A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. If a player is in the majors for an extended time, or loses his prospect eligibility, he will be removed from this list. Everyone below him will be shifted up a spot, and a new player will be added to the bottom of the list. If a player is out for the season, he will be removed and everyone below him will move up a spot. Removing these guys doesn’t mean they have lost prospect status. It is just an attempt to get more active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the 2017 Mid-Season Update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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3. Shane Baz, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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4. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
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5. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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6. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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7. Will Craig, 1B, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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8. Elias Diaz, C, Pirates – [insert_php]
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9. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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10. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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11. Calvin Mitchell, OF, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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12. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bristol – [insert_php]
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13. Edgar Santana, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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14. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Altoona -[insert_php]
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15. Steven Brault, LHP, Pirates– [insert_php]
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16. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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17. Jordan Luplow, LF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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18. Luis Escobar, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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19. Max Kranick, RHP, Bristol – [insert_php]
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20. Steven Jennings, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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21. Adrian Valerio, SS, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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22. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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23. Conner Uselton, OF, GCL Pirates – Disabled List
24. Max Moroff, INF, Pirates – [insert_php]
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25. Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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26. Eric Wood, 3B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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27. Eduardo Vera, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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28. Logan Hill, LF, Altoona – [insert_php]
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29. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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30. Lolo Sanchez, CF, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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INDIANAPOLIS — He just had to wait until a little later in the inning.
Eric Wood nearly homered in the second inning, hitting a ball that bounced off the yellow liner at the top of the outfield fence. He settled for a ground rule double.
He ended up getting that homer, just eight at-bats later in the same inning.
Wood’s big game helped Indianapolis rally for an 11-10 win over Columbus. The Indians’ magic number to clinch the International League West Division is three with ten games left to play, including one more against the Clippers on Sunday.
Indianapolis’ offense helped offset one of the worst pitching performances of Nick Kingham’s professional career. He allowed eight runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings.
Kingham had been dominant recently, allowing six earned runs in his last six starts. He had one 9-inning complete game during that stretch and came within one out of throwing another one.
But nothing like those results played out on Saturday. Columbus scored five runs in the top of the first inning.
And while Kingham settled down to put together clean innings in the second and third, things fell apart in the fourth inning. He allowed three more runs before being taken out of the game.
“Everything wasn’t working,” Kingham said. “I wasn’t getting ahead of hitters. I was getting too much plate and they were putting a lot of barrel on the ball. I kind of pitched to their game instead of pitching my own game. Not by choice, it just kind of happened to fall that way.”
Kingham only walked one batter, and threw 45 of his 72 pitches for a strike.
“He was up in the zone and he wasn’t making pitches,” Barkett said. “They didn’t give him a chance to settle in and get in his rhythm. They came out whacking and I think they knew he was going to be around the plate and the game plan was to swing early in the count and they did. They made him pay.”
Indianapolis still managed to find a way to win, scoring more than ten runs for the third time in four games. The Indians did almost all of their damage in the second inning, scoring nine runs.
Wood and Jacob Stallings each had two hits in that inning, with Wood beginning the scoring with his double off the top of the outfield wall.
The big night came at an opportune time for Wood, who entered the game hitting .169 since the beginning of July.
“It was awesome,” Wood said. “It was a really fun game to be a part of and to be able to contribute to with the team. You could feel the energy out there and it was really fun. We were playing really good baseball against a good team.”
Indianapolis scored on a Jordan Luplow fielder’s choice; Danny Ortiz and Edwin Espinal RBI singles; Erich Weiss’ RBI double and Jacob Stallings’ two-run single.
That all set up Wood’s second at-bat in the inning and he didn’t miss out on a homer that time, blasting one to the concourse in left field.
Kevin Newman’s two-out RBI double in the seventh inning proved to be the game-winning run.
Columbus was in position to, at bare minimum, tie the game in the ninth inning. Brandon Cumpton started the inning, his third in relief, but allowed a single. Dan Runzler entered in relief but walked the only batter he faced.
Dovydas Neverauskas then became the third Indianapolis reliever to throw in the ninth inning. He struck out Richie Shaffer looking for the first out. Daniel Robertson singled to left field, but Luplow threw out Ronny Rodriguez trying to score, as Stallings made a nice tag on the play. Neverauskas struck out Mike Papi looking to finish the game.
