On May 2nd, Braxton Ashcraft allowed six runs, four earned, in six innings of work. That actually lowered his ERA to 6.64. Since that outing, Ashcraft has looked great. He’s combined to allow three earned runs in 26.1 innings, with 34 strikeouts and six walks.
Ashcraft wrapped up his stellar month with six innings on Friday night for Altoona, allowing one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Including the rough start at the beginning, Ashcraft finished the month of May with a 1.95 ERA in 32.1 innings, along with a 39:6 K/BB ratio.
I’ve written before that I feel Ashcraft could be in the majors this year as a reliever. Right now, he’s looking like a guy who could be in Triple-A by this time next month if he remains a starter.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS lost 4-1
- CF Matt Gorski: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB
- RHP Domingo German: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 8 K
- C Jason Delay: 1-for-3
- 1B Jake Lamb: 1-for-4
- SS Liover Peguero: 1-for-4
Matt Gorski was a top candidate for player of the month for the Pirates in the minors. The outfielder finished the month of May batting .280/.330/.720 with nine home runs, three doubles, and three triples. Most of his production came in the second half of the month. All nine home runs came since May 16th, and Gorski is batting .316/.364/.912 since that date. Domingo German struggled with his control in his third Triple-A start. He now has 11 walks in 15.1 innings at the level. Jason Delay has yet to reach the point of playing a full game behind the plate in his rehab.
STATCAST HEROES
The home run from Gorski traveled 425 feet at 102.3 MPH. German had 16 whiffs on the day. He had 6 on 13 swings against his four-seam, eight on 13 swings against the curveball, and two on ten swings against the changeup.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA lost 8-6 in 10 innings, after the six strong innings from Braxton Ashcraft
- 1B Joe Perez: 1-for-4, HR, 4 RBI
- C Carter Bins: 1-for-3, BB, HR, RBI
- SS Tsung-Che Cheng: 1-for-4, BB
- CF Jase Bowen: 1-for-5, RBI
- 2B Kervin Pichardo: 1-for-4
Joe Perez and Carter Bins each hit their fourth home runs of the season. All four of the home runs from Bins have come during the month of May, with three since May 23rd. Bins has currently reached base safely in eight straight games. He has knocked in 16 runs in this span.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost 3-2
- RHP Patrick Reilly: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 HR
- 3B Charles McAdoo: 2-for-4, 2B
- 2B Mitch Jebb: 2-for-4, RBI
- RF Lonnie White Jr.: 1-for-4
- DH Nick Cimillo: 1-for-4
Patrick Reilly has some of the best stuff in Greensboro, with a mid-90s fastball and quality secondary offerings. His drawback has been control problems. He’s gotten better this year, but still has outings like Friday where he walks four in five innings. His stuff is good enough to escape the control issues at this level, with two runs allowed on two hits. Charles McAdoo has been one of the best and most consistent hitters in Greensboro. He hit his 12th double of the season on Friday, as part of a two hit day.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON lost 8-2
- RHP Carlson Reed: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
- RF Eddy Rodriguez: 2-for-3, BB, 2 SB
- C Omar Alfonzo: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
- 3B Wesley Zapata: 1-for-4, 2B
- RHP Landon Tomkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Carlson Reed has pitched well this year, but had control issues derail him on Friday. Control is the biggest drawback for Reed, who otherwise has a three pitch mix of average or better offerings. Eddy Rodriguez stole two bases, giving him seven on the season.
STATCAST HEROES
Omar Alfonzo is one of the most consistent hard hitters on this team. His doubler was hit 103.3 MPH, and he also had a lineout at 103.1 MPH. The hardest hit of the day came from Esmerlyn Valdez, who had a 110.4 MPH single. Carlson Reed had seven whiffs, led by three on four swings against the slider.
ROOKIE: FCL PIRATES
FCL PIRATES lost 12-3
- RHP Zander Mueth: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
- 2B Yerry De Los Santos: 2-for-3, BB
- DH Ewry Espinal: 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI
- 3B Carlos Caro: 1-for-3
- RF Juan Machado: 0-for-2, 2 BB
Zander Mueth had an early exit in his last outing, recording just one out and allowing two runs on three walks and a hit. He bounced back well on Friday, allowing one earned run in three innings. His unearned run came from an error that he committed with the bases loaded. He recovered with a ground ball to Jhonny Severino, who threw to home for the out. Catcher Luke Scherrer then ended the inning with a pickoff at first in the next at-bat.
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 6:35 PM – RHP Quinn Priester (2-1, 3.28)
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – RHP Po-Yu Chen (0-4, 5.72)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:05 PM – RHP Wilber Dotel (2-2, 5.35)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 4:00 PM – LHP Michael Kennedy (1-2, 3.83)
- Single-A: Bradenton, Game Two – RHP Khristian Curtis (0-2, 5.29)
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 10:00 AM – TBD
