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Tag: Steve Pearce

Kratz Gets Save #1 In 15th Inning

Indianapolis Indians 7, �Louisville Bats 6 (box)

It's just a few minutes after midnight, radio broadcaster Howard Kellman just said "Good Morning Everyone" as he came back from a station ID break, and Erik Kratz just earned his first career save with a nicely pitched 15th inning. �The Indians' fifth lead in this game was finally the one that stuck, and the 4 hour 57 minute game has ended with an Indians' win. �CF Jose Tabata hit the Indians' only home run of the game in the top of the 15th for the winning run. � And, these players have to be on a bus in about 4 hours to head out to catch a flight to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where they will be playing... later today. �"I just don't want it to go to my head," quipped Kratz about his first save.

IMG_2518The first half of the game was dominated by the starting pitchers. �Tribe starter Donnie Veal (photo) retired the first 8 batters he faced. �He gave up a walk and a single in the 3rd inning, but got out of the small jam with a strikeout. �Veal breezed through the 4th inning, then gave up a lead-off single in the 5th, but erased that batter with a double play. �Louisville starter Travis Wood gave up a single to LF Brandon Moss in the 2nd, and a single to 3B Doug Bernier in the 4th, but both of them were eliminated with subsequent double plays.

The Indians scored the first runs of the game in the 5th inning. �RF Steve Pearce led off with a single to third, and the next two batters struck out. �Then 2B Brian Friday rocketed a ball down the left field line, and while the ball was busy rattling around in the corner, Pearce came around to score all the way from first base. �SS Argenis Diaz followed with a line drive into right field, and Friday headed for home. �The throw in from the outfield came in on the first-base side of the plate, and Friday slid in safely, to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.

Veal seemed to be tiring in the 6th, when he walked two batters, but still held on to end the inning and keep the Bats from scoring. �With two outs in the 7th, Veal walked another batter, and he was relieved by Anthony Claggett. The first batter Claggett faced, C Wilkin Castillo, ran the count full, fouled off a few more pitches, then hit a 2-run homer over the right field wall to tie the game.

The Indians came right back in the top of the 8th. �Back-to-back singles by Argenis Diaz and Brian Myrow, who had come into the game in a double-switch to play first base, led off the inning. �Myrow's single dropped into left field just a few feet in front of LF Juan Francisco, who looked like he could have made the catch with a bit more hustle. �3B Doug Bernier surprised the Bats by dropping down a sacrifice bunt on a 3-2 count, and when pitcher Travis Wood threw to third in an attempt to get the force out on Diaz. �The throw was low and it skipped past third and into left field, allowing Diaz to score the go-ahead run. �Myrow made it to third base and Bernier was safe at first after his sacrifice. �That was the end of Wood's night, and Chad Reineke came on in relief. �Reineke struck out the next two batters, but then threw a wild pitch, allowing Myrow to score. �Indians 4, Bats 2.

Pearce And Walker Take A Bat To The Bats

Indianapolis Indians 6, �Louisville Bats 1 (box)

IMG_2576The Indianapolis Indians made good use of their bats at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, KY tonight, not too far from where some of those bats may have been made. �The Tribe posted 15 hits, as RF Steve Pearce (photo) led the way with 4 hits, 2B Neil Walker had 3, and CF Jose Tabata and LF Brandon Moss contributing 2 hits each. �Even starting pitcher Brad Lincoln had a hit -- a double in the 6th inning -- on his way to his second win of the season.

The game got off to a very late start -- almost 9 pm, as the game was delayed 1 hr 53 minutes by rain. �The Indians had only one hit over the first two innings -- a single in the 2nd inning by Pearce. �Pearce saw the ball skip off the hand of Bats' SS Zack Cozart, who was trying to do a bare-handed pick up, and when the ball went into short left field, Pearce tried for second base -- unsuccessfully.

