The Pirates got, not great, but pretty good starts from a couple of key prospects, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler. Endy Rodriguez went deep but got hurt, and Jase Bowen had a big day.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
Prospect Watch: Malcom Nunez Homers; Anthony Solometo Racks Up Strikeouts
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS @ MEMPHIS
Final Score: Memphis 6, Indianapolis (7-11) 1
Indianapolis Starter: Caleb Smith
Pitching Line: 5 IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Endy Rodriguez 1-3, HR (3)
- Carmen Mlodzinski IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 K
- Cody Bolton IP, H, 3 K
Game Recap:
Indianapolis couldn’t get any offense going and lost to Memphis, 6-1. Caleb Smith had a good start for the Indians. He gave up just one hit over five innings. Unfortunately, it was a gopher ball following a walk, which cost him the “L.”
Carmen Mlodzinski did not have a good outing. He allowed three runs in his one inning. They were all unearned, but he gave up two hits and a walk. Angel Perdomo also got tagged with an unearned run. Nick Gonzales, playing short, had a costly error. He already has five on the season; moving around between second, third and short doesn’t seem to be working well. Aaron Shackelford added two miscues.
Endy Rodriguez had an error as well, an extremely wild throw on a steal attempt. The trainer came out after the play and Rodriguez left. He may have had an arm injury, although he didn’t seem in obvious distress. Rodriguez’ error left Cody Bolton with a runner on third and nobody out, but he proceeded to strike out the side.
Meanwhile, Indy couldn’t do anything against Connor Thomas, who came in with an 8.16 ERA. He allowed just six hits over seven innings, with the only run coming on Rodriguez’ third home run.
For the day, Indy had eight hits, but went 0-for-8 with RISP. Ryan Vilade was the only player with two hits.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA VS BOWIE
Final Score: Altoona (5-7) 2, Bowie 1
Altoona Starter: Jared Jones
Pitching Line: 5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 5 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Henry Davis 1-3, 2B, BB
- Liover Peguero 0-3, BB (now batting .175 with a .439 OPS)
- Travis MacGregor 2.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K
- Noe Toribio 1.1 IP, BB, 2 K
Game Recap:
Altoona squeaked by Bowie, 2-1. Jared Jones had a solid start. He got hit around a little, allowing seven hits over five innings, but he didn’t walk anybody and fanned five. In his one difficult inning, the fifth, he gave up a run and had runners at the corners with one out, but got a double play to escape further damage.
The Curve offense wasn’t much. They had only five hits and four walks, and went 1-for-9 with RISP. They were mostly helpless against Bowie starter Justin Arbruester. He finally left with runners at second and third and one out in the sixth. Altoona failed to score, but Bowie handed them two in the seventh. Drew Maggi bunted with two on and nobody out, and the pitcher threw the ball away to let in one run. The go-ahead run scored later on a fly out by Liover Peguero, although for some reason he wasn’t credited with a sacrifice fly.
Travis MacGregor and Noe Toribio finished with four scoreless innings. MacGregor got eight outs and Toribio four, and they fanned six between them. Nobody got more than one hit. Henry Davis had a double for the only extra base hit.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO VS GREENVILLE
Final Score: Greensboro (9-3) 16, Greenville 6
Greensboro Starter: Bubba Chandler
Pitching Line: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Tsung-Che Cheng 2-4, BB, reached on catcher’s interference, 2 SB, 3 runs
- Mike Jarvis 1-3, 3 BB, SB, 4 runs
- Jase Bowen 4-6, SB, 5 RBIs
- Sammy Siani 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBIs
- Luis Hernandez 2-4, BB
Game Recap:
Greensboro won for the seventh time in its last eight games, stomping Greenville, 16-6. Bubba Chandler went five innings, giving up six hits, three walks and two runs. He fanned six. He had to work out of trouble a couple times, escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third, and allowing just one run on two walks, a hit and a balk in the fifth.
The Hoppers gave Chandler a lot of margin for error. They scored six in the first, when they sent ten batters to the plate. They got four more in the fourth, with the help of four walks and a wild pitch.
