Altoona had a big Saturday night on both sides of the ball, with one run allowed by Aaron Shortridge, and 13 hits and 6 walks by the offense. There were six home runs throughout the system last night. There was also a game saving catch by Jase Bowen. Check out all of the results below.
Player of the Day
AARON SHORTRIDGE, RHP, ALTOONA
Altoona saw plenty of offense in their 9-1 win over Richmond on Saturday night. That offense backed a dominant outing by Aaron Shortridge, who allowed one run in six innings, with one walk and nine strikeouts. While he’s been inconsistent this year, leading to an overall 5.11 ERA in 100.1 innings, Shortridge has shown the ability to put up a start like this at least once a month.
Ten More to Follow
JI-HWAN BAE, CF, INDIANAPOLIS
Bae went 1-for-3 with a walk, and hit his first homer of the year for Indianapolis, while playing center field. This was just his third game in Triple-A on a rehab assignment. He played seven innings.
CAM ALLDRED, LHP, INDIANAPOLIS
Alldred pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. It was the second strong outing in a row for the lefty, after giving up two runs in five innings last time out.
MATT FRAIZER, CF, ALTOONA
Fraizer went 3-for-5 last night, with a double, three RBIs, and his 18th stolen base of the year. The outfielder’s bat picked up in July, with a .315 average and a .398 OBP. He didn’t hit for a lot of power, but his overall bat was more consistent and still productive without the power.
TSUNG-CHE CHENG, SS, ALTOONA
This is the daily Tsung-Che Cheng update. The shortstop extended his hitting streak to 13 on Saturday, picking up two more hits. He also added a walk and a stolen base. Cheng is batting .360/.385/.500 in 52 plate appearances during the streak.
TRES GONZALEZ, RF, GREENSBORO
Gonzales went 1-for-4, hitting a three run homer in the seventh inning to put Greensboro on top. It was the seventh homer of the year for the 2022 5th rounder. He’s batting .276/.386/.414 with Greensboro in 268 at-bats.
NICK CIMILLO, C, GREENSBORO
The Pirates drafted Cimillo as a catcher in the 16th round last year. He’s mostly played first base and DH this year. He spent his first game behind the plate in Greensboro on Saturday night, and also hit his first homer at the level. Cimillo has a hit in each of his first three games with Greensboro. He hit .288/.406/.546 with eight homers in 197 plate appearances with Bradenton.
JASE BOWEN, CF, GREENSBORO
Bowen went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Greensboro’s 5-3 win. That game was only a win because of this catch he made with two on and two outs in the ninth inning.
Jase Bowen called GAME
RODOLFO NOLASCO, LF, BRADENTON
Nolasco has some of the best raw power in the lower levels. He hit his 13th homer of the year last night for Bradenton. The downside to his power is the inconsistency. His previous home run was on July 21st, and he went 2-for-44 with 22 strikeouts in between homers.
DRAKE FELLOWS, RHP, BRADENTON
Fellows made his second rehab appearance for Bradenton, throwing two innings with no hits, no runs, on walk, and three strikeouts. This was a much better outcome versus the first appearance, when he didn’t finish the first inning, allowing two runs on a walk and a home run. The 25-year-old Fellows was part of the Joe Musgrove trade, but has only pitched 15.1 innings since the early 2021 deal.
ESMERLYN VALDEZ, 1B, FCL PIRATES
Valdez was the best hitter in the FCL during the month of July, batting .410/.456/.590 with two homers in the pitcher friendly environment. After beginning the month of August 0-for-8, he returned to hitting on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with a triple and a homer. The home run was his sixth of the year.
Saturday’s Home Runs
- Ji Hwan Bae, CF, Indianapolis (1)
- Nick Cimillo, C, Greensboro (1)
- Tres Gonzales, RF, Greensboro (7)
- Rodolfo Nolasco, LF, Bradenton (13)
- Esmerlyn Valdez, 1B, FCL Pirates (6)
- Angel Perez, C, DSL Pirates Black (3)
Saturday’s Minor League Results
INDIANAPOLIS (50-56) AT Gwinnett
Score: Gwinnett 5, Indianapolis 1
Indianapolis Starter: Cam Alldred, LHP (4.81)
–Line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Alldred
Attendance: 5,652Notable Performers
- Ji Hwan Bae, CF (1-for-3, BB, HR [1])
- Canaan Smith-Njigba, RF (1-for-4, SB [12])
- Francisco Acuna, 3B (1-for-3, 2B)
ALTOONA (48-49) VS Richmond
Score: Altoona 9, Richmond 1
Altoona Starter: Aaron Shortridge, RHP (5.11)
–Line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Shortridge
Attendance: 6,560Notable Performers
- Matt Fraizer, CF (3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI)
- Tsung-Che Cheng, SS (2-for-4, BB)
- Jackson Glenn, 3B (2-for-5, 2 RBI)
- Will Matthiessen, 1B (1-for-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI)
- Chavez Young, RF (2-for-3, 2 BB)
GREENSBORO (53-45) VS Asheville
Score: Greensboro 5, Asheville 3
Greensboro Starter: Derek Diamond, RHP (3.75)
–Line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Tres Gonzales, RF (1-for-4, HR [7], 3 RBI)
Attendance: 5,915Notable Performers
- Jaycob Deese, RHP (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K)
- Eddy Yean, RHP (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K)
- Nick Cimillo, C (1-for-4, HR [1])
BRADENTON (56-40) VS Tampa
Score: Tampa 4, Bradenton 2
Bradenton Starter: Drake Fellows, RHP (6.75)
–Line: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Rodolfo Nolasco, LF (1-for-3, BB, HR [13])
Attendance: 2,332Notable Performers
- Wilber Dotel, RHP (6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR)
- Charles McAdoo, 2B (2-for-4, 2B)
FCL PIRATES (28-15) VS FCL Orioles
Score: Orioles 9, Pirates 3
FCL Pirates Starter: Cristopher Cruz, RHP (8.68)
–Line: 0.0 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Esmerlyn Valdez, 1B (2-for-4, 2B, HR [6], 2 RBI)Notable Performers
- Axiel Plaz, DH (1-for-3, 2B, BB)
DSL PIRATES BLACK (14-26) AT DSL Red Sox Blue
Score: Red Sox 10, Pirates 4
Pirates Black Starter: Janderson Linares, LHP (4.38)
–Line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Player of the Game: Angel Perez, C (2-for-3, HR [3], BB)Score: Red Sox 3, Pirates 1
Pirates Black Starter: Bladimir Pichardo, RHP (3.08)
–Line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Antonio Pimentel, SS (1-for-3, SB)DSL PIRATES GOLD (29-12) VS DSL Tigers 1
Score: Pirates 5, Tigers 3
Pirates Gold Starter: Jonathan Salazar, RHP (0.66)
–Line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Carlos Tirado, LF (2-for-3, 2B, RBI)
