Khristian Curtis went three shutout innings in the Arizona Fall League.
At the outset of the week, Curtis struck out the side in a single inning of work, before having his day cut short due to rain. He returned to the mound four days later, throwing his extended relief appearance for Scottsdale on Thursday night.
Curtis entered the game in the sixth inning with Scottsdale leading by the 6-1 score that would eventually decide the game. He retired the side in order, striking out the final batter looking. Curtis got two fly outs and a ground out in the seventh inning, again retiring the side in order.
He ran into only a minor problem in the eighth inning. Curtis struck out the first batter swinging, then got 2024 Sacramento Athletics first rounder Nick Kurtz to ground out to second. After allowing a single, Curtis struck out the final batter he faced on the day.
Curtis has a 5.02 ERA in 14.1 innings in the AFL. He’s had a few rough outings, created by control issues. He’s also had some outings like this, where he looks lights out. The Pirates drafted Curtis in the 12th round out of Arizona State in 2023. He didn’t have much pitching experience in college, and is getting valuable time in the AFL this offseason.
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
SCOTTSDALE won 6-1
- RHP Khristian Curtis: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
- RHP Eddy Yean: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
- RF Sammy Siani: 2-for-5, SB
- SS Kervin Pichardo: 1-for-3, BB, 2 RBI
- C Geovanny Planchart: 1-for-4
Thursday was a busy day in the AFL for the Pirates prospects. Aside from Curtis going three innings, they had Eddy Yean on the mound, and three batters recording hits in the lineup.
Yean pitched a scoreless ninth inning, closing out the win with two strikeouts in the frame. He sandwiched a ground ball between a strikeout looking and one swinging to end the game. Yean got off to a bad start in the AFL, but has been pitching better as of late.
Sammy Siani had another big day at the plate, and has been one of the best hitters in the league this year. Siani went 2-for-5, adding his fourth stolen base of the season. He singled in the first inning, stole second, but was stranded. A single in the third inning put Siani on to eventually score the second run of the game for Scottsdale.
Kervin Pichardo knocked in two runs in the fifth inning with a bases-loaded single. That knocked the opposing pitcher out of the game, after he started the inning with three straight walks. Pichardo’s single knocked in two runs, and he later scored a third to make the score 6-1.
Goevanny Planchart singled in the second inning with two outs, and was left on base.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
- The AFL is off today. The Fall Stars Game takes place on Saturday.
