For a season preview of the Pittsburgh Pirates two Dominican Summer League teams, check out our article here. For a recap of the DSL All-Star game, 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 7, Angels 2
Starting Pitcher: Miguel Ferreras, RHP (4.15) 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Dennis Hurtarte, 1B (.227) – 3-for-5, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Julio de la Cruz, DH (.204) – 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB
Jonathan Minier, RHP (1-0, 1.50) – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Johan De Jesus, SS (.195) – 1-for-3
Game Notes: The Pirates beat the Angels by a 7-2 score on Friday to win their 36th game of the season. They were down 2-1 after six innings before the bats woke up and put three runs on the board in both the seventh and ninth innings. The offense had 13 hits on the day, led by three apiece from Dennis Hurtarte and Reggie Cerda. Hurtarte has an eight game hit streak in which he is hitting .343 with five doubles. Reliever Jonathan Minier picked up his first career win with 3.1 scoreless innings. Seven different players scored runs for the Pirates.
PIRATES2
Result: Pirates 5, Braves 0
Starting Pitcher: Jose Batista, LHP (2.10) – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Ramy Perez, DH (.221) – 1-for-3, RBI, BB
Other Notable Performers:
Michael de la Cruz, CF (.299) – 0-for-3, 2 BB
Yoel Gonzalez, C (.174)- 0-for-4
Francis Rodriguez, RHP (2-4, 3.78) 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Jhoan Herrera, 3B (.243) – 0-for-3, RBI
Game Notes: The Pirates2 won for the tenth time in a row, improving their record to 40-23, with just over a week left in the season. They are a 1/2 game back in the wildcard standings and four games back of the Cubs in the division. The Cubs were on a streak, winning seven games in a row until a loss on Friday. Starter Jose Batista threw four shutout innings and Francis Rodriguez followed him with four shutout of his own to pick up the win. Batista has made nine starts this season, going 2-0, 1.16 in 39.1 innings and he hasn’t allowed more than one run in any start. In the ninth inning, reliever Alexander Gutierrez loaded the bases without recording an out before giving way to Andres Mendoza, who stranded all three runners to preserve the shutout. The Pirates hitters had just three hits in the game, but they reached nine times on walks. Michael de la Cruz is 0-for-15 in his last four games, though he has walked twice in each of the last two games.
Players Of The Day
In March of 2012, the Pirates signed three players out of Mexico, one of them being left-handed pitcher Omar Basulto. In 2011, he played pro ball in the Mexican League, getting into two games in relief. In his first season in the DSL, Basulto pitched strictly out of the bullpen, making 17 appearances. He pitched well, going 5-1, 1.74 in 46.2 innings. He had 44 strikeouts, a 1.16 GO/AO ratio and a .199 BAA. He returned to the DSL this season and became a starter. Basulto has pitched just as well in the extended role, going 3-3, 1.83 in 12 starts and one relief outing, which was actually him starting the completion of a suspended game. In 59 innings this year, he has 53 strikeouts, just 13 walks, with a 1.24 GO/AO ratio and a .207 BAA. As good as his season stats are, his last six games have been much better. Basulto has given up one earned run over his last 33.2 innings and he has also recorded 35 strikeouts over that time. He will be 20-years-old next year and seems like an obvious choice to move up to the GCL for the 2014 season.
