Flashback: Pittsburgh Pirates

April 5 -- Nyjer Morgan went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in his Triple-A debut, helping Indianapolis to a 6-1 victory over Columbus. Morgan, the Pirates' 33rd-round pick in 2002, led off and played center field. A month later (May 4), Morgan scored on a straight steal of home against Pawtucket, though the Red Sox went on to a 5-4 victory in 11 innings. Morgan walked to lead off the game and went to second on a groundout. With Jose Hernandez batting, Morgan stole third and on the next pitch stole home. The 6-foot, 170-pound outfielder played at three Minor League levels before joining the Pirates in September.

April 13 -- Bryan Bullington allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings to earn his first win in 20 months as Indianapolis defeated Richmond, 6-2. He walked four and had three strikeouts. Bullington, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft, missed the entire 2006 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. The 6-foot-4 right-hander went on to win his first five decisions before suffering a loss.

April 19 -- Altoona right-hander Kip Bouknight gave up one hit over seven scoreless innings as the Curve defeated the Bowie Baysox, 3-1. Ryan Hubele singled with one out in the third for the only hit off Bouknight, who walked five and struck out three.

April 23 -- Ryan Doumit of Indianapolis was named the International League Offensive Player of the Week (for the week of April 16-22). Doumit batted .423 (11-for-26) with two home runs, 11 RBIs and six runs scored. One of his two home runs was a grand slam.

April 27 -- Jonel Pacheco hit three home runs -- all solo shots -- to lead Hickory to a 6-5 victory over Greensboro. Pacheco went deep in the second, sixth and eighth innings. The last of his dingers proved to be the deciding run.

April 29 -- Steven Pearce of Lynchburg was named the Carolina League Offensive Player of the Week. Pearce went 15-for-31 (.484) with eight home runs, 16 RBIs and 10 runs scored in seven games. He had at least two hits in each game he played.

May 2 -- Todd Redmond and Luis Valdez combined on a one-hit shutout as Lynchburg blanked Kinston, 2-0. Redmond went seven innings and gave up the Indians' only hit, a one-out single to John Drennen in the fourth inning. Redmond struck out five. Valdez did not allow a hit in two innings of relief to earn the save.

May 8 -- Cuban defector Serguey Linares surrendered just one hit over six innings in his Minor League debut, but Hickory needed 11 innings to secure a 5-4 victory over Delmarva. Linares didn't allow a hit until Christopher Vinyard led off the fifth with a double. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out four and left the game with a 3-1 lead.

May 13 -- John Van Benschoten of Indianapolis was named the International League Pitcher of the Week and Luis Munoz of Altoona was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. Van Benschoten was 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two starts. He gave up one run on 11 hits in 14 innings and had seven strikeouts. Munoz went 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA in two starts. He allowed one run on six hits in 12 1/3 innings and had 17 strikeouts. Both pitchers would claim the honor again in August. Earlier in the season (April 25), Munoz pitched a one-hitter through 8 1/3 innings, striking out seven without issuing a walk, as the Curve went on to a 9-1 victory over Bowie.

May 15 -- Prized prospect Neil Walker went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and finished a triple shy of the cycle as Altoona defeated Portland, 6-2. Walker smacked a leadoff home run in the fifth, had two singles and ripped an RBI double before scoring in the eighth.

May 21 -- Brad Corley had a career-high six RBIs, including a three-run homer, to lead Lynchburg to a 10-2 victory over Frederick. Corley had a bases-loaded double that brought in three runs in the third inning and went yard in the ninth.

May 24 -- Nick Green slugged two home runs and had a career-high five RBIs, propelling Indianapolis to an 8-5 victory over Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Green belted a grand slam in the fifth inning after connecting for a solo shot in the second. Down the road in Lynchburg, James Boone hit a walk-off home run to give the Hillcats a 6-5 victory over Potomac in the first game of what would become a doubleheader sweep. Boone crushed a three-run dinger with one out in the bottom of the seventh for the win. He also hit a two-run blast in the second game, a 6-0 victory for Lynchburg.
Audio: Nick Green slams Scranton

May 27 -- Jason Delaney of Lynchburg was named the Carolina League Offensive Player of the Week. Delaney batted .517 (15-for-29) with three home runs, 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He also crushed a grand slam that helped the Hillcats to a 5-1 victory over Frederick.

June 7 -- Steven Pearce and Neil Walker each had four hits to lead Altoona to a 13-6 victory over New Britain. Pearce was 4-for-5 and tied his career high with five RBIs. Walker went 4-for-6 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. The Curve totaled 19 hits, two off the franchise record of 21. Jason Bowers also established a franchise record by drawing five walks in the game.
Audio: Neil Walker doubles in two for Altoona

June 9 -- Veteran reliever Masumi Kuwata was promoted from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh to become the first Japanese player to wear a Pirates uniform. The 39-year-old right-hander pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the Indians before his promotion.

