Mike Burrows just pitched his best rehab appearance in his return from Tommy John surgery.
The right-hander threw four innings for Bradenton on Thursday night, allowing one run on two hits, with no walks and five strikeouts. Burrows had struggled in previous outings, allowing five earned runs in 5.2 innings across his previous three rehab appearances.
He led the way on Thursday with his four-seam fastball, averaging 94.5 MPH and touching 95.7. Burrows got two whiffs on 12 swings against the pitch. His changeup had three whiffs on nine swings, and he added another whiff on his slider.
Burrows entered last season with Indianapolis as a potential MLB rotation depth option. His first start of the year saw him allow one run in five innings. The second start on April 8th lasted 1.2 innings and led to Tommy John. He returned this year on June 17th in the FCL.
The Pirates drafted Burrows in the 11th round in 2018. They also drafted Braxton Ashcraft in the second round that year. Ashcraft returned from Tommy John last year, and is currently in Triple-A. Burrows could make it back to Triple-A this year, but the Pirates will likely be cautious with his innings and progress. Both Burrows and Ashcraft could be MLB rotation options at some point in 2025.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS had a double header postponed.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 3-1
- RHP Po-Yu Chen: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
- LF Tres Gonzalez: 1-for-2, BB, 2 RBI, SB
- C Carter Bins: 1-for-3, RBI
- 3B Charles McAdoo: 1-for-4
- LHP Luis Peralta: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Po-Yu Chen continued his run of impressive pitching, allowing one earned run in seven innings for his second straight outing. Chen had a 2.95 ERA in 36.2 innings last month, striking out 29 in the process. Prior to the month of June, he wasn’t getting a lot of strikeouts, and was getting hit around a lot. He’s repeating last month’s success this time around, with 15 strikeouts to go with his 1.29 ERA in 14 innings. The Pirates signed Chen to a seven figure deal at the end of 2020. Luis Peralta got the save, and now has 6.2 scoreless innings since being promoted to Altoona. He had an 0.60 ERA in 30 innings with Greensboro. Peralta has 59 strikeouts in 36.2 innings between the two levels. Tres Gonzalez gave Altoona the go-ahead runs with a two RBI single in the seventh inning. He also stole his sixth base of the season.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO won 3-0
- RHP Derek Diamond: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
- LF Luke Brown: 1-for-3, HR, RBI
- CF Hudson Head: 2-for-3, BB
- 1B Nick Cimillo: 1-for-1, 2B, 3 BB
- LHP Yoldin De La Paz: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Derek Diamond made nine starts in Greensboro last year, after a 3.98 ERA in 74.2 innings with Bradenton. The 2022 fifth rounder had a 6.00 ERA in 45 innings with Greensboro last year, but has shown improvements this time around. After Thursday’s start, he has a 3.72 ERA in 58 innings, with a 51:!0 K/BB. Luke Brown hit his seventh homer of the year. Nick Cimillo, who leads the system in home runs, hit his eighth double and drew three walks.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON lost 7-3, after the rehab start from Mike Burrows
- 1B Justin Miknis: 1-for-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI
- 3B Juan Jerez: 3-for-4, 2B, SB
- LF Solomon Maguire: 1-for-4, 2B
- 2B Jeral Toledo: 1-for-4, RBI
- LHP Inmer Lobo: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
After Hung-Leng Chang allowed six runs in 1.2 innings, Inmer Lobo came on to pitch 3.1 perfect frames. Lobo was acquired for Hoy Park, and has a 1.59 ERA in 28.1 innings with a 39:4 K/BB ratio between rookie ball and Single-A. Juan Jerez picked up three hits, including his sixth double. He also stole his fourth base of the season.
STATCAST HEROES
Lobo isn’t a hard thrower, sitting 87.5 MPH with his fastball. He had eight called strikes on the pitch, along with four whiffs on six swings against his changeup.
ROOKIE: FCL PIRATES
FCL PIRATES won 3-1
- RHP Zander Mueth: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
- 1B Richard Ramirez: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI
- 2B Roinny Aguiar: 2-for-3
- SS Jhonny Severino: 1-for-3, 2B
- RHP Greiber Mendez: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Zander Mueth went five innings with one or fewer runs for the fifth straight start. The 19-year-old starter was drafted with the 67th overall pick last year. At 6′ 6″, 205 pounds, he throws from a lower arm slot, but still gets his fastball up to the upper 90s. Richard Ramirez hit two home runs, giving him five on the season. He’s following a breakout in the DSL last year with a repeat in the FCL, batting .273/.364/.462 in 151 plate appearances.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK vs DSL PIRATES GOLD
DSL PIRATES GOLD won 7-4
- 1B Samuel Escudero: 2-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI
- SS Antonio Pimentel: 2-for-2, BB, SB
- DH Isaias Dipre: 1-for-2, 2 RBI
Escudero hit his fifth double of the year. He’s putting up good numbers in his third season in the DSL, with a 1.125 OPS in 64 plate appearances, fueled by hitting for the cycle in a game last month.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 5:35 PM – LHP Marco Gonzales (0-1, 6.14)
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, Game Two – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – TBD
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 PM – RHP Scott Randall (1-1, 9.49)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – LHP Connor Oliver (0-4, 5.28)
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 12:00 PM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Black vs DSL Pirates Gold, 11:00 AM – TBD
