The Bradenton Marauders won an 8-0 shutout on Thursday, led by a combined one-hit effort from Antwone Kelly and Connor Oliver. Neither pitcher is a top 30 guy in the system, but both have emerged as sleepers to watch.
Kelly got the start, pitching five no-hit innings. The right-hander walked three and struck out five. The 20-year-old Kelly was signed by the Pirates in January 2021, and has emerged this year as one of the hardest throwers on the Bradenton roster. He sat 94.3 MPH with his fastball tonight, topping out at 97. Kelly had five whiffs on 16 swings from his fastball, with two whiffs on the cutter and one on the slider.
Oliver came on to pitch the final four innings. The lefty allowed one hit and one walk, striking out six. Oliver lost the no-hitter in the ninth inning, giving up a single to lead off the inning.
The Pirates added Oliver in a trade for Colin Selby at the start of the season. He’s moved around a lot, and could finally have some consistency with the Pirates. Oliver sat 91 MPH with his fastball, getting up to 93.3 leading a five pitch mix. He had ten whiffs, with two each on the sinker, cutter, and curveball. He whiffed four on six swings with his four-seam fastball.
PIRATES PROSPECT WATCH
INDIANAPOLIS won 6-4.
- LF Billy McKinney went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run.
- SS Liover Peguero went 2-for-4.
- DH Canaan Smith-Njigba went 2-for-4 with a double.
- 3B Nick Gonzales went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
- 2B Ji Hwan Bae went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases.
ALTOONA lost their first game of a double header 6-5.
- 2B-SS Tsung-Che Cheng went 1-for-4 with his third homer of the year and two RBIs.
- LF Joe Perez went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.
- RHP Braxton Ashcraft pitched six innings, allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits. He struck out five and walked none.
- SS-2B Kervin Pichardo went 1-for-4.
- DH Seth Beer went 1-for-2 with a walk.
ALTOONA lost game two by a 7-2 score.
- RF Joe Perez went 1-for-4 with a double.
- C Wyatt Hendrie went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.
- DH Jackson Glenn went 1-for-3 with a walk.
- SS Tsung-Che Cheng went 1-for-3.
- RHP Valentin Linarez pitched 1.1 shutout innings, with one hit, no walks, and two strikeouts.
GREENSBORO lost 7-3.
- C Shawn Ross went 2-for-3 with a double and his fourth homer of the year. He also walked and stole a base.
- CF Lonnie White Jr. went 1-for-5.
- RF Rodolfo Nolasco went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
- LHP Luis Peralta allowed one run on one hit and two walks in two innings. He struck out four.
- RHP Brandan Bidios pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts.
BRADENTON won 8-0, led by the combined shutout from Antwone Kelly and Connor Oliver.
- RF Joshua Palacios went 1-for-3 with two RBIs in a rehab start.
- 1B Esmerlyn Valdez went 2-for-3 with a walk.
- DH Garret Forrester went 1-for-4 with a double, extending his hitting streak to six games.
- LF Solomon Maguire went 2-for-4.
- SS Javier Rivas went 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
STATCAST HEROES
Billy McKinney had the two furthest hits of the game for Indianapolis, with a 422 foot home run and a 390 foot double. STATS
Joshua Palacios returned tonight with a 107 MPH single in the fourth inning. STATS
TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 PM – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 7:00 PM – RHP Po-Yu Chen (0-1, 7.98)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 PM – RHP Wilber Dotel (1-0, 1.17)
- Saturday Sleepers: Wilber Dotel Off to a Good Start in the Greensboro Rotation
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – RHP Carlson Reed (0-1, 1.72)
- West Virginia Pitcher Carlson Reed is Off to a Great Start With the Pirates