The Indians got onto the scoreboard in the 3rd, courtesy of a bases-clearing double by 2B Neil Walker. �C Luke Carlin led off the inning by working a walk. � SS Argenis Diaz, in his first game back from Pittsburgh, grounded to the right side of the infield, where it was stopped by Bats' 3B Juan Francisco, but not in time to make a play. �Brad Lincoln bunted, but the ball was scooped up by pitcher Sam LeCure, who forced Carlin out at third base. �CF Jose Tabata walked next, loading the bases for Walker. �Walker doubled over the head of LF Todd Frazier, easily scoring Diaz and Lincoln. �Frazier took long enough tracking down the ball in left field that Tabata had time to race around from first base and score also. �Indians up 3-0.

The Bats got one of those runs back in the bottom of the 4th. �RF Chris Burke ripped a 1-2 pitch from Lincoln down the right field line, and when Steve Pearce had trouble picking up the ball, Burke cruised into third base with a triple. �The next batter, CF Chris Heisey, brought Burke in with a RBI grounder to short. �1B Danny Dorn followed with a double, but two fly outs to Neil Walker at second base ended the inning without further scoring.

IMG_2480The Tribe got that run back in the 5th. �With two outs, 1B Brian Myrow lined the first pitch he saw into right field, where Chris Burke couldn't quite make the diving catch. �3B Pedro Alvarez also swung at the first pitch he saw, grounding it up the middle. �2B Chris Valaika kept the ball from going into the outfield, but did not have time to make a play. �Steve Pearce, who had singled again in the 4th inning, lashed his third hit of the game down the left field line for an RBI double, scoring Myrow. �Indians 4, Bats 1.

The Indians threatened in the 6th inning, when Brad Lincoln (photo) picked up that double into left field, his first hit of the season. �Tabata followed with a single lined into center field, and Lincoln sped around third base and headed for the plate. �The throw in from Heisey in center to Bats' catcher Corky Miller was right on target. �Miller easily turned and tagged out Lincoln as he slid and tumbled across the plate. �It was not what most people want to see their starting pitcher doing.

"I thought I'd be held up because he (Tabata) hit the ball hard," related Lincoln after the game. �"When I got to third, Frank (Manager Frank Kremblas, coaching at third base) was already waving me home. �I see Corky (Miller) moving to his right, he catches it... �I thought 'I've got to do something here', and I decided to slide. �I've done it before."

Tabata, Walker, and Myrow Homer in One Inning

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photo: �Neil Walker is congratulated after his second homer in three days.

Indianapolis Indians �9, �Columbus Clippers �4 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians exploded for 7 runs in the 4th inning tonight at Victory Field, and that included three home runs -- by CF Jose Tabata, LF Neil Walker, and DH Brian Myrow. The Columbus Clippers could not keep up, as the Indians more than doubled them up on hits.

IMG_2517Donnie Veal (photo) made the start for the Tribe, and he got into trouble right away in the top of the 1st. �Columbus CF Trevor Crowe led off with a single up the middle. �SS Jason Donald tried to bunt Crowe to second, but only succeeded in popping up to Veal for the first out. �DH Carlos Santana smashed a double to the wall in right center field, past the desperate reach of RF Brandon Moss (photo below -- Moss is at the wall, but the ball is in the splash of dirt down to his right, by the feet of his shadow.)�RF Shelley Duncan worked a walk to load the bases, with just one out. �But Veal bore down and struck out 1B Wes Hodges, then got former Indy Indian Brian Bixler to look at strike three, ending the inning with the bases still loaded but no runs in.

Once he got through that inning unscathed, Veal settled in. �He faced the minimum number of batters over the next four innings. �The only base runner he allowed was C Damaso Espino, who walked in the 2nd inning, but was immediately erased with a double play. �It took Veal 28 pitches to work through the first inning, and only about 38 pitches to get through the next four innings.

