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 Grasshoppers finally join the Information Age, as their game tonight is slated to be on MiLB TV. Well, actually, Winston-Salem is doing the broadcast, so it’s a guest appearance for Greensboro. But at least it’s an appearance. It’s not even supposed to rain!
INDIANAPOLIS
(7:05pm)
Starting Pitcher: Steven Wright 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Notable Performances:
Anthony Alford 1-2, 2 BB, SB
Jared Oliva 2-4, BB
Will Craig 2-4, 2B
Nick Mears 1 IP, 3 K
Braeden Ogle 1 IP, 2 K
Game Recap: Indianapolis (19-17) got a combined three-hitter from Steven Wright and four relievers in a 6-1 win over Memphis. Wright gave up two hits and the relievers — Joe Jacques, Nick Mears, Braeden Ogle and Kyle Keller — each threw a scoreless inning. Mears fanned the side in his inning and Ogle struck out two. The Indians got all they needed early, with a run on a bases-loaded walk in the first and a two-run single by Will Craig in the second. Craig finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and is now batting 304/353/587 in AAA. Anthony Alford reached base and scored three times. Jared Oliva also reached three times. T.J. Rivera hit his second home run.
ALTOONA
(7:05pm)
Starting Pitcher: Roansy Contreras 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Notable Performances:
Oneil Cruz 1-5, 2B
Canaan Smith-Njigba 1-5, 2B
Rodolfo Castro 2-4, HR (7)
Mason Martin 2-4, 2B
Cal Mitchell 1-4
Cristofer Melendez 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Game Recap: Roansy Contreras fanned ten batters over seven innings, but a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth cost Altoona (22-14) in a 4-3 loss to Erie. Contreras wasn’t phased by top Tigers prospects Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler. He held the three to a single in nine at-bats, with four strikeouts. Contreras gave up one run on a solo homer. A pair of errors cost him a second run. Altoona took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth when Brendt Citta doubled in Mason Martin. Rodolfo Castro drove in their other two runs with his seventh home run of the year and an RBI single that drove in Canaan Njigba-Smith, who’d doubled. Oneil Cruz had a double and made a grab that literally no other shortstop who ever played could have made. After Contreras left, Cam Vieaux threw a scoreless inning. Cristofer Melendez came on for the ninth and saw the first batter reach on an error by Josh Bissonette. Melendez got the next two hitters, but a double and two singles brought in two unearned runs to cost Altoona the game.
GREENSBORO
(7:00pm)
Starting Pitcher: Quinn Priester 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Notable Performances:
Matt Fraizer 1-4, HR (7), BB
Liover Peguero 2-3, SB
Aaron Shackelford 0-4
Lolo Sanchez 0-4
Fabricio Macias 1-3, HR (3)
Matt Gorski 0-4
Game Recap: Greensboro (20-16) began its new internet era with a 3-2 win over Winston-Salem. The Grasshoppers’ runs all came on dingers by their two hottest hitters. Matt Fraizer hit his seventh to put them on the board, and Fabricio Macias added a two-run shot, his third homer of the year. Quinn Priester had a strong start. He had to leave the bases loaded in the fourth, due to two weakly hit singles and a bunt hit, but he got a strikeout to end the inning. Priester appeared to tire some in the fifth, falling behind the first two hitters and allowing a home run and a single, but he recovered to get two strikeouts and a fly out. Colin Selby followed Priester with one scoreless inning and Will Kobos with two. Oliver Garcia gave up a run in the ninth, but stranded two runners to end the game.
BRADENTON
(6:30pm)
Starting Pitcher: Luis Ortiz 1.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Notable Performances:
Hudson Head 1-4, 2B, BB
Endy Rodriguez 0-2, BB
Eli Wilson 0-2
Jase Bowen 0-3
Blake Sabol 1-3, 2 BB
Sergio Campana 0-4
Maikol Escotto 0-3
Dariel Lopez 1-4, 2B
Game Recap: Bradenton (23-14) had a rough time in its first encounter with Tampa’s powerhouse, and much older, team. Luis Ortiz got knocked out in the second and the Marauders lost, 10-5. Parker Brahms and Ryan Troutman also had trouble, allowing two and three runs, respectively, although two of Troutman’s were unearned. It could have been worse, as center fielder Sergio Campana and Yoyner Fajardo, normally an infielder but playing left, each threw a runner out at the plate. The difficulties extended to the plate, as Bradenton hitters fanned 19 times. They did get some offense, as Blake Sabol singled in one run, Dariel Lopez and Hudson Head each doubled one in, and Ernny Ordonez had a two-run double.
