Cannonballs coming: Gage Hinsz debuts with five shutout innings

-- Indianapolis (28-25) blew a 10-2 lead over Toledo, but eventually won, 16-11, in 13 innings.  Jameson Taillon gave up two quick runs in the first inning, but settled down and mostly breezed through the next five.  He gave up a third run in the seventh and left with one out.  For the game he allowed five hits and a walk, fanned seven, and threw 66 of 99 pitches for a strike.  His outing included fanning Casey McGehee on a couple of nasty curves with runners on first and third and one out.  It's really hard to see why Taillon would make any more starts in AAA.  After Taillon left, John Kuchno gave up three runs, but the Indians still had a 10-6 lead when Arquimedes Caminero came on in the ninth for his first rehab outing.  Caminero picked up right where he left off, walking the bases loaded and allowing a grand slam to tie the game.  Indy took the lead in the eleventh when Alen Hanson tripled and scored on an Adam Frazier single, but Jorge Rondon blew the lead.  The Indians finally won it with a five-run thirteenth, taking the lead for good when Hanson hit a three-run HR, his third HR of the season.  Hanson finished 3-7 with three runs and four RBIs.  Danny Ortiz drove in four runs with a triple and his seventh HR.  Trey Haley got the win with two scoreless innings of relief.  The only runner he allowed was on a hit batsman and he struck out one.  Others:

Frazier:  3-6, 2B, BB
Josh Bell:  2-7, 2B
Jason Rogers:  1-7
Willy Garcia:  3-7, 2B

-- Brandon Waddell didn't have a strong start, but Altoona (31-22) beat Binghamton, 7-4.  Waddell allowed seven singles, five of them in a three-run second inning.  Unlike his last start, his control was fine -- he threw 61 of 92 pitches for strikes -- but he had a little trouble putting hitters away and lasted only five innings.  He walked none and struck out six.  Montana DuRapau picked up the save with a strong outing; he threw two perfect innings and fanned five.  The Curve had mirror-image rallies in the first and third innings; in both innings, Anderson Feliz led off with a hit and scored on a triple by Austin Meadows, who then scored on an out (one grounder and one fly) by Jose Osuna.  Meadows finished 2-4 and seems to be taking the Pirates' gap-hitting approach very seriously.  He has eight triples in the equivalent of less than a quarter of a season.  Others:

Erich Weiss:  1-4
Reese McGuire:  1-4
Barrett Barnes:  2-4, 2B, 3B

-- Bradenton (30-24) had two huge innings in a 17-7 win over Lakeland.  The Marauders got seven runs in the second inning on six walks and a Chase Simpson grand slam, his third HR.  They wrapped the game up with a more conventional, eight-run seventh.  Connor Joe was 2-4 with a double and his third HR.  Austin Coley threw five shutout innings before losing the strike zone in the sixth and allowing four runs, three of them earned.  In five-plus innings he allowed four hits and five walks, and fanned five.  Others:

Kevin Kramer:  2-5
Jerrick Suiter:  2-6, 2 2B
Taylor Gushue:  1-5
Jordan Luplow:  1-2, 3 BB

-- Gage Hinsz (pictured) threw five shutout innings in his season debut, but West Virginia (29-25) lost to Augusta, 3-2.  Hinsz wasn't exceptionally efficient; he threw 47 of 84 pitches for strikes and had two wild pitches, but he gave up just three hits and two walks.  He fanned six.  Carlos Munoz was 2-4 with a double.  Others:

Mitchell Tolman:  0-3, BB
Ke'Bryan Hayes:  0-4
Daniel Arribas:  0-4

Note:  Pirates Prospects is reporting (sub. req'd) that the Power will go with a six-man rotation.  Rather than starting each pitcher every sixth day, though, they'll rotate skipping turns or giving a pitcher several extra days off.  That practice apparently will start with Mitch Keller, who was removed from the roster in a paper transaction to make room for Hinsz.  This will make it easier for the Pirates to manage the sharply increased workloads that Keller and Hinsz figure to have this season.