For a season preview of the Pittsburgh Pirates two Dominican Summer League teams, check out our article here. Throughout the year, we will provide the recaps of both teams, as well as highlight one player each day. 
PIRATES1
Result: Pirates 9, Angels 5
Starting Pitcher: Miguel Ferreras, RHP (0-1, 4.91) – 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Tito Polo, CF (.424) – 3-for-5, 3B, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Julio de la Cruz, 3B (.148) – 1-for-4, BB, 2 RBI
Carlos Ruiz, RHP (0.00) – 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Rodney Polonia, DH (.471) – 2-for-2, RBI, BB
Yunelky Adames, 1B (.208) – 1-for-3, BB, HR, RBI
Johan De Jesus, SS (.280) – 1-for-5, 2 RBI
Game Notes: Starter Miguel Ferreras allowed just one hit over his four innings and closer Carlos Ruiz struck out six batters over 2.2 innings without allowing a hit, as the Pirates1 beat the Angels on Tuesday. Ferreras walked four batters for the second straight start and has now posted an 8/8 BB/K line through 7.1 innings. Yunelky Adames became the first Pirates hitter from either team to reach three home runs. He actually has more homers than all of the other Pirates players combined. The Pirates2 team has yet to hit a homer. Tito Polo collected three hits and now has 14 on the season. He is third in the league in hits and eighth in batting average. Two top prospects, Michael de la Cruz and Johan De Jesus, each drove in two runs, their first career multi-RBI game.
PIRATES2
Result: Pirates 6, Yankees1 5
Starting Pitcher: Francis Rodriguez, RHP (0-0, 4.00) – 4.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Top Hitter: Ramy Perez, C (.444) – 2-for-3, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Michael de la Cruz, CF (.310) – 1-for-3, BB
Carlos Munoz, DH (.444) – 1-for-3, BB
Jhoan Herrera, 3B (.219) – 0-for-4
Christopher De Leon, RHP (3.60) – 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Game Notes: The Pirates started their season off with four straight losses, but they have now won four of their last five games. The offense was led by Ramy Perez, an 18-year-old catcher playing in just his third career game. He has hits and all three games and he has collected four RBI’s. Edgar Figueroa and Gustavo Barrios had the only other RBI’s for the Pirates. Michael de la Cruz has reached base in all nine games he’s played. The top prospect in the DSL for the Pirates has drawn a walk in eight of those games, while collecting nine base hits. Starter Francis Rodriguez allowed five runs(two earned) over the first three innings, before throwing a scoreless fourth. He was followed by two shutout innings from Alexander Gutierrez and three from Christopher De Leon.
Player Of The Day
You don’t see too many huge home run seasons in the DSL. Most of the players are younger and haven’t filled out and for the most part, they say the pitchers are more advanced than the batters. They will also see a high amount of breaking balls and plenty of pitchers who can’t find the strike zone. The old adage is you can’t walk off the island, so batters swing away, hoping to catch the eye of their major league team and get that trip to the states. With that in mind, it is impressive to note that Yunelky Adames has out-homered everyone else within the two Pirates affiliates combined. In fact, Pablo Reyes has the only other home run so far. So just where did Adames come from all of a sudden?
He is a 6’1″, 200 pound first baseman/designated hitter. He is a lefty and unfortunately for his prospect status, he is already 22-years-old and will turn 23 by the end of the season. Adames has been around for two seasons already, so he didn’t just pop onto the scene. The power surge early is a surprise though, he hit just one in his first two seasons combined(276 AB’s). There were some signs of power last year, as he hit 18 doubles and five triples. Despite the surge, for now he remains a non-prospect due to his age. There is only one other player older than him on his team and top prospect Michael de la Cruz is actually five years younger.
