Four early afternoon games on Sunday to wrap up this week. Quinn Priester, Jared Jones and Braxton Ashcraft all got starts today. Priester continued to do well, while the other two both appeared to have purposely shortened outings.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS VS IOWA
Final Score: Indianapolis 5, Iowa 1
Indianapolis Starter: Quinn Priester (4-3, 4.66)
Pitching Line: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Nick Gonzales 1-for-4
- Canaan Smith-Njigba 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, SB
- Endy Rodriguez 1-for-4
- Cal Mitchell 0-for-3
- Jared Triolo 0-for-4, 4 K
- Malcom Nunez 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Game Recap:
Quinn Priester didn’t have a dominating game, nor was he efficient, but he got the job done by throwing five shutout innings on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts. He threw 84 pitches, with 58 going for strikes. Priester was able to get 11 swinging strikes. He has allowed three runs over 24 innings in his last four starts combined.
John O’Reilly and Hunter Stratton followed with scoreless innings. Angel Perdomo allowed a run in the eighth, then Yerry De Los Santos finished off the 5-1 victory with shutout ball in the ninth.
The Indians scored a run on a bases loaded walk to Chavez Young in the second. Canaan Smith-Njigba doubled in a run in the the fifth.
Indianapolis capped their scoring in the eighth on a three-run homer by Malcom Nunez, his fourth of the year. He also had a single and a walk.
Jared Triolo played shortstop in this game. He had a rough day at the plate, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA @ BOWIE
Final Score: Bowie 5, Altoona 2
Altoona Starter: Jared Jones (0-1, 2.70)
Pitching Line: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Liover Peguero 1-for-5, SB
- Henry Davis 0-for-5
- Matt Fraizer 0-for-4
- Drew Maggi 1-for-3, 2B, BB
Game Recap:
Jared Jones had a rough start to the game, but he finished up strong in a shortened outing. He went four innings on 56 pitches, allowing two runs on four hits, no walks and six strikeouts. He allowed both of those runs in the first inning. He has a 3.00 ERA this year in 24 innings, with 28 strikeouts.
Matt Eckelman followed Jones by going 0.2 innings, while giving up three runs. The bullpen of Travis MacGregor, Tyler Samaniego and Tahnaj Thomas combined to go 3.1 innings, with no hits and one walk.
Mason Martin’s seventh homer brought in the first run for Altoona. He would end up scoring the other run in the sixth after walking, moving to second on a walk, third on a passed ball, and home on a wild pitch.
Liover Peguero stole his 12th base. Drew Maggi had a walk and a double. Jacob Gonzalez had a single and a walk.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO @ ASHEVILLE
Final Score: Asheville 10, Greensboro 9
Greensboro Starter: Braxton Ashcraft (0-1, 2.21)
Pitching Line: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Tsung-Che Cheng 3-for-5, RBI
- Jase Bowen 1-for-3, 2 RBI, HBP
- Hudson Head 0-for-5
- Sammy Siani 1-for-5, HR, RBI
- Maikol Escotto 1-for-5
Game Recap:
Braxton Ashcraft got the start on Sunday, though he only pitched one inning. He allowed a run on two hits, with no walks and one strikeout. He already made a start this week, so this shortened outing could be by design, as he returns from Tommy John surgery. He threw 12 pitches, with nine going for strikes.
Jack Carey took over in the second inning. He allowed one run over two innings. Grant Ford gave up five runs over 1.1 innings. Mitchell Miller got the last two outs of the fifth. Eddy Yean went two innings, giving up a run of his own. Santiago Florez took the loss after surrendering two eighth inning runs.
Greensboro scored their first run in the third inning on a Wyatt Hendrie sacrifice bunt that turned into an error. Tsung-Che Cheng then bunted for a hit, which scored Hendrie to tie the game.
Sammy Siani hit his fifth homer of the season in the fourth, a solo shot that gave Greensboro the lead for a short time.
The Grasshoppers went down 8-3, before mounting a comeback in the seventh. They scored their fourth run on a Jackson Glenn single. Tres Gonzalez then doubled in a run. Jase Bowen hit a sacrifice fly. That was followed by a Will Matthiessen homer that tied the game.
Greensboro once again took the lead in the eighth on an RBI single by Bowen.
Cheng, Glenn and Matthiessen all had three hits in the game.
LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON @ CLEARWATER
Final Score: Clearwater 4, Bradenton 2
Bradenton Starter: Derek Diamond (2-2, 5.19)
Pitching Line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Jesus Castillo 0-for-1, 3 BB
- Termarr Johnson 0-for-4, 3 K
- Rodolfo Nolasco 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
- Jack Brannigan 0-for-2, 2 HBP
- Enmanuel Terrero 0-for-3, BB
Game Recap:
Derek Diamond allowed four runs over 2.2 innings before the rains came and delayed the game. It was unfortunate for the Marauders that play resumed, because that 4-0 deficit was already too big for them to overcome.
Owen Sharts, Dominic Perachi, Julian Bosnic, Yunior Thibo and Ryan Harbin threw shutout ball over the final 5.1 innings on three hits and two walks.
Bradenton got a walk from Jesus Castillo in the fourth inning. Rodolfo Nolasco followed two batters later with a two-run homer, his third of the season. Not only was that the only offense for the Marauders, it was also their only hit. Castillo drew three walks, while everyone else had one hit and two walks total.
