One of the things I liked about the Nick Yorke trade was that Yorke made an adjustment to his swing that seemed to already be working in Triple-A with the Red Sox. He’s been hitting .375/.442/.544 in Triple-A for the Pirates since the move, showing consistent contact and extra base power.
The second baseman kept hitting on Wednesday night, going 4-for-4 with a homer and a double for Indianapolis.
This was the second homer and the 17th double hit by Yorke since the deadline deal. The double was hit with two outs in the first inning. The home run gave Indianapolis a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning.
Yorke made an adjustment this year to focus on a line drive approach to the gaps, rather than a focus on pulling the ball for home run power. Since that change in approach, along with a change in his stance, he’s been a .342/.424/.516 hitter in 324 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. He has 25 doubles and eight homers at the level between the two organizations with the new approach.
Along with the homer and double, Yorke had two singles. The first was in the bottom of the third inning. He advanced Liover Peguero to third, setting up a sacrifice fly from Jack Suwinski on the next play to tie the game at 2-2. Yorke also singled with one out in the seventh inning and stole second base with two outs of a close game.
This was the fifth multi-hit game of the month for Yorke. It was his first four-hit game of the season.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS won 6-4, with help from Nick Yorke’s four hit game.
- RHP Thomas Harrington: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
- CF Jack Suwinski: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
- SS Liover Peguero: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI
- RF Ji Hwan Bae: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI
- 1B Jake Lamb: 2-for-3, 3B, BB
Thomas Harrington allowed two runs in the first inning, but settled down for 5.2 scoreless frames to follow. Indianapolis gave him a tie in the bottom of the third, after a Jack Suwinski sacrifice fly. He got the lead in the bottom of the fifth after homers from Yorke and Suwinski. Harrington finished with a strikeout, before being pulled for the final out of the seventh with runners at first and second and a three run lead.
STATCAST HEROES
Hardest Hit: Nick Yorke, 107.9 MPH, Single
Yorke’s Hits: 107.9 MPH Single, 104 MPH Home Run (424 feet), 102.3 MPH Double, 102.1 MPH Single
Suwinski’s Home Run: 103.5 MPH, 401 feet
Harrington’s Sweeper: 42% of pitches thrown, 5 whiffs on 17 swings (29%), 5 called strikes (28% CSW), 81.8 MPH average, 80-84.3 range
Harrington’s Four-Seam: 29% of pitches thrown, 2 whiffs on 19 swings (11%), 1 called strike (12% CSW), 92.7 MPH, 91.1-93.8
Harrington’s Changeup: 17% of pitches thrown, 1 whiff on 6 swings (17%), 3 called strikes (17% CSW), 83.5 MPH, 81.8-85.1
Harrington’s Cutter: 9% of pitches thrown, 2 whiffs on 3 swings (67%), 1 called strike (38% CSW), 87.3 MPH, 86.4-88.9
Harrington’s Curveball: 2% of pitches thrown, two pitches, 78.5-82.1 MPH
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 8-7
- DH Endy Rodriguez: 1-for-5, 2B
- SS Tsung-Che Cheng: 3-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI
- 3B Kervin Pichardo: 2-for-4, SB
- RF Jase Bowen: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
- LF Yoyner Fajardo: 2-for-4, 2 2B, OF Asst
Endy Rodriguez played a complete game as the designated hitter in a rehab assignment. His double in the first inning helped lead to a four run frame. LHP Dominic Perachi allowed two runs in five innings, with one walk and seven strikeouts. Altoona tied the game in the seventh when Jase Bowen singled in Tsung-Che Cheng, who previously reached with his 18th double. Bowen scored on a Brenden Dixon single to center, taking the lead. Eddy Yean got the final five outs without allowing a run, saving the game.
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 6:35 PM – RHP Aaron Shortridge (2-3, 5.45)
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – RHP Emmanuel Chapman (2-2, 3.75)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 PM – RHP Wilber Dotel (Game Two of Best of Three, Greensboro Down 1-0)
