Injuries to the starting pitchers in the upper levels have forced the Pirates to get creative with how the rotation has worked in Indianapolis.
Two of the five original members of the Indianapolis rotation are in Pittsburgh with the Pirates, and another was lost to Tommy John surgery, leaving open several spots that needed filled.
They moved up two players from Altoona to fill in spots, while getting some great starts as of late from Cam Alldred.
The former 24th round pick out of Cincinnati is no stranger to working as a multi-inning relief pitcher, but had never been used this much out of the rotation.
It’s been going well for the lefty, as Thursday’s start gives him three straight starts with at least six innings pitched, all allowing three runs or less.
For someone who came into the season with two career starts in the minors, Alldred is starting to look more and more natural in the rotation. In eight starts this season, the lefty has posted a 3.07 ERA, allowing 28 hits and 13 walks, while striking out 36 batters across 38 innings pitched.
He set a new career high with eight strikeouts while not walking a single batter, picking up the win for Indianapolis on Thursday. Despite not really being known for striking batters out, his brought his swing and miss stuff with in, picking up 11 whiffs on 19 swings (58%) with his slider.
With the second half of the season to go, the Pirates are going to need all hands on deck when it comes to filling the remaining innings. Getting someone like Alldred to step up and be an option in Triple-A is huge.
Prospect Notes
— Owen Kellington has flashed one of the best curveballs in the system this season, but has really fallen off the rails when it comes to his control as of late. That’s put him in some weird situations lately, getting beat up his last few times out.
He threw four shutout innings, although he walked (3) more than he struck out (2), he kept things limited, which is a step in the right direction as of late.
— With slightly less than half the season left to go, Shalin Polanco is six stolen bases and eight home runs away from a 20/20 season, all the while being 19-years-old playing in Single-A.
It’d be an impressive mark for the young outfielder, but he continues to teeter when it comes to the strikeouts. He’s really brought them down compared to the beginning of the year, but there remains a lot of swing and miss in his game.
He’s a fun one to watch play, without a doubt, but a frustrating one as well when he chases pitches.
Daily Video Rundown
Alessandro Ercolani pitched an inning in relief on Thursday, but was recently named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. Here’s a look back at the start that earned him the recognition.
ALIKA
Alika Williams is known more for his defense, but has really started to drive the baseball.
Father Abrahan gets us started off on the right foot! pic.twitter.com/kqimJe4CKd
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) June 29, 2023
Abrahan Gutierrez gets things started for the Altoona Curve, hitting his third home run in Double-A.
PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY
By Tim Williams
The Pirates swept the Padres, and Wilbur Miller has the full recap in Pirates Prospects Live.
**P2Live: New Guys Lead Pirates to Sweep of Padres
Ryan Palencer writes about the rocky start to the season for Jared Triolo, and how he’s turned his season around to get to the big leagues.
**Jared Triolo Has Positive Recovery From Negative Start to the Year
JP Massey was a popular sleeper pick around here, and he’s now in the Future’s Game. Anthony Murphy looks at how his breaking stuff allowed him to dominate Single-A.
**Breaking Pitches Allowed JP Massey To Dominate Single-A
Anthony Murphy looks at how the prospect movement may be exactly what this team needed.
**Pirates Prospects Daily: This May Be Exactly What This Team Needed
SONG OF THE DAY
