Sean Sullivan, Po-Yu Chen and Alessandro Ercolani had good starts, but some rough relief performances hampered the affiliates today.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
Prospect Watch: Jared Jones Returns; Bradenton Puts Up 16 Runs
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS @ ST. PAUL
Final Score: St. Paul 8, Indianapolis (16-19) 7
Indianapolis Starter: Cam Alldred
Pitching Line: 3 IP, H, 2 R, ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Ryan Vilade 2-5
- Cal Mitchell 2-4, 2B, HR (4)
- Mark Mathias 2-4
- Grant Koch 2-4, HR (2)
- Chavez Young 1-3, HR (2), BB
Game Recap:
Indianapolis blew an early four-run lead, then had a rally fall short in the ninth in an 8-7 loss to St. Paul.
Cam Alldred started and lasted three innings. He gave up two runs, one earned. Indy took the lead, though, with a run in the second and four in the third. Cal Mitchell provided most of the offense early, with a double and a three-run home run, his fourth longball on the year. Another run scored on Grant Koch’s second homer of the year.
Alldred left with the score 4-2, but J.C. Flowers had a rough fifth inning. He fanned the first two hitters, but then walked four straight. A single made the score 5-4, and Flowers got out of the inning when a runner was thrown out at home.
The score was still 5-4 in the seventh, but Carmen Mlodzinski got pummeled for four runs. One was unearned due to Vinny Capra’s second error; the first led to the unearned run off Alldred. That made it 8-5, Akron.
Indy made a run at it in the ninth. Chavez Young hit his second of the year with a man on to make it 8-7. The Indians loaded the bases with two outs, but Malcom Nunez grounded out to end it. Nunez is now stumbling along with a .531 OPS. Mitchell, Ryan Vilade, Mark Mathias and Koch each had two hits. Jared Triolo
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA VS AKRON
Final Score: Akron 4, Altoona (13-15) 2
Altoona Starter: Sean Sullivan
Pitching Line: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Liover Peguero 1-4, HR (2)
- Connor Scott 2-4
Game Recap:
Altoona continued struggling to get offense from anybody not named Davis or Leyba, and lost to Akron, 4-2.
Sean Sullivan continued doing what he’s done all year for the Curve: not dominating, but not giving up many runs, either. He allowed two, on seven hits and no walks, over six innings.
The game was tied going into the ninth. Altoona got one run on a double by Andres Alvarez and a single by Connor Scott. Liover Peguero provided the other with his second home run of the year. But that was all Altoona could get. Henry Davis played right in this one, and went 0-for-4 at the plate. Scott was the only Altoona player with two hits, as the Curve managed only five.
After Sullivan, Cam Junker threw two scoreless innings. Tyler Samaniego got hit around in the top of the ninth, though, giving up two runs on four hits. And that was the end of the scoring.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO VS JERSEY SHORE
Final Score: Greensboro (19-11) 4, Jersey Shore 3
Greensboro Starter: Po-Yu Chen
Pitching Line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Tres Gonzalez 1-3, BB, SB
- Maikol Escotto 2-4, 2B
- Dante Mendoza 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K
Game Recap:
Greensboro got a good start from Po-Yu Chen and hung on to beat Jersey Shore, 4-3.
Chen, who’s been struggling most of the season, went six, giving up two runs on five hits and no walks. Dante Mendoza followed with two scoreless innings, fanning four. Jack Carey gave up a run in the ninth, but hung on for the save.
The Hoppers didn’t get much offense, including just five singles and a double. Maikol Escotto was the only player with two hits, and his double was the only one for extra bases. Sammy Siani and Tsung-Che Cheng each drew two walks. Tres Gonzalez had a single, steal and sacrifice fly.
LOW-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON VS LAKELAND
Final Score: Bradenton (18-12) 6, Lakeland 4
Bradenton Starter: Alessandro Ercolani
Pitching Line: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
Box Score
Top Performers:
- Termarr Johnson 1-3, BB
- Enmanuel Terrero 1-4, 3B
- Alexander Mojica 2-4, 2B
- Deivis Nadal 1-4, HR (3)
- Yunior Thibo 2 IP, 3 K
Game Recap:
Bradenton rallied with four in the sixth and went on to beat Lakeland, 6-4.
Alessandro Ercolani overcame a rough first inning and lasted five. Seeing as how he started the game with the bases loaded and nobody out, it was a good final line. He almost got out of it with only one run allowed, but with two out, Lakeland pulled a delayed double steal. That’s a strategem that the Pirates’ entire organization seems unfamiliar with.
After the first, Ercolani allowed only one more baserunner. That was a single in the fifth, and it was wiped out by a double play.
Bradenton had help tying the game in the fifth. They were getting no-hit until Alexander Mojica doubled. He came around on a pair of wild pitches. The tying run came home when the left fielder for Lakeland misjudged a fly ball and then fell down trying to recover, leading to a two-out, RBI double.
Lakeland got the two runs back in the sixth against Josh Loeschorn, but the Marauders came back with four. Enmanuel Terrero tripled in one run and scored on a single by Mojica, then Dievis Nadal put Bradenton up with a two-run shot, his third home run of the year.
Yunior Thibo retired the last six batters in a row, half on strikes, to get the saves. Catcher Omar Alfonzo made his full-season debut and had a double (on the ball the left fielder misjudged).
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.
Sean sullivan to indy and for pete’s sake get harrington out of bradenton already
Harrington looked better today than when I’ve seen him before. Pounded the strike zone. Just one three-ball count. Too bad his start got cut short.
I guess the plan is to play Endy and Nick Gonzales once or twice a week..? Why are they both being held out of the lineup so regularly, load management? Makes the Indy box scores extremely boring to follow, especially for a team that was supposed to be star-studded and exciting going into this season. Endy/NickG/Smith-Njigba frequently injured/sitting out, Burrows out for 1.5 years, Oviedo and Ortiz both needed on the ML club, Priester having a disappointing year, Mitchell and Nunez doing their best to reach full-blown post-prospect/bust status, Travis Swaggerty… swallowed into the Bermuda Triangle?
…now do Altoona. Yikes.
who tf is Vinny Capra?
And I guess the idea now is that saying it out loud will only make it worse but Liover Peguero has the yips, right?
Pretty sure thats true sadly
Perfect example yesterday of why and how the Pirates can have both Endy and Davis on the same roster in Indy (and eventually Pittsburgh). Endy didn’t play and a Davis played RF… Seems like they are getting about 3 games a week behind the dish, sometimes 4. Split the catching duties 3 each in a week with a DH and/or position play here and there.