Your daily Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Watch article for recaps of all of today’s games. Be sure to pick up your copy of the latest Prospect Guide in our store, available as an ebook or a limited edition paperback.
The Pirates’ affiliates brought the power tonight. They belted 11 home runs, including season firsts for Oneil Cruz, Canaan Smith-Njigba and Dariel Lopez. And Roansy Contreras showed another sort of power, retiring the first 17 hitters he faced and fanning 11 over six innings.
INDIANAPOLIS
(7:05pm)
Starting Pitcher: Chase De Jong 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Notable Performances:
Travis Swaggerty 1-4, HR (2)
Cole Tucker 0-3
Nick Mears 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Game Recap: Indianapolis (3-3) got four solo home runs — their only hits in the game — to edge Toledo, 4-3. Travis Swaggerty led off the bottom of the first with his second of the year. He also later threw a runner out at third. Will Craig hit his first two of the season and Andrew Susac homered in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie. Chase De Jong didn’t pitch as well as his first time out, but he had a solid start, giving up two runs over five innings. Sean Poppen threw two innings and gave up a run that tied the game, which let him vulture a win on Susac’s bomb. Nick Mears, who had a meltdown his first time out, threw a scoreless inning, as did Jandel Gustave, who got his third save.
ALTOONA
(6:35pm)
Starting Pitcher: Roansy Contreras 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K
Notable Performances:
Ji-Hwan Bae 0-3, BB
Oneil Cruz 1-4, HR (1)
Rodolfo Castro 0-3, BB
Mason Martin 0-3 BB
Cal Mitchell 1-3, BB
Canaan Smith-Njigba 3-4, HR (1)
Game Recap: Roansy Contreras dominated again as Altoona (3-3) beat Binghamton, 5-0. Contreras was perfect until there were two out in the sixth. He walked the pitcher and the next hitter, but came back with his 11th strikeout to end his outing. Jeff Passantino allowed a single in the seventh, the only hit the Curve gave up. He fanned six in his three innings, giving Altoona 17 Ks in the game.
The offense all came on longballs. Oneil Cruz connected for his first of the year in the sixth after a walk to Ji-Hwan Bae. Canaan Smith-Njigba provided some insurance in the ninth with a three-run bomb, his first as a Pirate, after walks to Rodolfo Castro and Mason Martin. Smith-Njigba had three hits in the game and is now batting .400.
GREENSBORO
(6:30pm)
Starting Pitcher: Quinn Priester 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Notable Performances:
Nick Gonzales 1-5
Lolo Sanchez 1-5
Matt Gorski 1-3, HR (2), BB
Game Recap: Quinn Priester scuffled again as Greensboro (3-4) lost to Rome, 8-2. Priester pitched well in three of his four innings, but allowed three of his four hits and two of his three walks in the third inning, leading to three runs. It could have been worse, but the leadoff hitter was caught stealing after drawing a walk. The Grasshoppers’ relievers, Alex Manasa and Trey McGough, also had a rough time, giving up five runs between them. The offense came entirely on back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning by Aaron Shackelford and Matt Gorski, their third and second, respectively. Greensboro had only five hits. Liover Peguero was originally penciled into the lineup, but was apparently a scratch. That may indicate his status is day-to-day.
BRADENTON
(6:30pm)
Starting Pitcher: Luis Ortiz 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Notable Performances:
Sammy Siani 0-5
Jasiah Dixon 2-5, 2B, BB
Hudson Head 2-3, 2 BB, SB
Endy Rodriguez 2-4, HR (2)
Dariel Lopez 2-5, HR (1)
Alexander Mojica 1-5
Maikol Escotto 2-4, BB
Jase Bowen 2-5
Nick Garcia 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Game Recap: Bradenton (4-3) had 14 hits, including three longballs, as they hammered Dunedin, 11-4. Luis Ortiz gave up just a run and fanned seven in four innings; he’s now fanned a dozen over seven innings in two starts. Nick Garcia threw three hitless innings to get the win.
Dariel Lopez got the scoring started with his first home run of the year in the second inning. A three-run bomb by Endy Rodriguez, his second home run, gave the Marauders a 5-1 margin in the sixth. Will Matthiessen added another three-run shot, his first homer, in a five-run ninth that sealed the win. Hudson Head reached base four times on two hits and two walks.
