Lots of new guys — draftees and trade acquisitions — with the domestic affiliates. Kevin Padlo had a big first game for Indianapolis. Malcom Nunez has started a bit more slowly with Altoona. Lots of draftees have been assigned to the FCL, including Cy Nielson and Mike Walsh. They both avoided the dreaded “injured – full season” tag and were able to launch their careers today. Three draftees so far have moved up to Bradenton. Somehow Greensboro got left out, and they lost Endy Rodriguez to boot. Serves them right for not having webcasts.
Also keep an eye out for Lonnie White, Jr., who according to the latest injury report should reappear in the next couple days. And maybe Tony Blanco, Jr., will do more than pinch hit. Stranger things have happened.
Johan Oviedo will start for Indianapolis, so the Pirates appear to be serious about trying him as a starter.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
Prospect Watch: Roansy Contreras and Quinn Priester Headline a Full Schedule of Games
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
Game Time: 8:05pm
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Johan Oviedo
- Final Line: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Notable Performances:
- Cal Mitchell 1-4, 3B
- Kevin Padlo 2-4
- Travis Swaggerty 1-4
- Jack Suwinski 0-4
- Carter Bins 1-2, HR (7), BB
- Noe Toribio 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
- Cam Vieaux 3 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Game Recap:
Indianapolis (53-54) blanked Memphis on two hits, 3-0. It wasn’t the most conventional shutout ever. Johan Oviedo and Noe Toribio managed to combine for five shutout innings without striking out a batter. Oviedo’s first start with the Pirates lasted two innings, as he probably has a lot of stretching out to do. He didn’t exactly pound the strike zone, throwing 16 of 29 pitches for strikes and walking two. The two walks were all the action, though, and a double play wiped out one. Toribio followed with three-plus innings, although Cam Vieaux had to bail him out of a first-and-third, no-out situation. (A strikeout came in handy there.) Vieaux was a bit more traditional about it, fanning four over three hitless innings. Eric Hanhold fanned two in a perfect ninth. Indy got on the board in the second on a two-run bomb by Carter Bins, his seventh homer in AAA. The last run came when Cal Mitchell tripled and scored on a single by Kevin Padlo, who was the only player with two hits. Indy hitters drew one walk and fanned 14 times.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
Game Time: 7:05pm
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Jeffrey Passantino
- Final Line: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Notable Performances:
- Jared Triolo 2-4
- Nick Gonzales 0-3, HBP
- Liover Peguero 1-4, 2B
- Carmen Mlodzinski 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Game Recap:
Altoona (51-55) lost to Binghamton, 2-0. The Curve’s offense had a distinctly Pirate-like day, highlighted by loading the bases in the sixth with nobody out and failing to score. The hitters fanned ten times, drew no walks and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They were especially helpless against journeyman non-prospect Jose Chacin, who came in with a record of 0-8, 6.99, but fanned seven over four shutout innings. Jeffrey Passantino allowed a run over three innings. Carmen Mlodzinski worked the last five innings, giving up the other run while fanning six. Jared Triolo had two hits and Liover Peguero had a double. Everybody whiffed at least once except Connor Scott, who grounded out as a pinch hitter to end the game. Nick Gonzales made his return to AA, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a hit batsman.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
Game Time: 6:30pm
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Nick Garcia
- Final Line: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Notable Performances:
- Jase Bowen 1-4, BB
- Dariel Lopez 1-5, 2B
- Abrahan Gutierrez 3-5, 2 2B
- Jacob Gonzalez 2-4, SB
Game Recap:
Greensboro (46-58) scored seven in the second inning and walloped Jersey Shore, 12-5. Abrahan Gutierrez had a big day, logging a single and two doubles, along with two runs and two RBIs. Jase Bowen and Dariel Lopez also drove in two apiece, in Lopez’ case with a double. Jacob Gonzalez reached base three times, with two singles and a hit batsman. He also stole home. Everybody in the lineup reached base at least once. Nick Garcia did not have a good start, needing 94 pitches to get through four and a third innings. He gave up seven hits, including two longballs, and four runs. Santiago Florez allowed one run over three and two-thirds, and Cam Junker fanned two in a 1-2-3 ninth.
LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
Game Time: 6:30pm
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Valentin Linarez
- Final Line: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
Notable Performances:
- Tsung-Che Cheng 1-2, BB, SF
- Sergio Campana 2-4, 2 2B
- Tres Gonzalez 1-3, HBP
- Jack Brannigan 0-3, BB
- Wyatt Hendrie 1-3, 2B, BB
- Bubba Chandler 1-4
- Jasiah Dixon 0-1, BB, 2 HBP
Game Recap:
Bradenton (55-50) beat Palm Beach, 6-1. Valentin Linarez had a stellar start, his second straight one in which he worked six innings while allowing no earned runs and only two hits. In this one, he walked two and fanned seven. He has a 1.45 ERA over his last six starts. Carlos Campos threw two innings and gave up the only run on a solo home run. Sergio Umana finished with a nine-pitch ninth. Sergio Campana had two doubles and two RBIs. Wyatt Hendrie had the only other extra base hit, also a double. Tres Gonzalez got his first pro hit and drove in a run. Jasiah Dixon reached base three times without a hit, on two hit batsmen and a walk. Tsung-Che Cheng had a single, a walk and a sac fly.
RK: FCL PIRATES
Game Time: Noon
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Cy Nielson
- Final Line: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Notable Performances:
- Braylon Bishop 1-5, HBP, SB
- Shalin Polanco 1-5, 2B, 4 K
- Jauri Custodio 2-3, HR (1), 2 HBP
- Esmerlyn Valdez 3-5, HR (2)
- Ronny Sanchez 2-5
- Mike Walsh 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Game Recap:
The FCL Pirates (28-18) blew a two-run, ninth-inning lead, but went on to beat the hapless Orioles, 8-4, in ten innings. The Bucs took a 4-2 lead in the eighth on back-to-back longballs from Jauri Custodio, his first of the year, and Esmerlyn Valdez, his second. Daniel Rivero lost the lead in the bottom of the ninth, with one of the runs unearned. In the tenth, though, the Pirates strung together three singles, a walk and a hit batsman, in addition to the free runner. Two 2022 draftees made their pro debuts, each going an inning. Eighth-rounder Cy Nielson started and got past two hits for a scoreless inning. Ninth-rounder Mike Walsh gave up a hit, a walk and one run. Luigi Hernandez fared the best of six pitchers, working three scoreless innings. Espinal had three hits altogether, while Custodio had two and also got plunked twice. Ronny Sanchez had two hits and two RBI. Shalin Polanco had a double but also whiffed four times.
RK: DSL PIRATES BLACK
Game Time: 11:00am
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Jarlen De La Paz
- Final Line: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Notable Performances:
- Isaac Paulino 2-2, BB, SB
- Richard Ramirez 1-3, BB
- Kelvin Diaz 1-3, BB
Game Recap:
The Black team (23-28) lost to the Mets 2, 3-2. The Pirates scored twice in the second thanks to walks to the first three batters, but that was all the offense they could get. Jarlen De La Paz had a nice start, working three hitless innings. Juan Fuentes threw a hitless inning, but gave up a run on a walk and hit batsman. Brandison Polanco went the last three innings and allowed two runs, one earned, to take the loss. The offense consisted of four singles and four walks, and the team went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Isaac Paulino had half the hits and one walk. Richard Ramirez and Kelvin Diaz each had a hit and a walk.
RK: DSL PIRATES GOLD
Game Time: 11:00am
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Gilberto Alcala
- Final Line: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Notable Performances:
- Juan Machado 1-3, 2 BB
- Wesley Zapata 2-4, 2 2B
- Eybert Escalona 2-3, BB
- Isaias Dipre 2-4, 2 2B
- Samuel Escudero 1-2, 2B, 2 BB
- Roinny Aguiar 1-2, HR (1), 2 BB
Game Recap:
The Gold team (36-14) continued to dominate the competition, pounding the NYY Bombers, 13-4. The Bucs piled up ten hits and 11 walks in a seven-inning game. Everybody reached base at least once, including Yordany De Los Santos, who entered the game late and had an RBI single his only time up. Wesley Zapata and Isaias Dipre each hit a pair of doubles. Roinny Aguiar had two walks, a steal and his first pro home run. Samuel Escudero had a double, two walks, three runs and two RBIs. Juan Machado and Eybert Escalona each reached three times, the former on one hit and two walks, the latter on two hits and one walk. Gilberto Alcala had a strong start, allowing just one hit and one unearned run over four innings. Rafael Mendez gave up three runs, two earned, but got the win anyway to run his record to 7-0.
