Matt Morris Report: Clay Holmes returns

The West Virginia Power were off.

-- Clayton Richard got knocked around as Indianapolis lost to Gwinnett, 6-3.  Richard gave up four runs, three earned, and ten hits in six innings.  He walked one and struck out three.  Blake Wood gave up two runs, one earned, in an inning of relief.  He's given up seven earned runs in his last nine innings.  Brent Morel was 2-4 with his fifth HR and John Bowker 2-4 with a double.  Willy Garcia was 1-3.

-- Altoona lost to Erie, 4-3.  Chad Kuhl gave up two runs in seven innings on five hits and two walks.  He struck out three.  Adam Frazier and Gift Ngoepe each went 2-4.  Frazier is now hitting .350.  Josh Bell was 1-4.

-- Bradenton beat Charlotte, 7-3, in ten innings.  Starter Jayson Aquino gave up two runs in seven innings on five hits and three walks.  He struck out six.  Former Pirate prospect Buddy Borden fanned eight over six innings.  Harold Ramirez went 3-5 with a double, a triple and four RBIs.  Reese McGuire was 2-3 with two walks and Jin-De Jhang 2-4.  Barrett Barnes was 1-3.  Austin Meadows continued to struggle, going 0-4.

-- The West Virginia Black Bears left 14 runners on base in a 3-1 loss to Williamsport.  Bret Helton gave up two runs over three innings in his pro debut.  He allowed five hits and a walk, and struck out none.  Mitchell Tolman went 2-4 and Danny Arribas 2-3.  Kevin Newman had a double in five at-bats.  Kevin Kramer was 0-2 and Casey Hughston 0-5.

-- Bristol dropped its season opener to Greenville, 7-6.  Starter Neil Kozikowski gave up three runs, two earned, in five innings.  He walked one and struck out two.  Trae Arbet, playing second, was 2-4 with two doubles.  Erik Lunde, an infielder who's been moved behind the plate, went 2-4 with a HR.  First baseman Carlos Munoz was 2-5 with two doubles.

-- Clay Holmes (pictured) returned to the mound for a rehab start with the GCL Pirates, whose game with the Blue Jays was suspended with the score tied, 3-3.  Holmes got through three scoreless innings, but ran into trouble in the 4th.  Overall, he allowed two runs on four hits in three and two-thirds innings.  He walked none and struck out two.  Originally, Jameson Taillon was set to make the start, but he's out for now with a lower ab strain.  Raul Siri and Jhoan Herrera were each 2-4 with a double.  Adrian Valerio was 1-4.

-- The DSL Pirates rallied for five runs in the bottom of the 8th to beat the Mets2, 5-4.  Mikell Granberry was 2-4 with two doubles, Yondry Contreras 1-3 and Christopher Perez 1-4.  Starter Raymond Rodriguez allowed just an unearned run and one hit in three innings, but he walked four.