In the Dominican on Thursday night, Erik Gonzalez was back at shortstop (he was the DH on Wednesday) and he went 0-for-4. That was after collecting two hits in each of his last two games. He is now hitting .246/.263/.307 in 29 games this winter.
Michael Feliz needed just 20 pitches to get through 1.2 scoreless innings. He picked up one strikeout, retired all five batters he faced, and stranded two inherited runners. In five games, he has allowed one run on two hits, with no walks and five strikeouts, in 5.1 innings.
Alfredo Reyes started at second base and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. He is now hitting .313/.370/.333 through 29 games.
In Venezuela, Jose Osuna picked up three hits (all singles) in his second game, after collecting three hits in his debut on Wednesday. That gives him a 19-game hitting streak in winter ball. After making two errors at first base in his debut, Osuna served as the DH on Thursday night.
Elvis Escobar needed four pitches to pick up a strikeout against the only batter he faced on Thursday night. In 11 appearances, he has allowed one run on five hits, with one walk and six strikeouts, in 7.1 innings.
In Puerto Rico, three Pirates saw action in one game. Jerrick Suiter went 1-for-4 with a single. He is hitting .196/.260/.239 in 14 games.
Jordan Jess retired two of the three batters he faced, walking the other one. He allowed one of two inherited runners to score. Jess has made eight appearances, giving up five runs on seven hits and five walks, in 6.2 innings. He has five strikeouts.
Bret Helton pitched his second game and this one went worse than the first appearance. He gave up four runs on four hits and two walks in one inning. Helton allowed two runs in his first game. Batters are hitting .750 against him and he has issued four walks, with no strikeouts.
We have late results from Wednesday for two countries. We start with Panama, where pitcher Brian Sousa got the start for the Bravos de Panama Oeste (Panama Braves West). He went two innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. This was his first start of the winter. Sousa is still with the Pirates, though he was suspended by the team for all of 2018 (personal issues). He signed as a 16-year-old in 2014 for a $160,000 bonus.
In Colombia, Edgar Barrios at shortstop and Francisco Acuna at second base, made up the double play combo for the Toros de Sincelejo. Barrios hit lead-off and went 0-for-4 with a walk. Acuna went 1-for-4 and drove in two runs in the 3-0 win. Barrios is hitting .204/.290/.204 through 21 games. Acuna is hitting .237/.293/.237 in 12 games.
Carlos Arroyo flew out to right field as a pinch-hitter. The 17-year-old infielder is having a rough winter debut against mostly much older competition. He is 1-for-24 through eight games, leading to an .042/.080/.042 slash line. Arroyo batted .294/.416/.322 during the 2018 season with the DSL Pirates, with more walks than strikeouts, and he went 15-for-19 in steals.
