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Pirates Prospects Daily

Quinn Priester Shows Promising Swing and Miss in Pirates Loss

Ignoring the walkoff loss late Friday night, I think the Pittsburgh Pirates got one positive sign in the opening game of their series with...

Pirates Split Series With Brewers

The Pirates couldn't hold the lead against the Brewers on Thursday, dropping the final game 7-5 to split a four game series. Milwaukee got on...

P2Daily: More Premium Articles For Pirates Prospects Subscribers

Six weeks ago, Pirates Prospects returned as a solo project. Since that point, this article is the 122nd that I've posted. If you're doing...

Bailey Falter Shuts Down the Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers aren't a big swing and miss team. Prior to Tuesday night's game against the Pirates, they ranked 22nd in baseball in...

Prospect Watch

Pirates Prospect Watch: Carlson Reed Leads a Shutout in Bradenton

The decision to move former reliever Carlson Reed to the rotation continues to look like a good one. The Pirates drafted Reed in the...

Pirates Prospect Watch: Jack Brannigan Leads a Power Display in Greensboro

Jack Brannigan showed some power tonight in Greensboro, as part of an 11-1 victory by the Pittsburgh Pirates High-A squad. Brannigan went 2-for-5, hitting...

Pirates Prospect Watch: Paul Skenes Pitches Into the Fifth in Latest Start

Paul Skenes is human, after all. The 2023 first overall pick gave up his first runs of the season against Omaha on Wednesday afternoon, in...

Player Features

Jack Brannigan is the Next Gold Glove Quality Third Baseman in the Pirates System

The Pirates have Gold Glove third basemen in Ke'Bryan Hayes and Jared Triolo. They've got another candidate in the system in power hitter Jack Brannigan.

Mitch Jebb Brings Elite Speed and Swing Decisions to Greensboro

With so many three-true-outcome approaches in pro ball, 2023 second round pick Mitch Jebb brings a refreshing style of contact, speed, and hustle.

Discussion

Saturday Sleepers

Saturday Sleepers: Wilber Dotel Off to a Good Start in the Greensboro Rotation

Wilber Dotel makes his latest start for Greensboro this evening, after starting the 2024 season with 10.1 shutout innings, striking out nine in the...

Saturday Sleepers: Carlos Jimenez Has One of the Best Changeups in the System

In early 2022, I saw Carlos Jimenez pitch for the Bradenton Marauders. Of all the players who played in Single-A on that particular day,...

Saturday Sleepers: Valentin Linarez Added Velocity and Improved Control in 2023

Valentin Linarez had one of the biggest recorded velocity jumps in minor league baseball last year. Baseball America tracked the year-over-year four-seam velocity gainers from...

Saturday Sleepers: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 17 year old throw 100 miles an hour”

At the start of the 2023 international signing period, the Pittsburgh Pirates added David Matoma as their first signing out of Uganda. The right-handed...

ARCHIVES

Pirates reach agreement with Stetson Allie

The Pirates have reached an agreement with second round draft pick Stetson Allie. Jen Langosch reports that a few details still need to be worked out at this point.

Bucs officially ink Maggi

The Pirates have officially signed their 15th round draft pick, shortstop Drew Maggi. Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Maggi received a bonus of $468,000.

Former GM Joe L. Brown dies

Dejan Kovacevic reports that Joe L. Brown, Pirates general manager from 1956 to 1976 and briefly in 1985, died yesterday afternoon. He was 91.

Draft signing deadline

First round pick Jameson Taillon, second round pick Stetson Allie and 15th round pick Drew Maggi put the pen to paper at various points on Monday. Click here to read through the live updates that I provided from morning to midnight.

Curve Lose In Extras; Marauders Split Twin Bill

Sunday's games in the Pirates' lower minor leagues were partially hampered by rain.... The GCL Pirates again had today off.

The State College Spikes and the Aberdeen IronBirds fell victim to rain.� That game will not be made up, as the Spikes are not scheduled to play Aberdeen again this season.� Tomorrow is an off day for the Spikes, then on Tuesday, Matt Curry, Adalberto Santos, and Jhonatan Ramos will be participating in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game.

West Virginia Power 3,� Lexington Legends 3 -- suspended (box)

The Power and the Legends were supposed to play 2 games today, making up for last night's rainout.� They got started on Game 1, but got only into the third inning (of a 7-inning game) before the rain returned.� That game was suspended and the second game was postponed.

The game began with a scoreless first inning for both teams.� In the top of the 2nd, LF Rogelios Noris and C Ramon Cabrera both singled, then with two outs, 1B Kyle Morgan blasted a 3-run homer.� The Legends responded with 3 runs in the bottom of the frame on four singles.� With one out in the top of the 3rd, the game was suspended.� They will try to finish this one, then play a second game tomorrow.