IMG_2519Columbus starter Hector Rondon did reasonably well against the Indians for his first three innings. �He gave up a lone walk to Brian Myrow in the 1st. �He gave up a single to Brandon Moss in the 2nd inning. �Moss stole second base easily when neither the Columbus SS Jason Donald nor the 2B Anderson Hernandez covered the bag. �Hernandez kept the throw from sailing into the outfield, but that was with a late scramble to catch it well behind the second base bag. �Moss got as far as third base when C Erik Kratz produced a lot of held breaths with his long fly ball to left field -- which was caught up against the wall. �In the 3rd inning, SS Argenis Diaz lined a single in to right field, but he was caught stealing.

It was the 4th inning that did Rondon in and gave the Indians their biggest inning of the season. �Brian Myrow (photo below) began the fun with a solo home run, which rose down the right field line, flew over the wall just inside the foul pole, then hooked around behind the foul pole to land in the picnic section. �The Clippers tried to protest (no video conferencing for the umpires in the minor leagues), but to no avail, and the Indians had a 1-0 lead. �3B Pedro Alvarez lined out to center for the first out. �Then 1B Steve Pearce and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back line drives, Pearce to left-center and Moss to right. �Erik Kratz came to the plate with runners on first and second, and he bounced a little tap back to the mound. �Rondon fielded it cleanly, whirled and prepared to throw to second base -- and then didn't. �He had the ball in his arm, and even moved his arm as if to throw, but did not release the ball. �IMG_2533Unlike in the 2nd inning, both his second baseman and his shortstop were moving towards the bag and would have been there by the time the ball got there, and they and the ball would have all reached the bag well before Moss coming from first base. �It should have been a double play, particularly since Kratz is not the fastest down the line to first base. �But Rondon did not make the throw. �Instead, he again turned, and threw to first base, making the out on Kratz. �Instead of being out of the inning, he had two outs and runners on second and third bases.

2B Brian Friday had the key hit in the 4th inning. �With two outs, he slipped a single up the middle, just between the middle infielders, scoring both Pearce and Moss. �Argenis Diaz continued the inning with a single into right field, and the Tribe again had runners on first and second base with two outs. �Jose Tabata cleared the bases with a 3-run long bomb, a little further inside the right field foul pole than Myrow's had been. �No argument from the Clippers this time. �Then, to cap it off, Neil Walker made it back-to-back home runs, with a blast to mid-right field. �That sent Hector Rondon to the showers, having surrendered 7 runs on 9 hits. �Jess Todd came in from the Columbus bullpen. After a walk to Myrow in his second at-bat in the inning, Todd got Pedro Alvarez to fly out, ending the long inning.

Walker, Moss, and Van Every Homer To Lift Indians

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Indianapolis Indians 9, �Toledo Mud Hens 6 (box)
The Indianapolis Indians won for the first time at Victory Field this season, and for the first time against the Toledo Mud Hens in 2010 on Sunday afternoon. �The Indians posted 13 hits and 9 runs, and it was only the second game of the season in which they scored more than 4 runs.
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Neil Walker found himself in two unusual positions today: �back at third base for the first time this season, and in the lead-off spot in the line-up for the first time in.... probably a really long time, if not forever. �Before anyone had time to wonder if it was going to be a good idea, Walker proved that it was the perfect spot for him today. �He lifted Toledo starter Ruddy Lugo's second pitch over the right field wall, not far inside the foul pole, for a lead-off home run (photo).
Walker admitted that it felt different to be the first one to the plate in the first inning. �"I wasn't quite sure what it was going to be like," said Walker after the game. �"I tried to stay aggressive, and I got lucky and hit one out. � It was a change-up and it was hanging over the plate. �I was able to stay through it a bit and Victory Field helped me out a little bit down the right field line with a little wind."
The Tribe took off from there. �Each member of the line-up had at least one hit, Walker had three (single, double, and homer), and CF Jonathan Van Every and LF Brandon Moss both had a single and a homer. �The Indians scored in each of the first four innings and again in the 6th, and went down in order only once -- the 9th.
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Pearce Homers But Mud Hens Slip Past Tribe

Toledo Mud Hens 3, �Indianapolis Indians 2 (box)

IMG_2372C Luke Carlin went 3-for-4 and 1B Steve Pearce hit a huge solo home run, but the Indians' offensive burst came too late, as the Mud Hens beat the Tribe at Victory Field tonight.