Bradenton struck out 17 times in this game, with everyone in the starting lineup contributing at least one. Termarr Johnson was having a very good week, but it ended on an 0-for-4 day, with three strikeouts. He had five hits and six walks this week.
DSL/FCL
The schedules for the Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League have been released.
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.
Cutch missed a sign??
I just came and it says “caught stealing home”. Not sure if I want to replay it. Smh
No you gotta replay it….Cutch obviously did not get the sign and never took off. Suwinski was intending on drawing a throw and if does not happen he is on 2nd, If the throw goes through, Cutch is supposed to take off with a better lead and getting a run out of it, For some reason Cutch never took the lead that he had been and Suwinski takes off and Cutch was not ready and he stopped dead half way to home……not really caught stealing cause he wasn’t trying to steal….just got out….
Any updates on Lonnie White Jr.?
Imagine that poor sumbitch trying to stay on a D1 football field.
Then again, the “recovery” protocol tends to be a LOT better in football than baseball these days.
Both his hamstrings fell off while I was writing this reply.
I guess that means he can never pull a hammy again since they are gone…..good news??
It appears Head and Siani take turns going 1/4 or 1/5 each game. Waiting for a game when they both go 3/5 with a few extra base hits.
Man you gotta hand it to Quinn. I don’t know if this translates but he’s battling.
I’m cautiously optimistic he’s going to be a very good mid to back of the rotation SP. I don’t see any way he transforms himself into a TOR SP like Keller has.
He doesn’t has Keller’s arm strength, Keller had a shitty fastball like Priester, but he always had better velocity, he no longer has that issue, Priester’s fastball on the other hand….it could happen I guess.
I see him living or dying on his ability to command a myriad of pitches, whereas Keller has the ability to just bully his way to a strikeout whenever the situation calls for it.
Teach Quinn that sweeper!
Sounds like a perfect winter project for QP to me.
Gives me the feeling of a guy who’s going to grind and get decent results even if his stuff isn’t the top of the line. Or we just send him to driveline and have him hitting 98 next year
Hopper bullpen
Father Quinn shut out ball vs team with two looks at him in 5 days
The team? 1st place nasty hitting Iowa cubbies
HUGE!
Its time to let Massey continue his scoreless month in a different location
JUST SAYING
He and harrington should both be in greensboro
I’d bump Harrington straight to ‘toona.
Massey seems like he still might not have much idea where it’s going at any given time, might benefit from a bit more patience.
Also very down for this aggressive move. Only hesitation is I dont know that Leiter was done any favors by Tex sending him to AA and just getting smacked around. Leiter also lost a bunch of control though
Agree
Quinn has been really good lately
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?date=5/21/2023&gamePk=723589&chartType=pitch&legendType=pitchName&playerType=pitcher&inning=&count=&pitchHand=&batSide=&descFilter=&ptFilter=&resultFilter=&hf=&sportId=11
Thanks, for posting. QP making progress, Endy with only one hit but hitting the ball hard 104.8, 89.9, 105.5, and 92.0 mph.
Endy’s EV’s are very encouraging given that’s been the knock against him.
For Priester, the swings-and-misses are great but with his FB being between 92 and 94, I’m skeptical as to whether he can be more than a 3/4 starter in the majors. It’s the same thing McKenry and Wehner were talking about with Ro yesterday, who is pitching like a #4 starter–you can have great breaking stuff but it doesn’t play as well if the FB velocity can’t get to the upper 90’s. Both are too young to say that’s all they can be, and even if that’s all they become it’s still a fine outcome. But that would leave us needing someone to pair with Keller at the top of the rotation…maybe there’s a pitcher in the draft with that kind of upside 😉
CAn rich Hill throw a fastball over 92 MPH. He has done well. It comes down to command. If Priester can put the ball where he wants it then he can throw 92 and still be successful.
Yes, little doubt Quinn Preister will at least end up the 5th starter on a shitty team.
We were hoping for more.
I think Jones’s progress the next month could play a factor in the draft. If his control and command keep improving, they might think they have the pitching.
If the medical records are good with Skenes it still would be hard to pass if he has a couple more dominant performances. His inning count is acceptable but his pitch count is a little high, out of the 14 games he’s pitched.
12 games over 90
10 games over 100
4 games over 110
Those college coaches don’t care about their kids, do they?
Really don’t, Skene been throwing around 100 pitches a game since February.
Good post TN. At this point if Priester turned into a quality 3 or 4 starter I would gladly take it. I feared he would be much less than that going into this year. Obviously if he was better than that I would gladly take it.
Really hope they are able to get Keller locked up soon.
I agree that a 3/4 starter is a fine outcome for Priester, it just means we need to keep looking for that guy to pair with Keller (assuming we can extend him and he stays healthy).
That “guy” to pair with Keller may never turn up. They may just have to mix and match a bunch of guys who end up being 3/4 types.
Ortiz was doing very well until the coaches decided he needed another pitch and to stop throwing his 4 seamer. They made him average.
That’s insane! Why would they make him stop throwing his high gas? Even if it was getting knocked around, going BP-heavy should make the 4-seamer more effective than when it was his go-to. I don’t know why you’d ever remove a pitch completely from the arsenal when unpredictability is a pitcher’s friend.
Maybe, but it could equally be chalked up to the natural volatility of young pitching.