The Pirates had some power production in Greensboro on Saturday, led by two home runs from 2022 15th rounder Josiah Sightler. They also got another solid start from Luis Ortiz in Indianapolis. Check out all of the daily action below.
Player of the Day
JOSIAH SIGHTLER, 1B, GREENSBORO
Sightler hit two home runs on Saturday night, giving him four with Greensboro and 11 on the season. The Pirates drafted the first baseman last year in the 15th round out of South Carolina. He didn’t make his pro debut until June of this year, and absolutely destroyed Single-A, with a .516 average and a 1.454 OPS, along with six homers in 64 at-bats. He’s continued hitting in High-A, batting .295/.343/.508 in 61 at-bats — at a level that more matches his college experience.
Ten More to Follow
LUIS ORTIZ, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
Ortiz allowed one run in five innings of work on Saturday. It was his second start in a row where he allowed one run in five innings. Prior to that, he allowed 14 earned runs in 9.2 innings after being sent down from Pittsburgh. The best part about Saturday’s start is the zero walks from Ortiz. He walked 13 in his previous four starts, including three batters last time out.
DOMINGO LEYBA, 3B, INDIANAPOLIS
Leyba went 2-for-3, picking up his fourth homer of the year for Indianapolis. The Pirates added the 27-year-old as a minor league free agent in March. In 39 at-bats with Indianapolis, he has a .410/.511/.821 line. In 102 at-bats with Altoona, he hit .343/.412/.490 with three homers.
JACKSON WOLF, LHP, ALTOONA
THE 6′ 7″ left-hander made his second start with Altoona, after being acquired from the Padres in the Rich Hill trade. Wolf allowed four runs on five hits in 3.1 innings this time around. He walked three and struck out six. In his first start with the organization, he allowed one earned run on two hits in 4.2 innings, with a walk and five strikeouts.
JASE BOWEN, LF, GREENSBORO
Bowen has had one of the best offensive seasons in the Pirates’ system this year. The 2019 11th rounder hit his 22nd home run on Saturday night. He also reached the 20 stolen base mark this year, giving him a 20/20 season in High-A. Bowen is hitting .266/.345/.497 this year.
TERMARR JOHNSON, 2B, GREENSBORO
The Pirates drafted Johnson with the fourth overall pick last year. After batting .244/.419/.448 in Single-A, he was promoted to Greensboro at the start of August, where his bat has been slow to adjust. Johnson did hit his first homer at the new level on Saturday night, and now has a hit in five of his last six games. He’s also reached base safely in every game at the new level, but has a .268 OBP so far.
HUNTER BARCO, LHP, BRADENTON
The Pirates drafted Barco last year in the second round, with the lefty from Florida coming off Tommy John surgery. Barco has been limited to 2-3 inning appearances. Making his second start for Bradenton, he allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits in two innings. He didn’t issue a walk, and struck out three.
JADEN WOODS, LHP, BRADENTON
The Pirates drafted Woods in the seventh round this year out of Georgia. The lefty made his debut earlier this week, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. On Saturday, he pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just one walk and striking out one.
CARLSON REED, RHP, FCL PIRATES
The Pirates drafted Reed in the fourth round out of West Virginia this year. The right-hander made his third appearance, pitching two innings on Saturday. He allowed one unearned run on three hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. Reed has now allowed seven runs, but only two earned in three appearances in the FCL.
ESTUAR SUERO, RF, FCL PIRATES
The Pirates added Suero in the Rich Hill/Ji Man Choi trade that also brought Jackson Wolf. Suero went 2-for-4 on Saturday, adding a walk and knocking in two runs. The 17-year-old outfielder is reaching base at a .370 clip since joining the Pirates in the FCL.
CRISTIAN JAUREGUI, CF, DSL PIRATES BLACK
The Pirates signed the Cuban outfielder at the age of 16 for $260,000. Jauregui is batting .220/.407/.317 in 82 at-bats in his pro debut in the DSL, after turning 17 in February. He also has 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. On Saturday, he hit his first professional home run.
Saturday’s Home Runs
- Domingo Leyba, 3B, Indianapolis (4)
- Jase Bowen, LF, Greensboro (22)
- Josiah Sightler, 1B, Greensboro x2 (4)
- Termarr Johnson, 2B, Greensboro (1)
- Angel Perez, C, DSL Pirates Black (4)
- Cristian Jauregui, CF, DSL Pirates Black (1)
- Fabian Urbina, 3B, DSL Pirates Gold (2)
- July Vittini, C, DSL Pirates Gold (2)
Saturday’s Minor League Results
INDIANAPOLIS (51-60) VS Nashville
Score: Indianapolis 3, Nashville 2
Indianapolis Starter: Luis Ortiz, RHP (4.15)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Domingo Leyba, 3B (2-for-3, HR [4], 2 RBI)
Attendance: 10,457
Notable Performers
- Ji Hwan Bae, 2B (2-for-4, SB)
- Canaan Smith-Njigba, RF (2-for-4)
- Travis MacGregor, RHP (2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, SV)
ALTOONA (50-54) VS Erie
Score: Erie 4, Altoona 1
Altoona Starter: Jackson Wolf, LHP (5.63)
–Line: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Matt Fraizer, CF (2-for-3)
Attendance: 5,938
Notable Performers
- Lolo Sanchez, LF (1-for-3, 2B)
- Jackson Glenn, 3B (1-for-2, BB)
GREENSBORO (56-48) AT Greenville
Score: Greenville 8, Greensboro 7
Greensboro Starter: Thomas Harrington, RHP (4.48)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Josiah Sightler, 1B (2-for-5, 2 HR [4], 4 RBI)
Attendance: 5,010
Notable Performers
- Jase Bowen, LF (2-for-3, HR [22], BB)
- Termarr Johnson, 2B (1-for-5, HR [1])
BRADENTON (61-45) AT Fort Myers
Score: Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 1
Bradenton Starter: Hunter Barco, LHP (3.38)
–Line: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Omar Alfonzo, C (1-for-3, BB)
Attendance: 1,722
Notable Performers
- Jaden Woods, LHP (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K)
FCL PIRATES (29-19) VS FCL Orioles
Score: Pirates 13, Orioles 9
FCL Pirates Starter: Carlson Reed, RHP (4.50)
–Line: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Wesley Zapata, 2B (2-for-4, BB, SB, 3 RBI)
Notable Performers
- Estuar Suero, RF (2-for-4, BB, 2 RBI)
- Javier Rivas, SS (2-for-6, 2B, 3 RBI)
DSL PIRATES BLACK (15-30) VS DSL Tigers 2
Game One Score: Tigers 5, Pirates 0
Pirates Black Starter: Jose Regalado, LHP (6.41)
–Line: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Note: The DSL Pirates offense was no-hit in game one, across seven innings.
Game Two Score: Tigers 13, Pirates 6
Pirates Black Starter: Bladimir Pichardo, RHP (3.67)
–Line: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Angel Perez, C (2-for-4, HR [4], 3 RBI)
DSL PIRATES GOLD (35-12) VS DSL Cubs Blue
Game One Score: Pirates 3, Cubs 2
Pirates Gold Starter: Carlos Castillo, RHP (2.42)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Jonathan Salazar, RHP (4.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)
Game Two Score: Pirates 8, Cubs 3
Pirates Gold Starter: Alexis Torres, RHP (1.38)
–Line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Yoerys Hernandez, LHP (3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
