friday.  Perth began the scoring with a run in the bottom of the 1st, on a single and an RBI double from the first two batters in their lineup.  The Bite tied the score in the top of the 3rd.  After a pair of lead-off singles by 1B Ben Wigmore and 2B Josh Cakebread, a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position.  3B Stefan Welch drove in the tying run with a ground out to first base.  Adelaide took the lead in the top of the 5th, with more firepower from Welch.  Wigmore and Cakebread again opened the inning with a pair of singles, and again a sacrifice bunt moved them into scoring position.  Welch lined a double in to right field, scoring both Wigmore and Cakebread.  Another single drove in Welch, and LF Quincy Latimore also singled, moving another runner into scoring position.  A double play ended the rally.  The Heat rallied in the bottom of the 6th, with three singles, a walk, and an RBI ground out producing 2 runs, but that still left them one run behind the Bite.  The Bite had only one runner reach base over the last three innings of the game, but they held off rallies by the Heat in each of the last two innings.  In the 8th, a two-out double and a single had the Perth pinch-runner rounding third and heading for the plate, but a perfect throw from CF James McOwen let  C Brandon Bantz tag the runner out at the plate to end the inning.  Another two-out double and a hit batter put two runners on base for the Heat in the bottom of the 9th.  Adelaide reliever Adrian Burnside came in to make the final out with a grounder to third base, ending the game.  Latimore also singled in the 4th inning, but was left on base.  

Caribbean Series Day 4; Bite Advance to Championship Series

Former Pirate C Carlos Maldonado has signed a minor league contract with the Nationals. 

In the Caribbean Series:
Mexico  6,  Dominican Republic  3  --  
The Dominicans were leading 3-1 going into the 8th inning, but Mexico rallied for 2 runs in the top of the inning to tie the score.  A single, a wild pitch, and a single brought in the first run before an out was recorded.   Then with two outs (from two different relief pitchers), a walk and a single scored the tying run.  The Dominicans went down in order in the bottom of the 8th, and the Mexicans came right back to break the tie in the top of the 9th with a 3-run homer.  The Dominican Republic put two runners on in the bottom of the 9th, but could not score, and Mexico had the win.

Puerto Rico  4,   Venezuela  2 --  Two runs in the top of the 10th gave Puerto Rico this win.  The Puerto Ricans began the scoring when a throwing error contributed to an unearned run in the 2nd inning.  They scored again in the 3rd on a single, a walk by SS LuisFigueroa, a bunt that turned into a ground out at second (but they weren't fast enough to turn two), and a sacrifice fly.  Venezuela got onto the scoreboard in the 5th with a bases-loaded RBI ground out, then tied the score with the help of an error in the 7th inning.  Puerto Rico threatened in the top of the 9th, but did not score until the top of the 10th. Figueroa walked, then moved to third on a bunt complicated by a throwing error.  A hit batter loaded the bases, and Figueroa crossed the plate on a walk.  The next batter also walked, forcing in an insurance run.  

Mexico now leads the series with a 3-1 record.  Venezuela is last with a 1-3 record, and both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico are tied at 2-2.

Mr. Milledge Goes To Chicago; Bite Force Game 3

A few signing notes for some former Pirates.  Of course the biggest news is that OF Lastings Milledge has signed a minor league deal with the White Sox.  Inf/Of Alfredo Amezaga (Indy Indians 2005) signed with the Rockies for 2011.  Inf Ramon Vazquez has signed with the Cardinals.

The Caribbean Series began play today with each of the for teams holding a 1-1 record.

Mexico  7,  Venezuela  3  --  The Venezuelans scored a single run in three consecutive innings -- a pair of doubles in the 5th, a fielding error with the bases loaded in the 6th, and a single, a walk, and a sacrifice fly in the 7th.  But Mexico's 4-run 5th inning was enough to overcome all of that.  Two singles and an error on a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases for the Mexicans.  A double cleared the bases for 3 runs, and a single with an error by LF Jose Castillo added the fourth run.   An RBI double and an RBI single gave Mexico 2 runs in the 3rd inning.  Two walks and a throwing error added an unearned run to the Mexico total in the 6th.  