The Indians could not muster much of an offense for the first 5 innings, as only four batters reached base. �The Indians also were making a habit of leaving runners stranded at third base, which is never a good idea. �1B Steve Pearce had the first Tribe hit in the 2nd inning, a very long shot to the wall at the 418' mark in left center field -- the deepest part of Victory Field. �The ball dropped right into the pocket way way out there, and Pearce rounded second and charged for third, sliding in just before the throw with a triple (photo). � Two strikeouts ended the inning, though, with Pearce still standing there at third.

Luke Carlin was the one left on third in the 3rd inning. �He led off with a single into left field, and moved to second base when SS Argenis Diaz dropped down a sacrifice bunt just in front of the plate. �Carlin stole third base, drawing no throw from the Mud Hens' catcher. �RF Brandon Jones walked, but a strikeout and a pop up to first base ended that inning.

IMG_2353Indians' starter Chris Jakubauskas (photo) was also using strikeouts to get himself out of jams in the first few innings of the game. �Toledo DH Will Rhymes opened the game with a little looping hit that dropped in just barely fair behind the third base bag. �Strikeouts of SS Brent Dlugach and RF Brennan Boesch put Jakubauskas into a much better position, and after a walk, he got CF Casper Wells to ground to third base to end the inning. �Jakubauskas retired the side in the 2nd inning, including 2 more strikeouts. �He gave up a one-out walk in the third, but again two strikeouts ended the inning. �Jakubauskas was not able to utilize the strikeout in the 4th inning, and that's when he got into trouble. �1B Jeff Larish walked, and after a fly out, LF Jeff Frazier smacked a double off the upper half of the new scoreboard in left field, moving Larish to third. �2B Max Leon zapped a liner right back to the mound, where Jakubauskas was able to stick his glove up and knock the ball down. �He quickly picked the ball up, turned to glare over towards third and then towards second, to keep those base runners from moving, then fired over to first base to get the out on Leon. �The next batter, C Mike Rabelo, brought both runners in with a double to the wall in the right-center alley, giving the Mud Hens a 2-0 lead.

Lincoln and Hart Shut Out Bats

Indianapolis Indians 3, �Louisville Bats 0 (box)

img_1702lincolnBrad Lincoln (photo) and Kevin Hart piggy-backed their starts and combined to shut out the Bats tonight at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky. �Hart had missed his regularly-scheduled start yesterday because he was serving a suspension imposed by the International League after he'd thrown behind a batter. �The Indians (and Pirate management) wanted Hart to make the start today, but they also didn't want to shift Lincoln's start back a day. �Instead, they decided to have both men pitch today, and it was a decision that worked out very well.

Lincoln's start began in the first inning, and he scattered 4 hits over 6 innings, plus 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. �Lincoln worked around base runners in five of the six innings, but managed to keep the runs from scoring. �The Bats got a runner as far as third base in the bottom of the 1st, on a single, a wild pitch, and a ground out, but another ground out ended the inning. �He gave up a two-out double to C Wilkin Castillo in the 2nd, but left him on base. �Louisville pitcher Travis Wood singled in the 3rd inning, but was eliminated in a double play, and then doubled off Lincoln in the 5th, but that time he was left stranded. �Lincoln gave up the final walk in the 6th, but then struck out the next two batters to end that inning. �Lincoln threw 78 pitches (52 strikes) in his six innings. �This was the Indians' first game of the season in which the Designated Hitter was not used. �Lincoln could not match his mound opponent Wood though -- he dropped down a sacrifice bunt in the 3rd inning, and grounded out to short in the 5th.

