There’s an update on today’s game due to some air quality concerns. The Pirates issued a press release regarding the situation:
“We have been in contact with Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, our team of expert medical providers at Allegheny Health Network, and city and county officials regarding the current and projected air quality index in our area. We are currently planning to host tonight’s game as scheduled. We will continue to closely monitor the air quality index levels around the ballpark. Fans holding tickets to tonight’s game who wish to exchange them for a future game may do so by calling 1-800-BUY-BUCS (1-800-289-2827) prior to the start of tonight’s game.
Meanwhile, the Pirates called up Jared Triolo and placed Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list due to lower back inflammation, retroactive to June 25. Triolo is batting 293/403/436 in 37 games with Indianapolis after losing time to hamate surgery. He’s been hot lately, going 17-for-43 (.395) in his last dozen games. Triolo won’t wait long for his MLB debut, as he’s in tonight’s lineup batting eighth.
Busy Day on the Site
We have a lot of features hitting the site this afternoon, almost in article drop fashion. Keep checking the site throughout the day for updates. We’ll keep them posted below.
The Pirates take on the Padres, hoping to build on that offensive outburst from last night. Mitch Keller takes the mound, going up against Blake Snell.
In the minors, the rookie ball teams are off, while Po-Yu Chen headlines the early action.
PIRATES (36-42) VS SAN DIEGO
Game Time: 7:05 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Mitch Keller, RHP (8-3, 3.45)
Padres Starter: Blake Snell, LHP (4-6, 3.22)
Pirates Lineup:
Here's how we'll line up for Game 2 tonight.
Padres Lineup:
Snell in the Steel City#BringTheGold pic.twitter.com/ZmuZKKAlkz
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 28, 2023
INDIANAPOLIS (33-41) AT LOUISVILLE
Game Time: 6:35 PM EST
Projected Starter: Rob Zastryzny (0-0, 0.00)
Latest Features:6/21: Changeup Helps Jared Jones In Strong Triple-A Debut
6/7: Aaron Shackelford adjusts swing and relocates power
6/6: Carmen Mlodzinski improves all the way with aggressive approachALTOONA (34-34) AT HARRISBURG
Game Time: 6:30 PM EST
Projected Starter: Braxton Ashcraft, RHP (0-0, 0.00)
Latest Features:6/22: Power Continues To Come Through For Liover Peguero
6/9: Jared Jones Continues Incredible Development With Altoona
6/1: Matt Gorski Displays Athleticism And VersatilityGREENSBORO (37-31) AT HICKORY
Game Time: 11:00 AM EST
Projected Starter: Po-Yu Chen, RHP (3-4, 4.34)
Latest Features:6/25: Jase Bowen Turning Into An Offensive Threat
6/15: Anthony Solometo Promotion A Win For 2021 Draft Class
6/14: Bubba Chandler Looking To Limit Big InningsBRADENTON (38-30) VS CLEARWATER
Game Time: 6:30 PM EST
Projected Starter: Dominic Perachi (4.53 ERA)
Latest Features:6/26:Bradenton Rotation Leading FSL Through First Half
6/22: Young Bradenton Hitters Making Progress
6/20: Termarr Johnson: Patience Brings Career Day At The PlateFCL PIRATES (11-5) OFF
6/16: Is This The Year For A Solomon Maguire Breakout?
6/12: Pirates 2023 Minor League Preview: FCL Pirates
6/11: Pitching Depth Continues To Grow With Jun-Seok Shim DebutDSL PIRATES BLACK (7-9) OFF
**Pirates 2023 Minor League Previews: Dominican Summer League Pirates
DSL PIRATES GOLD (11-5) OFF
**Pirates 2023 Minor League Previews: Dominican Summer League Pirates
THE NEW PROSPECT WATCH
With all of our game reports now going into this daily article, the Prospect Watch has been repurposed as a daily look at three prospects throughout the system. Check the site each day at noon for the latest edition. We’ll keep the archives updated here.
6/25: Quinn Priester, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Jhonson Pena
6/24: Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Adolfo Oviedo
6/23: Michael Kennedy, Po-Yu Chen, Wyatt Hendrie
6/22: Braxton Ashcraft, Jase Bowen, Maikol Escotto
6/21: Termarr Johnson, Connor Scott, Enmanuel Terrero
6/20: Cal Mitchell, Travis MacGregor, Alessandro Ercolani
6/19: Henry Davis, Bubba Chandler, Julian BosnicDAILY PIRATES NEWS
David Hague has a look at the Pirates City Connect jerseys.
**Gallery: Pirates Unveil City Connect Jerseys
Wilbur Miller looks at Lonnie White Jr. after a five hit day yesterday.
**Prospect Watch: Lonnie White Jr., Kelvin Diaz, Yojeiry Osoria
My column looks at how the part-time players are getting too much time in Pittsburgh, and how that’s changing.
**Williams: The Pains of Part-Time Players Getting Too Much Playing Time
Anthony Murphy looks at the key to success for Nick Gonzales.
**Pirates Prospect Daily: The Key To Success For Nick Gonzales
More Recent Pirates Features
6/23: Nick Gonzales Bringing Successful Hitting Adjustments to the Majors
6/23: Nick Gonzales: What The Exit Velocity Numbers Say About Potential Impact
6/23: Offensive Struggles During the Ten Game Losing Streak
6/18: The Book on Henry Davis
6/17: Carmen Mlodzinski Becomes First Cherington Pick To Reach Big LeaguesPIRATES RECAP
By Wilbur Miller
Check back at the end of the night for all of the daily results throughout the system, or, join the discussion in the comments if you’re following Live.
