It’s always a welcome sight to see the Pirates win. There’s a big difference between their wins at the start of this week, versus at the end of the week.
Their victories early this week were fueled by home runs from Carlos Santana. The first baseman homered twice in Monday’s victory, and homered again in the win on Wednesday. He was traded to the Brewers on Thursday.
On Saturday night, the Pirates won. This time, it wasn’t on the back of rental free agents. Instead, it was their top hitting prospects who stepped up. More on the game and the two biggest performers below.
QUICK PIRATES RECAP
The Pirates beat the Phillies 7-6.
Endy Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a double, and a bases clearing triple in the fifth inning, giving the Pirates their lead. Liover Peguero hit a solo homer to lead off the third inning, and pulled the Pirates to within one run with an RBI single in the fourth.
Alika Williams picked up his first MLB hit after the Rodriguez triple, bringing in the eventual winning run.
Quinn Priester gave up five runs on five hits in five innings of work. His seven strikeouts were unusually high, although they came with six walks. Most of his runs came in the fourth inning, when he gave up a bases loaded, three RBI double, followed by another RBI double. Both hits came with two outs.
David Bednar came on for the five out save to end the game. He allowed an inherited runner to score in the 8th inning, before eventually working his way to his 21st save of the season.
DAILY VIDEO RUNDOWN
When I was in Altoona earlier this year, the most confident approaches at the plate I saw came from Henry Davis and Liover Peguero. When those two went to the plate, you could visibly tell that they weren’t intimidated by any pitcher, and both were seeking out a chance to do damage. Peguero has carried that approach to the majors, as shown by him attacking this pitch in the third inning last night for a home run.
Three games after clubbing his first @Pirates homer, Liover Peguero leaves the yard again!
106 mph off the bat and 412 feet for Pittsburgh’s No. 7 prospect: pic.twitter.com/U0VGfhFrhi
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 29, 2023
Speaking of an aggressive approach, Endy Rodriguez stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning with the bases loaded, just looking to do damage. He took the first pitch to center field, and benefitted from the ball getting past the fielder.
ENDY CLEARS THE BASES! pic.twitter.com/GrvwLGP0nJ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 30, 2023
Peguero and Rodriguez combined for five hits and six RBIs on the night.
AROUND THE SYSTEM
The recap of Saturday’s action in the Pirates’ minor league system can be found in the Prospect Watch.
INDIANAPOLIS
The Indianapolis lineup is looking more like proper depth, and the lineup in Pittsburgh is looking more promising to the point where that depth can remain in Triple-A for emergencies. That’s a big change over the start of the year, where the Pirates would be relying on these players to catch lightning in a bottle for the big league club. Saturday’s win for Indianapolis saw home runs from Rodolfo Castro, Miguel Andujar, and a nice start from Luis Ortiz.
ALTOONA
Braxton Ashcraft didn’t have a great start for Altoona on Saturday. It’s also worth noting that the Curve just placed both of their catchers on the injured list. There might be a brief adjustment period. Ashcraft allowed three earned runs in three innings on Saturday, after going his previous 11 innings with just one unearned run.
GREENSBORO
Greensboro is known as a hitter friendly park, so it was great to see Bubba Chandler limit damage to one run on two hits in five innings on Saturday. He received plenty of help from his offense, including a homer for the second night in a row by Jack Brannigan.
BRADENTON
The Marauders are starting to see a few debuts from the 2023 draft class. Mitch Jebb has done nothing but hit in his first three games at the level, including four hits on Saturday night. As an advanced college hitter, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Greensboro before long. The Pirates recently assigned Charles McAdoo, their 13th round infielder out of San Jose State, to Bradenton. He’s yet to make his debut.
ROOKIE LEVELS
Jhonny Severino, acquired in the Santana trade, made his debut in the Pirates system. He also showed off some of the plus power that made him such an appealing prospect, hitting a home run in his first game.
For a complete look at Saturday’s action, check out the Prospect Watch.
Prospect Watch: Bubba Chandler More Consistent, Jhonny Severino Homers in Debut
SONG OF THE DAY
After that five out save…
