Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report – July 20th

West Virginia Black Bears Bullpen

Welcome to our weekly trip around the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league system. This is where we give you a look at how each Pirates’ affiliate did during the previous week along with division standings, updates about players who stood out during the previous week, a look at the injury report, and give you a peek at the week ahead.

We will start our weekly recap with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

Next: Indianapolis Indians

Feb 21, 2014; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Alen Hanson (63) poses for a photo at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Triple-A Indianapolis Indians

The Indianapolis Indians went 3-1 over the last week. After returning from the All-Star Break, The Indians hit the road in Toledo to face the Mud Hens. The Indians took the first three games of the series before dropping the series finale.

International League West Division standings:

Indianapolis Indians – 55-40

Columbus Clippers – 52-43

Louisville Bats – 46-50

Toledo Mud Hens – 41-54

Players that stood out:

OF Jaff Decker was called up by the Pirates on Friday.

RHP Wilfredo Boscan was called up by the Pirates again on Sunday. He replaced Gorkys Hernandez who had been placed on the Disabled List.

INF Brent Morel had five hits, two RBIs, four strikeouts and one stolen base and is now batting .266. He leads the team with nine home runs and currently has an eight game hitting streak. It is also being reported that Brent will be called up on Monday.

OF Jose Tabata went without a hit in his only start since the all star break. He is now batting .294

INF Gift Ngoepe  collected four hits and one walk and is now batting .273.

INF Alen Hanson is now batting .286. He had three hits, two RBI, two walks, and two stolen bases.

RHP Angel Sanchez picked up his fourth win since being called up from Altoona. He allowed four hits, one run, walked one, and had five strikeouts.

RHP Chris Volstad picked up his sixth win of the season while allowing two runs on four hits, two walks and three strikeouts.

OF Willy Garcia  is currently batting .242 since being called up from Altoona. He had six hits, including a home run, six RBIs, one walk and struck out four times.

C Elias Diaz only saw action in two games since the all star break. He collected two hits, one RBI, one walk and two strikeouts. His average is now .263 for the year.

RHP Adrian Sampson continues to lead the team with 87 strikeouts. He picked up his eighth win of the season by going six innings, allowing just five hits, one run, two walks and three strikeouts.

RHP Blake Wood leads the team with twenty one saves.

RHP Radhames Liz had a no decision in his only start. He went six innings, allowing just four hits and striking out six.

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INF Pedro Florimon had three hits, two walks and an RBI. He is now batting .250.

C Tony Sanchez  had six hits, four RBIs, and a stolen base. His average is now .227 for the season.

INF Steve Lombardozzi had two hits, one walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base. His average is now .302 for the season.

OF Keon Broxton had six hits, four RBIs, five walks, two stolen bases and two strikeouts. His average is now .218.

1B John Bowker is now batting .176 after collecting four hits, one RBI and one strikeouts.

P Brad Lincoln saw action in one game. He threw three innings allowing two hits, zero runs, one walk and three strikeouts.

Injury Report:

RHP Casey Sadler remains on the Disabled List with a forearm strain.

RHP John Holdzkom remains on the Disabled List with a right shoulder strain.

1B Hunter Morris was placed on the Disabled List on Tuesday.

All Star Update:

The International League versus the Pacific Coast League All Star Game will be played on July 15th in Omaha Nebraska. The Indians were represented by Elias Diaz, Blake Wood and Alen Hanson. Elias Diaz started the game at Catcher. Alen Hanson had a single in the top of the ninth and scored the game winning run. Blake Wood pitched the bottom of the ninth and earned the save as the International League defeated the Pacific Coast League 4-3.

A look at next week:

The Indians return home Monday to begin a four game series with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the North Division. Then the Louisville Bats come to town for a three game weekend series.

Next, we step down to Double-A Altoona.

Next: Watch Out For the Curve

Sep 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates minor league outfielder Josh Bell (35) of the Altoona Curve in attendance as he was named the Pirates Minor Player of the Year before the Pirates host the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park. The Pirates won 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Double-A Altoona Curve

The Altoona Curve went 2-4 over the last week. The Curve dropped the final game of their weekend series with the Bowie Baysox. The next two days were off days for the All-Star Break. After picking up a win in the first game of the series in Richmond with the Flying Squirrels, the Curve dropped both games of a double header on Friday. They finished out the weekend with a win on Saturday and a loss on Sunday.