New Hampshire FisherCats� 3,� Altoona Curve� 2 (box)

More extra innings for the Curve and the FisherCats, but this one went New Hampshire's way.�� The Curve threatened in the 2nd inning, when both 1B Matt Hague and 2B Jordy Mercer led off with back-to-back singles.� DH Jim Negrych's grounder forced out Hague at third, and C Kris Watts walked to load the bases.� Another ground out ended the inning, though.�� A triple by SS Chase d'Arnaud and a sacrifice fly by 3B Josh Harrison in the 3rd inning did put the Curve onto the scoreboard with a 1-0 lead.� They scored again in the 5th on an exciting play.� CF Jose De Los Santos began with a single.� D'Arnaud grounded to short, for what should have been a double play, but the New Hampshire second baseman missed the catch, and both runners were safe.� De Los Santos tagged up and advanced to third on a fly out, then stole home in a double steal.

Rudy Owens pitched 5 scoreless innings in his start for the Curve, striking out 6 batters.� He scattered 5 hits, no walks, and only had more than one runner on base at a time in the 3rd, but got out of it with a strikeout and a ground out.� Jared Hughes relieved Owens to start the 6th.� Hughes walked a batter then erased him with a double play in the 6th.� In the 7th, Hughes hit the first batter, CF Callix Crabbe with a pitch.� Crabbe stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on an RBI single.� That batter was thrown out at second base by RF Miles Durham when he tried to stretch his single into a double.� Moments later, a solo home run tied the game at 2-2.� Hughes also pitched the 8th, and again gave up a walk and erased the runner with a double play.

The tie continued as the Curve went down in order in the 7th.� D'Arnaud was hit with a pitch in the 8th, was bunted to second by Harrison, then stole third base, but was left stranded.� Daniel Moskos worked around a lead-off single to keep the tie going in the top of the 9th.� Jim Negrych singled in the bottom of the inning, but was erased in a double play.� Derek Hankins retired the FisherCats in order in the top of the 10th.� Kris Watts singled in the bottom of that inning, and was replaced by pinch-runner Anthony Norman, who was also left on base.

Hankins came out again for the 11th.� With two outs, he gave up a single, then an RBI double to Crabbe, and the FisherCats had the 3-2 lead.� Matt Hague walked with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, but a grounder off the bat of Negrych forced out Hague at second base to end the game.

This Time Indians Can’t Overcome Late Inning Rallies

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Syracuse Chiefs� 4,� Indianapolis Indians� 2 (box)

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Like yesterday, the Indians had an early lead in this afternoon's game against the Syracuse Chiefs at Victory Field.� Like yesterday, the Chiefs' late inning rallies had them catching up and taking the lead.� But, unlike yesterday, today, the Indians could not stage a last-minute rally for the dramatic win.� Rehabbing right-hander Chris Jakubauskas (photo above) could not hold off the Chiefs, and he suffered the loss.

Jeremy Powell (photo) made the start for the Indians, under yet another 90+ degree sunny sky.� For the first 6 innings, he was brilliant.� He retired the side in order in half of his innings.� He worked around a one-out single by C Wilson Ramos in the 2nd inning.� Ramos singled again with two outs in the 4th, but Powell ended the inning by inducing a pop out.� He also worked around a one-out double by opposing pitcher Jordan Zimmerman in the 3rd.� Zimmerman surprised almost everyone in the stadium by ripping a line drive to the 418' sign in left-center field.� For anyone else, that would have been an easy triple, but not wanting to overtax the pitcher, particularly in the heat,� Zimmerman started slowing down shortly after he rounded first base, and all but walked into second base, where he watched LF Kevin Melillo's throw come back to the infield.

IMG_4365Melillo got the Tribe out to a good start with a lead-off single in the bottom of the 1st, though he was left stranded.� The Indians had two runners on in the 2nd inning, when 1B John Bowker (photo, on right) lined a single into right field, and SS Pedro Ciriaco bunted to the left side of the mound, where Zimmerman could not find the handle on the ball to make a throw.� 2B Brian Friday popped up, and the infield fly rule was invoked.� That brought up Jeremy Powell with two outs, and he could only bounce a grounder to short, ending the inning with the two runners on base.

The first Indians' run came in the 3rd inning.� With one out, 3B Akinori Iwamura worked a walk.� Then CF Alex Presley worked his magic again, taking a long bouncer just barely fair down the right field line.� The carom off the wall in the right field corner fooled Syracuse RF Leonard Davis, and while Davis was busy chasing down the ball, Iwamura scored and Presley cruised into third base with a triple.� Indians up, 1-0.� The inning ended without further runs scoring.� RF Brandon Moss's oops-swing lifted a low, twisting flop of a fly right to Chiefs' 3B Pete Orr.� Presley had been taking a lead, and he could not get back to the bag in time, so was doubled off to end the inning.

Game 117: Astros Sweep Bucs Behind Pence & Happ

Houston once again rallied late to beat back the Pirates. And once again the Pirates bats were held in check. Hunter Pence was at the center of Houston's attack and J.A. Happ pitched well over six innings.

