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 12, Rangers 4
Starting Pitcher: Jandy Vasquez, RHP (7.90) – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Deybi Garcia, C (.259) – 3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Julio de la Cruz, 3B (.184) – DNP
Marcus Beltrez, LHP (1-1, 0.79) – 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
Tito Polo, LF (.349) – 2-for-4, 3 RBI
Yomifer Polanco, DH (.276) – 1-for-2, 2 BB
Yunelky Adames, 1B (.226) – 1-for-2, 2 BB
Game Notes: Starter Jandy Vasquez had a tough outing against the Rangers, but the bullpen and offense were stellar, as the Pirates1 won 12-4 on Friday. Marcus Beltrez and Brayan Almonte combined for five shutout innings following Vasquez. The Pirates had 13 hits and seven walks to sweep the Rangers in the two game series, a team that came into the series with a 14-2 record. Yunelky Adames stole his seventh base and Tito Polo swiped his eighth. Polo now has 11 RBI’s on the year. Deybi Garcia scored four runs. Neither team made an error in this game, a rare occurrence in the DSL.
PIRATES2
Result: Brewers 8, Pirates 7
Starting Pitcher: Eduardo Vera, RHP (3.14) – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Steven De La Mota, LF (.306) – 2-for-5
Other Notable Performers:
Michael de la Cruz, DH (.281) – 0-for-2, 3 BB, 3 SB, RBI
Jhoan Herrera, 3B (.270) – 0-for-5
Yoel Gonzalez, C (.114) – DNP
Carlos Munoz, 1B (.418) – 1-for-4, RBI
Luis Brun, RHP (6.75) – 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
Game Notes: Starter Eduardo Vera had a strong outing, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the 5-0 lead he left them with, as the Pirates lost to a lowly Brewers team that has now won just four games. Luis Brun allowed five runs in his 1.1 innings and both Horelbin Ramos and Jesus Paredes allowed their first earned runs of the season. Paredes took the loss, allowing the winning run in the bottom of the ninth without recording an out. The Pirates went 8-for-8 in stolen bases, with Gustavo Barrios and Michael de la Cruz stealing three apiece. De la Cruz reached base three times, giving him 16 hits and 16 walks in his first 16 career games. Carlos Munoz saw his average drop 13 points due to a 1-for-4 game, but he took over the league lead in batting average. His 1.125 OPS is also the highest in the league.
Player Of The Day
When Dan Urbina first signed with the Pirates, I immediately thought the name sounded familiar and it did for good season, his dad is the pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League for the Pirates. Despite the family relation, he wasn’t just signed as a favor to his father. The 19-year-old righty has good size at 6’3″, but the numbers didn’t lie when he signed, at 158 pounds, he still had plenty of room to fill out.
As one of the youngest players on the team in 2011, he spent the season in the Venezuelan League and struggled, going 1-1, 7.17 in three starts and six relief appearances. He shifted over to the DSL in 2012 and saw much more action, getting 12 starts and one relief outing. Urbina went 2-2, 4.42 in 53 innings. He lowered his BAA from .309 in 2011 down to .266 last year. This season, he has started off strong through four starts, though he seems to be relying heavily on the pitch to contact theory. In 19.2 innings, he is 3-0, 2.75, with a .197 BAA. He has also been getting more groundballs than in the past, although he has picked up just six strikeouts. He is still young enough to be considered a possible prospect, especially if he fills out more and is able to keep up the early pace he has set.