Eastern League West Division standings:

Bowie Baysox – 51-42

Altoona Curve – 50-44

Akron RubberDucks – 50-45

Richmond Flying Squirrels – 48-45

Harrisburg Senators – 48-47

Erie SeaWolves – 36-56

Players that stood out:

RHP Tyler Glasnow picked up his fourth win while striking out nine in seven innings and allowing just three hits. He was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week on Monday!

OF Mel Rojas Jr is hitting .248 since being demoted to the Curve. He collected four hits, one RBI, one walk, and struck out four times this week.

1B Josh Bell saw his average rise to .317 while collecting six hits, three walks, four RBIs and a stolen base.

INF Adam Frazier had three hits and one walk. He saw his average drop to .349.

2B Max Moroff saw his average remain at .326. He collected ten hits, including a home run, three RBIs and four strikeouts.

OF Stetson Allie had three hits, including a home run, one RBI, one walk, four strikeouts and saw his average drop to .195.

3B Dan Gamache had six hits, two RBIs, one walk and is hitting .319.

C Jacob Stallings had two hits and one strikeout while lowering his average to .282.

INF Jose Osuna had five hits, two RBIs, two walks and two strikeouts. He continues to hit .295.

RHP Jason Creasy continues to lead the team with eight wins. He didn’t have a start this week due to the All Star Game. See below for our update on how how Jason did at the all star game.

RHP Chad Kuhl picked up his fourth loss of the season in his only start this week. He now has a record of 7-4.  He went six innings, allowing five hits and three strikeouts. He leads the team with 68 Ks.

All-Star Game:

The Eastern League All Star Game was played on July 15th in Portland, Maine. The Curve were represented by Josh Bell, Adam Frazier, Max Moroff, Jason Creasy and Dan Gamache on the Western Division team. Max Moroff had a hit and a walk in the game. Josh Bell had a hit and collected an RBI on a game tying bases loaded walk in the seventh. Dan Gamache walked twice. Jason Creasy pitched the second inning and gave up three runs on three hits, including a two run homer. The game finished in a 4-4 tie however to decide the winner, they had a Home Run Shootout. Basically each team selected three batters. Coaches were the pitcher in a Batting Practice type environment. Each batter got one swing and the team with the most home runs wins. Finally after eleven rounds, the Eastern Division won with a home run by Brian Pointer of the Reading Fightin Phils.

Dan Gamache won the Eastern League Home Run Derby contest prior to the All Star Game and the $1,000.00 prize.

A look at next week:

The Curve are hosting four games in three days with the Erie SeaWolves. Tuesday is a doubleheader starting at 4:30pm. Then the Curve head to Akron for a four game series with the RubberDucks.

We now heat up as we head south for a look at the Advanced A Bradenton Marauders.

Next: Fly South to Bradenton

Mar 12, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; The field is made ready for play before a spring training baseball game at McKechnie Field. The Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Advanced A Bradenton Marauders

The Bradenton Marauders went 5-1 over the past week. On Monday, they picked up a win in the final game of the series with the Daytona Tortugas. Then the Marauders completed a four game sweep over the Lakeland Flying Tigers. They wrapped up the week by dropping the first game of the series in Palm Beach with the Cardinals.

As the Marauders begin the second half of the season, the standings are reset. The Charlotte Stone Crabs were the first half division winner. The second half division winner will face the Stone Crabs in the playoffs. If the Stone Crabs win the second half, then the team with the second best overall record will advance to face the Stone Crabs. More information on the playoff procedures can be found here. We will provide you the second half standings along with the overall standings in parenthesis.

Florida State League South Division Standings:

Palm Beach Cardinals – 17-7 (49-45)

Bradenton Marauders – 15-9 (47-47)

Fort Myers Miracle – 13-11 (51-43)

St. Lucie Mets – 13-11 (48-46)

Charlotte Stone Crabs – 9-15 (54-40)

Jupiter Hammerheads – 8-16 (43-51)

Players that stood out:

OF Harold Ramirez continues to lead the way for the Marauders with a .356 average. He has been on the Temporary Inactive List while he played for Team Colombia in the Pan-Am Games in Toronto. He should be returning to the team soon.

