Matt Morris Report: Adrian Sampson impressive in Indianapolis loss

-- A seventh-inning grand slam by James Ramsey undid a strong start by Adrian Sampson as Indianpolis lost 5-4. With the wind blowing out, Gorkys Hernandez hit a towering solo homer (!) in the first, but Indy otherwise failed to get anything going against veteran lefty Bruce Chen.

Sampson pitched six scoreless innings, striking out six and walking two. He benefited from some good defense (Mel Rojas made a terrific catch near the wall in left to prevent an extra-base hit, and Elias Diaz gunned down a runner at second) and from a couple hard-hit balls going foul. But it was a strong outing for Sampson, who pounded the strike zone with fastballs in the 91-92 range and generally looked like the competent back-end type the Pirates likely hope he'll become.

Anyway, what followed was a familiar theme in minor-league baseball -- relievers for both teams arrived and completely changed the complexion of the game. Deolis Guerra struggled in the seventh, and Bobby LaFromboise eventually gave up the grand slam. Indianapolis wasn't done, though, as Deibinson Romero hit a two-run double down the left-field line in the in the ninth, and Brent Morel brought him home with a double to deep left-center. Austin Adams then walked Hunter Morris and Rojas to load the bases before getting Steve Lombardozzi to fly out.

-- Altoona completed yesterday's game, losing 6-3 to Harrisburg. Max Moroff went 3-for-4 with a triple and two doubles, and Willy Garcia went 2-for-3. Most of Harrisburg's runs came against the Curve's relievers. Starter Angel Sanchez allowed one run over four innings, striking out three and walking none.

-- Altoona then beat Harrisburg 2-1 in seven innings. Jason Creasy pitched six strong innings, striking out five and walking none while allowing a single earned run, his first of the season. Sebastian Valle homered in the fifth.

-- Bradenton lost 8-3 to Charlotte. Frank Duncan pitched six quality innings for the Marauders, with most of the Stone Crabs' damage coming against relievers Brett McKinney and Ryan Hafner. Jin-De Jhang went 3-for-3 with a double, raising his average to .519. Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire each went 0-for-4.

-- West Virginia beat Kannapolis 5-3 in the first of two games today. Elvis Escobar went 2-for-3 with a double, and Jordan Luplow tripled and drew two walks. John Sever allowed three runs in four innings, marking one of the tougher outings he's had in what's been a dominant career in the low minors so far.

-- The Power lost 2-1 in the second game. Jose Regalado gave up one run and struck out four in three innings. Tito Polo! doubled and Chase Simpson went 2-for-3, but the West Virginia offense managed just six hits.