Hart's "start" began in the 7th inning. �It took him just 37 pitches (22 strikes) to zoom through three innings of work. �He faced 10 batters, allowing a two-out walk in the 7th, and retiring the other 9 batters. �He struck out 3 of them.

Four Double Plays And Indians Shut Out

Toledo Mud Hens 6, �Indianapolis Indians 0 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians dropped the second game of this brief two-game series in Toledo, as they fell victim to four double plays turned by the Mud Hens. �The Indians posted 5 hits, and 4 more batters reached on walks, but could not push a run across the plate.

img_2005diazBrian Bass stepped up to make a spot start for the Indians, because the regularly scheduled starter Kevin Hart was serving the last day of his 3-game suspension for throwing behind a batter on Opening Day. �Bass was knocked around in the 1st inning, as the first three batters in the Toledo line-up smacked consecutive hits to load the bases. �Then Bass caught a bit of luck. �LF Ryan Strieby smashed a line drive right to Tribe SS Brian Friday, who flipped the ball to 2B Argenis Diaz (photo) who was at second base, for a double play. �The next batter, 1B Jeff Larish, lined a single into left field to score the runner who had been left on third base, but at least it was only one run and not two or even three as it could have been without that double play.

Bass worked around runners on base and in scoring position in both the 2nd and 4th innings. �The original plan was for Bass to pitch four innings, but at the end of four, he had thrown only about 55 pitches. �The decision was made to have him continue for one more inning. �That didn't work out so well. �With one out, 2B Will Rhymes singled on a liner into right field. �When Bass tried to pick Rhymes off first, the throw sailed past 1B Steve Pearce and into the Indians' bullpen area (along the right field foul line) and ricocheted off the foot of catcher Luke Carlin, who was minding his own business and warming up reliever Anthony Claggett. Rhymes reached third base on the throwing error. �3B Brent Dlugach brought Rhymes in with a single into left field. �DH Brennan Bosch doubled, scoring Dlugach, to give Toledo a 3-0 lead. �At that point, Claggett came on in relief. �Claggett got a strikeout, then walked Jeff Larish before getting a fly out to end the inning.

Indians Fall In Toledo After Early Lead

Toledo Mud Hens 6, �Indianapolis Indians 3 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians had the early lead at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio tonight, but a 5-run inning by the Mud Hens took the victory away.

Compared to the games they played in Columbus, which lasted way over 3 hours, this 2 hour 19 minute game must have seemed lightning-fast to the Tribe. �With a flurry of roster moves made by the Pirates (see below), the Indians' scheduled starter, Brian Burres had already left for San Francisco. �The ever-flexible Jeremy Powell stepped up to made the start for the Tribe. �Powell breezed through the first two innings, needed only 10 pitches for the 1st and 14 pitches for the 2nd.

The Indians scored in the top of the 2nd using the "bloop-and-blast" method. �3B Pedro Alvarez opened the inning with his first non-homer hit of the season, a line drive single into right field. �1B Steve Pearce followed with the blast -- a homer that sailed over the back of the concourse behind the left field wall. �Pearce knew as soon as it left his bat that it was gone, turning to watch it when he still had one foot in the batters' box. �The Indians had a 2-0 lead.

Leads in Toledo are always tenuous for the Indians, though. �Sure enough, Powell ran into trouble in the bottom of the 3rd. �A lead off walk to LF Clete Thomas was followed with a single by former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz, which slipped past SS Brian Friday. 3B Danny Worth grounded to his counterpart Pedro Alvarez, and it would have been a double play, but Alvarez bobbled the ball and only had time to get the out at first base, leaving runners on second and third. �RBI singles by 2B Will Rhymes and SS Brent Dlugach brought in Thomas and Diaz to tie the score at 2-2. �Then RF Brennan Boesch took Powell's 0-1 pitch on a line drive over the right field wall for a 3-run homer and a 5-2 lead.