OF Austin Meadows saw his average climb to .300 after getting ten hits, two RBIs, one walks and five strikeouts.

INF Jacoby Jones had eight hits, nine RBIs and seven strikeouts and is now batting .261.

C Reese McGuire had six hits, two stolen bases, three strikeouts and one RBI. His average is now .268.

LHP Cody Dickson leads the team with seven wins.

RHP Frank Duncan  leads the team with 71 strikeouts.

RHP Brett McKinney still leads the team with nine saves.

A look at next week: The Marauders will finish up the three game series at the Palm Beach Cardinals on Monday and Tuesday. Then they return home for a four game series with the Dunedin Blue Jays. On Sunday, the Marauders start a two game series in Clearwater against the Threshers.

We dig deep and head for the hills as we take a look at the Class-A West Virginia Power.

Next: Feel the Power

Cooper, the proud mascot of the West Virginia Black Bears

Short-Season A West Virginia Black Bears

The West Virginia Black Bears finished the week by going 3-4. They suffered a loss in the final game of the series with the Vermont Lake Monsters. Then the Black Bears returned home and dropped the first two games of the series with the State College Spikes before picking up a win in the series finale. The Black Bears then headed to Auburn and have taken two of three so far in the four game series with the Doubledays.

For more on the Black Bears, You can find series recaps for the series at the Vermont Lake Monsters and the series with the State College Spikes.

New York-Penn League Pinckney Division:

Williamsport Crosscutters – 21-8

State College Spikes – 14-14

West Virginia Black Bears – 13-16

Auburn Doubledays – 12-16

Mahoning Valley Scrappers – 10-18

Batavia Muckdogs – 9-19

Players that stood out:

OF Logan Hill is currently hitting .340 with an OPS of .952. He had eight hits, seven RBIs, two walks, one strikeout and a stolen base.

OF Ty Moore is currently hitting .340 with an OPS of .889. He had nine hits, seven RBIs, two walks and three strikeouts.

C Daniel Arribas is currently hitting .300 with an OPS of .751. He had four hits and four strikeouts.

1B Albert Baur is currently hitting .262. He had three hits, two RBIs and three strikeouts.

3B Kevin Kramer is currently hitting .235. He had seven hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.

SS Kevin Newman is currently hitting .212 . He had nine hits, including his first home run of the season, three RBI, two walks and seven strikeouts.

2B Mitchell Tolman is currently hitting .233 with three hits, two RBIs, three walks, and six strikeouts.

RHP Dario Agrazal leads the team with three wins and thirty two innings pitched.

RHP Jonathan Minier leads the team with twenty-nine strikeouts.

LHP Andy Otamendi leads the team with three saves.

RHP Nick Hibbing leads the team with a 1.38 ERA. He has thrown 13.0 innings.

A Look At Next Week:

The Black Bears wrap up their series with the Doubledays on Monday in Auburn. Then, they return home for a six game home stand. The first three game series is with the Brooklyn Cyclones. They follow that series with a Friday to Sunday series with the Staten Island Yankees.

Rookie Ball is next with the Bristol Pirates!

Next: Last Stop, Rookie Ball

Feb 13, 2014; Bradenton, FL, USA; A freshly painted logo adorns at wall at Pirate City before the Pittsburgh Pirates first spring training workout. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie Bristol Pirates

The Bristol Pirates finished the week by going 2-3. The series finale with the Kingsport Mets was rained out. The first game of the series with the Bluefield Blue Jays was also rained out. However, it was made up as part of a doubleheader. The Pirates took just one of the three games with the Bluefield Blue Jays. The Pirates then split the first two games of the series with the Danville Braves.

Appalachian League West:

Greeneville Astros – 14-11

Johnson City Cardinals – 11-11

Kingsport Mets – 12-13

Elizabethton Twins – 11-12

Bristol Pirates – 9-14

A Look at Next Week:

The Bristol Pirates will wrap up their series in Danville with the Braves on Monday. Then they will travel to Burlington for three games with the Royals. Then they finish the eleven game road trip with a four game series with the Pulaski Yankees.

This has been the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report for July 20th. Make sure to check back next Monday for our weekly trip around the Pirates’ minor league system!

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