June 12 -- Brett Roneberg and Steven Pearce each hit two home runs and Altoona waited out a 90-minute power outage during the seventh inning at Blair County Ballpark to overcome New Britain, 13-3. Roneberg smacked a solo shot in the first inning and a two-run dinger in the fourth. Pearce belted a three-run homer in the third and went back-to-back with Roneberg in the fourth. Pearce continued his torrid June the next night (June 13), hitting a grand slam and equaling a season high with five RBIs to lead Altoona to a 12-7 victory over New Britain. He capped a six-run fourth inning with a sacrifice fly and went deep in the seventh.
Audio: Pearce plates four with one swing

June 18 -- Shane Youman of Indianapolis was named the International League Pitcher of the Week. Youman went 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA in two starts. He permitted one run on 10 hits in 15 1/3 innings and had 16 strikeouts.

June 25 -- Mike Ryan of Indianapolis was named the International League Offensive Player of the Week after batting .481 (13-for-27) with two home runs, five RBIs and seven runs scored. Ryan came into the week batting .217, but then strung together five multi-hit games to raise his average to a season-high .259.

June 28 -- Lynchburg left fielder James Boone went 4-for-5 with two home runs and a career-high five RBIs to lead the Hillcats to a 14-5 victory over Wilmington. Boone smacked a solo shot in the first inning and launched a two-run blast in the sixth. Jamie Romak also hit two home runs in the game for Lynchburg.

June 29 -- Jared Keel blasted two home runs and had five RBIs for the second time in three days as Hickory outslugged Asheville, 13-8. The third baseman hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning and walloped a three-run dinger in the eighth. The outburst gave Keel four home runs and 14 RBIs in his last six games, propelling him to South Atlantic League Offensive Player of the Week honors. Two other Pirates prospects also earned that award for the week of June 25 to July 1, Steven Pearce of Altoona in the Eastern League and Brad Corley of Lynchburg in the Carolina League. Pearce batted .500 (12-for-24) with two home runs and nine RBIs and hit safely in seven games. Corley batted .414 (12-for-29) with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Keel played in just four games that week, but batted .636 (7-for-11) with four home runs and 12 RBIs, including his pair of five-RBI games.

July 2 -- Matthew Foust, Taylor Cameron and Ronald Uviedo combined on a two-hit shutout as State College edged Batavia, 1-0. Foust went six innings and gave up just a third-inning single while striking out eight. Cameron fanned three in two innings and Uviedo pitched a perfect ninth for the save. The Spikes got their only run in the eighth, when Andrew Walker scored on a wild pitch by Batavia reliever Davis Bilardello. Two days later (July 4), Michael Ambrose was hit by a pitch with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to give State College a 7-6 victory over Williamsport. It was the ninth win in a row for the Spikes. Ambrose had doubled and homered earlier in the game.
Audio: Ambrose gets drilled, 'drives' in game-winner

July 7 -- Hickory reliever Olivo Astacio struck out six consecutive Greensboro batters in the ninth and 10th innings as the Crawdads defeated the Grasshoppers, 5-4, in 12 innings. Astacio struck out the first batter he faced on July 9 to give him seven consecutive strikeouts before Adam Howard grounded out to end the streak.

July 11 -- Kyle Bloom of Lynchburg had his best outing of the season, working a season-high eight innings of shutout ball as his Hillcats pounded the Frederick Keys, 11-1. Bloom scattered three hits and allowed three walks while fanning five. His efforts earned him the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week award (for the week of July 9-15). Bloom's teammate, Jamie Romak, received the league's Offensive Player of the Week award for the same span. Romak batted .533 (8-for-15) with two home runs, six RBIs and seven runs scored during a four-game sweep of Northern Division-rival Frederick.

July 18 -- Jason Delaney went 5-for-5 as Altoona rapped out a season-high 20 hits and rolled to a 10-4 victory over Bowie. Two nights after collecting his first four-hit game of the season, Delaney had four singles and a double, making him 10-for-13 in three games as he added an Eastern League Offensive Player of the Week award to the Carolina League honors he earned in May.

July 20 -- Adam Boeve smacked a walk-off home run to lift Indianapolis to a 5-4 victory over Durham. Boeve connected off reliever Seth McClung to lead off the bottom of the ninth for his third hit of the night and second home run in 10 games with the Indians.
Audio: Boeve bruises Bulls with walk-off homer

July 26 -- Dustin Craig and Henry Cabrera combined on a five-hit shutout as Hickory blanked Lake County, 8-0, to extend its winning streak to 10 games. Cabrera allowed a hit and a walk while striking out nine in four innings to earn his first save. The 6-foot-4 right-hander collected a win earlier in the week after tossing a scoreless eighth inning, and his combined five innings of one-hit, 10-strikeout pitching brought him South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honors. Meanwhile, up in Lynchburg, Jose Diaz claimed the same award for the Carolina League as he went 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 11 innings in his first two Class A Advanced starts.