Final Score: Pirates 7, Padres 1
Player of the Game: Mitch Keller 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Recap:For the second day in a row, the Pirates scored actual runs and pummeled the Padres. This time it was 7-1.
Mitch Keller did pretty much the full range of stuff he’s been doing this year. Despite fanning the game’s first two hitters, he wasn’t sharp early. He had to strand two runners in each of the first two innings, both times after getting the first two hitters out, and needed 57 pitches to do it.
Starting with the third, Keller had three straight 1-2-3 innings. The Padres finally got to him with a two-out, RBI bloop single in the sixth, but he finished the inning. The final tally was one run on four hits, two walks and five strikeouts. After throwing 57 pitches in the first two innings, Keller threw only 47 in the last four.
The Pirates weren’t doing much better with Blake Snell, except for one difference: after a Henry Davis single in the first, Carlos Santana launched one over the notch to make it 2-0. It was Santana’s eighth longball of the year.
Snell only gave up one more hit and fanned ten over six innings, but he had to throw 102 pitches. Once the Padres’ bullpen was in, things unraveled for them in a hurry. Nick Gonzales started the seventh with an infield hit and Jack Suwinski walked. Derek Shelton tried to help the Padres out by having Jared Triolo bunt, but Triolo foiled the strategery by getting hit by a pitch. A flood of singles followed. Josh Palacios, who seems to want to stay, hit for some guy who doesn’t own a bat and singled in a run, then Connor Joe singled in two more. Andrew McCutchen singled to load the bases back up and Davis went the other way to single in two more. That made five runs and a 7-1 lead.
The bullpen showed some more signs of life in the form of some relatively new guys. Carmen Mlodzinski, Yerry De Los Santos and Cody Bolton each had a scoreless inning. Mlodzinski gave up a hit, fanned two and threw 11 of 13 pitches for strikes. De Los Santos had a quick, 11-pitch inning. Bolton labored through a 29-pitch ninth, but left the bases loaded when he got Ha-Seong Kim to ground out on the ninth pitch of his at-bat.
Triolo’s debut didn’t start auspiciously, but it ended well. He struck out his first two times up, took the hit-by-pitch, then singled in his last AB for his first major league hit. Keller is now 9-3, which is more than twice as many wins as any Pirate starter all last year. (Keller won five, but one came in relief.)
PIRATES PROSPECT WATCH
By John Dreker
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS
Final Score: Louisville 7, Indianapolis 6
Player of the Game: Ji-Man Choi 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Recap:Indianapolis was up 6-2 late in this one, but they slowly let the lead get away in a 7-6 loss.
Ji-Man Choi hit a two-run homer in his first rehab game for Indianapolis. He later added a third RBI on a sacrifice fly. He played three games last week for Altoona, going 2-for-8 with a double and a walk.
Indianapolis also scored runs on an Endy Rodriguez sacrifice fly, and a two-run single by Aaron Shackelford.
Rodriguez had two hits, including his 12th double. Canaan Smith-Njigba had three hits, including his 11th double.
Rob Zastryzny got the start on a rehab assignment. He allowed a run in his one run.
Kent Emanuel did the brunt of the work, allowing four runs over five innings.
John O’Reilly had a scoreless frame, but Colin Selby and Hunter Stratton each allowed a run for the loss.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA
Final Score: Harrisburg 6, Altoona 5
Player of the Game: Liover Peguero 4-for-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI
Recap:Altoona took the loss on Wednesday night, but Liover Peguero had himself a day. He had four hits, including his 20th double and two homers, giving him 11 home runs on the season. He scored three runs and drove in a pair. He now has an .831 OPS for the year, which is 103 points above Eastern League average.
Braxton Ashcraft had a nice start on his limited pitch count. He went three scoreless innings on one hit, no walks and three strikeouts. The hit was just a high bouncer off the plate that died on the grass about 40 feet up the third base line.
Andres Alvarez drove in a pair of runs on his sixth home run of the season. Abrahan Gutierrez had a sacrifice fly, a single and run scored.
Justin Meis and Cameron Junker combined to allowed six runs in 2.2 innings, giving Harrisburg all of their runs. Tahnaj Thomas retired all four batters he faced.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO
Final Score: Hickory 6, Greensboro 2
Player of the Game: Ernny Ordonez 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Recap:Greensboro lost an early afternoon game on Wednesday in Hickory by a 6-2 score.
Po-Yu Chen went 6.2 innings, allowing all six runs, though three were unearned due to one of the two errors by Brendan Dixon. Chen finished with seven hits, three walks and six strikeouts. He has a 4.31 ERA in 71 innings.
Jack Carey recorded the final four outs, which included three strikeouts.
The Grasshoppers had just two hits in the game, a single by Shawn Ross and a two-run homer in the sixth inning by Ernny Ordonez.
Greensboro struck out 16 times in the game. They only had one at-bat with runners in scoring position.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON
Final Score: Clearwater 8, Bradenton 5
Player of the Game: Dominic Perachi 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO
Recap:Bradenton lost 8-5 due to wildness from all of their pitchers, resulting in nine walks and four hit batters. Dominican Perachi had a great start, throwing five shutout innings. Five relievers then combined to allow eight runs over the next four innings, with everyone chipping in.
The offense came from a wild pitch in the first, Shalin Polanco’s 12th homer in the third inning, then three runs in the eighth. A Nick Cimillo double brought in a pair, followed by another run on a wild pitch.
Jack Brannigan had three hits, a walk and two runs scored.
Termarr Johnson went 1-for-5 with a single. He has an .828 OPS.
Rodolfo Nolasco had three walks.
