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Cannonballs coming: Steven Jennings throws six scoreless innings

By WTM

MINOR TRANSACTIONS

A pair of suspensions at Altoona and injuries at Charleston, along with the approaching playoffs at the upper levels were some of the causes of a flurry of late season promotions.

  • 2018-08-25 Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP A.J. Schugel outright to Indianapolis Indians.
  • 2018-08-25 West Virginia Power placed 3B Dylan Busby on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to August 23, 2018. He’d come back on Aug 15 and played only 4 games since being hit on the head with a pitch on May 19. His recovery included 8 games of rehab from July 5 to July 17 in the GCL and 4 games from Aug 10 to Aug 14 at Bristol. I don’t know yet if this injury is related.
  • 2018-08-26 West Virginia Power placed RHP Max Kranick on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to August 23, 2018.
  • 2018-08-25 RHP Luis Escobar roster status changed by Altoona Curve.
  • 2018-08-25 RHP Yeudy Garcia roster status changed by Altoona Curve.
  • 2018-08-26 LHP Denny Roman roster status changed by Bristol Pirates. He was suspended after only 3 games with Bristol, moving up earlier in August from the Dominican Summer League, which the 19 year old first year player had dominated with a 2.28 ERA and 3 walks with 44 K’s in 23 2⁄3 innings.
  • 2018-08-26 LHP Elvis Escobar assigned to Altoona Curve from West Virginia Power. Escobar, who’ll turn 24 in 9 days, was converted to a pitcher on June 30 after six plus season in the outfield where his best output was a .680 OPS at Bradenton. The 5-8, 181 lb lefty was then sent down to Charleston where in 15 games he posted a 2.42 ERA, holding batters to a 187/295/286 line, with 11 walks and 28 K’s in 26 innings.
  • 2018-08-26 LHP Blake Weiman assigned to Altoona Curve from Bradenton Marauders. A 6-4, 208 lb lefty reliever drafted as a junior in the 8th round in 2017 out of the University of Kansas, the 22 year old started the year at Charleston, posting a 1.61 ERA while walking 2 and K’ing 35 in 28 innings. Assigned to Bradenton on May 30, his ERA rose to 4.18, but again had strong peripherals with 6 walks and 37 K’s in 32 innings. Switched to relief in his junior year in 2017, since then he’s issued only 17 free passes compared to 162 strikeouts in 138 2⁄3 innings.
  • 2018-08-27 RHP Nicholas Economos assigned to West Virginia Power from West Virginia Black Bears. The 23 year old, 6-6, 215 lb righty was drafted in the 21st round in 2015 out of community college and struggled his first 3 years, with ERA’s of 3.98, 5.65 and 5.61, but this year for Charleston dropped in to 2.52 with 18 walks and 58 K’s in 53 2⁄3 innings over 5 starts and 10 relief appearances.
  • 2018-08-27 LHP Cam Alldred assigned to West Virginia Power from West Virginia Black Bears. A 22 year old lefty drafted in the 24th round in 2018 as a junior from the University of Cincinnati, he had a 3.95 ERA in 14 starts in college this spring, but was switched to the bullpen and had a string 1.63 ERA with 9 walks and 30 K’s in 27 2⁄3 innings for Morgantown.
  • 2018-08-25 RHP Ryan Valdes assigned to West Virginia Power from West Virginia Black Bears. A 24 year old righty reliever (5-11, 160), he was selected in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft as a senior from the University of South Florida. He spent last year with the GCL and Bristol, and this year in Morgantown posted a 4.75 ERA in 30 innings, along with 18 walks and 29 K’s.
  • 2018-08-27 RHP Brad Case assigned to West Virginia Black Bears from Bristol Pirates. A 21 year old righty (6-6, 220), he was drafted in the 17th round in 2018 from Rollins University as a junior. In 40 innings in the GCL and 9 2⁄3 at Bristol, covering 8 starts and 2 relief appearances, he combined for a 3.44 ERA with 8 walks and 38 K’s in 49 2⁄3 innings

GAMES

— The Pirates can’t be feeling too optimistic about getting bullpen help from Indianapolis (70-63) in the wake of the Indians’ 14-2 debacle against Louisville. Starter Brandon Waddell failed to get through the third inning, walking four, allowing two runs and needing 78 pitches to get through two and two-thirds. He was followed by five relievers, none of whom managed a scoreless outing. Jesus Liranzo got torched for five runs in an inning and a third. Dovydas Neverauskas gave up four more in two innings. Nick Burdi, Michael Feliz and Buddy Boshers each gave up a run and two hits in one inning. Kevin Kramer and Eric Wood each went 2-4, Wood with a triple. Max Moroff was 0-3, Jose Osuna 0-4 and Jordan Luplow 1-4. Jason Martin came in the game late and had a hit his only time up.

