Wednesday was probably the best day of system-wide starting pitching you could ask for.
First there was A.J. Burnett, who led the pitching staff in throwing a one-hitter. Not just a one-hitter, but a one-hitter against the best team in the division. James Santelli did a great job breaking down the start in this article.
Then there were the starters in the minors, who combined for 24.2 shutout innings. Those starters included top prospect Jameson Taillon, who threw seven shutout innings with six strikeouts. John Eshleman was at the game and has a report on the outing.
Nick Kingham, another top pitching prospect, also had a great outing. Kingham threw six shutout innings with two hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts.
John Kuchno is an interesting arm, and probably profiles more as a power reliever down the line. But he added five shutout innings this time around. Kyle Waldrop threw 6.2 shutout innings in a spot start for Indianapolis, extended his shutout streak to ten innings to start the year. Waldrop is an extreme ground ball pitcher, and could be a depth option for the Pirates at some point this year.
Casey Sadler threw yesterday in a game that was suspended and finished today. The day becomes even more impressive if you include his one run in seven innings.
Having the ace of your major league staff leading the team to a one-hitter is great. Having your second best pitching prospect and a potential top of the rotation starter throw seven shutout is also great. You always want to see a breakout candidate like Nick Kingham putting up strong results. And it’s good to see a prospect with a promising arm and a potential depth option for the 2013 season both have good outings. But to have all of that on the same day? That’s a day of pitching that you don’t see often.
Links and Notes
**The 2013 Prospect Guide and the 2013 Annual are both available on the products page of the site. If you order them together, you’ll save $5.
Prospects
**Prospect Watch: 24.2 Shutout Innings From Taillon, Kingham, Kuchno, and Waldrop.
**One day, two wins: Taillon, Lambo lead Curve to snap four-game skid.
**Minor League Schedule: 4/18/13.
**Prospect Notebook: Zack Von Rosenberg Switches to a Two-Seam Fastball.
Pirates
**Chris Leroux Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency.
**Pirates Pregame: Rodriguez Will Start Friday Against Braves.
**A.J. Burnett: Anatomy of a One-Hitter.
**Pirates Notebook: Top of the Lineup Heating Up.
