In the Dominican Saturday night, Stolmy Pimentel made his winter league debut as the starting pitching for Estrellas de Oriente. He went three innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, with four strikeouts.
Willy Garcia was in the opposing lineup against Pimentel. He walked in the only meeting between the two Pirates in the game. Garcia finished 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and a walk.
Mel Rojas Jr. was back in the lead-off spot and playing center field. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Rojas is 7-for-25 so far, with seven singles.
Alen Hanson came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and popped out to shortstop in his only at-bat. He stayed on and finished the game at second base. After reaching base six times in his first two games, he is 0-for-8 in the last three games.
There was one Pirates player we missed from the other day in the Dominican. Catcher Carlos Paulino made his debut Thursday night as a defensive replacement late in a one-sided game. He didn’t get a chance to bat. He is with Gigantes del Cibao.
In Venezuela, Junior Sosa went 0-for-2 with a walk. He was the only Pirates player in Venezuela to play on Saturday.
In Mexico, Dean Anna went 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and a walk. He is hitting .356 and has 16 hits and 13 walks in 11 starts.
Felipe Gonzalez made his sixth relief appearance. He recorded one out, allowed a single and threw a wild pitch. He has given up two runs in 6.2 innings.
Two more winter leagues begin play on Thursday, when the Australian Baseball League and the Puerto Rican winter league, which is called Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, get their seasons started. There will be Pirates players in both leagues, though the final rosters haven’t been announced yet.
