In Dominican League action from last night, Kris Johnson threw six shutout innings, allowing just one base hit, a third inning single with two outs. He also walked two and struck out three batters. Johnson has pitched brilliantly this DWL season, giving up just one earned run over 19.2 innings pitched. He has allowed only eight base hits, giving him a .127 BAA.
Alex Valdez went 0-for-4, dropping his average down to .289 through 128 AB’s. Valdez leads all Pittsburgh players with five homers during Winter/Fall League action.
Anderson Hernandez went 1-for-3, with a double, a runs scored, a walk and stolen base. He also struck out and made his eighth error of the season. Hernandez is hitting .297 on the DWL season, with 54 hits in 48 games. No other Pirates farmhand has played more than 40 games this off-season.
In Puerto Rico, Benji Gonzalez went 0-for-3, with a strikeout. He has .612 OPS over 17 games, going 10-for-38 at the plate with no extra-base hits.
In Venezuela, Luis Sanz pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks and he struck out one batter. Sanz threw 26 pitches total, 17 were for strikes. He has now pitched a total of 9.2 innings over his seven appearances, giving up just one run. Sanz has a 4.50 GO/AO ratio and a .176 BAA.
One note on the Adelaide Bite series this weekend in the Australian Baseball League. Sam Kennelly, the 16-year-old shortstop signed by the Pirates during this past July 2nd signing period, will make the trip with the Perth Heat, as they visit the Bite for the four-game series. Talking to Kennelly last night, he said he is looking forward to the upcoming series against other Pirates players, as well as seeing Tony Harris, who not only was the scout who signed him, but who also manages the Adelaide Bite. I will have more with Kennelly, who did an interview with us two weeks ago, after the series.
