It was a relatively quiet day for Pittsburgh Pirates players in the Arizona Fall League. Scottsdale didn’t have a single Pirate in their lineup and after Thomas Harlan pitched yesterday, that meant there was still another day before Tyler Glasnow and Joely Rodriguez(Friday) would get their starts. Earlier in the day, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo posted a video about the Pirates in the AFL, focusing their attention on the play of Josh Bell at first base and the exploits of Glasnow on the mound. That video is below.
Scottsdale lost 7-5 to Mesa on Wednesday, dropping them to 9-11 on the season. They have 12 games left and trail first place Salt River by 5.5 games. Salt River finished in a tie today for the third time this season.
Angel Sanchez came on to pitch in the sixth inning with one out, a man on third and Scottsdale trailing 4-0. Sanchez hit the first batter he faced, then gave up a single that allowed the inherited runner to score. The next batter reached on an error that scored another run, which was followed by a ground out to shortstop that scored Mesa’s seventh run. After a walk, Sanchez got a fly ball to center field that ended the inning. That was the end of the day for Sanchez, who allowed a walk, a single and hit a batter. Both runs that scored against him were unearned. He threw 17 pitches in the inning, 11 for strikes.
Adrian Sampson came in for the eighth inning and got a ground out to second base from the lead-off hitter. The next batter singled, then made it to third base on an error. Sampson walked the next hitter, then with runners on the corners, he ended the inning with a double play. Despite the walk, Sampson threw just four of his ten pitches for balls in the inning. That was his only inning of work.