But that wasn’t the only nice defensive play in the game. Ortiz made a nice diving catch over his shoulder, running straight back from center field to take away an extra-base hit,
Stallings was 3-for-4 and has had three hits in two consecutive games. – Brian Peloza
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ALTOONA, Pa. – The Curve and the Bowie Baysox squared off for the third time this weekend, as both teams have taken one game so far in the all-important four game series. Altoona came into tonight’s game with a one game lead over the Baysox in the E.L. Western Division, and their magic number to clinch a playoff spot was four.
After the combination of starter Brandon Waddell and Tanner Anderson held Bowie to one run in eight innings, the Curve extended their lead in the division to two games and cut that clinching number to three.
Starting pitching has been an essential factor of the Curve’s latest hot stretch, as Casey Sadler and JT Brubaker both performed admirably – including Sadler’s complete game – in the first two games of this series. Brandon Waddell took the mound tonight, and although he may not have had his best stuff, he kept Bowie at check and allowed only one earned run over 5.2 innings.
Waddell worked a quick first inning, only throwing 12 pitches. In the second inning, things got interesting with a lead-off walk, then a couple singles to load the bases. He was able to get out of the inning with the bases still loaded without allowing a run.
“He kept them off balanced,” Manager Michael Ryan said about Waddell getting out of the inning. “He made a great pitch to [Adrian] Marin inside and jammed him to pop him up with the bases loaded. He executed well on the corners. He threw a really good slider to Salcedo at the end.”
He did get through the third and fourth innings unscathed; however, he had to throw a lot of pitches to the eight batters he faced in those innings.
In the fifth, Waddell walked lead-off batter Cedric Mullins, who then came around to score on a deep double by D.J. Stewart.
He got a couple outs in the sixth before allowing a couple easy singles to the left side. At that point, Waddell was at 103 pitches and was lifted in favor of Tanner Anderson.
“Waddell made a quality start and gave us a chance,” Ryan said. “You keep those guys to one run in any outing, it’s special. If they get pitches out over the plate, they can score runs quickly and in bunches.”
Waddell said that he didn’t feel confident in his slider tonight, so he was working a lot with his curveball. He’s been trying to utilize that pitch more lately, as he wasn’t using it a lot earlier in the season.
“When you have a chance to go six, only allow one run, and give your team a chance to win, that’s what really matters,” Waddell said. “There are things you can learn from every start. I’m glad to give my team the chance to win tonight.”
Tanner Anderson didn’t allow any hard contact against him in his 2.1 innings of work. His fastball velocity has been up around 94-95 MPH consistently out of the bullpen, and he continues to get the ball on the ground.
“His fastball is down to both sides and mixing in the slider at the right time,” Ryan said. “He’s so reliable out of the pen.”
Tate Scioneaux came in to try to close out a 4-1 game, but he allowed a line drive single then a home run to right field. After another line drive single, Michael Ryan quickly replaced him with Luis Heredia. Heredia got two quick outs for the save.
Scioneaux came into the game with a 1.94 ERA this season; however, he has an ERA of 6.75 in six appearances against Bowie.
“It’s something that I have to look at,” Ryan said about Scioneaux’s performance against Bowie. “I don’t know if he’s tipping pitches, and they got it, or you just can’t elevate against a good hitting team. He left the ball up, and they are going to hurt you when you do that.”
Ryan said that he has tremendous confident in Heredia in this spots, as he closed for him for most of last year’s championship Bradenton team.
“If Scioneaux is unavailable, it would be Luis that would get the ball in the ninth,” Ryan said. “We saw what he can do in big situations. He’s done a great job, no matter which inning he comes in. The trust is there.”
Offensively, the Curve loaded the bases in the second inning but couldn’t get a run across (just like Bowie in the top of the inning). After Bowie scored in the fifth, Altoona answered in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own. Cole Tucker slapped a quick bunt down the first base for a single then moved to second after a groundout. Jordan George then hit a long double to the left field corner that scored Tucker and tied the game at one.
Tucker said that he hasn’t quite perfected the bunt single attempt, and he doesn’t do it as much as he should with the speed he has, but he just wanted to try to change the pace of the game and try any way possible to get on base.
“It’s exciting,” Tucker said. “It’s a fun play to do.”
In the sixth, the Curve manufactured three runs against the Bowie bullpen, mostly thanks to a bases loaded line drive single to left field by Jerrick Suiter.
“All I was trying to do was just put the ball in play and hit something hard,” Suiter said. “I found a hole. Those two extra runs definitely helped.”