 
Dominican Republic  4,  Puerto Rico  3  --   A 9th inning rally by the Dominicans upended Puerto Rico on their home turf.  Puerto 
Rico took the early lead with one run in the 3rd inning on a walk, a wild pitch, and an RBI double.  Another wild pitch plus a fielding error in left field contributed to Puerto Rico's run in the 5th inning.  The Puerto Rican pitching staff made 2 wild pitches in the top of the 6th, to give Dean Treanor's Dominican team their first run of the game.   Puerto Rico kept ahead with another single run in the 7th inning, on a walk, a sacrifice bunt by SS Luis Figueroa, and an RBI single.  The 9th inning began with Puerto Rico leading 3-1, but with one out, back-to-back walks and a triple drove in 2 runs for the Dominicans to tie the score.  An intentional walk put runners on the corners, then a grounder to first allowed the runner from third to score the go-ahead run before the final out was made.  Puerto Rico tried for a comeback with a single to lead off the 9th, but a double play got the Dominicans out of the inning with the win.


The Australian League
 Adelaide Bite  4,  Sydney Blue Sox  0  --  The Bite got their revenge for being no-hit in Game One by shutting out the Blue Sox in the second game of the semifinal series.  Starter Brandon Maurer allowed the Blue Sox only 4 hits in his 7 innings of work.  He worked around runners on base in 6 of those 7 innings, and walked a batter in each of the first 5 innings, but did not let anyone come around to score.  Reliever Adrian Burnside finished things up for Maurer with two perfect innings.  On the offensive side, DH Quincy Latimore was responsible for 3 of the Bite's 4 RBI.   The run he did not drive in came in the 4th, on a double and a single.  Latimore had the third of three singles in the 5th inning, and he drove in both of the runners on base.  A single, a bunt, and a wild pitch put a runner on third for the Bite in the 7th inning, and Latimore drove that runner in with another RBI single.  Latimore also reached base on an error in the 2nd inning, and made it as far as third base, but a double play ended that inning.  The Bite and the Blue Sox have now each won a game in this 3-game series.  The rubber match will be played on Sunday (early, of course), and the winner will face the Perth Heat in the championship series next weekend.

Day Two Of The Caribbean Series; Bite Are No-Hit

Day Two of the Caribbean series:

Dominican Republic  6,  Venezuela  5  --  Two runs in the top of the 9th were not enough for Venezuela to catch up to Dean Treanor's Dominican team.  Each team scored a run in the 2nd inning, with a solo homer for the Venezuelans and a walk and a triple for the Dominicans.  A 2-run double by DH Kevin Barker gave the Dominican Republic a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 3rd.  The Venezuelan team came right back with a 2-run homer in the top of the 4th to tie the score again.  Then the Dominicans took the lead with single runs in three different innings.  A walk and two singles plated a run in the bottom of the 4th.  A sacrifice fly brought in an insurance run in the 6th, and Barker homered in the 7th.  The Venezuelan team made 2 outs to begin the top of the 9th, then kept the game alive with a single and a 2-run homer, but that was all they could get, as a ground out ended the game.

Check out a story about Dean Treanor here.  He used to be a police officer.


Puerto Rico  7,  Mexico  3  -- 
 Puerto Rico began the game with their first six batters reaching base safely:  a single, a double by SS Luis Figueroa, a fielding error, two singles, and another error, accounting for 4 runs.  After a double play, a double drove in the 5th run of the inning.  Mexico got one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning with a walk and two singles.  Two more singles and an error added 2 more runs for Mexico in the 2nd inning.  That was as far as the Mexicans would get, despite posting 12 hits.  Puerto Rico scored again in the 5th with two singles and a double play.  Figueroa had another RBI single in the 6th for Puerto Rico's final run.  


Australian League
Sydney Blue Sox  8,  Adelaide Bite  0  --  Sydney pitcher David Welch opened the semi-final round of the Australian League playoffs by pitching a no-hitter against the Adelaide Bite.  Welch walked the first batter he faced, but left him on base.  He also walked the lead-off batter in the 2nd inning, but picked him off first.  After striking out the side in the 3rd, Welch worked around a missed catch error in the 4th and his third walk in the 5th.  He also had a batter reach base against him in the 8th on another error, but erased that runner with a double play.  DH Quincy Latimore went 0-for-4, and had one of Welch's 10 strikeouts.  Meanwhile, Welch's teammates were providing him with plenty of run support.  They scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st, knocked a 2-run homer in the 2nd, and added 2 more runs in the 3rd.  One more run scored in the bottom of the 8th.