The Pirates go for the sweep against the San Diego Padres today, assuming the game can be played. Here is the latest update:
After discussions with MLB, MLBPA, we have made the decision to move forward with our game today.
Today’s game will begin at 1:20PM.
We will continue to closely monitor the air quality index levels around the ballpark and respond accordingly.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 29, 2023
Luis Ortiz takes the mound, going up against former Pirate starter Joe Musgrove. Down in the minors, Sean Sullivan is on the mound for Altoona.
Check back later today for my latest column on the outlook of this team in the second half. If you missed yesterday’s column, you can read that here:
Williams: The Pains of Part-Time Players Getting Too Much Playing Time
PIRATES (37-42) VS SAN DIEGO
Game Time: 12:35 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Luis Ortiz, RHP (2-3, 3.74)
Padres Starter: Joe Musgrove, RHP (6-2, 3.88)
Pirates Lineups:
Series finale vs the Padres.
Padres Lineups:
Musgrove on the mound.#BringTheGold pic.twitter.com/LXK2gKGcKV
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 29, 2023
INDIANAPOLIS (33-42) AT LOUISVILLE
Game Time: 6:35 PM EST
Projected Starter: TBA
Latest Features:6/21: Changeup Helps Jared Jones In Strong Triple-A Debut
6/7: Aaron Shackelford adjusts swing and relocates power
6/6: Carmen Mlodzinski improves all the way with aggressive approachALTOONA (34-35) AT HARRISBURG
Game Time: 6:30 PM EST
Projected Starter: Sean Sullivan, RHP (2-1, 3.31)
Latest Features:6/22: Power Continues To Come Through For Liover Peguero
6/9: Jared Jones Continues Incredible Development With Altoona
6/1: Matt Gorski Displays Athleticism And VersatilityGREENSBORO (37-32) AT HICKORY
Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
Projected Starter: TBA
Latest Features:6/29: Breaking Pitches Allowed JP Massey To Dominate Single-A
6/25: Jase Bowen Turning Into An Offensive Threat
6/15: Anthony Solometo Promotion A Win For 2021 Draft ClassBRADENTON (38-31) VS CLEARWATER
Game Time: 6:30 PM EST
Projected Starter: TBA
Latest Features:6/26:Bradenton Rotation Leading FSL Through First Half
6/22: Young Bradenton Hitters Making Progress
6/20: Termarr Johnson: Patience Brings Career Day At The PlateFCL PIRATES (12-5)
Game Time: 12:00 PM EST
Projected Starter: Jonawel Valdez, RHP (0-1, 1.93)
Latest Features:6/16: Is This The Year For A Solomon Maguire Breakout?
6/12: Pirates 2023 Minor League Preview: FCL Pirates
6/11: Pitching Depth Continues To Grow With Jun-Seok Shim DebutDSL PIRATES BLACK (7-10)
Game Time: 11:00 AM EST
Projected Starter: Isaias Uribe, LHP (0-1, 2.31)
Latest Features:**Pirates 2023 Minor League Previews: Dominican Summer League Pirates
DSL PIRATES GOLD (12-5)
Game Time: 11:00 AM EST
Projected Starter: Yojeiry Osoria, LHP (0-0, 0.00)
Latest Features:**Pirates 2023 Minor League Previews: Dominican Summer League Pirates
THE NEW PROSPECT WATCH
With all of our game reports now going into this daily article, the Prospect Watch has been repurposed as a daily look at three prospects throughout the system. Check the site each day at noon for the latest edition. We’ll keep the archives updated here.
6/28: Lonnie White Jr., Kelvin Diaz, Yojeiry Osoria
6/25: Quinn Priester, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Jhonson Pena
6/24: Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Adolfo Oviedo
6/23: Michael Kennedy, Po-Yu Chen, Wyatt Hendrie
6/22: Braxton Ashcraft, Jase Bowen, Maikol Escotto
6/21: Termarr Johnson, Connor Scott, Enmanuel Terrero
6/20: Cal Mitchell, Travis MacGregor, Alessandro ErcolaniDAILY PIRATES NEWS
Ryan Palencer writes about the rocky start to the season for Jared Triolo, and how he’s turned his season around to get to the big leagues.
**Jared Triolo Has Positive Recovery From Negative Start to the Year
JP Massey was a popular sleeper pick around here, and he’s now in the Future’s Game. Anthony Murphy looks at how his breaking stuff allowed him to dominate Single-A.
**Breaking Pitches Allowed JP Massey To Dominate Single-A
Anthony Murphy looks at how the prospect movement may be exactly what this team needed.
**Pirates Prospects Daily: This May Be Exactly What This Team Needed
More Recent Pirates Features
6/29: Jared Triolo Has Positive Recovery From Negative Start to the Year
6/29: This May Be Exactly What This Team Needed
6/28: The Key To Success For Nick Gonzales
6/28: Williams: The Pains of Part-Time Players Getting Too Much Playing Time
6/28: Gallery: Pirates Unveil City Connect JerseysPIRATES RECAP
By Wilbur Miller
Check back at the end of the night for all of the daily results throughout the system, or, join the discussion in the comments if you’re following Live.