Moss Homers For Indians’ Win

Indianapolis Indians 4, �Columbus Clippers 3 (box)

Indians' outfielder Brandon Moss admitted that he'd had a "rough Spring Training". �That was followed by 10 days off while he waited to go through waivers. �He was more than ready to come to Indianapolis, where he was much more likely to get some regular playing time. �Moss went 0-for-5 on Opening Day and sat out yesterday's game. �Tonight, though, it was time to get going. �Moss said after the game that he "felt really good coming into the game tonight." �It showed, too, as he singled, doubled, and hit the game-winning home run in the Indians 4-3 win over the Clippers at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Moss said that he made good use of his forced time off. �He went to Loganville, Georgia, where he sought out his high school baseball coaches. �He worked with the coaches, who pitched to him for hours and hours. �They talked about temp and about keeping his hands back. �It put Moss back into his right place, where he could feel confident with his swing, and as we saw tonight, the extra work paid off.

Playing conditions tonight at Huntington Park were very different from those of the past two nights. �For two games, the Clippers and the Indians pounded out the hits and especially the home runs. �After combining for 14 home runs in the first two games of the series, tonight the only home run was Moss's. �The wind had wreaked havoc for the outfielders, particularly the left fielders in the first two games, but it was mostly quiet tonight.

The Indians got the game started with two runs in the top of the 1st. �With one out, RF Brandon Jones and DH Brian Myrow worked back-to-back walks. �They both advanced a base on a wild pitch by Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez, and 3B Pedro Alvarez filled the void at first with another walk. �Gomez had a full count on the lead-off batter Jose Tabata before he grounded out, then another full count on Jones. �Myrow walked on a 3-1 pitch, and Alvarez walked on four straight balls, including the wild pitch. �Gomez also had a full count on 1B Steve Pearce, when Pearce lined a single into left field, scoring both Jones and Myrow. �The inning finished with a strikeout by Moss (2-2 pitch) and a fly out by C Luke Carlin (mercifully, on the first pitch). �Gomez had thrown 33 pitches. �(If he had been in the Pirates' organization, he would not have been permitted to go back out for the second inning.)

Moss’s Homer Gives Indians The Win

Indianapolis Indians 4, �Columbus Clippers 3 (box)

Indians' outfielder Brandon Moss admitted that he'd had a "rough Spring Training". �That was followed by 10 days off while he waited to go through waivers. �He was more than ready to come to Indianapolis, where he was much more likely to get some regular playing time. �Moss went 0-for-5 on Opening Day and sat out yesterday's game. �Tonight, though, it was time to get going. �Moss said after the game that he "felt really going coming into the game tonight." �It showed, too, as he singled, doubled, and hit the game-winning home run as the Indians took a 2-1 series lead over the Clippers at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Moss said that he made good use of his forced time off. �He went back to Loganville, Georgia, where he sought out his high school baseball coaches. �He worked with the coaches, who pitched to him for hours and hours. �They talked about tempo and about keeping his hands back. �It put Moss back into his right place, where he could feel confident with his swing, and as we saw tonight, the extra work paid off.

Playing conditions tonight at Huntington Park were very different from those of the past two nights. �For two games, the Clippers and the Indians pounded out the hits and especially the home runs. �After combining for 14 home runs in the first two games of the series, tonight the only home run of the game was Moss's. �The wind had wreaked havoc for the outfielders, particularly the left fielders in the first two games, but it was mostly quiet tonight.

