Termarr Johnson picked up three hits on Sunday, including his second home run of the season, as Greensboro won 7-4 at Hickory.
Johnson is only batting .193 with a .684 OPS this year, but hopefully this outing and his two double performance on Saturday night is a spark that gets him on track. Prior to the five hits in the last two games, Johnson only had three other multi-hit games this year, and no more than three hits in a two-game span.
Johnson singled in his first at-bat, which later set up a three run homer by Nick Cimillo. In the second inning, Johnson added a home run of his own, with a two-out, three run shot hit to the opposite field. His final hit of the day came in the fourth inning, with a single to load the bases.
I’m not concerned by the slow start offensively from Johnson. I do view this as more of a system problem, with offense down across most of the Pirates top prospects in the minors. Johnson is the best pure hitter in the system, with power to all fields, and a good ability to adjust to breaking stuff. I’d expect he will eventually start hitting more consistently, and this weekend could have been the beginning.
PIRATES PROSPECT WATCH
INDIANAPOLIS lost game one 10-1.
- RHP Domingo German: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
- C Henry Davis: 1-for-3, 2B
- 1B Jake Lamb: 1-for-2, 2B, BB, RBI
- RF Canaan Smith-Njigba: 1-for-2, BB
- LF Ji Hwan Bae: 1-for-4
INDIANAPOLIS won game two 5-4.
- LHP Jose Hernandez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
- 1B Matt Gorski: 1-for-2, HR, BB, 3 RBI
- CF Matt Fraizer: 2-for-4, 3B
- RF Gilberto Celestino: 2-for-4, 2B
- DH Ji Hwan Bae: 1-for-1, 2 BB
ALTOONA won 6-2.
- RHP Braxton Ashcraft: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
- DH Seth Beer: 3-for-5
- SS Tsung-Che Cheng: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB
- 1B Brenden Dixon: 3-for-5, 2 RBI
- 3B Kervin Pichardo: 2-for-4, RBI
GREENSBORO won 7-4, with help from a three run homer by Termarr Johnson.
- 3B Charles McAdoo: 3-for-5
- DH Nick Cimillo: 2-for-3, HR, BB, 3 RBI
- CF P.J. Hilson: 1-for-4, BB, SB
- RHP Wilber Dotel: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
- RHP Brandan Bidios: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
BRADENTON lost 3-1.
- LHP Connor Oliver: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
- RHP Carlos Jimenez: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
- LF Braylon Bishop: 2-for-3, 2B, SB
- 2B Keiner Delgado: 2-for-4, 2B
- 1B Omar Alfonzo: 1-for-3
FCL PIRATES OFF
STATCAST HEROES
Domingo German made his first Triple-A start, and was tagged for some runs. His curveball led to six whiffs on 17 swings (35%), while his changeup had six whiffs on 11 swings (55%). His fastball generated zero whiffs on 16 swings, with only three called strikes. STATS
The latest home run from Matt Gorski traveled 415 feet, with a 103.5 MPH exit velocity. STATS
Connor Oliver made his first start for Bradenton, and had five pitches working well. His cutter had five whiffs in seven swings, and a 50% CSW. His curve had five whiffs on nine swings, and a 54% CSW. The sinker had three whiffs on nine swings, and a 27% CSW. The four-seam had one whiff on four swings, and a 30% CSW. His changeup had three whiffs on six swings, and a 44% CSW. If you’re scoring at home, that’s four pitches with a 33% or higher whiff rate, and three pitches with a 44% or higher CSW. STATS
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE
- The full-season teams are off on Monday.
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 12:00 PM – TBD
