The Dominican Summer League regular season ended on Saturday. Coverage of the team will continue on through the playoffs, which start of Monday.
PIRATES1
Result: Pirates 5, Rockies 0
Starting Pitcher: Christian Henriquez, LHP (4-1, 1.72) 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Rudy Guzman, LF (.275) – 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Dennis Hurtarte, 1B (.247) – 1-for-3, BB
Julio de la Cruz, DH (.199) – 1-for-3, BB
Jonathan Minier, RHP (1.35) – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Johan De Jesus, SS (.190) – 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Game Notes: The Pirates1 had just one hit in Friday’s game against the Rockies. On the last day of the season they turned the tables, one-hitting the Rockies in a 5-0 shutout. Christian Henriquez finished his season with a 1.72 ERA in 62.2 innings. Dennis Hurtarte reached base twice, finishing August with a .348 average and .929 OPS in 19 games. Julio de la Cruz fell one AB short of hitting .200, but he was still able to collect 37 RBI’s on 42 hits. Luis Benitez stole his 33rd base. Christopher De Leon pitched the ninth inning, finishing out his DSL career. He is a fourth year player and either needs to be promoted to the States or released.
PIRATES2
Result: Orioles2 3, Pirates 1
Starting Pitcher: Jesus Paredes, RHP (2.34) – 3.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Michael de la Cruz, CF (.292) – 1-for-2, 2 BB
Other Notable Performers:
Alexander Gutierrez, LHP (7.62) – 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Jhoan Herrera, 3B (.238) – 2-for-3
Game Notes: The Pirates2 won the Wildcard on Friday when they won the second game of their doubleheader against the Orioles2. They finished a half game ahead of the Mets2 in the Wildcard standings, thanks to a rainout the Mets2 had this Thursday against the Rangers. The game won’t be made up, so that gave the Pirates the half game they needed to make the playoffs. The Pirates2 rested some of the regular on Saturday and cleared out the back end of the bullpen, getting work for some seldom used players. The playoffs start Monday on the road against the Tigers in a best of three series. Michael de la Cruz really slumped last week, dropping his average below .300 after going six straight games without a hit. He seems to be back on track at the right time, finishing his season with five hits and three walks in his last three games. In 62 games this year, he reached base 123 times by either hit, HBP or walk.
