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.
Quinn Priester originally was listed as the Greensboro starter, but Domingo Gonzalez, newly promoted from Bradenton, is starting instead.
One personnel note: The Pirates have released catcher Deon Stafford. He was drafted in the 5th round in 2017 as an offense-oriented catcher. The bat hasn’t been bad, but it didn’t develop enough to offset weak defense. He opened the season at Altoona then got hurt and went to the FCL for injury rehab. For whatever reason, he never got sent back to Altoona. With Carter Bins headed there, this was probably inevitable.
A second personnel note: Dustin Fowler is starting a rehab assignment with the FCL Pirates Black.
INDIANAPOLIS
(8:05pm)
Starting Pitcher: Steven Brault 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Notable Performances:
Tucupita Marcano 0-4
Hoy Park 0-4
Anthony Alford 0-4
Cole Tucker 0-3, BB
Game Recap:
Indianapolis (34-39) lost to St. Paul in ten innings, 3-2. The Indians have now lost five straight. Steven Brault had a good rehab start, giving up a run on four hits over four innings while throwing 56 pitches. The one run came on a solo home run by former Pirate Keon Broxton. Blake Weiman gave up one run over the next three innings. Indy tied the game in the eighth on a two-run home run by T.J. Rivera, his fifth of the year. After the Indians failed to get the free runner home in the top of the tenth, Shea Spitzbarth walked in the winning run in the bottom half with two out. Indy had just four hits, two of them by Taylor Davis. It wasn’t a good day for players who could be potential call-ups. Tucupita Marcano, Hoy Park and Anthony Alford all went 0-for-4, with Alford striking out four times. Cole Tucker was 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts.
ALTOONA
(6:30pm)
Starting Pitcher: Omar Cruz 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Notable Performances:
Ji-Hwan Bae 2-4, HR (3), BB
Jack Suwinski 0-3, BB
Mason Martin 1-3, BB
Cal Mitchell 0-4
Game Recap:
Altoona (41-31) took a 6-0 lead but needed an eighth inning, go-ahead home run from Connor Kaiser to beat Harrisburg, 7-6. Omar Cruz zipped through the first five innings, retiring all 15 batters on just 47 pitches, as the Curve took a 6-0 lead. In the sixth, though, everything came apart. The first six batters singled. For some reason, Cruz was left in. He gave up a two-run double, then left with the score 6-5. Steven Jennings managed to strand runners at second and third. Altoona had built its lead partly on the longball, with Ji-Hwan Bae and Daniel Amaral each connecting for two run shots. Bae’s, an opposite-field bomb, was his third for Altoona, all in the last eight days. Prior to that, his only career home run came during an FCL rehab on July 2. Amaral’s homer was his fifth. The other runs came on an RBI single in the first by newcomer Diego Castillo and an error in the fourth. Harrisburg eventually tied the game, 6-6, with a run in the top of the eighth off Shea Murray. Kaiser connected for his second of the year in the bottom half and Cristofer Melendez retired the side in the ninth for his fifth save.
GREENSBORO
(6:30pm)
Starting Pitcher: Domingo Gonzalez 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
Notable Performances:
Matt Fraizer 2-4, BB
Nick Gonzales 2-4, BB
Jared Triolo 2-5
Blake Sabol 2-3, HR (6), 2 BB
Liover Peguero 1-5, HR (7)
Game Recap:
Greensboro (46-29) won in a wild finish, 9-8, over Winston-Salem. Domingo Gonzalez got his first start in high A and fanned nine over five and two-thirds innings. He got hurt by the gopher ball, though, giving up three solo homers. Alex Manasa followed and gave up four runs, leaving the Grasshoppers down, 7-2, going into the bottom of the eighth. The only two runs up to that point came on Liover Peguero’s seventh home run of the year and Andres Alvarez’ first. In the bottom of the eighth, though, Greensboro scored five to tie the game. Blake Sabol led off the inning with his sixth longball for the Hoppers and Will Matthiessen hit his fourth at the level with two aboard to make it 7-6. Later still in the inning Jared Triolo singled in the tying run. In the top of the ninth, Will Kobos gave up a solo home run to put Winston-Salem ahead again. In the bottom half, though, Matt Gorski led off with a double and Chase Murray followed with a walkoff home run, his third homer of the year. Matt Fraizer, Nick Gonzales, Triolo, Sabol and Murray each had two hits.
