Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report – August 3rd

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’ minor league 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

(63) poses for a photo at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Triple-A Indianapolis Indians

The Indianapolis Indians went 5-2 over the last week. The Indians split a four-game series with the Columbus Clippers. Then, the Indians completed a three-game sweep of the Charlotte Knights.

International League West Division standings:

Indianapolis Indians – 63-46

Columbus Clippers – 60-49

Louisville Bats – 54-55

Toledo Mud Hens – 45-62

Players on the move:

INF Josh Bell was sent from the Altoona Curve to the Indianapolis Indians on 8-1-2015.

RHP Tyler Glasnow was sent from the Altoona Curve to the Indianapolis Indians on 8-1-2015.

LHP Jeremy Bleich was sent from the Altoona Curve to the Indianapolis Indians on 8-1-2015.

INF Dan Gamache was sent from the Altoona Curve to the Indianapolis Indians on 7-31-2015.

INF Justin Sellers was traded to the White Sox for cash or a player to be named later.

OF Jose Tabata was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 1B/OF Michael Morse and cash.

RHP Adrian Sampson was traded to the Seattle Mariners for LHP J.A. Happ.

INF Brent Morel had been designated for assignment, but refused an assignment to Indianapolis and is now a free agent.

LHP Bobby LaFromboise was called up by the Pirates on Friday, July 31st, then sent back down to the Indians on August 1st.

Players that stood out:

INF Josh Bell saw action in two games since his call up. He has just one hit, a game-winning RBI single. He has walked once and struck out three times.

RHP Tyler Glasnow made his first start on Saturday. He had a no decision. He went 5.1 innings and allowed one earned run on nine hits and threw seven strikeouts.

INF Dan Gamache saw action in three games since his call up. He had four hits, one RBI, one walk, three strikeouts, and a stolen base.

OF Gorkys Hernandez was sent outright to the Indians on Thursday, July 30th. He had five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.

INF Steve Lombardozzi was sent outright to the Indians on Monday, July 27th. He had five hits, three RBIs, four walks, and two strikeouts.

OF Willy Garcia is currently batting .248. He had nine hits, including three home runs, five RBIs, two walks, and struck out four times.

RHP Wilfredo Boscan picked up his seventh win while allowing one earned run on three hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.

INF Alen Hanson is now batting .274. He had six hits, including a home run, three RBIs, two walks, seven strikeouts, and a stolen base.

RHP Angel Sanchez had a no decision and a win. In the no decision, he allowed six hits, two earned runs, walked one, and had four strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work. In the win, he allowed one earned run on seven hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.

RHP Chris Volstad picked up his team-leading eighth win while going seven innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts.

C Elias Diaz saw action in five games. He collected five hits, three RBIs, one walk, and six strikeouts. His average is now .272 for the year.

RHP Blake Wood leads the team with 23 saves.

RHP Radhames Liz picked up a win in his only start. He went six innings, allowing just three hits, walked two, and struck out six.

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C Tony Sanchez  had six hits, including a home run, four RBIs, four strikeouts, and two walks. His average is now .220 for the season.

OF Keon Broxton had ten hits, including a home run, four RBIs, three walks, seven stolen bases, and 12 strikeouts. His average is now .236.

1B John Bowker is now batting .219 after collecting three hits and five strikeouts.

P Brad Lincoln saw action in two games. He suffered a loss while going 2/3 innings and allowed three walks, one hit, and one earned run. His other appearance was 1.2 innings and he allowed two walks.

Injury Report:

INF Gift Ngoepe was placed on the disabled list on Monday, July 27th with a left oblique strain.

OF Andy Vasquez was placed on the disabled list on Monday, July 27th with a right ankle sprain.

RHP Casey Sadler remains on the disabled list with a forearm strain.

RHP John Holdzkom returned to the Indians on Tuesday July 28th but was placed back on the disabled list on July 30th.

A look at next week:

The Indians spend the week on the road. They start Monday with a four-game series at Durham with the Bulls. Then, they head to Norfolk for a three-game weekend series with the Tides.

Next, we step down to Double-A Altoona.

Next: Watch Out For the Curve

Apr 15, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates baseball equipment sits in the dugout cubicle before the game against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Double-A Altoona Curve

The Altoona Curve went 4-3 over the last week. The Curve completed a three-game sweep of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Then they dropped the first three games to the Akron RubberDucks before winning the series finale on Sunday.

Eastern League West Division standings:

Bowie Baysox – 61-46

Altoona Curve – 58-51

Richmond Flying Squirrels – 55-52

Akron RubberDucks – 56-53

Harrisburg Senators – 53-56

Erie SeaWolves – 42-65

Players on the move:

1B Hunter Morris was sent from the Indianapolis Indians to the Altoona Curve on 8-1-2015.

INF Jacoby Jones was sent from the Bradenton Marauders to the Altoona Curve on 7-27-2015. As we told you here, JaCoby was then traded to the Detroit Tigers in the Pirates trade for Joakim Soria.

INF Erich Weiss was sent from the Bradenton Marauders to the Altoona Curve on 7-31-2015.

Players that stood out:

LHP Steven Brault had two wins this week. In the first win, he went six innings, allowing just two hits, one walk and nine strike outs. In the second win, he went six innings, allowing just two runs on four hits, four walks and six strike outs. Brault was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week!

INF Adam Frazier had seven hits, two RBIs, five strikeouts and one stolen base. He saw his average drop to .350.

OF Mel Rojas Jr is hitting .244 since being demoted to the Curve. He collected three hits, two RBIs, one walk and struck out three times this week.

2B Max Moroff saw his average drop slightly to .313. He collected seven hits, one RBI, four walks and seven strikeouts.

