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Prospect Watch: Kyle Nicolas Gets His First Start in Nearly a Month; Bubba Chandler Hits a Grand Slam

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All seven Pirates affiliates are in action today. All early games for the short-season teams and night games for the full-season club. The highlight of the schedule is the first start for Kyle Nicolas since June 2nd. He returned last week from missing three full weeks and he gave up two runs over 2.2 innings in a relief appearance.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS

Prospect Watch: Greensboro Wins in Extras; Matt Gorski Leaves Injured

TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

P2Daily: Indianapolis Week on Pirates Prospects

Game Time: 8:05 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Jerad Eickhoff (4-3, 4.84)

  • Final Line:  5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

Notable Performances:

Kevin Newman 2-for-5

Ben Gamel 1-for-3, 2 HBP

Yoshi Tsutsugo 1-for-4, 2B, BB

Jake Marisnick 1-for-5

Cal Mitchell 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Ji-hwan Bae 0-for-4

Rodolfo Castro 0-for-1, 2 BB, HBP

Mason Martin 0-for-4

Carter Bins 1-for-4

Game Recap:

After his disastrous spot start for the Pirates last week, Jerad Eickhoff was designated for assignment and rejoined Indianapolis for today’s game. He went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. Noe Toribio took over in the sixth and threw 1.2 scoreless, with no hits, though he walked three and had zero strikeouts. Cam Alldred took over in the seventh and left with two outs in the ninth and the tying run on base, with John O’Reilly coming on to finish the game off with a save and a 4-3 victory. Cal Mitchell drove in two runs early with his tenth double, and then an error allowed a third run to score on the play. Yoshi Tustsugo doubled in the final run. Kevin Newman had two hits and two runs scored. Ben Gamel reached three times on a single and two HBP. Rodolfo Castro reached three times on two walks and a HBP.

DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE

P2Daily: It’s Altoona Curve Week on Pirates Prospects

Game Time: 6:00 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Kyle Nicolas (0-2, 4.15)

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

Notable Performances:

Matt Fraizer 1-for-4, RBI, BB, SB

Liover Peguero 1-for-3, 2 BB

Henry Davis 0-for-3, HBP

Jared Triolo 0-for-3, BB

Blake Sabol 0-for-3, BB

Connor Scott 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB

Game Recap:

Altoona lost Matt Gorski and Omar Cruz to the injured list on Thursday, then lost big to Harrisburg, dropping a 9-3 decision. Kyle Nicolas made his first start in nearly a month and he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in three innings. He now has a 4.27 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. Enmanuel Mejia tossed two scoreless, then Nick Dombkowski gave up five runs in 1.2 innings that were all unearned. Austin Roberts allowed two runs in 1.1 innings, while giving up three hits and three walks. Jeffrey Passantino tossed a shutout frame. Down 2-0 early, Matt Fraizer singled home the first run for the Curve. In the sixth inning, they took the lead on a two-run double by Connor Scott, which ended up being their last runs. Harrisburg ran off the next seven runs. Scott hit his 12th double and stole his seventh base. Matt Fraizer stole his eighth base. Liover Peguero reached three times on a single and two walks.

HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS

P2Daily: It’s Greensboro Grasshoppers and Matt Gorski Week on Pirates Prospects

Game Time: 7:00 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Sean Sullivan (1-4, 5.19)

  • Final Line:  6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO

Notable Performances:

Sammy Siani 0-for-4, BB

Endy Rodriguez 3-for-4

Dariel Lopez 2-for-4, RBI

Abrahan Gutierrez 1-for-4, 2B, BB

Hudson Head 1-for-5

Game Recap:

Greensboro lost 6-5, after holding a 4-0 lead going into the seventh inning stretch. Starter Sean Sullivan had an outstanding night, going six shutout innings on three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Three pitchers then got two outs each and they all gave up runs, with one for Cameron Junker, two for Logan Hofmann and three for Michell Miliano. Greensboro took an early lead on a three-run homer from Ernny Ordonez in the first inning, his tenth homer. A sac fly from Jackson Glenn made it 4-0. The final run scored in the ninth on a Dariel Lopez sac fly (for some reason the boxscore says RBI on a fly ball and credits him with an at-bat, which I didn’t include above). Endy Rodriguez collected three singles. Jackson Glenn had two hits. Ordonez also hit a double, his fifth. Abrahan Gutierrez hit his 12th double.

LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS

P2Daily: It’s Bradenton Marauders Week on Pirates Prospects

Game Time: 6:00 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Wilkin Ramos (0-1, 4.70)

  • Final Line: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO

Notable Performances:

Deivis Nadal 0-for-2, BB, 2 HBP

Jase Bowen 0-for-4

Tsung-Che Cheng 0-for-3, BB

Rodolfo Nolasco 2-for-3, HR, RBI, BB

Game Recap:

Wilkin Ramos made his first  start this year and it might be his last. He failed to record an out, giving up three runs before being replaced. Bradenton then got outstanding twin pitching performances from Cristian Charle and Sebastian Rodriguez, who each struck out five batters over three no-hit/scoreless innings. Darvin Garcia allowed two runs in two innings and Dante Mendoza went scoreless in the ninth.  Bradenton was down 3-0 to start the game, then chipped away one run at a time to tie the game in the fifth. The first run scored on a bases loaded walk to Randy Romero. Mike Jarvis homered for the second run, his third home run. Rodolfo Nolasco tied the game with his sixth homer. He also had a single and a walk. Deivis Nadal reached base on a walk and two HBP. Bradenton struck out 12 times, with everyone contributing.

RK: FCL PIRATES

Minor League Season Preview: 2022 FCL Pirates

Game Time: 12:00 PM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Cristopher Cruz (0-1, 7.04)

  • Final Line:  4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO

Notable Performances:

Bubba Chandler 1-for-4, HR, 5 RBI

Maikol Escotto 1-for-4

Shalin Polanco 2-for-4

Solomon Maguire 0-for-3, BB

Javier Rivas 0-for-2, BB

Omar Alfonzo 0-for-3, BB

Game Recap:

The FCL Pirates won 7-1 and Bubba Chandler drove in five of those runs. He collected his third homer of the season, connecting on a grand slam in the sixth inning. He added a fifth RBI on a ground ball/fielder’s choice in the eighth inning, then later scored on a passed ball. The only other RBI came on a bases loaded walk to Javier Rivas. Shalin Polanco had two hits, but he left with some injury in the eighth after stealing a base. Jauri Custodio made his season debut and he went 1-for-2 with a single.

Starter Cristopher Cruz lowered his 7.04 ERA to 4.63 with four shutout innings. Joaquin Tejada tossed three shutout frames on one hit. Former outfielder Daniel Rivero made his second appearance and it did not go well, with a run on two hits and two walks. Kevin Disla took over and record the final two outs while stranding three runners. He then threw a scoreless ninth to finish out the game.

RK: DSL PIRATES BLACK

Minor League Season Preview: 2022 DSL Pirates

Game Time: 11:00 AM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Jonathan Salazar (0-1, 7.45)

  • Final Line:  4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO

Notable Performances:

Ewry Espinal 4-for-4, 2B, HR, RBI

Rodolfo De La Cruz 0-for-4, BB

Eduardo Oviedo 0-for-5

Robert De Paula 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB

Wesley Zapata 2-for-5, 2B, RBI

Game Recap:

The Pirates won 13-1 behind strong starting pitching and seven extra-base hits among their 14 hits in seven innings. Jonathan Salazar had a 7.45 ERA coming into the day, then threw four shutout innings on one hit, no walks and one strikeout. Yoerys Hernandez took the final three innings and gave up a run. Ewry Espinal had himself quite a day at the plate, with four hits, including his fifth double and his second homer. The Pirates scored their first run on a fielder’s choice. They added two runs in the third on RBI doubles by Isaac Paulino and Robert De Paula, the third double of the year for each one. Espinal homered in the fifth, De Paula scored one with his first triple and then Wesley Zapata hit his eighth double to drive in a run and make it 6-0. Zapata scored one batter later on a wild pitch. In the seventh, the Pirates scored runs on singles by Miguel Sosa and Daje Morales. Delfin Ramirez walked with the bases loaded, then a bases loaded error led to three runs scoring.

RK: DSL PIRATES GOLD

Game Time: 11:00 AM

Box Score: LINK

Starting Pitcher: Keneth Quintanilla (0-0, 4.32)

  • Final Line:  3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO

Notable Performances:

Ruben Vizcaya 2-for-4, 2B

Yordany De Los Santos 1-for-4, 2B

John Zorrilla 1-for-2, RBI, BB

Carlos Tirado 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Eddy Rodriguez 0-for-3

Game Recap:

Pirates won 4-2 in a game called in the bottom of the seventh due to weather. Starter Keneth Quintanilla allowed just one hit over three shutout innings, while striking out five batters. Wilkin Valdez allowed two runs in two innings, while Darlin Diaz tossed two scoreless frames. The Pirates got a run in the first on a John Zorrilla single. Carlos Tirado doubled in two runs in the third, his second double of the season. Samuel Escudero singled in a run in the sixth. Ruben Vizcaya had two runs and two hits, including his second double. Yordany De Los Santos hit his sixth double. He’s batting .254 with a .699 OPS.

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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