The Indians got the game started with two runs in the top of the 1st. �With one out, RF Brandon Jones and DH Brian Myrow worked back-to-back walks. �They both advanced a base on a wild pitch by Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez, and 3B Pedro Alvarez filled the void at first with another walk. �Gomez had a full count on the lead-off batter Jose Tabata before he grounded out, then another full count on Jones. �Myrow walked on a 3-1 pitch, and Alvarez walked on four straight balls, including the wild pitch. �Gomez also had a full count on 1B Steve Pearce, when Pearce lined a single into left field, scoring both Jones and Myrow. �The inning finished with a strikeout by Moss (2-2 pitch), and a fly out by C Luke Carlin (mercifully, on the first pitch). �Gomez had thrown 33 pitches. �(If he had been in the Pirates' organization, he would not have been permitted to go back out for the second inning.)

Indy Indians Preview: Steve Pearce and Doug Bernier– And Moss

Two more players for the Indy Indians, who open (along with the rest of the minors) on Thursday:

img_9326pearceSteve Pearce was the Pirates' 8th round pick in the 2005 draft. �He exploded onto the Pirates' radar with an amazing 2007 season, during which he hit .347 with 11 homers and 24 RBI in 19 games at A+ Lynchburg, .334 with 14 homers and 72 RBI in 81 games at AA Altoona, and .320 with 6 homers and 17 RBI in 34 games at AAA Indianapolis. �He made his major league debut on Sept 1st of that year, and hit .294 in 23 games with the Pirates, though without any homers. �The 2008 season was more of a struggle for Pearce. �He was busy learning how to play the outfield while in Indianapolis, and he hit better when he played first base than when he was stationed in right field. �He hit .251 overall for the Indians, with 12 homers and 60 RBI, and earned a call up to the Pirates, but also struggled more there, hitting .248 with 4 homers and 15 RBI in 37 games.

Pearce returned to Indianapolis to begin the 2009 season. �He got off to a very slow start, with just 3 hits in his first 9 games. �He got on a roll in the last 8 games of the month, going 13-for- 33, including ging 4-for-5 with a double and a home run on April 23rd. �That slid into more hitting in the first half of May, when Pearce hit .333. �After another slow week, he had 9 hits in 5 games at the end of the month, including another 4-for-5 game on May 29th. �That gave him a .288 average for the month of May, with 3 homers and 15 RBI.

Pirates Finalize The Major League Roster

The Pirates made the last moves needed this morning to get their roster ready for Opening Day:

Infielder Ramon Vasquez was designated for assignment. �The Pirates have 10 days to release him, trade him, or waive him. �He's owed a $2 million contract, but the Pirates have said that they would pay that out if they need to. �Vasquez's spot on the 40-man roster opens up....

Pitcher�Jose Ascanio was placed on the 60-day disabled list. �He had shoulder surgery and isn't expected to be back for quite some time yet. �That opens another spot on the 40-man roster.

Pitcher Joel Hanrahan was placed on the 15-day disabled list. �His right elbow strain is expected to be rested and ready to go within another week or so. �Still, another roster spot opens.

Relief pitchers DJ Carrasco and Jack Taschner, who were in camp as non-roster invitees on minor league contracts, both made the major league team. �They were added to the 40-man roster, filling in two of those vacated spots.

Reliever Hayden Penn, who was claimed off waivers this past week, has made the major league team. �He's also on the 40-man roster. �Management has indicated that they will want to see some consistency in his pitching.

Outfielder John Raynor, the team's Rule 5 Draft Pick, has made the major league team. �He was already on the 40-man roster. �He'll also have to remain on the 25-man roster, unless he's on the Disabled List, for the entire season, or else be offered back to the Marlins.

1B/OF Steve Pearce has been optioned to AAA Indianapolis. �This is not unexpected, especially with Raynor making the team. �Pearce has this option year left, which others did not have, so this avoids exposing another player to waivers.

Minor league rosters should be finalized within the next couple of days. �The Indy Indians usually arrive in town by Tuesday and have a couple of workouts. �The minor league season will begin the on Thursday, with the Indians and the West Virginia Power on the road, and the Altoona Curve and the Bradenton Marauders opening at home.