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 4, Yankees2 2
Starting Pitcher: Ramon Rodriguez, RHP (3.13) – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Top Hitter: Ramses Pena, 1B (.308) – 2-for-4, RBI, 2 SB
Other Notable Performers:
Julio de la Cruz, DH (.197) – 2-for-5, RBI, 2B
Tito Polo, LF (.315) – 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 SB
Andres Mendoza, RHP (1-0, 5.11) – 3.0 IP,4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
Johan De Jesus, SS (.185) – DNP
Pablo Reyes, SS (.338) – 1-for-4
Game Notes: After giving up 17 runs yesterday, the Pirates1 gave up just two runs to a lowly Yankees team, which has won just six games this year. With the win, the Pirates moved to one game over .500 through 25 games. Ramon Rodriguez pitched five solid innings and left with a 2-1 lead. Andres Mendoza gave up a run in the top of the seventh to tie the score, then the Pirates scored two runs in the bottom of the inning. Mendoza picked up his first win of the season and Oscar Calderin pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save. Tito Polo and Luis Benitez each stole two bases. Polo has 12 on the season, Benitez now has 11 steals. Julio de la Cruz has a four game hit streak, with three doubles, three walks and four RBI’s. Both Pirates teams have off on Sunday.
PIRATES2
Result: Cubs 8, Pirates 7
Starting Pitcher: Omar Basulto, LHP (3.80) – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Steven De La Mota, LF (.344) – 3-for-3, 2 BB, SB
Other Notable Performers:
Michael de la Cruz, CF (.312) – DNP
Edgar Figueroa, LF (.275) – 1-for-5
Carlos Munoz, 1B (.403) – 2-for-4, BB
Richard Mitchell, RHP (3.60) – 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Yoel Gonzalez, C (.137) – 2-for-5
Game Notes: The Pirates dropped to 12-12 on the season with a tough loss to the Cubs. At one point, the Pirates were up 7-1, but the Cubs scored seven unanswered runs, plating runs in four different innings for the win. Carlos Munoz had two hits to push his batting average back over the .400 mark. He is tied for the league lead in batting now and he ranks second with his 1.045 OPS. Top prospects Michael de la Cruz and Jhoan Herrera both had the game off. Yoel Gonzalez had two hits on the day. He came into the game with a .109 average(5-for-46).
Player Of The Day
During this past July 2nd signing period, the third highest bonus the Pirates handed out was to 16-year-old catcher Yoel Gonzalez. They gave him a $350,000 bonus due to his advanced defense, especially for his age. His bat however, was said to be well behind his glove. So far, that has proven to be true. Gonzalez still has a month before his 17th birthday, so it is hard to be too critical of his batting, especially at a position like catcher. He had his first multi-hit game on Saturday, the 15th game of his career. He’s hitting just .137 with a .407 OPS. One good sign with his bat is the fact that he has struck out just seven times in 51 AB’s. He has thrown out six of 23 attempted base stealers and he has yet to make an error. So far the defense has looked good and as long as the bat comes around, the high bonus will look like a steal.
