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Prospect Watch: Nicolas and Torobio Pitch Well in Altoona Loss; Jones Gets Hit Hard

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Altoona plays an 11 AM game today, while the other three affiliates all get going in the evening. There’s a trio of interesting pitchers today, with Kyle Nicolas getting the early start, followed later by Cody Bolton and Jared Jones making starts tonight.

TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

Minor League Season Preview: 2022 Indianapolis Indians

Game Time: 6:35 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Cody Bolton (0-1, 4.73)

  • Final Line:  3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Notable Performances:

Ji-hwan Bae 1-for-5, 2B

Oneil Cruz 1-for-4, RBI

Cal Mitchell 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

Mason Martin 0-for-3, BB

Canaan Smith-Njigba 1-for-4, 2B

Hoy Park 0-for-3, BB

Carter Bins 1-for-4, HR

Game Recap:

Indianapolis lost 5-4 on Wednesday night. Cody Bolton started and went 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. Hunter Stratton allowed an unearned run in 1.2 innings. Austin Brice allowed two runs while recording two outs. Yerry De Los Santos recorded two outs and lowered his ERA to a 1.69 mark. Carter Bins hit a solo homer in his first game with Indianapolis. Cal Mitchell had two hits, including his seventh double. Ji-hwan Bae and Canaan Smith-Njigba each hit their sixth double. Oneil Cruz had an RBI single and Hoy Park stole two bases.

Travis Swaggerty has been reinstated from the 7-day injured list (concussion).

DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE

Minor League Season Preview: 2022 Altoona Curve

Game Time:  11:00 AM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Kyle Nicolas (0-1, 4.12)

  • Final Line:  5 IP,  1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

Notable Performances:

Jared Triolo 0-for-3, BB

Connor Scott 0-for-4

Nick Gonzales 2-for-4

Liover Peguero 2-for-4, 2B

Matt Fraizer 2-for-4, 2 2B

Tucupita Marcano 0-for-3, RBI

Game Recap:

Kyle Nicolas had an impressive start on Wednesday morning, but it wasn’t enough to keep Altoona from dropping a 4-2 decision. He allowed one run on one hit, with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings. He threw 49 of 80 pitches for strikes. He now has a 3.65 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 24.2 innings, though that ERA is skewed by his worst start. In his other five starts, he has allowed two runs in 22.2 innings. Noe Toribio pitched well too, giving up an unearned run on one hit in three innings. He now has a 1.47 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. Tahnaj Thomas lost the game, giving up two runs on three hits in the ninth inning. The offense had two noteworthy games for struggling players. Nick Gonzales had two singles and Matt Fraizer had two doubles. Despite the extra-base hits, the latter still sits at a .460 OPS. Liover Peguero hit his tenth double.

HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS

Minor League Season Preview: 2022 Greensboro Grasshoppers

Game Time: 7:00 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Jared Jones (2-0, 5.06)

  • Final Line:  2.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Notable Performances:

Maikol Escotto 0-for-4

Endy Rodriguez 2-for-3, HBP

Matt Gorski 1-for-3, BB

Abrahan Gutierrez 2-for-4

Hudson Head 1-for-4, RBI

Dariel Lopez 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB

Sammy Siani 0-for-4

Game Recap:

Jared Jones ran into a lot of trouble on Wednesday and never got things going, giving up six runs on eight hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. His ERA rose to 6.85 in 23.2 innings, but he has struck out 36 batters. Santiago Florez has had a rough start to the year, so tonight was a good night for his ERA, going 3.2 innings with two runs that were both unearned. Garrett Leonard also lowered a high ERA with two shutout innings. Jacob Gonzalez hit his second homer in as many days for Greensboro. He also had a single and two runs scored. Dariel Lopez had a double, RBI and two walks. Endy Rodriguez reached base three times on two singles and a HBP. Hudson Head drove in a run.

LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS

Minor League Season Preview: 2022 Bradenton Marauders

Game Time: 6:30 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Valentin Linarez (0-3, 12.27)

  • Final Line:  5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO

Notable Performances:

Tsung-Che Cheng 0-for-4

Jase Bowen 0-for-4

Rodolfo Nolasco 0-for-3, BB

Alexander Mojica 0-for-3, BB

Sergio Campana 2-for-3

Game Recap:

Bradenton lost 4-1 on Wednesday night, but they got some great pitching from a prospect who hasn’t pitched well this season. Valentin Linarez came into the game with a 12.27 ERA, throwing just 11 innings in three starts and two relief outings. He went five shutout innings in this game, with two hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches, with 43 going for strikes. The rest of the game didn’t go so well. Carlos Lomeli took the loss with three runs in 1.2 innings. Yunior Thibo gave up one run on four hits in 1.1 innings. Sergio Campana had both of Bradenton’s hits, collecting two singles. Brenden Dixon walked twice and scored the lone run. The rest of the team went 0-for-24 with two walk and ten strikeouts.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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