Anderson Feliz went 3-for-4 with a double tonight for the Curve. Cole Tucker went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and RBI.
Obviously, it was a huge game for the Curve as they battle Bowie for the top spot in their divisional race. They now guarantee that they will still be in first place after this series is over tomorrow.
“It’s unbelievable,” Suiter said of their run towards a playoff spot. “It’s the most fun you’re going to have in a season. You’re chasing a ring and a playoff berth. We’re all definitely enjoying it.” -Sean McCool
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Bradenton was rained out for a second day in a row. Friday’s suspended game will now be finished on Sunday. Tonight’s game has been canceled.
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West Virginia is in a tight playoff race with just nine days to go in the season, but they came out looking more like Bristol on this night, getting blown out 13-2 by Hagerstown. Oddy Nunez has looked worn out down the stretch, as he continues to go well beyond his innings total from his first two seasons combined. He gave up seven runs in this game, and while only three were earned, it was his own error which caused the other four to be unearned. He also allowed three homers and walked three batters.
All of the Power pitchers had trouble on this night. Shane Kemp allowed two runs. Blake Cederlind gave up four runs over 1.2 innings. Angel German came on for the last out and gave up a hit and a walk before recording the out.
West Virginia had 12 hits in the game, but 11 were singles and they failed to draw a walk for the second day in a row. Adrian Valerio had two hits and Clark Eagan had three hits in the top two spots of the lineup. Andrew Walker also added two hits. Victor Fernandez’s double was the only extra-base hit and he scored one of the two runs. Albert Baur had the only RBI.
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Morgantown lost 4-1, as Scooter Hightower had a tough outing by his standards this season. Hightower came into the game with the second best ERA in the league, the best WHIP and the second most innings. He ended up allowing three runs on six hits and a walk in five innings. Hightower still displayed his impeccable control, throwing 61 of his 81 pitches for strikes. He now has a 2.10 ERA through 77 innings this season. He’s now tied for the league lead in innings.
The only run for the Black Bears scored on Tristan Gray’s fifth home run. It was one of five hits on the night for Morgantown. Lucas Tancas had a single and a double. Bligh Madris and Dylan Busby each had singles. Jared Oliva had a walk and his 13th stolen base.
With the loss, they now drop to two games back in the division with 12 games left on the schedule.
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Bristol lost their 47th game on the season, despite coming back to tie the game up in the bottom of the eighth. They committed three errors in the game and all three were costly, leading to five unearned runs in the 7-6 loss.
Alex Manasa started for the first time as a pro and went 3.1 innings, allowing three unearned runs on five hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Chris McDonald pitched a season-high 4.1 innings and allowed three runs (two earned), while Eddie Muhl took the tough loss on a ninth inning unearned run.
Edison Lantigua had a nice game at the plate, one day after being named to the Appalachian League postseason All-Star team. He went 3-for-5 and scored two runs. Johan De Jesus and Ryan Peurifoy each had two hits, while Yondry Contreras tied the game in the eighth with a sacrifice fly.
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The GCL Pirates would have been eliminated from the playoffs today if they lost to the first place Yankees East, but they kept those razor thin hopes alive with one week left in the season by winning 10-3 on Saturday. The Pirates scored four runs in the first, but though seven innings, this was still a close game. In the eighth and ninth innings, they put up three runs each frame.
Cody Bolton started and had a rough game, allowing three runs on five hits in three innings. He didn’t walk any batters and had four strikeouts, which is a new high. In 22.2 innings over eight starts, he has a 2.78 ERA and 19 strikeouts. After Bolton left, Brian Sousa pitched four shutout innings on one hit, two walks and three hit batters. Eumir Sepulveda finished the game off with two scoreless frames.
Calvin Mitchell had the big day on offense, driving in four runs on three singles, while also scoring a pair of runs and stealing his second base. Hunter Owen homered, doubled, walked and scored three runs in his first full game of rehab. Rodolfo Castro and drew a walk. Jeremias Portorreal hit his sixth double, walked twice and drove in a pair. Mikell Granberry extended his hit streak to seven games with an RBI double in the eighth inning.
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The DSL Pirates were rained out on Saturday. Their season has now ended. They finished with a 36-34 record, losing two games on the schedule due to rain.
The Pirates invited 22 DSL players to the Fall Instructional League. Link also includes an injury update.
