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: Mitch Keller 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO
Notable Performances:
Anthony Alford 1-for-3, 2 BB
Cole Tucker 1-for-2, 3 BB
Game Recap: Mitch Keller had a shaky outing on Sunday, partially due to a fielding miscue that led to three unearned runs. He lasted just three innings, throwing 72 pitches (45 strikes). He gave up four hits and three walks while striking out six batters. Keller came into the day with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings. That went up to 2.35, to go along with 30 strikeouts in 23 innings. Matt Eckelman followed with four strikeouts over two no-hit/scoreless innings. Braeden Ogle had a walk and three strikeouts in the sixth. Tanner Anderson handled the next two innings without issue and Shea Spitzbarth closed out the 12-5 win with a scoreless ninth.
The whole lineup contributed a run and/or an RBI today. The big hit of the game was a grand slam by Bligh Madris, his third home run of the season. Chris Sharpe hit his 19th double and drove in three runs. Dee Strange-Gordon had two hits and scored three runs. Cole Tucker had a single, three walks and a run scored. Anthony Alford had a single, two walks and a run scored. Hunter Owen had two hits, a walk and two runs scored. Christian Bethancourt had two hits, two RBIs, a walk and a run scored. Joe Hudson added two RBIs. Indianapolis finished week 11 of the schedule with a 32-32 record.
ALTOONA
Starting Pitcher: Cam Vieaux 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO
Notable Performances:
Ji-Hwan Bae 1-for-4, 2B, SB
Rodolfo Castro 3-for-4, RBI
Mason Martin 1-for-4, 2B
Canaan Smith-Njigba 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SB
Cal Mitchell 1-for-4, RBI
Game Recap: Cam Vieaux has been a swing-man this season, bouncing between roles while moving between Altoona and Indianapolis. His role on Sunday was the Curve starter and he put together an outstanding outing, giving up one run on four hits in six innings, with no walks and nine strikeouts. He had a 4.50 ERA in three starts and 12 relief appearances for Altoona prior to this game. Shea Murray followed with 1.1 scoreless frames, giving up two hits, with no walks or strikeouts. Cam Alldred finished off the eighth by stranding an inherited runner. Cristofer Melendez retired the side in order in the ninth for the 5-1 victory. Altoona now has a 35-28 record.
The Curve had plenty of chances to score, but they managed to collect just one run after the first inning. Rodolfo Castro returned to Altoona with an RBI single in his first at-bat. Canaan Smith-Njigba scored the second run with his tenth double of the season. A Cal Mitchell ground out gave them their third run. Jonah Davis capped the first inning scoring with an RBI single. In the eighth inning, Davis hit his eighth homer of the season. Mason Martin hit his 17th double. Ji-Hwan Bae hit his sixth double, stole his 11th base and scored a run. Smith-Njigba stole his 12th base. Castro finished with three hits, as did Jonah Davis.
GREENSBORO
Starting Pitcher: Tahnaj Thomas 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Notable Performances:
Matt Fraizer 2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, SB
Nick Gonzales 4-for-5, 3B
Liover Peguero 1-for-5
Jared Triolo 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SB
Lolo Sanchez 2-for-3, HR, RBI, BB, SB
Game Recap: Tahnaj Thomas allowed six hits in four innings on Sunday, but he managed to limit the damage to one run. This was his first appearance since his start on June 24th. There was no injury though, just a scheduled break in the season, during which time he worked on some mechanical issues. Thomas now has a 4.60 ERA in 29.1 innings, with 34 strikeouts. This was his first start without a walk this year. Garrett Leonard took over in the fifth and he gave up three runs on two hits and two walks, while recording just two outs. He threw 37 pitches before he was removed in favor of Alex Manasa, who allowed an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch, before picking up the final out of the inning. He ended up throwing 3.1 scoreless innings, retiring all ten batters he faced. Bear Bellomy allowed a run in the ninth, but struck out three batters and picked up the save.
Greensboro got a big day from Nick Gonzales who has been in a terrible slump since late June. He went 4-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. He has a .248 average now and a .779 OPS. Matt Fraizer had two doubles to give him 13 on the season and he stole his tenth base. He also picked up an outfield assist. Lolo Sanchez hit his ninth home run and stole his 20th base. Jared Triolo had a double, two RBIs and his 16th stolen base. Greensboro finished week 11 with a 40-26 record.
BRADENTON
Starting Pitcher: Jared Jones 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO
Notable Performances:
Hudson Head 1-for-4
Jack Herman 0-for-4
Endy Rodriguez 1-for-3, BB
Dariel Lopez 0-for-4
Daniel Rivero 1-for-4
Game Recap: Jared Jones got the Sunday start and gave up four runs on seven hits over four innings. He walked one batters and picked up seven strikeouts. In 30 innings this year, he has a 4.50 ERA and 50 strikeouts. Sergio Umana followed with one run over two frames. Ryan Troutman took the seventh and ran into trouble, giving up three runs on a hit and two walks, while recording just one out. He was pulled with the bases loaded and all three runners scored off of Enmanuel Mejia. Bradenton lost 8-4 to Daytona, dropping them to 41-24 on the season.
The Marauders got their first run in the third inning on a throwing error. In the fifth they added a run on Ernny Ordonez’s third home run of the season. In the seventh they added their third run on a wild pitch, and then Ordonez capped the scoring with an RBI single. His homer was the only extra-base hit for the Marauders.
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FCL PIRATES GOLD
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DSL PIRATES BLACK
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DSL PIRATES GOLD
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