Final Score: Pirates 5, Padres 4
Player of the Game: Henry Davis 3-for-4, 2 RBIs
Recap:With some non-veteran presences leading the way, the Pirates finished off a sweep of the Padres at PNC Park with a 5-4 win. They did it in conditions that were a bit of a throwback to the old factory-smoke days in Pittsburgh, thanks to the Canadian wildfires.
Like the first game of the series, the start wasn’t auspicious. Luis Ortiz had a rough second inning, as a couple hits, a sacrifice fly and a bomb by Trent Grisham put the Pirates in a 3-0 hole. Another longball, this one a solo shot by Ha-Seong Kim in the fourth, made it 4-0. Ortiz lasted into the fifth, leaving with two outs and the bases loaded. Ryan Borucki got the last out.
The Pirates didn’t make a ton of headway against Joe Musgrove, but they made it closer. Henry Davis led off the bottom of the fourth with the first of his three hits, took third on a double by Carlos Santana, and scored on a fly ball by Nick Gonzales. They inched to within 4-2 in the sixth when Andrew McCutchen, masked up against the smoke like Darth Vader, doubled and scored on a single by Davis.
What the home team really needed, like yesterday with Blake Snell, was to get rid of Musgrove. That happened after six and, once again, the Bucs jumped on the San Diego bullpen. They didn’t exactly crush anything, but they got the runs. A walk to Rodolfo Castro and a single by Jared Triolo started the inning. The big play was a roller down the first base line by Jack Suwinski that pitcher Tim Hill flung into right field. That let in two runs to tie the game. Davis then flared one into right to drive in Suwinski. Just a flare off the hands, but I’m pretty sure it has an infinitely better chance of getting an RBI than a called third strike.
The bullpen did the job again. Borucki had a quick sixth. Dauri Moreta hopefully returned to form with a scoreless seventh; well, maybe, as he threw only 11 of 21 pitches for strikes. Angel Perdomo fanned the first two batters of the eighth, then gave up a double. That brought on David Bednar to strike out Grisham. Bednar came back for the ninth, walking one and fanning two. He got the final out on a nice play by Triolo, charging a slow bouncer. The save was Bednar’s 16th, and his first of the multi-inning variety. Triolo had two hits, as did McCutchen and Santana.
PIRATES PROSPECT WATCH
By Wilbur Miller
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS
Final Score: Indianapolis 9, Louisville 8
Player of the Game: Vinny Capra 3-for-4, HR (1), 4 RBI
Recap:Indianapolis a lot of offense from the bottom two hitters in the order, including two of its three home runs, along with another solid start from Cam Alldred. The bullpen nearly blew a big lead, but the Indians held on for a 9-8 win.
Indy built an early 8-1 lead. They got three in the first when Cal Mitchell doubled in Endy Rodriguez and Canaan Smith-Njigba followed with his ninth home run. The #8-9 hitters then took over. Alika Williams, batting eighth, led off the second with his second home run with Indy. The next hitter, Vinny Capra, doubled and later scored on a single by Miguel Andujar. In the third, Capra hit his first home run of the year, a three-run shot.
Alldred went six, giving up three runs on six hits. He didn’t walk anybody and fanned eight. Capra drove in another run in the top of the seventh with a single, leaving the bullpen with a 9-3 lead. In eight games as a starter, Alldred has a 3.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
Duane Underwood, Jr., and Chase De Jong followed Alldred and showed what got them to AAA. Underwood gave up three runs in the seventh and De Jong allowed two in the eighth. That made it 9-8. Juan Minaya pitched the ninth and got the third out with runners at the corners.
Rodriguez and Capra each finished with three hits. Williams had a double to go with the home run.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA
Final Score: Harrisburg 6, Altoona 5
Player of the Game: Abrahan Gutierrez 1-for-3, HR (3), BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI
Recap:Altoona blew an early 4-0 lead and lost to Harrisburg, 6-5. The lead came on a two-run bomb from Abrahan Gutierrez, his third AA homer, and RBI singles from Mason Martin and Jacob Gonzalez. Gutierrez now has an .808 OPS in AA.
Sean Sullivan started off with two scoreless innings, but gave up two in the third and one in the fourth. The Curve pushed their lead back to 5-3 when Gonzalez belted his sixth home run of the year in the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, though, the first two hitters reached against Sullivan. Noe Toribio relieved and let both runners score. In the eighth, Toribio gave up a solo home run, which turned out to be decisive.
Martin, Gonzalez and Andres Alvarez each finished with two hits, including a double by Martin.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO
Final Score: Hickory 7, Greensboro 0
Player of the Game: Nobody
Recap:Greensboro got two-hit for the second day in a row, only this time they didn’t score a run. Singles by Wyatt Hendrie and Jackson Glenn were the only hits. The Hoppers did draw six walks, but they struck out 13 times and went 0-for-9 with RISP.
