Luis Ortiz, Kyle Nicolas and Po-Yu Chen all had good starts, breaking a trend with some of the team’s pitching prospects. And Enmanuel Terrero continued to terrorize Florida State League pitching.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
Prospect Watch: Henry Davis and Malcom Nunez Homer; Osvaldo Bido Pitches Well in Relief
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS @ MEMPHIS
Indianapolis Starter: Luis Ortiz
— Line: 5 IP, 4 H, BB, K
Memphis Starter: Matthew Liberatore
Box Score: LINK
Top Performers:
- Endy Rodriguez 2-5
- Miguel Andujar 2-4, 2B
- Cal Mitchell 1-4, 2B
- Aaron Shackelford 3-4, 2B
- Eli Villalobos 0.1 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 BB
- Cody Bolton 1.2 IP, H, 2 K
Game Recap:
Indianapolis (7-8) blew a 4-0 lead, ultimately losing to Memphis on two ninth-inning runs, 5-4.
Luis Ortiz got off to a shaky start, throwing an alarming 19 pitches to the first two hitters. He worked through it, though, and in the end outpitched Cards’ prospect Matthew Liberatore. Ortiz only fanned one, but threw five shutout innings. He needed 25 pitches for the first, then only 49 for the next four.
Recent waiver claim Eli Villalobos had a less-than-ideal debut for the Pirates. He came on in the seventh with a 4-0 lead and gave up three while recording just one out. A lot of it was Nick Gonzales’ fault; playing third, he committed two errors. But Villalobos also walked three and threw only 13 of 30 pitches for strikes.
Cody Bolton entered with the bases loaded and one out, and let only one score, then threw a scoreless eighth. But the 4-3 lead didn’t hold up as Yerry De Los Santos gave up back-to-back home runs with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
On offense, Indy got the four runs off Liberatore. Endy Rodriguez had two hits, Miguel Andujar had an RBI double, and Cal Mitchell had a two-run double. Mitchell, though, struck out his other three times up. He’s now fanned 18 times in 45 ABs.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA VS BOWIE
Altoona Starter: Kyle Nicolas
— Line: 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Bowie Starter: Chayce McDermott
Box Score: LINK
Top Performers:
- Domingo Leyba 2-4
- Henry Davis 1-2, 2 BB, 2 SB
- Matt Gorski 1-3, HR (2), BB, 4 RBI
- Nick Dombkowski 2 IP, 2 K
Game Recap:
Altoona (4-6) got a welcome performance from Kyle Nicolas and scored all of its runs in the fifth inning in a 6-1 win over Bowie.
Nicolas’ last start was a rough one, but this time he went six, allowing just one run on a solo home run in his last inning. He threw 87 pitches, giving up just two other hits and, notably, only two walks. He fanned three.
Nick Dombkowski followed for two innings and retired six straight. Braeden Ogle set down the side in order in the ninth.
Altoona’s rally in the third consisted of an RBI single by Domingo Leyba, a bad-hop RBI single by Henry Davis, and a grand slam by Matt Gorski. That was Gorski’s second home run on the year.
The Curve had only five hits, two by Leyba. Davis walked twice and stole two bases.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO VS GREENVILLE
Greensboro Starter: Po-Yu Chen
— Line: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Box Score: LINK
Top Performers:
- Mike Jarvis 1-5, HR (2)
- Jase Bowen 1-4, HR (3), BB
- Will Matthiessen 1-4, HR (1)
- Maikol Escotto 2-4, HR (1)
Game Recap:
Greensboro (7-4) lost to Greenville, 7-6, in ten innings.
The Hoppers got a good start from Po-Yu Chen, who gave up just one run on three hits over five innings, with five strikeouts. The bullpen wasn’t as good. Dante Mendoza and Santiago Florez blew a pair of leads, leaving Greensboro down, 5-4, after seven.
Jaycob Deese held the line for two innings, giving Maikol Escotto a chance to tie the game with an RBI single, coming with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Two more singles followed, but Escotto was thron out trying to score.
Eddy Yean came on for the tenth and gave up a couple of hits, letting the free runner and one other score. The Hoppers had a shot in the bottom half as Tsung-Che Cheng beat out a bunt to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Two ground outs and a popup only got the free runner in, though.
Prior to the ninth, the Greensboro offense was all solo home runs, which is standard Greensboro home field stuff. Jase Bowen, Will Matthiessen, Mike Jarvis and Escotto all connected. The bombs were Bowen’s third, Jarvis’ second, and Matthiessen’s and Escotto’s first. Escotto was the only Hopper with two hits and the team fanned 13 times.
LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON VS DAYTONA
Bradenton Starter: Dominic Perachi
— Line: 3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 3 K
Box Score: LINK
Top Performers:
- Jesus Castillo 1-4, BB
- Enmanuel Terrero 4-5, 3B
- Deivis Nadal 2-3, 2B, BB, SB
- Owen Kellington 2.2 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K
- Juian Bosnic 1.1 IP, BB, 4 K
Game Recap:
Enmanuel Terrero stayed blistering hot as Bradenton (6-4) beat Daytona, 7-5.
