The minor league games with the Pirates were cancelled today due to rain along the coast.  It must have been heavier in the Bradenton area, because Group 5 was able to play their scheduled game against the Canadian Junior National Team.  Groups 1 and 2 worked out on one of the fields and Groups 3 and 4 played an intra-squad game.  Kyle Kendrick pitched for Group 3, Carlos Ruiz, caught, and Cesar Hernandez played third base.  Innings started with different on base scenarios and Ruiz and Hernandez batted in most innings.

Kendrick missed a throwing session yesterday due to the flu.  He threw 5 respectable innings today.  Group 4 managed a few opposite field singles, but were generally over-matched when he threw his off-speed stuff.  Jan Hernandez made a great diving catch but left the game afterwards.

I watched 7 innings.  Here is a summary:

Top of the 1^st; runner on first, Kendrick pitching

• Ruiz threw out the runner attempting to steal second base.
• J. P. Crawford grounded out to second.
• Andrew Pullin lined a single to right and later stole second base.
• Larry Greene struck out looking.

Bottom of the 1^st; runner on first, Ethan Stewart pitching

• Deivy Grullon threw out the runner attempting to steal second base.
• Jiandido Tromp worked a base on balls.
• Cesar Hernandez hit a home run to right center field.
• Ruiz took a called strike down the middle belt high.  When Stewart tried the same pitch, Ruiz lined it up the middle into center field.
• Dylan Cozens followed with a single to center.
• Zach Green  flied out ot center.
• Hilton Richardson flied out to center.

Top of the 2^nd; nobody on, Kendrick pitching

• Grullon grounded out to short.
• Jan Hernandez singled to left but was thrown out by Ruiz on a steal attempt.
• Herlis Rodriguez struck out swinging.
• Jonathan Knight struck out swinging (yes, that’s 4 outs.  Sometimes they extend innings to get the pitcher more work.)

Bottom of the 2^nd; runners on second and third, Stewart pitching

• Logan Pierce singled to left driving in a run.  The second runner scored and Pierce advanced to second when first baseman (Jesus Posso) cut off the throw from left and threw errantly behind Pierce at first.
• C. Hernandez moved the runner to third with a chopper to first.
• Ruiz chopped out to short, but the runner didn’t attempt to score.
• Mora bunted for a single, Grullon fielded the bunt , but the run scored when no one covered home.  Mora reached first without a throw.
• Sam Dove singled to right center.
• Tromp flied out to right.

Top of the 3^rd; nobody on, Kendrick pitching

• Posso singled to right field.
• Malquin Canelo singled to right field.  Cozens charged the ball but let it roll under his glove.  One runner scored, runners on second and third.
• Crawford drove in a run with a drag bunt that the first baseman fielded but Crawford beat Kendrick to first by a wide margin.
• Pullin hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
• L. Greene flied out to center field.

Bottom of the 3^rd; C. Hernandez is the runner on first, Stewart pitching

• Hernandez stole second without a throw when Grullon dropped the ball.
• Cozens singled up the middle, Hernandez stopped at third.
• Green fouled off 5 2-strike pitches then singled to right center, Cozens to third.
• Ruiz hit a deep sac fly to center to score the run.
• Inning called

Top of the 4^th; nobody on, Kendrick pitching

• Grullon struck out looking.
• J. Hernandez grounded out to short.
• Rodriguez struck out looking.
• Knight flied out to left.
• Posso grounded out to third.  (Yep, 5 outs.)

Bottom of the 4^th; runner on second, Alejandro Arteaga pitching

• Runner scored after stealing third and a throwing error by the catcher.
• Richardson flied out to left.
• C. Hernandez singled to center.
• Ruiz reached on a throwing error by third baseman, Jan Hernandez
• Pierce popped up to third in foul territory.
• Inning called.  NOTE: J. Hernandez made an acrobatic catch, lunging to catch the Pierce pop up as the wind pulled it back toward fair territory.  He may have been injured when landing on his left side with his arm fully extended.  He left the field after a minute or so under his own power, but was replaced by Robinson Torres next inning.

Top of the 5^th; nobody on, Kendrick pitching

• Canelo grounded out to short.
• Crawford reached on an infield single to third (C. Hernandez made a good play to his backhand).
• Pullin struck out looking.
• L. Greene grounded out on a hard one hopper to first.

Bottom of the 5^th; runners on first and third, Arteaga pitching

• Runner stealing second was caught in a run down and the runner from third was thrown out at the plate.
• Mora popped out to short.
• Dove flied out to deep left center.
• Ruiz grounded out to third.

Top of the 6^th; nobody on, Yacksel Rios pitching

• Grullon flied out to left.
• Torres flied out to right.
• Rodriguez and Knight struck out swinging.

Bottom of the 6^th; nobody on, Arteaga pitching

• Tromp flied out to left.
• C. Hernandez grounded out to second.
• Ruiz struck out swinging on a nice curve from Arteaga.

Top of the 7^th; runner on first, Rios pitching

• The runner stole second, new catcher Gabriel Lino had a slow release to second.
• Jake Sweaney grounded out to third.  With the fielder moving to his left, the runner took to third.
• Posso lifted a sac fly to right to drive in the run.
• Canelo popped out to the catcher.
• Crawford flied out to right.

Bottom of the 7^th; runner on first, Julio Reyes pitching

• Pierce laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached first when the pitcher hit him in the back with the throw.  The runners advanced a base.
• Lino flied out to right.
• C. Hernandez picked up an RBI on a single. Pierce was caught in a rundown and thrown out at the plate.
• Carlos Tocci doubled to deep right center.  (Perhaps the hardest hit ball I’ve seen by Tocci this spring.  One of the coaches standing behind me opined that the wind might have helped.)
• Z. Green struck out swinging.

Camp day tomorrow.  I’m going to the Phillies-Yankees game at Bright House.