Jaycob Deese started and gave up two runs over three innings. Valentin Linarez gave up four, two earned, over two and and two-thirds. Santiago Florez threw a scoreless inning and a third, and Dante Mendoza allowed a run in the eighth.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON
Final Score: Clearwater 5, Bradenton 1
Player of the Game: Owen Kellington 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Recap:Bradenton missed scoring chances by the boatload and lost to Clearwater, 5-1. The Marauders had eight hits and seven walks, but went 0-for-9 and stranded 13 runners.
Owen Kellington had a good start, throwing four hitless innings. He did walk three. Alessandro Ercolani followed with a scoreless inning, striking out two — I guess the Pirates are giving him a bit of a rest. Ercolani left with a 1-0 lead, but Carlos Lomeli gave up four runs, as the Pirates’ affiliates all continue to suffer bullpen breakdowns. Julian Bosnic went a scoreless inning and a third, but he hit two batters and let one of Lomeli’s runs score. Josh Loeschorn gave up a run in the ninth.
The Marauders got their only run in the first when Jesus Castillo singled, stole second, and came around on a wild throw and a wild pitch. Other than that, Bradenton just stranded runners. Enmanuel Terrero reached base four times on a single and three walks. Josiah Sightler made his full-season debut and had two singles. Nick Cimillo had a single and a double.
Termarr Johnson had a rough day, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Since his two-homer game, he’s 2-for-24. He’s whiffed nine times in his last 14 ABs.
ROOKIE: FCL PIRATES
Final Score: Pirates 12, Twins 4
Player of the Game: Esmerlyn Valdez 2-for-3, 2 HR (3), BB, 3 RBI
Recap:The FCL Pirates rolled along, stomping the Twins, 12-4. Esmerlyn Valdez had his biggest day of the season, belting a pair of home runs, a solo shot in the fourth and a three-run bomb in the seventh. He also walked and scored three runs. The longballs gave him three on the year and he’s now batting 351/444/676. He’s 19 and playing for the second year in the FCL, so maybe a move up would suit him.
Yordany De Los Santos continued raking, starting off the scoring with a two-run double in the first. He also singled and got hit by a pitch before leaving for a pinch hitter. (This team is severely crunched for playing time and seems to be trying to make up for it by using a lot of late substitutions.) De Los Santos is now batting 356/420/508, with a 7:9 BB:K.
Isaias Uribe started the season with two strong outings before hitting a snag his last time out. He seemed to get back on track in this game, but faltered in the end. He breezed through four innings, allowing just a solo home run, but may have tired when he came back for the fifth. He gave up four extra base hits in the inning, leading to three runs. He finished with four runs allowed over four and two-thirds, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Kevison Hernandez got the next four outs without a run, but he did walk three. Jackson Grounds threw two scoreless and hitless innings, and Jorge Ramos pitched the ninth.
Axiel Plaz made an infrequent appearance, batting cleanup and contributing an RBI single. He also got plunked twice. Kelvin Diaz had a two-run double.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK
Final Score: Tigers 1 5, Pirates Black 2
Player of the Game: Angel Perez 1-for-2, HR (1), BB
Recap:The Pirates Black lost to the Tigers 1, 5-2. Starter Jonawel Valdez scuffled through four innings, giving up five hits and four runs, three of them earned. Wali Pierre gave up a run on four hits over two innings, and Nicolas Carreno finished the seven-inning game with a scoreless inning.
The offense can be described pretty quickly: Angel Perez hit a two-run home run, following a single by Jonathan Rivero. The homer was Perez’ first as a pro. The 17-year-old is off to a nice start, batting 313/489/563 through his first 45 plate appearances. Rivero, also a 17-year-old catcher and the Pirates’ top signee last winter, bonus-wise, seems to be coming around after a very slow start. He’s 6-for-15 in his last five games.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD
Final Score: Pirates Gold 16, Cubs Blue 2
Player of the Game: Richard Ramirez 4-for-5, 2 HR (2), 5 RBI
Recap:The Pirates Gold had one of those days where you like seeing your guys win big, but you realize it was mostly the other team having a meltdown. The Gold team scored 16 runs in seven innings on the strength of nine hits, six steals, a dozen walks and assorted other tomfoolery.
All the starters except Daje Morales reached base at least twice, and Morales had a triple and four RBIs. Richard Ramirez, a 17-year-old catcher, had the big day, launching his first two home runs of the year, picking up four hits in all, and driving in five. His OPS went from .489 to .792 Juan Machado went 0-for-1, but he walked three times, stole two bases and scored three times. Ruben Vizcaya had a single, double and walk, and also stole two bases. Roinny Aguiar, Fabian Urbina and Gustavo Armas all reached base three times apiece despite having only one hit among them.
Starter Yojeiry Osoria didn’t last long. He walked four, and allowed two hits and two runs, over an inning and two-thirds. Jose Regalado and Fares Sanchez worked the last five and a third without allowing a run.