July 28 -- Michael Tejera pitched his first complete game in nearly a decade as Indianapolis rolled to a 7-1 victory over Charlotte. Tejera, a 30-year-old left-hander, gave up one run on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Tejera's last complete game came in 1998 for Double-A Portland.

Aug. 1 -- Pedro Powell stole four bases and Lynchburg had seven stolen bases as a team without being caught, but lost to Frederick, 10-6. Angel Gonzalez stole two bases and Tripper Johnson had the other.

Aug. 5 -- Greg Picart of Lynchburg was named Carolina League Offensive Player of the Week. Picart batted .364 (8-for-22) with two home runs, nine RBIs and a .909 slugging percentage. He had two triples and four RBIs in an 11-4 victory over Frederick.

Aug. 12 -- Jonel Pacheco hit two home runs and Kent Sakamoto drove in five runs as Hickory defeated Columbus, 17-3. The Crawdads hit six roundtrippers and pounded out a total of 19 hits in the game. Hickory pitchers also held Columbus' Ryan Royster without a home run. Royster had gone yard in each of the previous six games.

Aug. 12 -- John Van Benschoten of Indianapolis was named the International League Pitcher of the Week and Michael Crotta of Hickory was named the Pitcher of the Week in the South Atlantic League. Van Benschoten went 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in two starts, allowing one run on 10 hits and had 11 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. Crotta was 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two starts. He gave up one run on six hits and had seven strikeouts in 12 innings.

Aug. 15 -- Luis Ordaz clubbed a walk-off home run to lead off the 11th inning and give Indianapolis a 3-2 victory over Louisville. Ordaz was the first batter faced by Louisville reliever Ricky Stone. The next night (Aug. 16), Steven Pearce, playing at his third different level in 2007, slugged two home runs and had a career-high six RBIs to lead Indianapolis to a 9-1 victory over Durham at Victory Field. Pearce blasted two-run dingers in the first and third innings, and added a two-run double in the fifth.
Audio: Ordaz beats Bats with walk-off blast in 11th
Video: Steven Pearce drills a two-run shot in the first
Video: Pearce connects again in the third

Aug. 24 -- Pinch-hitter Danilo Sanchez hit a walk-off home run to give the Crawdads a 12-11 victory over West Virginia. Sanchez came up with one out and a runner on third and took Power reliever Donovan Hand deep for his third home run.

Aug. 25 -- Jose Hernandez slugged a pair of home runs and had six RBIs, powering Indianapolis to a 7-2 victory over Toledo. Hernandez, cranked a two-run shot in the fourth inning and blasted a grand slam in the sixth. The six RBIs were one short of the seven he had in a game with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001. Nearly a month earlier (July 31), Hernandez, a veteran of 1,587 Major League games, hit a walk-off home run as Indianapolis scored all of its runs in the ninth inning for a 5-3 victory over Durham. Hernandez connected for the third round-tripper of the inning for the Indians. Michael Ryan led off the ninth with a homer and Brad Eldred tied the score with a two-run blast before Hernandez came up with one out and a runner on.
Audio: Jose Hernandez's slam extends Indians lead

Aug. 31 -- Kristopher Watts crushed a grand slam and had six RBIs as Hickory defeated Asheville, 14-4, to complete a doubleheader sweep and clinch the second-half Northern Division title in the South Atlantic League. Watts ripped a two-run double in the third inning and clubbed the grand slam in a five-run sixth. The Crawdads scored in all seven innings of the game. The following night (Sept. 1), Bobby Kingsbury homered and drove in five runs as Hickory defeated Lexington, 11-5. Kingsbury tripled home two runs in the sixth and belted a three-run dinger in the seventh, as the Crawdads erased a 5-0 deficit.

Sept. 3 -- Luis Munoz of Altoona was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week and Jonel Pacheco of Hickory was named South Atlantic League Offensive Player of the Week. Munoz went 2-0 without giveing up an earned run in two starts. He permitted 11 hits and had 10 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. Pacheco batted .480 (12-for-25) with three home runs, nine RBIs and 11 runs scored. He had five straight multi-hit games.

Sept. 7 -- Jonel Pacheco of Hickory blasted two home runs and had seven RBIs as the Crawdads defeated West Virginia, 13-7, in Game 2 of the best-of-three South Atlantic League first-round playoffs. The following night, (Sept. 8), Pacheco and Jim Negrych each went 2-for-4, but Hickory was eliminated from the SAL playoffs after losing Game 3 to West Virginia, 9-4.
Audio: Jonel Pacheco cranks two three-run homers