— Trenton cooled off Altoona (73-57) for a day, with the Curve losing, 5-1. Logan Sendelbach gave up three runs over three and a third innings. Blake Weiman, just promoted to help replace the two suspended Altoona pitchers, debuted in AA with two and two-thirds scoreless innings. He gave up a hit and struck out one. The Curve had only five hits, but Bryan Reynolds stayed hot. He went 2-4 with a double. Will Craig was 1-4 with a double, Cole Tucker 0-3 with a walk and Ke’Bryan Hayes 0-2 with a walk.

— A ninth-inning rally fell short as Bradenton (55-69) lost to Fort Myers, 3-2. Domingo Robles had a good start, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out three. Jared Oliva went 1-4 and Adrian Valerio 1-4 with a double.

— West Virginia (67-59) scored five times in the second inning and coasted to a 7-2 win over Hagerstown. Ike Schlabach gave up two runs on five hits and three walks, with five strikeouts, over six innings. Ryan Valdes threw three scoreless innings to get a save. Robbie Glendinning went 3-4 and Cal Mitchell 2-4 with a double and three RBIs. Travis Swaggerty continued to struggle, going 0-4 with three strikeouts. He’s batting .119 since being promoted.

— A bases loaded, two-out walk to Edison Lantigua in the 12th inning gave Morgantown (28-41) its second straight walkoff win over Auburn, 2-1. Osvaldo Bido started and threw six and a third shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks. He struck out four. Conner Loeprich threw two scoreless innings, giving up no hits and two walks, and striking out four. (The box score may be corrected later, but as of now it incorrectly shows Loeprich throwing the last four innings. Argenis Romano actually pitched the 11th and 12th.) He now has a 2.10 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 25.2 IP. Neither team managed to score until the 11th, when both scored once. The Black Bears loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 12th, but the next two hitters failed to get the run in. Lantigua then fell behind 0-2 before working the walk.

— Steven Jennings (pictured) threw six innings of Bristol’s (30-36) 3-0 shutout over Danville. Jennings gave up three hits and a walk, and struck out four. John O’Reilly finished things by retiring nine straight. Dean Locker and Mikell Granberry were each 2-3 with a walk, and Patrick Dorrian 2-4. Jonah Davis was 1-3. Mason Martin drew a walk and fanned three times.

Disabled List

Triple-A Indianapolis

  • 2018-06-27 3B Jung Ho Kang, left wrist sprain (underwent possible season ending surgery)
  • 2018-07-14 RHP Bo Schultz, right forearm strain
  • 2018-08-23 RHP Casey Sadler, right forearm strain
  • 2018-08-23 RHP Montana DuRapau, left ankle sprain
  • OF Daniel Nava

Double-A Altoona

  • 2018-08-04 RHP Austin Coley, right shoulder strain
  • 2018-08-05 RF Braelin Jackson (left quadriceps strain)

Single-A West Virginia

  • 2018-04-16 RHP Dylan Prohoroff
  • 2018-05-03 LHP Braeden Ogle, sore shoulder
  • 2018-07-19 LF Chris Sharpe
  • 2018-07-20 RHP Cody Bolton
  • 2018-08-14 SS Oneil Cruz
  • 2018-08-20 RHP Travis McGregor
  • 2018-08-23 RHP Max Kranick
  • 2018-08-23 3B Dylan Busby
  • RHP Will Reed
  • LHP Angel Martinez

Rookie Bristol

  • 2018-08-02 RHP Leandro Pina (60 day)

Rookie GCL

  • 2018-06-18 RHP Luis Gonzalez (60 day)
  • CF Emison Soto (60 day)

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