Brad Case had a meltdown in the sixth, giving up four runs while recording only two outs. That made the score a bit more respectable for Greenville. The rest of the bullpen was more effective. Grant Ford threw a scoreless inning and a third, and Oliver Mateo and Drew Irvine each threw one.
There were offensive performances aplenty, as the Hoppers piled up 18 hits and ten walks, and went 12-for-23 with RISP. Jase Bowen drove in five runs with four singles. Sammy Siani had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs. Mike Jarvis had three walks and a hit, and scored four times. Tsung-Che Cheng had two hits, three runs and two steals. Catcher Luis Hernandez had two hits and two RBIs. The Hoppers added Hernandez to the roster to replace Abrahan Gutierrez, who went on the seven-day injured list.
LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON VS DAYTONA
Final Score: Bradenton (8-4) 2, Daytona 0
Bradenton Starter: Alessandro Ercolani
Pitching Line: 4 IP, 1 H, 4 BB, 4 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Enmanuel Terrero 1-3, BB, 2 SB
- Shalin Polanco 1-3, BB, SB
- Joshua Loeschorn 3 IP, H, 4 K
- Yunior Thibo 2 IP, H, 3 K
Game Recap:
Bradenton won its sixth straight, 2-0, over Daytona. Alessandro Ercolani didn’t have good control, but it was still a drastic improvement over his first start. He walked four and needed 71 pitches, 40 strikes, to get through four innings, but he allowed just one hit and no runs.
The bullpen was more efficient. Joshua Loeschorn and Yunior Thibo combined to throw 45 of 59 pitches for strikes over the last five innings, walking nobody and allowing just a hit apiece. They fanned seven.
The offense couldn’t even match Daytona’s three hits, getting just a single each from Enmanuel Terrero and Shalin Polanco and going 0-for-8 with RISP. The Daytona bullpen came to the Marauders’ rescue, though, in the sixth. A hit batsman and four walks brought in two hitless runs, and that was all of the game’s offense. The Marauders whiffed a dozen times.
Having followed the Pirates fanatically since 1965, Wilbur Miller is one of the fast-dwindling number of fans who’ve actually seen good Pirate teams. He’s even seen Hall-of-Fame Pirates who didn’t get traded mid-career, if you can imagine such a thing. His first in-person game was a 5-4, 11-inning win at Forbes Field over Milwaukee (no, not that one). He’s been writing about the Pirates at various locations online for over 20 years. It has its frustrations, but it’s certainly more cathartic than writing legal stuff. Wilbur is retired and now lives in Bradenton with his wife and three temperamental cats.
Any further news about the Endy injury? Termarr? Mike Burrows?
Termarr is DHing tonight.
And now Swaggerty too
Could this be a breakout for Bowen and Siani? Looks like winter ball unlocked some hidden potential.
Siani was always if he does or doesn’t put the tools to use. He’s got everything you could want I think. Hopefully this is a good sign that he is putting it all together. Bowen was always just a guy to me. He got my attention because he’s getting an autograph in the new Bowman release. That led me to dig a little deeper into him and I’m liking what I’m seeing now.
Anybody watch the Marcello Mayer vs. Bubba matchups?
Pretty stoked to see Jared Jones get the Statcast treatment, he’s gotta throw in at least a couple instrumented stadiums, right?
Jones handled Kjerstad and Mayo their first two times through the order, but caught up to him the third for a single and double.
I swear if Endy’s injured…
This season’s giving me bipolar depression with top prospects getting injured and the Pirates keep winning
If he is injured they can move up Davis.
I like both of them so I’d be okay with that, but I still prefer not seeing injuries… 🙁
I’m wondering if he’d benefit from a push to tougher competition either way.
His contact quality has been cartoonishly bad, but his plate discipline is well beyond AA arms at this point.
When I’ve watched his ABs — admittedly sporadically — it seems like he’s just seeing a lot of junk. I haven’t seen him chase much, hence all the walks. So it’s believable that facing better pitching might help him.
Or not.
Interesting, thanks. I still haven’t re-upped my milb.tv this year so Anthony’s clips are all I’ve had.
Slacker!!!