Jack Brannigan showed some power tonight in Greensboro, as part of an 11-1 victory by the Pittsburgh Pirates High-A squad. Brannigan went 2-for-5, hitting a double and a home run, with each being his third of the season.
After Mitch Jebb led things off with a walk, Brannigan connected for a double to center field, putting the Grasshoppers up 1-0. Nick Cimillo later broke open the inning with a three run homer. Brannigan led off the third inning with a solo homer of his own, making the score 5-0 by that point.
On the season, Brannigan is now batting .250/.391/.481. His power results are down, but his strikeout rate is also down. Brannigan did strike out in his next three at-bats, but he entered the game with a 15.3% strikeout rate, down from 33.5% in High-A last season.
I wrote about Brannigan at the start of the season, highlighting his plus defense at third base, along with his adjustment to help eliminate swing and miss.
PIRATES PROSPECT WATCH
INDIANAPOLIS lost 5-4
- 2B Ji Hwan Bae went 2-for-5 with a home run, his second of the season.
- 1B Jake Lamb also homered, hitting his third of the year for his only hit of the day.
- RF Canaan Smith-Njigba went 2-for-4.
- LF Gilberto Celestino also went 2-for-4.
- CF Matt Gorski went 1-for-4 with his second double of the year.
ALTOONA lost 4-0
- RHP Sean Sullivan pitched five innings, allowing one run on two hits. Sullivan walked two and struck out three. His ERA dropped to 3.06 on the season.
- CF Matt Fraizer went 2-for-5 with a double.
- DH Seth Beer went 1-for-2 with two walks.
- 2B Kervin Pichardo went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- SS Tsung-Che Cheng didn’t pick up a hit, but walked three times.
GREENSBORO won 11-1, with help from Jack Brannigan’s homer and double.
- RHP Patrick Reilly received a four run lead before he took the mound, and he never let the other team on the board. Reilly pitched five shutout innings, allowing two hits, two walks, and striking out eight. I wrote about Reilly last week as a pitching prospect to follow in the lower levels.
- DH Nick Cimillo went 3-for-4 with a three run homer.
- C Geovanny Planchart hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, putting Greensboro up 10-0 at the time.
- CF Hudson Head went 2-for-5 with a triple.
- 2B Mitch Jebb went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.
BRADENTON lost 5-4
- 3B Garret Forrester picked up two hits, including his fourth double of the year.
- LHP Connor Oliver pitched 2.2 shutout innings, with two hits, a walk, and a strikeout. I wrote about Oliver this week, who the Pirates added in a trade earlier in the month.
- 1B Juan Jerez went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
- LF Esmerlyn Valdez went 1-for-3. I wrote about Valdez as a young hitter to watch earlier this week.
- RF Solomon Maguire, recent added to the roster, went 1-for-4.
STATCAST HEROES
Despite two exit velocities over 100 MPH, Nick Gonzales went 0-for-4, ending his 14-game hitting streak. This was also the first time all season, spanning 22 games, that he didn’t reach base safely. STATS
RHP Antwone Kelly allowed one earned run and two more unearned in four innings. He gave up six hits and walked four. The velocity and swing and miss has been there for Kelly, but he gets hit hard consistently. STATS
TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:35 PM – LHP Michael Plassmeyer (1-3, 6.86)
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – RHP Braxton Ashcraft (0-0, 6.75)
- High-A: Greensboro, 7:05 PM – RHP J.P. Massey (1-1, 4.00)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – RHP Carlson Reed (0-1, 2.45)
