Six games on the schedule today. Altoona was rained out last night for the second day in a row. They will play a doubleheader today. Nick Kingham will now start on Sunday. Indianapolis has a doubleheader tonight to make up for their Opening Day rainout. Check out the Prospect Watch from last night. For a look at possible starters down the line, check out our Probable Starter Chart.
AAA: Indianapolis (1-0) @ Columbus (0-1) 3:05pm DH
Probable starter: Jake Brigham (NR) and Brandon Cumpton (NR)
Yesterday’s Result: Indianapolis 2, Columbus 1 in 10 innings
Brandon Cumpton will get a start during today’s doubleheader. He pitched for Altoona, Indianapolis and for the Pirates last season. In the majors, he made five starts and one relief appearance and had a 2.05 ERA over 30.2 innings. Between both minor league stops, he made 21 starts(two for Altoona) and two relief outings. He threw a total of 122 innings, posting a 3.62 ERA, with 97 strikeouts, a 2.43 GO/AO ratio and a .255 BAA. Jake Brigham will get the other start today. He spent eight years in the Texas Rangers organization(with a brief stint in the Cubs system in 2012) before signing with the Pirates as a minor league free agent this Winter. Last year was the first time Brigham played in AAA. He made 18 starts and eight relief appearances for Round Rock, posting a 4.51 ERA over 113.2 innings. Check out the Indianapolis season preview.
AA: Altoona (0-0) vs Erie (0-0) 4:30pm DH
Probable starter: A.J. Morris (NR) and Adrian Sampson (NR)
Yesterday’s Result: Altoona was rained out
Adrian Sampson will make his Altoona debut today. He pitched for Bradenton last year, throwing a total of 140 innings over 25 starts and one relief appearance. Sampson gave up 177 hits, 18 homers and 22 walks. He had 85 strikeouts, a 1.11 GO/AO ratio and a .310 BAA. Due to the doubleheader, A.J. Morris will get a spot start for Altoona today. He spent last season with the Tennessee Smokies(Cubs) of the Southern League. Morris made ten starts and 21 relief appearances, posting a 4.75 ERA over 72 innings. He was a fourth round pick in 2009 of the Washington Nationals and the Pirates picked him up during the minor league portion of the Rule V draft in December. Check out the Altoona season preview.
High-A: Bradenton (1-1) vs Charlotte (1-1) 6:30pm
Probable starter: John Kuchno (NR)
Yesterday’s Result: Bradenton 9, Charlotte 1
John Kuchno will get the start for Bradenton tonight. He pitched last year for West Virginia, where he made 22 starts and two relief appearances. Kuchno had a 4.01 ERA over 123.1 innings. He allowed 124 hits, seven homers and 45 walks, while striking out 89 batters. Kuchno had a .266 BAA and an impressive 2.29 GO/AO ratio. Check out the Bradenton season preview.
Low-A: West Virginia (1-1) @ Lexington (1-1) 4:05pm
Probable starter: Cody Dickson (NR)
Yesterday’s Result: Lexington 3, West Virginia 2 (game one) West Virginia 6, Lexington 4 (game two)
Cody Dickson will make his season debut this afternoon. He was drafted by the Pirates in the fourth round last year. Dickson made 14 starts for Jamestown last season, posting a 2.37 ERA over 57 innings. He gave up 42 hits, three homers and 24 walks, while striking out 59 batters. Dickson had a 0.91 GO/AO ratio and a .209 BAA. He is a 21-year-old left-hander out of Sam Houston State. Check out the West Virginia season preview.
Recent Transactions
4/4: Stetson Allie added to Altoona roster. Junior Sosa transferred to Jamestown roster.
4:4 Kenn Kasparek and Quinton Miller placed on disabled list. Brandon Mann added to Altoona roster.
3/29: Quincy Latimore and Erick Fernandez released.
3/27: Traded a player to be named later in exchange for Keon Broxton.
3/25: Acquired Vance Worley in exchange for cash.
3/22: Six minor league players released. Carlos Mesa, Cesar Lopez, Axel Diaz, Elvin Ramirez, Kirk Singer and Eliecer Navarro.
3/20 Zac Fuesser, Ethan Hollingsworth, Kevin Kleis and Dalton Friend released.
