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: Steven Wright 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Notable Performances:
Colin Moran 2-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI
Kevin Kramer 1-for-3, BB
Anthony Alford 3-for-3, HR, RBI
Phillip Evans 1-for-1, RBI
Braeden Ogle 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO
Game Recap: Indianapolis won 10-3 in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday night. Steven Wright started and he went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks. He now has a 2.21 ERA this season. Wright got a little help from Braeden Ogle, who stranded a runner to close out the sixth inning. Ogle then got help from Shea Spitzbarth, who recorded the final out of the game with the bases loaded full of inherited runners.
Colin Moran played the full game at first base and drove in four runs. He had a two-run double in the first and a two-run single in the sixth. Anthony Alford went 3-for-3 with his third home run and two runs scored. Joe Hudson contributed a two-run homer. Phillip Evans, Hunter Owen and Bligh Madris each had RBI singles. Chris Sharpe hit his ninth double.
GAME TWO
Starting Pitcher: Beau Sulser 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO
Notable Performances:
Kevin Kramer 0-for-2, BB
Anthony Alford 1-for-2, BB
Game Recap: Beau Sulser got the start in game two and allowed two runs over 4.1 innings, as Indianapolis swept the doubleheader from Columbus. Sulser gave way to Blake Weiman, who got the final two outs in the fifth. Kyle Keller and Tyler Bashlor pitched scoreless frames to finish out the game. TJ Rivera led the offense by going 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. He hit his first homer of the season. Christian Bethancourt added a two-run homer, his second of the season. Jason Delay had two hits and an RBI. Anthony Alford had a single, walk and run scored. Bligh Madris went 1-for-3 to give him a .348 average in 14 games with Indianapolis.
ALTOONA
Starting Pitcher: Trey McGough 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO
Notable Performances:
Oneil Cruz 2-for-4, 2B
Rodolfo Castro 2-for-4, 2B
Mason Martin 1-for-4, HR, RBI
Canaan Smith-Njigba 1-for-4, RBI
Game Recap: In his Double-A debut, Trey McGough lasted 3.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, two walks and six strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches with 45 going for strikes. Brad Case followed and stranded two inherited runners to help McGough. Case lasted 3.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Will Gardner tossed a scoreless eighth, as Altoona lost 5-3, dropping them to a 17-9 record.
Altoona had their chances to score, but they went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Oneil Cruz and Rodolfo Castro each had a single and double. Cruz has five doubles, Castro now has six. After hitting just .226 through May 25th, Cruz now has a .292 average and a nine-game hit streak. Mason Martin hit a solo homer, his fifth of the season. Daniel Amaral had two hits and a walk.
GREENSBORO
Starting Pitcher: Tahnaj Thomas 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
Notable Performances:
Liover Peguero 2-for-4, RBI, BB, HBP
Lolo Sanchez 0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 RBI, 2 Runs
Jared Triolo 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB
Game Recap: Tahnaj Thomas put in solid work for 3.1 innings, leaving with one unearned run on one hit, two walks and three strikeouts. He threw just 11 pitches in his final inning and 56 total, so it seems like a quick hook. That will be something to keep an eye on, though he’s also average 62 pitches per outing this year, so he wasn’t far from that mark. Thomas now has a 3.18 ERA in 17 innings, with 23 strikeouts. Will Kobos struck out two batters for the final two outs of the fourth. Steven Jennings came on for his High-A debut and he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in four innings. Austin Roberts tossed a scoreless ninth to close out a 17-3 win over Winston-Salem. The Grasshoppers now have a 13-15 record.
The whole lineup contributed in the win, with eight players scoring at least one run and eight players driving in at least one run. Greensboro had just 11 hits, but they drew 12 walks. Grant Koch got the scoring started in the second with a sacrifice fly that brought in two runs. In the third inning they added a run on a Lolo Sanchez RBI ground out. Will Matthiessen hit his first home run in Greensboro in the fourth to make it 5-1. Aaron Shackelford hit his ninth home run to make it 6-1 in the fifth. The Grasshoppers scored two runs in the seventh inning on balks, then Jared Triolo and Koch each brought in another run, giving them a 10-2 lead. The flood gates opened in the eighth. A bases loaded walk to Sanchez, was followed by a two-run single from Fabricio Macias. They added one run each on a single by Koch, walk to Matthiessen, ground out by Claudio Finol and a Liover Peguero hit-by-pitch. Shackelford had three walks and three runs scored.
BRADENTON
Starting Pitcher: Domingo Gonzalez 3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
Notable Performances:
Sergio Campana 1-for-5, SB
Endy Rodriguez 0-for-4, BB
Jase Bowen 2-for-5, SB
Dariel Lopez 0-for-4
Eli Wilson 2-for-3, RBI, BB
Alexander Mojica 1-for-4
Jasiah Dixon 0-for-3, BB, SB
Game Recap: Domingo Gonzalez allowed just one run over three innings and struck out seven batters, but he had a rough outing on Friday night, partially due to the defense. He gave up five hits and two walks, which led to three runs, though just one was earned. Gonzalez needed 71 pitches to get through his outing. This game was close until the eighth inning when Dunedin put up seven runs in a 12-2 win. Ryan Troutman made his Low-A debut and allowed one run in two innings. Wandi Montout gave up four runs in 2.1 innings, with three of those runs coming in the eighth. Oliver Mateo came in and gave up four runs of his own while recording one out. Enmanuel Mejia had to record the final out.
Jase Bowen, Ernny Ordonez and Eli Wilson each had two singles. Bowen scored a run and stole his fifth base. Wilson had an RBI and a walk. Sergio Campana stole his ninth base in ten tries. Jasiah Dixon stole his 13th base in 13 tries. The Marauders struck out 13 times in the game. They had a nine-game win streak snapped, dropping them to 18-10.
Maikol Escotto was placed on the 7-day injured list. Right-handed pitcher Enmanuel De Los Santos was added to the roster.