OF Stetson Allie had two hits, one RBI, two walks, three strikeouts and saw his average slide slightly to .199.

C Jacob Stallings had four hits, one RBI, one walk and one strikeout while lowering his average to .277.

INF Jose Osuna had seven hits, including a home run, two RBIs, one walk and three strikeouts. He is now hitting  .302.

RHP Jason Creasy suffered a loss this week while going six innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

RHP Chad Kuhl had two no decisions this week. He went eleven innings, allowing just four earned runs on ten hits, one walk and nine strike outs.

LHP Zack Dodson picked up his fifth win of the season. He went seven innings, allowing just two hits, two walks and a strike out.

A look at next week:

The Curve will enjoy the day off on Monday. Then they hit the road for three games at New Britian with the Rock Cats. Then they return home for a three game weekend series with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

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 4-3 over the past week. The Marauders picked up a win and two losses over in the remaining games of the series with the Clearwater Threshers.The Marauders then headed to Tampa where they took the first three games of the series with the Yankees before dropping the series finale.

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 – 24-12 (56-50)

Bradenton Marauders – 23-13 (55-51)

Fort Myers Miracle – 21-17 (59-49)

St. Lucie Mets – 19-17 (54-52)

Charlotte Stone Crabs – 16-18 (61-43)

Jupiter Hammerheads – 14-24 (49-59)

Players on the move:

INF Trace Tam Sing was sent from the West Virginia Power to the Bradenton Marauders on 7-31-2015.

OF Junior Sosa was sent from Pirates Extended Spring Training to the Bradenton Marauders on 7-27-2015.

Players that stood out:

OF Harold Ramirez  had seven hits, four RBIs, two walks and three stolen bases. His average is now .359.

OF Austin Meadows is now batting .303 after getting five hits, including a home run, three RBIs, two walks and two strikeouts.

C Reese McGuire had three hits and one RBI. His average is now .271.

LHP Cody Dickson leads the team with nine wins.

RHP Frank Duncan  leads the team with 83 strikeouts.

RHP Brett McKinney leads the team with nine saves.

A look at next week: The Marauders will enjoy a day off on Monday. Then they will host the Jupiter Hammerheads for three games before heading to Charlotte for three games with the Stone Crabs.

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 2-4.  The Tri-City ValleyCats put an end to the visiting Black Bears nine game winning streak. The ValleyCats swept the three game series. The Black Bears then headed to Connecticut to face the Tigers. The Black Bears took the first two games of the series before dropping the series finale.

For more on the Black Bears, You can find our series recaps for the series with the ValleyCats here and the series with the Tigers here.

New York-Penn League Pinckney Division:

Williamsport Crosscutters – 27-15

West Virginia Black Bears – 22-20

Auburn Doubledays – 20-21

State College Spikes – 20-21

Mahoning Valley Scrappers – 19-21

Batavia Muckdogs – 15-25

Players on the move:

INF Logan Ratledge was sent from the Bristol Pirates to the West Virginia Black Bears on 7-31-2015.

Ulises Montilla was released by the Pirates/Black Bears on 7-26-2015.

Players that stood out:

OF Logan Hill is currently hitting .321 with an OPS of .951. He had five hits, including two home runs, four RBIs, two walks and five strikeouts.

OF Ty Moore is currently hitting .306 with an OPS of .771. He had three hits, one RBI and two strikeouts.

C Daniel Arribas is currently hitting .287 with an OPS of .720. He had two hits, one RBI, one walk and five strikeouts.

1B Albert Baur is currently hitting .270. He had six hits, one RBI and two walks.

3B Kevin Kramer is currently hitting .218. He had two hits, two walks, and one strikeout.

SS Kevin Newman is currently hitting .224 . He had five hits, including a home run, two RBIs, one walk and four strikeouts.

2B Mitchell Tolman is currently hitting .250. He had three hits, one RBI, one walk, and one strikeout.

RHP JT Brubaker is tied for the team lead with four wins. He has thrown 36.1 innings.

RHP Dario Agrazal is tied for the team lead with four wins and has thrown fourty-seven innings.

RHP Jonathan Minier leads the team with thirty-four strikeouts.

LHP Andy Otamendi, RHP Julio Eusebio, LHP Sean Keselica are tied for the team lead with three saves each.

RHP Nick Hibbing leads the team with a 1.27 ERA. He has thrown 21.1 innings.

A Look At Next Week:

The Black Bears will return home on Monday to begin a home stand that features a three game series with the Auburn Doubledays. Then they will host a three game series with the State College Spikes. After spending most of the week at home, the Black Bears head to Williamsport for a three game series with the Crosscutters that starts on Sunday.

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:

-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie Bristol Pirates

The Bristol Pirates finished the week by going 4-3. The Pirates lost the series finale with the Pulaski Yankees. The Pirates then took two of three from the Greeneville Astros. The Pirates then took two of three from the Danville Braves.

Appalachian League West:

Greeneville Astros – 21-18

Johnson City Cardinals – 19-19

Elizabethton Twins – 19-20

Kingsport Mets – 19-20

Bristol Pirates – 17-20

Players on the move:

INF Logan Ratledge was moved from the Bristol Pirates to the West Virginia Black Bears.

A Look at Next Week:

The Bristol Pirates will enjoy an off day on Monday. The Pirates return to action Tuesday and play a three game series (away, home, away) with the Kingsport Mets. Then the Pirates travel to Greeneville for two games with the Astros before heading home to wrap up the week on Sunday by hosting the Greenville Astros for one game.

This has been the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report for August 3rd. Make sure to check back next Monday for our weekly trip around the Pirates’ minor league system!

Next: Black Bears/Tigers Recap