BRADENTON
(6:05pm)
Starting Pitcher: Eddy Yean 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Notable Performances:
Maikol Escotto 0-4
Hudson Head 1-3, 2B, BB
Endy Rodriguez 0-4
Jase Bowen 1-3, HR (9)
Game Recap:
Bradenton (44-30) lost for the ninth time in 12 games, dropping a 3-1 game to Dunedin. Eddy Yean pitched well except for an odd sequence in the fourth. He had one on and two out, and got a fly out, but was called for a balk on the pitch. The batter than went deep for the only runs off Yean over five innings. He allowed only two hits. Oliver Mateo fanned the side in the ninth, but also gave up two hits and a run. The offense managed only four hits. Jase Bowen’s ninth home run of the year provided the only run. He’s now batting 087/158/188 in July. Hudson Head had a double and a walk.
FCL PIRATES BLACK
(Noon)
Starting Pitcher: Carlos Jimenez 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Notable Performances:
Rayber Romero 2-4, 3B, SB
Juan Jerez 1-4, 3B
Dustin Fowler 1-4, 3B
Game Recap:
The Black team (10-8) beat the Twins, 9-6. Carlos Jimenez had a strong start, allowing just a run and two hits over five innings, while fanning six. Jimenez has pitched well in his four starts, but had one bad relief appearances that’s inflated his numbers. Wilkin Ramos gave up five runs, four of them unearned, in three and a third innings. Rayber Romero had a single, a triple and a steal, and drove in three runs. Darwin Baez played only half the game, but drove in three runs with a single and a sacrifice fly. Dustin Fowler, starting a rehab assignment, and Juan Jerez each had a triple.
FCL PIRATES GOLD
(Noon)
Starting Pitcher: Brandan Bidois 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Notable Performances:
Tsung-Che Cheng 2-4, HR (2)
Sergio Campana 1-4
Rodolfo Nolasco 1-4
Geovanny Planchart 1-2, 2 BB
Game Recap:
The Gold team (13-6) lost to the Red Sox, 5-3. Brandan Bidois started, his first appearance in three weeks. He went just an inning and allowed one run. Arlinthon De Dios gave up three runs, two earned, over four innings. Adrian Mendez gave up a run in three innings. Tsung-Che Cheng had a two-run home run, his second longball of the year. He had two hits. Catcher Geovanny Planchart had a single and two walks.
DSL PIRATES BLACK
(10:30am)
Starting Pitcher: Sebastian Rodriguez 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Notable Performances:
Shalin Polanco 1-4
Jesus Castillo 1-3, BB
Joaquin Tejada 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Game Recap:
The Black team (6-7) beat the Cubs Blue (haha), 3-0. Sebastian Rodriguez threw hitless ball over four innings. He’s allowed just four hits and no earned runs in three starts, covering ten innings. Newly acquired Joaquin Tejada got the win by throwing the other three innings. He gave up just two hits and a walk. The Pirates got all their runs in the top of the seventh. Ruben Vizcaya drove in the first two runs with a pinch-hit single. The last one scored on a single by Shalin Polanco, his third hit in 35 ABs, and an error.
DSL PIRATES GOLD
(10:30am)
Starting Pitcher: Andres Silvera 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Notable Performances:
Jeral Toledo 0-3
Esmerlyn Valdez 1-3
Game Recap:
The Gold team (4-9) lost to the Mariners, 4-0. The offense produced just three singles and a walk. Starter Andres Silvera pitched well after a rough start his last time out, giving up just a run in four innings and walking nobody. Esmerlyn Valdez and Miguel Sosa each had a hit. Delfin Ramirez had a hit and stole a base.
