Cannonballs coming: Nick Kingham throws nine-inning complete game

The DSL Pirates were off. I’ll have something later on Bradenton and the GCL Pirates.

— I’m too lazy to try to research this, but I’m pretty sure the Pirates haven’t had a nine-inning complete game in the minors in years. Or if they did, it was a minor league veteran and not a prospect. So it’s no minor thing that Nick Kingham threw one in Indianapolis’ (64-53) 3-1 win over Syracuse. It took him just 85 pitches and all he allowed was an infield hit in the fourth (and Elias Diaz threw that runner out stealing) and a solo HR in the seventh. No walks, eight strikeouts, a bunch of 1-2-3 innings and just 28 batters. Since getting ripped for eight earned runs on July 19, Kingham has given up two runs in 30.2 IP over four starts. He even drove in a run with a squeeze bunt. Indy got some production from the top three hitters in the lineup, with Kevin Newman going 2-4, Max Moroff 2-3 with a walk, and Jordan Luplow 2-4 with a triple.

Diaz: 0-4
Chris Bostick: 0-3, BB

— Altoona (60-55) beat Reading, 9-4. Brandon Waddell gave up a run over five innings on five hits and three walks. He struck out three. Jordan George just continues to hit. He went 3-4 with a double and is now hitting .366 in 41 ABs since his promotion. Pablo Reyes and Elvis Escobar each had two hits.

Cole Tucker: 1-5, 3 K
Jerrick Suiter: 1-5
Jin-De Jhang: 0-2, 2 BB

— West Virginia’s (55-58) eight-game winning streak came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Hagerstown. Luis Escobar pitched well enough, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings. He fanned eight. The two runs came in an inning that featured two bunt hits. Clark Eagan and Yoel Gonzalez each had two hits.

Adrian Valerio: 1-4
Blake Cederlind: IP, R, 2 BB

— Morgantown (30-20) beat Brooklyn, 8-3. Austin Meadows continued his rehab, playing on consecutive days for the first time. He went 1-5. Bligh Madris was 3-4 and Deon Stafford 2-4 with a double. Madris is hitting .301. Scooter Hightower allowed just one run over seven innings. He gave up five hits, walked nobody and struck out three.

— Bristol (10-38) lost to Johnson City, 4-2. You can’t blame Edison Lantigua. He went 4-5 with a double, while the rest of the team went 4-31 with no extra base hits. The Pirates fanned a dozen times and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Starter Domingo Robles gave up three runs, only one earned, in five innings. He allowed seven hits, walked none and fanned six.

Yondry Contreras: 1-4, BB, 3 K
Jason Delay: 1-5