Pirates/MLB
Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A Report
The Indianapolis Indians lost to Scranton 10-7 Friday night to fall to 21-21 on the season. Jeremy Powell (3-4) was hit hard and took the loss, allowing 8 runs on 7 hits in 3.1 innings.
Neil Walker started at first base and went 2-for-5 with an RBI in the game. Walker is batting a team high .327 on the season.
Jose Tabata batted leadoff and was 0-for-2 with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Tabata is batting .318 on the season.
Walker and Tabata are believed to have a leg up on top prospect Pedro Alvarez when it comes to a callup.
Alvarez was 1-for-5 with a single and 1 RBI. Alvarez’s batting average has dropped to .245 on the season and is hitting just .216 in the month of May (8-for-37)
Double-A Report
Highly touted Pirates farmhand Bryan Morris made his Double-A debut in a start versus the Erie SeaWolves (AA – Detroit Tigers) and dazzled over 5.1 solid innings of work, striking out seven batters and walking two in a 6-2 Altoona victory on Friday night in Erie.
Morris, who entered the game with a scoreless innings streak of 24.0 from his time with Bradenton (A – Advanced) would toss allow just one run with one out in the sixth inning. His fastball topped out at 94 miles per hour on the stadium radar gun at Jerry Uht Park.
The Altoona offense was able to provide the former first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers with plenty of run support. The Curve plated three runs off of starting and losing pitcher Jon Kibler in the top of the second inning. Hector Gimenez would double home a run, while an Alex Presley’s RBI fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly by Jose de los Santos would round out the scoring providing the Curve with a 3-0 edge during that frame and gave their pitching staff all the offense they would need.
In the third, the Curve would assault Kibler for an additional three runs. Jim Negrych’s RBI triple scored Josh Harrison to put the Curve up 4-0. Matt Hague would immediately follow suit with an RBI single, while Presley also had an run-producing base hit in the inning.
Erie would break the Curve shutout off of Morris in the sixth. Wilkin Ramirez hit his league-leading 10th homer of the year.
After Morris departed, lefty Tony Watson came on and tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of one-hit relief, striking out five batters.
In the ninth, Ronald Uviedo struck out the first two batters before allowing a solo home run to Andy Bouchie that brought homer Erie’s second run. Uviedo struck out the next batter to end the game. Altoona Curve hurlers struck out 15 batters, one shy of the franchise record (16) that was established this season (5/9/10 vs. Erie).
The Curve (24-16) are now 1.5 games ahead of both Erie (23-18) and Richmond for first place in the Eastern League Western Division.
Altoona and Erie will play a double-header on Saturday with game one set to begin at 5:05 p.m. and the second game to immediately follow. Altoona will send right-hander Jared Hughes (7-1, 3.16) to the hill in the first game, while righty Derek Hankins (3-1, 1.87) will toss in the nightcap. Erie counters with RHP Brooks Brown (3-1, 3.16) and RHP Ramon Garcia (0-1, 3.86) in the first and second games.
Air time is 4:35 p.m. on flagship station ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and Altoona Curve Radio Network affiliates.
Courtesy of Altoona Press Release
