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: Marlins 4, Pirates 2
Starting Pitcher: Miguel Ferreras, RHP (4.50) – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Tito Polo, CF (.320) – 2-for-4, 3B, SB
Other Notable Performers:
Julio de la Cruz, DH (.198) – 0-for-5
Jherson Esqueda, RHP (1-1, 2.08) – 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Johan De Jesus, SS (.167) – 0-for-3, BB
Game Notes: Miguel Ferreras had a strong outing, giving up just two hits and no walks in his five innings, but the Pirates defense let them down today in a loss to the Marlins. Two errors by Johan De Jesus and one by pitcher Jherson Esqueda, led to all four Marlins runs being unearned. De Jesus has now made 15 errors on the season. Esqueda took the loss, the first of his career. Tito Polo hit his third triple of the season and stole his 16th base. The Pirates1 rank 12th in the DSL in team batting average at .236 and their .653 team OPS is the 13th best in the 35 team league.
PIRATES2
Result: Pirates 4, Mets1 2
Starting Pitcher: Eduardo Vera, RHP (2.63) – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Michael de la Cruz, CF (.323) – 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
Other Notable Performers:
Jhoan Herrera, 3B (.246) – 1-for-4, BB
Francis Rodriguez, RHP (1-3, 5.84) – 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Yoel Gonzalez, C (.138) – DNP
Game Notes: After losing four straight games, the Pirates won 4-2 over the Mets1 to move to 16-16 on the season. Down 2-0 going into the ninth inning, the Pirates scored four times, with the last two runs coming on a base loaded double from Edgar Figueroa. Eduardo Vera pitched five solid innings, allowing just two unearned runs. Jesus Paredes and Francis Rodriguez followed Vera and combined for four shutout innings. Rodriguez picked up the win. Michael de la Cruz reached base four times for the second straight game. In 28 games, he has 31 hits and 31 walks. The two teams combined for 25 strikeouts, 15 of those from Pirates hitters. The Pirates2 rank fifth in the DSL with a .253 team batting average and sixth with a .698 OPS. Jose Salazar returned to the lineup after missing three weeks with an ankle injury.
Player Of The Day
Jesus Paredes threw two scoreless innings for the Pirates2 team on Thursday. The 20-year-old 6’2″ lefty, has pitched 14 innings this season over his nine relief appearances. He is 1-2, 2.57, with eight walks, ten strikeouts, a .280 BAA and a 0.61 GO/AO ratio. Paredes is in his third season as a pro, his second in the DSL. He started in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2011 and had a tough time. In 12 games, he pitched 15.1 innings, posting a 7.04 ERA. Paredes had a .375 BAA and had some control problems, giving up 14 walks, while striking out just four batters.
In 2012, he moved to the DSL and had much more success, plus saw extra time on the mound. He threw 30 innings over 14 appearances, going 1-1, 2.40, with three saves. Paredes had a .204 BAA and struck out an impressive 35 batters. He has had trouble with giving up homers, allowing eight in 59.1 innings, a high total for the DSL. His GO/AO ratio was also poor in 2012(0.53), something that has continued into this season. To go further in the system, he will have to keep the ball down and in the ballpark. As a player who has pitched solely in relief, it is tough to make the jump to the states and have success without dominating the competition.