Terrero had three singles and a triple in five times up. Since starting the season 0-for-17, Terrero has gone 12-for-18 with a double, two triples and a home run. In four games, he’s gone from .000 to .343, with a 1.013 OPS.
Bradenton also got a single and a double from Deivis Nadal, and a two-run double from Tres Gonzalez. Jesus Castillo was held to 1-for-4 with a walk, dropping him under .400 to .394. Javier Rivas’ woes continued. He had a single, but fanned his other three times up.
Dominic Perachi started and got through two scoreless innings before getting banged around in the third. He gave up four runs, three earned.
The bullpen was more effective. Carlos Lomeli retired six straight. Owen Kellington gave up a run over two and two-thirds before Julian Bosnic came on to get the last four outs, all on strikes.
Having followed the Pirates fanatically since 1965, Wilbur Miller is one of the fast-dwindling number of fans who’ve actually seen good Pirate teams. He’s even seen Hall-of-Fame Pirates who didn’t get traded mid-career, if you can imagine such a thing. His first in-person game was a 5-4, 11-inning win at Forbes Field over Milwaukee (no, not that one). He’s been writing about the Pirates at various locations online for over 20 years. It has its frustrations, but it’s certainly more cathartic than writing legal stuff. Wilbur is retired and now lives in Bradenton with his wife and three temperamental cats.
I wonder what the Pirates saw when they insisted on Eddie Yean in the Josh Bell deal.
Exactly what they see in every teenager with a big arm and nothin but hope.
I guess then, all they could get for Bell was a lotto ticket and a middle reliever? I thought they could get more, but perhaps
I overvalued Bell. My bad. 😎😎😎
Now I didn’t quite go that far…just my take on what they preferred. 😉
Oh, I agree. When you look at Eddie at the time he WAS a lotto ticket. I just thought they knew something that made him MORE than a lotto tix.
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?date=4/18/2023&gamePk=723323&chartType=pitch&legendType=pitchName&playerType=batter&inning=&count=&pitchHand=&batSide=&descFilter=&ptFilter=&resultFilter=&hf=&sportId=11
Ortiz ramping it back up to 99, great to see it’s still in there. A bit odd at this point that they don’t seem to be asking him to adjust usage.
Also don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but Gonzales whiffing on 54% of his swings, even 44% of fastballs…I just don’t know how that possibly plays against big league arms.
He also whiffed on 54% of ground balls yesterday.
Wilbur. 😉
Slowly my dreams of him being a Freddy Sanchez type player are turning into dust in the wind. If that even makes sense. I am going to put my all of my Gonzales hopes into Termarr.
Randomly when I looked up the correct spelling of his name on google it said people also searched for….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpsie_Green
Scouts wanted him to be Freddy but he was always more Dan Uggla.
I never was an Uggla fan. Or Marcus Giles. Or any of those other stocky 2b’s during that era. A “roided up” Brett Boone won me some money in fantasy baseball back in the day.
Indy beat up Simeon Woods-Richardson and Matt Liberatore over like a one-week span.
Glad to see Nick G back in action, despite the 2 E’s
adding Temarr and our #1 pick (regardless of it’s Crews/Skenes) to Bradneton is gonna be fun.
WTM – think De Los Santos dons a Marauder jersey this year?
Kinda doubt it.
Likely a rookie league spot this year and then full season ball in 24? Or another DSL year?
Unless it’s a visa issue, I’ll be stunned if he goes back to the DSL.
Glad to see Kellington pitching. I am eager to see how he progresses through the ranks. Also, build up that Green Mountain State Bucco fan base. Who needs to Sox.
Next Starter to be called up Rankings (4/19):
1 – Bido
2 – Ortiz
3- Nicolas
4 – Priester
(The way our starters are throwing, they have all likely bought themselves leashes through at least Memorial Day absent injury)
As long as our starters are pitching well, I do not know that they will call anyone up with the exception of Priester. Once it gets past Super two, Priester will dictate when he comes up. If he is pitching well they will call him up to take a look. I could see Bido called up, and tried in the Bullpen, but not the rotation. If our starters are still pitching into the 5th and 6th most starts they will not make a change unless they trade someone. This assumes they do not need a starter for any other reason. If someone got hurt, and they needed someone they might call either Ortiz or Bido. I do not see them moving a starter to the pen, as long as they continue pitching well.
Right now, I probably see them bringing up Ortiz, before anyone else, if he continues to pitch well. I am not totally sold on Bido. RH Flyball pitchers like him often do not do well in PNC. He has ptiched well in his 2 starts, but has gone 3 and 4 innings in those starts. His last appearance was a piggyback start, and he did go 5 innings, but also walked 4. I could still see the Bucs calling him up at some point and trying in the Pen though.
Send out de jong, put VV in the long pen role, and cycle these guys through could maybe give a nice little boost to the staff