The system has eight games scheduled, with Greensboro again trying to play two. The FCL Pirates played a morning game, headlined by two very interesting pitchers. For the hitters, strikeouts were the order of the day. Greensboro managed to make contact with some baseballs, but the other three full-season affiliates totaled 44 whiffs in 27 innings. Two players qualified for the golden sombrero and five others fanned three times apiece.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
Prospect Watch: FCL Pirates Win Two, While Two Starters Fail to Survive the First Inning
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
Game Time: 6:05pm
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Cody Bolton
- Final Line: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Notable Performances:
- Oneil Cruz 1-3, SF
- Mason Martin 0-4, 4 K
- Ji-Hwan Bae 2-4, 2B, SB
- Rodolfo Castro 0-4, 3 K
- Travis Swaggerty 1-4
Game Recap:
Indianapolis (31-32) lost to Gwinnett, 5-3. Cody Bolton started and went two innings. He didn’t allow a hit, but walked two and gave up a run. Cam Alldred faced five batters and four of them reached, but he allowed only one run, as John O’Reilly stranded the bases loaded. But O’Reilly went on to give up three runs. Hunter Stratton and Cristofer Melendez combined for two and a third scoreless innings. Ji-Hwan Bae had a single, double and his 15th steal, and Oneil Cruz drove in two runs. Mason Martin continued to founder, picking up the golden sombrero. Rodolfo Castro didn’t do much better, fanning three times.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
Game Time: 6:00pm
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Austin Roberts
- Final Line: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Notable Performances:
- Matt Fraizer 2-4, 2B
- Jared Triolo 1-3, BB
- Henry Davis 0-4, 3 K
- Matt Gorski 0-4, 3 K
- Brendt Citta 2-4, 2B
- Connor Scott 1-4, 2B
Game Recap:
Altoona got blanked by Erie, 7-0. The offense went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and struck out 15 times. Henry Davis and Matt Gorski each went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, and each stranded five runners. Matt Fraizer and Brendt Citta each had a single and double. Connor Scott also had a double. Austin Roberts started but recorded only three outs and allowed four runs, three earned. He left after the first three hitters in the second reached. Brad Case, Noe Toribio and Enmanuel Mejia each allowed a run; Toribio worked four innings and the others two each.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
P2Daily: It’s Greensboro Grasshoppers and Matt Gorski Week on Pirates Prospects
Game Time: 5:30pm
First Game Box Score: LINK
Second Game Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitchers: Sean Sullivan and Nick Garcia
Final Line
- Garcia — 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
- Sullivan — 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Notable Performances:
- Endy Rodriguez 1-5, 2B, BB
- Abrahan Gutierrez 2-6
- Sammy Siani 1-4, 2 BB, SB
- Hudson Head 2-2, BB
Game Recap:
Nick Garcia threw a seven-inning complete game as Greensboro (26-35) won the first game of a doubleheader with Hudson Valley, 2-0. (In a bit of irony, the Hoppers scored the same number of runs as yesterday, when they lost by 20.) Garcia allowed three hits, all singles, and walked nobody, facing three batters over the minimum. He threw 92 pitches and didn’t allow a runner past first. The Hoppers’ two runs came in the fourth on consecutive RBI singles by Sammy Siani and Hudson Head. Endy Rodriguez had the only extra-base hit, a double, and Head was the only player with two hits.
Hudson Valley must have used up all its offense yesterday, because Greensboro got the sweep, 1-0. Sean Sullivan worked the first six innings, giving up five hits and three walks. Cam Junker threw the last inning, striking out three. The Hoppers got the game’s only run, and two of their three hits, in the first inning. The run scored on a single by Abrahan Gutierrez. Yoyner Fajardo and Dariel Lopez had the other two hits, and Sammy Siani stole his 17th base.
LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
Game Time: 7:00pm
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Aaron Shortridge
- Final Line: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Notable Performances:
- Deivis Nadal 2-5, 2 2B
- Jase Bowen 2-4, SB
- Tsung-Che Cheng 1-3, BB, SB
- Carlos Jimenez 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Game Recap:
Bradenton (27-35) mounted a comeback that fell short in a 5-4 loss to Fort Myers. Aaron Shortridge continued his rehab, going three innings and allowing his first earned run. Darvin Garcia gave up three runs in relief, two of them unearned. Carlos Jimenez worked the last four innings, fanning seven and allowing two hits and a run. The Marauders trailed 5-1 going into the eighth inning. They scored three that inning, but couldn’t get any more. Deivis Nadal and Jase Bowen provided much of the offense. Nadal had two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Bowen singled twice, scored once and drove in two, and also stole his 18th base. Bradenton contributed its share to the whiff-o-rama, fanning 15 times. Sergio Campana earned the system’s second golden sombrero for the day.
RK: FCL PIRATES
Game Time: 10:00am
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Bubba Chandler
- Final Line: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K
Notable Performances:
- Jeral Toledo 1-2, 2B, 2 BB
- Javier Rivas 1-4, 2B, 4 RBI
- Esmerlyn Valdez 1-3, 2B, BB
- Braylon Bishop 1-2, 2 BB
- Ronny Sanchez 2-4
- Luis Tejeda 1-2, BB, SB
Game Recap:
The FCL Pirates (7-3) routed a hapless Orioles team, 12-0. The game featured two of the Pirates’ top rookie-level pitching prospects, Bubba Chandler and Hung-Leng Chang, the latter making his pro debut. (The box score from the ever-alert MiLB.com still insists that Joaquin Tejada started for the second day in a row, just like they did way back in the day.) Chandler had one stretch where he lost the strike zone and walked three straight, but recovered from that and ultimately fanned six. Chang retired all nine batters he faced, also fanning six. Owen Sharts finished out the one-hitter with a scoreless seventh. He walked two, but Shalin Polanco, playing center, ran down a pair of long drives in the gaps. The Pirates had eight hits, and got help in the form of eight walks, three errors, four wild pitches, a hit batsman and a balk. Javier Rivas drove in four, three on a bases-loaded double. Jeral Toledo had a double and two walks, Braylon Bishop had a single and two walks, and Esmerlyn Valdez had a double and a walk. Luis Tejeda had a sandlot home run when the pitcher picked up his swinging bunt and flung it into the right field corner (it was ruled a single and three-base error).
RK: DSL PIRATES BLACK
Game Time: 11:00am
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Diego Chiquillo
- Final Line: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Notable Performances:
- Wesley Zapata 1-3, HBP, SB
- Rodolfo De La Cruz 1-3, HBP
- Eybert Escalona 2-3, HR (1)
- Richard Ramirez 1-2, 2B, BB
- Miguel Sosa 2-3, 2B
Game Recap:
The Black team (6-4) beat the Mets 2, 7-4, on a walkoff grand slam by Eybert Escalona, his first professional home run. Starter Diego Chiquillo gave up three runs in the first, two of them earned, but the pitching was strong after that. Chiquillo fanned five over three innings and Alexis Torres gave up no hits and an unearned run in two and a third. Greiber Mendez and Victor Cabreja combined to get the last five outs without giving up a run. Escalona finished with two hits and, obviously, four RBIs. Miguel Sosa, normally a catcher, played left in this one and had a single and a double. He’s off to a 6-for-10 start. Richard Ramirez, a 16-year-old who did catch, had a double and a walk.
RK: DSL PIRATES GOLD
Game Time: 11:00am
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Kevison Hernandez
- Final Line: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Notable Performances:
- Yordany De Los Santos 0-4
- Carlos Tirado 0-1, 2 BB
- John Zorrilla 0-2, BB, SB
- Isaias Dipre 1-1, 2 BB, SB
- Axiel Plaz 1-2, BB, SB
Game Recap:
The Gold team (7-3) posted a one-hit shutout over the Mets 1, winning 4-0. Kevison Hernandez worked the first four innings, allowing the only hit. Juan Fuentes followed with two innings and Wilkin Valdez with one. The offense managed only three hits, but walked eight times and stole four bases. Isaias Dipre reached all three times up, on a double and two walks. John Zorrilla reached on a walk and ended up stealing home. Axiel Plaz, another 16-year-old catcher, singled and walked.
