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AFL Recap: Brandon Waddell Throws Two Innings in Season Opener

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The Arizona Fall League opened on Tuesday afternoon. It was a slow day for Pirates-related news, as all three position players were on the bench. For future reference, the only time we won’t post an AFL Recap article is when no Pirates play, which could happen 1-2 times this season. This article was saved by Brandon Waddell coming out of the bullpen in the fourth inning. Glendale lost the opener 3-0 to Peoria.

Waddell make quick work of the first two batters he faced. The lead-off hitter flew out on the first pitch to former Pirate prospect Tito Polo in center field. The next batter grounded out to third base on the second pitch he saw. Waddell then worked to a 2-2 count on the third hitter before picking up his first strikeout.

In the fifth inning, Waddell allowed a lead-off single. That was followed one pitch later by an RBI double, which made it a 3-0 game. One more pitch later and Waddell had his first out on a grounder to shortstop. He then picked up his second strikeout for the second out of the inning. Waddell went 0-2 on the next hitter before ending the inning with a grounder to third base.

That ended his day with one run on two hits over two innings. He threw 18 of his 22 pitches for strikes.

** Mitch Keller gets the start in an afternoon game tomorrow, which will be the home opener for Glendale, as they face this same Peoria team.

** If you missed it from Monday morning, here’s the AFL season preview.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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