Not much good from the starting pitchers today. Justin Meis, Anthony Solometo and Alessandro Ercolani all had mediocre to poor starts, the latter two due to a lack of control. The only starter who did reasonably well was Cam Alldred, who’s not normally a starter.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
Prospect Watch: Rough Starting Pitching Around the System; Altoona Explodes on Offense
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Cam Alldred
- Final Line: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K
Notable Performances:
- Tucupita Marcano 1-3, BB, SB
- Endy Rodriguez 1-4
- Malcom Nunez 0-4
- Nick Gonzales 1-4, 3B
- Carmen Mlodzinski 2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 K
Game Recap:
Indianapolis (5-7) couldn’t get much offense going and lost to St. Paul, 3-2.
Cam Alldred got the spot start and did a solid job. He fanned six over four innings and gave up only three hits and a walk, although that was enough to result in two runs.
Hunter Stratton and Daniel Zamora combined for three scoreless innings while Indy scored twice to tie the game. Tucupita Marcano singled in one run and Miguel Andujar doubled in the other. The team, though, went 1-for-8 with RISP.
Carmen Mlodzinski, who hasn’t shown the form for Indy that he did in spring training, gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth on a double following a leadoff walk. Nick Gonzales had a triple, but also struck out twice. Travis Swaggerty left the game early because he wasn’t feeling well. Chavez Young replaced him and fanned three times.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Justin Meis
- Final Line: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Notable Performances:
- Lolo Sanchez 3-5, BB
- Liover Peguero 2-6, SB
- Matt Fraizer 1-4, BB
- Noe Toribio 2 IP, H, 5 K
- Tyler Samaniego 2 IP, H, 4 K
Game Recap:
Altoona (2-4) blew multi-run leads in the ninth and tenth, losing to Erie, 13-10. The Curve were done in by some horrid relief pitching and defense.
The Curve had an early 6-2 lead. Justin Meis didn’t have a great start, though, lasting four innings and allowing four runs. They still led 6-4 in the ninth, though, with the help of two scoreless innings each from Noe Toribio and Tyler Samaniego. They each allowed one hit, and Toribio fanned five and Samaniego four. Unfortunately, Cam Junker and Braeden Ogle combined to blow the two-run lead.
Altoona took a 10-6 lead in the top of the tenth on an error and RBI singles by Dylan Shockley and Josh Palacios. In the bottom half, though, Ogle started by allowing two walks and a double. Juan Minaya replaced him and the first batter he faced reached on an error by Liover Peguero, who was hurt on the play. Minaya should have gotten out of it with the score still 10-9, but a two-out error by Mason Martin let the tying run score, then Minaya gave up a three-run walkoff home run.
Lolo Sanchez led the offense with three hits. Peguero, Shockley and Palacios each had two.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Anthony Solometo
- Final Line: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Notable Performances:
- Tsung-Che Cheng 1-5
- Abrahan Gutierrez 1-5
- Jase Bowen 1-5, HR (2), 3 RBI
- Maikol Escotto 1-3, BB
- Hudson Head 3-3, BB, SB
- Brenden Dixon 2-3, 2B, HR (1), HBP
- Cy Nielson 2 IP, 3 K
Game Recap:
Anthony Solometo couldn’t throw strikes, but Greensboro (4-2) came back from a 5-1 deficit to score nine runs in the sixth through eighth innings, picking up a 10-6 win.
After a relatively easy first inning, Solometo labored through three and two-thirds in all, needing 77 pitches. Only 44 of those went for strikes. He walked four and was charged with four runs. It was emblematic of his start that the first three runs scored on a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a straight steal of home.
The bullpen came through well for the Hoppers. Jaycob Deese allowed a run over two and a third innings, then Cy Nielson retired six straight, three on strikes. Jack Carey left with an injury after allowing a hit and a walk to start the ninth. Santiago Florez let one of those runners score but finished it out.
The Hoppers overcame the four-run deficit with two swings of the bat. Jase Bowen connected for his second home run of the year with two aboard in the sixth. Brenden Dixon then hit his first with one on to put Greensboro ahead in the seventh. Dixon also had a double on the day.
Greensboro could have run the score up more, but they had three runners thrown out stealing. Hudson Head went 3-for-3 with a walk, but also got caught stealing twice.
LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
Box Score: LINK
Starting Pitcher: Alessandro Ercolani
- Final Line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, K
Notable Performances:
- Jesus Castillo 1-3, 2 BB
- Wyatt Hendrie 2-4, 2B
- Braylon Bishop 2-4
- Julian Bosnic 2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K
Game Recap:
Alessandro Ercolani’s first start in full season ball didn’t go well and Bradenton (2-4) lost to Lakeland, 6-3.
Ercolani struggled to throw strikes, managing only 33 of them in 62 pitches. He gave up six runs in two and two-thirds innings. The bullpen came through, as Carlos Lomeli, Julian Bosnic and Yunior Thibo combined to go five and a third scoreless innings, giving up just one hit.
The offense couldn’t make up for the early deficit. They drew eight walks to go with seven hits, but went 1-for-9 with RISP. Also, a Wyatt Hendrie double was the only hit that wasn’t a single, as this team so far appears to have very little power.
There were a few positives, including Shalin Polanco’s season debut. He went 1-for-3 with a walk. Polanco should help a team on which today’s starting outfield — Enmanuel Terrero, Braylon Bishop and Jauri Custodio — came in with no hits in the season’s first five games. Bishop did get his first two in this one, and Custodio got his first. Jesus Castillo reached base three times on a hit and two walks. His OPS sits at 1.027 despite the fact that he has no extra base hits.
