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.
INDIANAPOLIS
Starting Pitcher: James Marvel 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO
Notable Performances:
Travis Swaggerty 1-for-4, BB
Cole Tucker 0-for-4
Kevin Kramer 0-for-4
Anthony Alford 2-for-3, RBI, BB
Braeden Ogle 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO
Game Recap: Indianapolis won 6-2 over Toledo, finishing off an organizational sweep that saw everyone from the Pirates down to Bradenton win tonight. James Marvel cruised through five innings without a run tonight, then gave up two in the sixth, one after he left. Braeden Ogle was able to strand one runner and throw 1.2 shutout innings of his own. Shea Spitzbarth threw a shutout eighth and Jandel Gustave had three strikeouts in the ninth, though he allowed a hit and a walk around those outs.
The Indians got their first run in the second inning to take an early lead, making it 1-0 on a single by Anthony Alford. Andrew Susac hit his second homer of the season to make it 2-2 in the seventh. In the eighth inning, Indianapolis scored solo runs on singles by Christian Bethancourt and Susac, then they scored runs on a ground out by Susac and Toledo gifted them a sixth run on an error. Alford reached base three times. Bethancourt, Susac and Dustin Fowler each reached base twice. Kevin Kramer is down to a .114 average after an 0-for-4, three strikeout night.
ALTOONA
Starting Pitcher: Max Kranick 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Notable Performances:
Ji-Hwan Bae 2-for-5
Oneil Cruz 1-for-5, 2B
Canaan Smith-Njigba 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
Game Recap: Max Kranick made his second start and had a rough first inning, before settling down to get through five innings in Altoona’s 9-7 win over Binghamton. The Curve moved to 6-3 on the season, while Binghamton is now 0-9. Kranick allowed four runs on four hits and a walk in the first. In the final four frames, he threw shutout ball and gave up one hit and no walks. John O’Reilly threw a scoreless inning and Shea Murray recorded the final out for a save. Will Gardner gave up three runs (two earned) in 2.2 innings.
The Curve mounted a comeback quickly after being down four runs early. Canaan Smith-Njigba hit his second homer of the season in the second inning, a two-run shot. In the third inning, Brendt Citta hit a two-run single to tie the score. He had three hits on the night and scored two runs. Smith-Njigba reached on an error that allowed two runs to score and give Altoona the lead. Smith-Njigba made it 7-4 with a sacrifice fly. Binghamton made it 7-6 in the 7th, scoring two runs off of Will Gardner. Bligh Madris hit an RBI single in the eighth and the Curve scored their ninth run on an error.
Oneil Cruz had a rough night, with three strikeouts at the plate and three errors in the field. Arden Pabst went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.
GREENSBORO
Starting Pitcher: Michael Burrows 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO
Notable Performances:
Nick Gonzales 2-for-4, 2 2B, SB
Matt Gorski 0-for-3, BB, SB
Jared Triolo 0-for-4
Lolo Sanchez 0-for-3, RBI
Jack Herman 1-for-3, 2B
Game Recap: Greensboro won 5-3 over Rome to move to 5-5 on the season. Michael Burrows made his second start and it was another outstanding performance. He allowed a walk and a hit in four scoreless innings, while striking out seven batters. In his season debut, he threw four innings without a hit or walk, while striking out eight batters. Will Kobos vultured the win with two runs over two innings. Colin Selby allowed one run in 1.2 frames. Cristofer Melendez recorded the final four outs for the save. Nick Gonzales had two doubles to give him six already on the season. He also picked up his second steal. Matt Fraizer hit a two-run homer in the second inning, his first of the season. Grant Koch had two hits and drove in two runs. Matt Gorski stole his third base. Jack Herman collected his second double.
BRADENTON
Starting Pitcher: Domingo Gonzalez 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
Notable Performances:
Jasiah Dixon 0-for-4, 2 SB
Sammy Siani 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, SB
Alexander Mojica 0-for-3, 2 BB
Endy Rodriguez 1-for-4
Jase Bowen 2-for-4, HR, RBI, 2 SB
Sergio Campana 1-for-3, 3B, BB, SB
Game Recap: Bradenton won 8-4 over Dunedin to give them a 6-4 record on the season. Jase Bowen and Sammy Siani had big days on offense. Bowen hit his first home run as a pro. He also scored two runs and stole his first two bases of the season. Siani hit his fourth double and his second homer. He also picked up his first steal. Sergio Campana hit his second triple and stole his fourth base. Jasiah Dixon had an 0-for-4 night with three strikeouts, but he also stole two bases to give him eight steals. Maikol Escotto had an RBI single and a walk. Endy Rodriguez is hitting .343 after a 1-for-4 night. Domingo Gonzalez started and allowed two runs over four innings while picking up seven strikeouts. Steven Jennings got the win with one run over three innings. He struck out five batters. Oliver Mateo allowed one run in 1.2 innings without a hit. He had three walks and four strikeouts. Alex Aquino recorded the final out for the save. Bradenton pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts.
JC Flowers was named as the league’s Pitcher of the Week for his six shutout innings last week. He gave up two hits, no walks and struck out seven batters.
