For a season preview of the Pittsburgh Pirates two Dominican Summer League teams, check out our article here. For a recap of the DSL All-Star game, check out our article here. Throughout the year, we will provide the recaps of both teams, as well as highlight one player each day. 
PIRATES1
Result: Pirates 5, Rockies 2
Starting Pitcher: Christian Henriquez, LHP (2-1, 1.69) – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Rudy Guzman, RF (.269) – 3-for-4, RBI, BB, SB
Other Notable Performers:
Julio de la Cruz, 3B (.205) – 1-for-3, 2 RBI, HBP
Brayan Almonte, RHP (6.60) – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
Johan De Jesus, SS (.171) – 1-for-4, SB
Dennis Hurtarte, 1B (.188) – 2-for-5
Game Notes: After getting hit hard in his first start of the season, Christian Henriquez has been as good as any pitcher on either Pirates DSL team. He threw five shutout innings on Wednesday, giving him one earned run allowed in his last five starts combined, all of them five inning appearances. The Pirates had ten hits on the day, all singles. They also drew four walks and stole four bases in four attempts. Julio de la Cruz drove in two runs, giving him 32 RBI’s, the second highest total among both Pirates teams. Rudy Guzman had three hits, giving him an eight game hitting streak.
PIRATES2
Result: Pirates 3, Orioles2 2
Starting Pitcher: Dario Agrazal Jr, RHP (2.81) – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Jhoan Herrera, DH (.242) – 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Michael de la Cruz, CF (.326) – DNP
Richard Mitchell, RHP (4-3, 4.35) – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Yoel Gonzalez, C (.174) – 0-for-3, BB
Game Notes: The Pirates beat the Orioles2 on Wednesday by a 3-2 score, with Jhoan Herrera accounting for most of the offense with two RBI’s and two runs scored. The home run was his second of the season and he has 32 RBI’s this year. Starting pitcher Dario Agrazal went five innings, allowing one earned run. He got the no-decision and through 11 career starts, he still hasn’t picked up a loss. Richard Mitchell won his fourth game in relief with 2.1 scoreless innings. Luylli Miranda picked up his fourth save. Yoel Gonzalez had his eight game hitting streak snapped, though he did reach a base with a walk. Michael de la Cruz didn’t play. Since the All-Star break, Carlos Munoz is hitting .143 in 13 games.
Player Of The Day
Last year, the Pirates signed a 19-year-old lefty named Marcus Beltrez. He is an odd DSL player, in that he was actually born in the United States(Manhattan, NY), but wasn’t draft eligible and could be signed as an International free agent. Beltrez had some control issues as a rookie, though he was very hard to hit. In 12 relief appearances, he threw 19 innings. He had a 3.79 ERA, with 11 walks, 14 strikeouts and a .182 BAA. This season Beltrez has improved his command and overall numbers, walking ten batters in 32.2 innings. He has 26 strikeouts, a .190 BAA and a 1.00 GO/AO ratio, a slight improvement in that last area over the 2012 season. He has been very tough against left-handed batters this year, holding them to 2-for-21, with no walks and eight strikeouts. Beltrez has been even better lately than the numbers indicate. He has a 0.00 ERA in his last seven appearances, allowing four hits and three walks in 16 innings. He seems like a strong candidate to make the move to the United States, with a possibility that he returns to the DSL as a starter, so he can pick up more innings.
