Friday night’s action in the Pittsburgh Pirates system included a complete game in Altoona, power from a first base prospect in Indianapolis, and a great all-around game in Greensboro.
Player of the Day
AARON SHORTRIDGE, RHP, ALTOONA
Shortridge had an impressive outing last week, allowing one run in six innings, while striking out nine. He followed that with an even better start this week, throwing a complete game on Friday night for Altoona. Shortridge allowed two runs, one earned, while giving up six hits, no walks, and striking out seven. This was the longest outing of his career, beating his eight shutout innings on August 8th, 2019.
Ten More to Follow
MALCOM NUNEZ, 3B, INDIANAPOLIS
Nunez returned to Indianapolis this week, after missing over two months of action. On Friday night he went 2-for-4, adding his fifth homer at the level this season. Prior to his injury, Nunez was batting .357/.478/.536 with two homers during the month of May. Nunez was playing third base, but profiles best in the majors as a first base prospect.
DOMINGO LEYBA, DH, INDIANAPOLIS
Leyba has been a good veteran hitter for Indianapolis. The 27-year-old has a .389/.500/.750 line in 36 at-bats. He added his third home run last night in a three hit game.
KYLE NICOLAS, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
During the month of August, Nicolas has moved to a long relief role, working 2-3 inning appearances. He’s allowed three runs in seven innings of work, with seven strikeouts and four walks. The walks were limited to a single appearance. Last night he allowed one run on a solo homer in two innings, with no walks and two strikeouts.
MATT GORSKI, CF, ALTOONA
Gorski returned to Altoona recently, after missing a few weeks on the IL. In his first game back on Wednesday, he hit his 14th homer of the year. He didn’t pick up a hit on Friday night, but walked twice and stole two bases, giving him 18 this season.
JACK BRANNIGAN, 2B, GREENSBORO
Brannigan has shown off some power this year, hitting his eighth homer of the year last night for Greensboro. That gives him 15 on the year, when combined with his time in Bradenton. Since joining the High-A level, Brannigan is hitting .333/.390/.773.
BRENDEN DIXON, DH, GREENSBORO
Dixon added his ninth homer of the year for Greensboro, giving him ten on the season after hitting one with Indianapolis. The infielder has a .210/.333/.439 line with the Grasshoppers this year.
DEREK DIAMOND, RHP, GREENSBORO
Diamond was making his fourth start for Greensboro, following a promotion from Bradenton last month. The 2022 sixth rounder allowed one run on three hits in five innings, with three walks and nine strikeouts. He had more strikeouts in this game than his previous three starts, and set a career high.
YORDANY DE LOS SANTOS, SS, BRADENTON
The Marauders stole nine bases in nine attempts on Friday night, beating Fort Myers 7-4. De Los Santos stole two bases, giving him nine since joining the Marauders. He also picked up two hits and knocked in two runs.
ESTUAR SUERO, CF, FCL PIRATES
The Pirates added Suero in the trade that sent Rich Hill and Ji Man Choi to the Padres. The 17-year-old outfielder hit his first extra base hit since the trade, picking up a triple in the FCL.
TONY BLANCO JR., DH, DSL PIRATES
The DSL Pirates teams played against each other on Friday. Tony Blanco Jr. hit his fifth homer of the year in the game, leading the Gold team to a 7-1 win. Blanco was one of the top international signings in January 2022, receiving a $900,000 bonus.
Friday’s Home Runs
- Malcom Nunez, 3B, Indianapolis (5)
- Domingo Leyba, DH, Indianapolis (3)
- Brenden Dixon, DH, Greensboro (9)
- Jack Brannigan, 2B, Greensboro (8)
- Tony Blanco Jr., DH, DSL Pirates (5)
Friday’s Minor League Results
INDIANAPOLIS (50-60) VS Nashville
Score: Nashville 7, Indianapolis 5
Indianapolis Starter: Cam Alldred, LHP (5.14)
–Line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 8 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Domingo Leyba, DH (3-for-4, 3B, HR [3], 2 RBI)
Attendance: 10,048
Notable Performers
- Cody Bolton, RHP (1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
- Kyle Nicolas, RHP (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR)
- Malcom Nunez, 3B (2-for-4, 2B, HR [5], 2 RBI)
ALTOONA (50-53) VS Erie
Score: Altoona 3, Erie 2
Altoona Starter: Aaron Shortridge, RHP (4.77)
–Line: 9.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Shortridge
Attendance: 3,880
Notable Performers
- Matt Gorski, CF (0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 SB [18]
GREENSBORO (56-47) AT Greenville
Score: Greensboro 5, Greenville 1
Greensboro Starter: Derek Diamond, RHP (3.18)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Diamond
Attendance: 5,273
Notable Performers
- Valentin Linarez, RHP (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
- Jack Brannigan, 2B (2-for-5, HR [8])
- Jase Bowen, LF (1-for-5, 2 SB [20])
- Brenden Dixon, DH (1-for-3, HR [9])
BRADENTON (61-44) AT Fort Myers
Score: Bradenton 7, Fort Myers 4
Bradenton Starter: Wilber Dotel, RHP (3.02)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Omar Alfonzo, 1B (3-for-4, BB, 3 RBI)
Attendance: 2,978
Notable Performers
- Landon Tomkins, RHP (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K)
- Garret Forrester, 3B (2-for-3, 2 BB)
- Yordany De Los Santos, SS (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 SB [9])
FCL PIRATES (28-19) VS FCL Orioles
Score: Orioles 8, Pirates 6
FCL Pirates Starter: Antwone Kelly, RHP (2.80)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Kelly
Notable Performers
- Estuar Suero, CF (1-for-5, 3B)
DSL PIRATES BLACK (15-28) VS DSL PIRATES GOLD (33-12)
Score: Gold 7, Black 1
Pirates Black Starter: Jose Regalado, LHP (6.38)
–Line: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Pirates Gold Starter: Dioris Martinez, RHP (4.85)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Tony Blanco Jr., DH (1-for-4, HR [5], 2 RBI)