Series Preview: Marlins vs. Pirates

Probable Starters RHP Chris Volstad vs. RHP James McDonald RHP Ricky Nolasco vs. LHP Zach Duke RHP Josh Johnson vs. RHP Ross Ohlendorf LHP Sean West vs. LHP Paul Maholm

State College at Aberdeen, August 13-14

Aberdeen 3, State College 2 (11 inn.) State College 1, Aberdeen 0 State College split the first two games of a weekend series at Aberdeen, home...

Game 116: Norris Strikes out 14 in Houston Victory

The Pirates scored twice in the first and left the bases loaded in the second. Other than that, Bud Norris was dominant. He whiffed 14 in seven innings and Hunter Pence powered the Astros come from behind win.

9th Inning Heroes: Friday and Presley

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Erik Kratz is a good sport.

Indianapolis Indians� 4,� Syracuse Chiefs� 3 (box)

IMG_43212B Brian Friday (photo) and CF Alex Presley were the big heroes in the bottom of the 9th inning, giving the Indianapolis Indians a walk-off win over the Syracuse Chiefs at Victory Field tonight.� Friday, Presley, and SS Pedro Ciriaco all had 2 hits in the game and all had a hit in the 9th, and reliever Justin Thomas earned the win.

The Indians were clinging to a 2-1 lead going into the 9th inning.� Justin Thomas had come on in relief in the top of the 8th, striking out RF Pete Orr to end that inning.� He began the 9th by getting CF Michael Martinez to ground out to second.� Former Indy Indian, pinch-hitter Carlos Maldonado made the Victory Field crowd gasp as he drove the first pitch he saw on a high line drive into center field.� Tribe CF Alex Presley went back and back, but was able to catch up to the ball just in time, for the second out of the inning.

Thomas walked LF Boomer Whiting, and that was worrisome, because Whiting is a big base-stealing threat� -- he had already stolen 30 bases this season.� Before he threw even one pitch to the plate, where SS Danny Espinosa was waiting, Thomas threw to first base three times, trying to keep Whiting on first base.� Then, with the southpaw Thomas looking right at him, Whiting ventured a little too far off first.� Thomas' 4th pick-off throw clearly had Whiting, who then turned and raced for second base.� 1B John Bowker took that throw from Thomas and threw to second base, where Pedro Ciriaco was waiting to tag out Whiting by several steps -- but Bowker's throw hit Whiting in the back and bounced into short left field.� It was ruled a stolen base and a throwing error on Bowker, and by the time the ball was retrieved, Whiting was standing on third base.

Finally, Thomas pitched to Espinosa.� He got Espinosa to a 2-2 count, and Espinosa fouled off two more pitches, but Thomas was one out away of an Indians' win.� Then Espinosa lifted a long high fly to right center field... which CF Alex Presley and RF Brandon Moss quickly realized that it would do no good to chase it� -- a 2-out 2-run homer, to give the Chiefs the lead, 3-2.� A tapper back to the mound ended the inning, and sent the game to the bottom of the 9th.

Spikes Throw One-Hitter; Wilson K’s 11

Saturday's action with the Pirates' lower minor league affiliates...� The West Virginia Power and Lexington Legends were rained out tonight.� They will go for two tomorrow.

State College� 1,� Aberdeen IronBirds� 0 (box)

Pitchers Tyler Waldron, Ryan Beckman, and Brooks Pounders combined to one-hit the IronBirds tonight.� Waldron made the start with 5 nearly-perfect innings.� The first IronBirds batter of the game was the only one to reach base against Waldron, and he got on when C Matthew Skirving dropped strike three, then made a throwing error when he fired the ball down to first base.� Waldron immediately erased that base runner in a double play, then retired all the rest of the batters he faced, including one more strikeout.

Beckman took the 6th inning, and he also retired the side in order.� Pounders pitched the final three innings.� He gave up back to back walks with one out in the 7th, but left both runners stranded.� Pounders also retired the side in order in the 8th.� The no-hitter was lost in the 9th, when the first batter of the inning doubled into right field.� Pounders retired the next three batters in order, leaving the runner on second base.� Waldron earned his 3rd win of the season, and Pounders earned his first save.

The Spikes batters collected 6 hits and 4 walks, but fell victim to double plays and outfield assists, so they scored only one run.� In the 2nd inning, 1B Matt Curry walked, but was erased in a double play, and LF Pat Irvine singled, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.� Curry walked again in the 4th, but was caught stealing.� SS Gift Ngoepe singled in the 9th, but was thrown out trying for two bases. The lone Spikes' run came in the 6th inning.� With one out, CF Mel Rojas worked a walk, then DH Gerlis Rodriguez drove a triple into center field, scoring Rojas.� Curry walked for the third time in the game in the 9th, and RF Cole White singled, but both were left on base.� White was the only Spikes' batter to have two hits.� 2B Kelson Brown also singled.

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