The Greensboro Grasshoppers won the South Atlantic League North first half last week, putting the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the post-season. With another week of minor league baseball in the books, today I’m checking in on the playoff races from the other teams in the system.
Indianapolis is 33-40, and already eliminated from the International League West first half.
Altoona is 29-40, ranking last in the Eastern League Southwest, and already eliminated in the first half.
Greensboro won the SAL North with a 39-26 record in the first half. They’ve started the second half with a 2-1 record.
The Bradenton Marauders finished with a 29-37 record in the first half, ranking fifth in the Florida State League West. They’ve opened the second half 2-1, currently one game out of first place.
Down in rookie ball, there is only a full season. The FCL Pirates are 22-13, half a game out of first place in the Florida Complex League South.
The DSL Pirates Gold are 10-5, ranking second in the Dominican Summer League North, and sitting one game back.
The DSL Pirates Black are 4-10, ranking last in the DSL Northwest.
Greensboro is going to the playoffs, the FCL Pirates have a shot, and every other team will look for better results in the second half.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS won 6-4
- RHP Domingo German: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 1 HR
- 2B Alika Williams: 3-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI
- CF Matt Gorski: 3-for-4, 2 2B
- 3B Andres Alvarez: 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
- C Dylan Shockley: 2-for-3, 2B
Matt Gorski hit two doubles, giving him 13 on the season. Alika Williams hit his second double and first triple since being sent down to Triple-A. Andres Alvarez homered for the fifth time. In his last three starts, German has a 2.35 ERA in 15.1 innings, with a 16:9 K/BB.
STATCAST HEROES
The hardest hit ball of the game was a 109.2 MPH single from Alika Williams. He also had a 104.8 MPH double, a 104.7 MPH forceout, and a 98.7 MPH triple. German led with a curveball/four-seam combo, picking up five whiffs on the curve and three on the four-seam.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 7-2
- RHP Po-Yu Chen: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
- 3B Charles McAdoo: 1-for-5, HR
- CF Jase Bowen: 3-for-4, 2B
- C Carter Bins: 2-for-4, HR, BB
- 2B Jackson Glenn: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Charles McAdoo hit his second home run in his second game at the Double-A level. Carter Bins homered for the fifth time this year, and Jase Bowen hit his 10th double. Po-Yu Chen has looked great during the month of June. He has a 2.73 ERA in 29.2 innings across five starts, with a 27:8 K/BB.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost 12-9
- RHP Patrick Reilly: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
- DH Jack Brannigan: 1-for-3, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI
- C Shawn Ross: 1-for-4, HR, BB
- SS Maikol Escotto: 1-for-4, HR
- RF Luke Brown: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
Greensboro lost, despite four home runs from the offense. The first one came in the fifth inning, a solo shot by Maikol Escotto to make the score 4-3. It was the fifth of the year for Escotto. Shawn Ross hit a solo shot in the sixth inning, his 14th of the year, but Greensboro allowed five runs in the top half of the inning, making the score 9-4. Jack Brannigan hit his eighth home run, a two run shot in the seventh. Luke Brown hit his sixth homer in the eighth inning to add three more runs and tie the score at 9-9. Greensboro allowed three runs in the ninth to lose the game. Patrick Reilly was hurt by the long ball, giving up two home runs for three runs on four hits. The bullpen combined for three homers allowed.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON won 6-3
- RHP Mike Burrows: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
- 3B Javier Rivas: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
- SS Keiner Delgado: 2-for-4, BB
- RF Esmerlyn Valdez: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
- C Omar Alfonzo: 1-for-5
Mike Burrows made his second rehab appearance in the lower levels since returning from Tommy John. He pitched 1.1 innings in the FCL, and went 1.2 this time around, with 34 pitches thrown. Javier Rivas hit his sixth homer of the year. Esmerlyn Valdez hit his 11th double.
STATCAST HEROES
The home run from Rivas had an exit velocity of 98.7 MPH, with no reported distance. Omar Alfonzo had an unfortunate game, with a lineout at 104.6 MPH and a groundout at 100.4 MPH. Burrows averaged 94 MPH with his fastball, with one whiff each on his four-seam and slider.
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE
- The full-season teams are off on Monday.
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 12:00 PM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Black, 11:00 AM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, 11:00 AM – TBD
