Thanksgiving was a very slow day for winter ball, so I’ll quickly go over what happened that day, then add some stats and thoughts below in Friday’s recap.
In Venezuela on Thursday, Jose Osuna went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer. It was his fourth homer of the season.
A.J. Morris threw a scoreless inning, allowing one hit. He has a 3.09 ERA in 23.1 innings over 12 appearances.
Elvis Escobar struck out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of his team’s 7-5 loss.
Friday’s Action
In Venezuela on Friday, Patrick Johnson made his second start since being purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates last week. Coming into the game, he had a 1.08 ERA through eight starts, with a .240 BAA and 37 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. On Friday, he lasted just three innings, allowing three earned runs on one hit and four walks, with three strikeouts.
Jose Osuna went 1-for-4 with a single to extend his hit streak to eight games. Despite the streak, he has seen his season average drop because he has collected one hit in each of the eight games, going 8-for-30 over that time. He’s hitting .324/.386/.459 in 41 games.
Elias Diaz went 0-for-3, but there was some big praise about his defense. Coming into the game on Friday, which his team won 3-1, Bravos pitchers had a 2.44 ERA when Diaz was behind the plate. That number obviously dropped after Friday night’s game. When someone else catches, the pitchers have a 4.86 ERA. Diaz has allowed just one stolen base in 12 games. His manager Henry Blanco, who caught 16 seasons in the majors, told the media on Thursday that Diaz changes the game behind the plate and that has helped lead Bravos de Margarita to nine straight wins. They are in first place in the league after finishing in last place during the first half of the season.
Gorkys Hernandez went 2-for-5 with two runs and his fifth stolen base.
In the Dominican, Alen Hanson went 1-for-4 with a run scored. He is hitting .267 through 26 games.
Mel Rojas Jr. struck out as a pinch-hitter. He is batting .244 through 86 at-bats, with five doubles and six homers.
Pedro Florimon has been hitting well lately after a very slow start. He went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs on Friday. He’s batting .214 through 56 at-bats.
Josh Wall picked up a win after blowing a save. He allowed one unearned run in his only inning, though the run was unearned due to his own error on a pick-off throw. He struck out two batters. In 15 innings over 15 appearances, he has a 3.60 ERA.
In Colombia over the last two games, Harold Ramirez went 3-for-8 with a triple, raising his OPS to .813 in 37 at-bats. Tito Polo went 2-for-6 with two walks, giving him a .760 OPS in 25 at-bats.
In Mexico, Carlos Munoz went 1-for-3 with a single, walk and he drove in two runs. He has an .884 OPS, which ranks seventh in the league.
Felipe Gonzalez allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. He inherited a runner, who ended up scoring. He has an 8.03 ERA in 12.1 innings over 17 appearances.
Sebastian Valle went 1-for-4 and drove in three runs. He is hitting .254 with six doubles in 15 games.
In Puerto Rico, Danny Ortiz played in a doubleheader and went 0-for-3 in game one, then went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the second game. He also picked up his second outfield assist since signing with the Pirates earlier this week. He is hitting .154/.263/.185 in 65 at-bats.
In Australia on Saturday, Sam Kennelly started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a single. He has a .200 average through 11 games.
