The Pirates have been getting some power from their minor league position players this week. They had a two homer game from Josiah Sightler on Saturday, along with a two homer game to start the week from Charles McAdoo. The latest to join the club is Rodolfo Nolasco, who homered twice on Sunday.
Player of the Day
RODOLFO NOLASCO, LF, BRADENTON
Nolasco went 2-for-3 on Sunday, hitting two home runs to push his total to 15 on the season. The 21-year-old outfielder has some of the best raw power in the lower levels. This was his second multi-homer game of the season, with the last one coming on July 5th. Nolasco also got on the board with his tenth stolen base of the year.
Ten More to Follow
BEAU SULSER, RHP, INDIANAPOLIS
The Pirates brought Sulser back at the end of June to help with their upper level pitching depth. The 29-year-old threw five shutout innings of one-hit ball on Sunday, leading Indianapolis to a 4-0 victory.
CANAAN SMITH-NJIGBA, RF, INDIANAPOLIS
Smith-Njigba went 1-for-4 on Sunday, but his lone hit was a big one. He launched his 11th home run, a three run shot, helping to lead Indianapolis to their win. The outfielder is batting .263/.317/.342 with Indianapolis this month.
MALCOM NUNEZ, 3B, INDIANAPOLIS
Nunez was hitting in Triple-A, prior to his injury at the end of May. He returned to the level this week, and continued that offense. He went 2-for-4 with a homer on Sunday, his seventh of the year at this level. Nunez is 6-for-20 with a double and two homers since returning to Indianapolis.
MATT FRAIZER, LF, ALTOONA
With Altoona trailing in the sixth inning, Fraizer hit a two run homer, his seventh of the year. This was the first home run for Fraizer in almost a month, with his last one coming on July 14th. Fraizer finished the month of July on a good note, but has been struggling in August with a .507 OPS.
NICK DOMBKOWSKI, LHP, ALTOONA
Anthony Solometo got the start for Altoona, but was bounced after giving up three runs on 27 pitches in the first inning. Nick Dombkowski took over in the second, and pitched five innings, allowing two runs. Dombkowski went five innings in his last outing, making a start for Altoona. The lefty has been in a multi-inning role since mid-June.
TSUNG-CHE CHENG, SS, ALTOONA
Cheng had a 17-game hitting streak ended on Friday, with an 0-for-4 game. He went without a hit again on Saturday, before going 1-for-3 with a walk and a double on Sunday.
TERMARR JOHNSON, 2B, GREENSBORO
The 2022 first rounder hit his first homer with Greensboro last night. His second homer came on Sunday, in a day where he went 1-for-2 with two walks. Johnson showed the ability for power in bunches, hitting 12 homers between June and July in Bradenton. He’s reached base safely in all ten games with Greensboro, now adding some power to the mix.
MAX KRANICK, RHP, BRADENTON
Kranick made his first start since last May, after recovering from Tommy John. The first outing back was rough, with two runs allowed in the first, and four in the second, before he was removed with one out.
CHARLES MCADOO, DH, BRADENTON
McAdoo started this week going 6-for-6 with two homers. He went 2-for-3 with two walks on Sunday. The 2023 13th rounder has a .577/.676/.846 line in 26 at-bats. Drafted out of San Jose State, he will see more of an offensive challenge at the High-A level.
JESUS CASTILLO, 3B, BRADENTON
Castillo didn’t pick up a hit, but walked three times. He also stole two bases, giving him 30 on the season. Castillo doesn’t hit for average or power, but gets on base at a .385 rate, and has 30 steals in 37 attempts.
Sunday’s Home Runs
- Canaan Smith-Njigba, RF, Indianapolis (11)
- Malcom Nunez, 3B, Indianapolis (6)
- Termarr Johnson, 2B, Greensboro (2)
- Rodolfo Nolasco, LF, Bradenton x2 (15)
Sunday’s Minor League Results
INDIANAPOLIS (52-60) VS Nashville
Score: Indianapolis 4, Nashville 0
Indianapolis Starter: Beau Sulser, RHP (9.82)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Canaan Smith-Njigba, RF (1-for-4, HR [11], 3 RBI)
Attendance: 7,239
Notable Performers
- Malcom Nunez, 3B (2-for-4, HR [6])
- Miguel Andujar, LF (2-for-4, 2B)
ALTOONA (50-55) VS Erie
Score: Erie 5, Altoona 4
Altoona Starter: Anthony Solometo, LHP (4.15)
–Line: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Matt Fraizer, LF (1-for-4, HR [7], 2 RBI)
Attendance: 7,381
Notable Performers
- Nick Dombkowski, LHP (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR)
- Tsung-Che Cheng, SS (1-for-3, BB, 2B)
GREENSBORO (56-49) AT Greenville
Score: Greenville 11, Greensboro 2
Greensboro Starter: JP Massey, RHP (4.87)
–Line: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Termarr Johnson, 2B (1-for-2, 2 BB, HR [2])
Attendance: 4,309
Notable Performers
- Tres Gonzales, CF (1-for-4, 2B)
BRADENTON (61-46) AT Fort Myers
Score: Fort Myers 14, Bradenton 7
Bradenton Starter: Max Kranick, RHP (33.75)
–Line: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Rodolfo Nolasco, LF (2-for-3, 2 HR [15], BB, 3 RBI, SB [10])
Attendance: 754
Notable Performers
- Drake Fellows, RHP (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K)
- Charles McAdoo, DH (2-for-3, 2 BB, SB)
- Jesus Castillo, 3B (0-for-3, 3 BB, 2 SB [30])
