All Hands on Deck

By Brian Cartwright Jul 23, 2019, 12:14pm EDT

Guess who’s still hot, in between the raindrops down in Bradenton (and all over the east coast)? Brandon Waddell with a Williams at Altoona and Alex Mojica isn’t the only stud on the DSL Pirates-2.

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Altoona sent LHP Elvis Escobar on a rehabilitation assignment to the GCL Pirates. After one appearance last year as a position player in a blow out game on May 25 in which he failed to retire any of six batters, the Pirates still liked what they saw and on June 30 debuted as a relief pitcher for the West Virginia Power in Low-A, eventually making it back to Altoona by year’s end. Once designated a pitcher, he posted a 2.45 ERA, but along with winter ball saw a heavy workload, especially for someone new to pitching, throwing 44 innings in 41 appearances between June 30 and Jan 26. After two spring training appearances at the end of February Escobar was shut down with a left shoulder strain.

Bristol and the GCL Pirates swapped a pair of right-handed pitchers, with Wilger Camacho, who’d only pitched one game this year, moving down and Saul De la Cruz (0.00 ERA in 10 IP) moving up.

Games

Triple-A

Indianapolis was not scheduled.

Double-A

Altoona (52-45) over visiting Erie (52-44) by a 4-1 score.

Demoted from Indianapolis after posting an 8.70 ERA in 21 relief appearances, 25 year old lefty Brandon Waddell (4-3, 5.16) was given another chance as a starting pitcher at Altoona, where he’s pitched in each of the last four years. Right now he’s not disappointing, throwing six scoreless innings for the third time in his last four starts. On the night he allowed three singles and a double with no walks while striking out six. He threw 65 of 100 pitches for strikes.

The Curve jumped ahead with a three spot in the third on a double by LF Chris Sharpe (266/357/442), a triple by 3B Brett Pope (229/292/274), and singles by 2B Mitchell Tolman (256/339/353), CF Jared Oliva (284/369/431) and 1B Logan Hill (260/346/437).

Tolman, Sharpe and Pope all finished with two hits apiece.

High-A

Bradenton (53-45) prevails 7-3 on Clearwater (51-48) in game shortened to six innings.

The makeup of the July 18 postponement in Bradenton was postponed.

The Marauders fell behind 3-0 in the first when starter Aaron Shortridge (5-4, 3.73) served up a pair of long balls, but he settled down, not allowing any other run in a six inning complete game, and then the bats came to life.

Shortridge finished with five hits and three walks in his six innings, while fanning eight.

C Deon Stafford (233/336/389) had an RBI single the second, DH Lucas Tancas (279/327/412) singled home a pair in the third (with all three that scored having reached by walks) then in the fifth CF Travis Swaggerty (249/336/363) walked, SS Oneil Cruz (331/367/504) doubled him to third, 1B Mason Martin (257/364/552) singled them both in and after an apparently ineffective mound visit RF Cal Mitchell (269/316/456) blasted the second pitch to him for a two-run homer, his 14th of the year and fourth in his last six games.

Low-A

Greensboro was not scheduled.

Short Season A

West Virginia at Auburn was postponed.

Advanced Rookie

Kingsport at Bristol was postponed.

Rookie

GCL Pirates (8-14) blanked 6-0 by Twins (10-12)

2019 1st Round pick Quinn Priester (1.80 ERA in 15 IP) got rocked for the first time in four starts, surrendering four hits and three walks in three and two thirds innings. Three of the runs were unearned. He struck out five.

Meanwhile the Pirates could manage only two hits in seven innings, one by newly signed CF Jasiah Dixon.

GCL Pirates (8-15) fall again, this time 9-4, to Twins (11-12) in a makeup of a July 9 postponement

Estalin Ortiz (9.00 ERA in 8 IP) continued to struggle with control in his third start, walking three along with two hits in just an inning and a third, as he was charged with five runs. He was followed by Bryan Torres (9.24 ERA in 12 ²⁄₃ IP) who didn’t fare much better, giving up four hits, including a three-run homer, in his two and a third innings.

The Pirates had only six hits in game two, with SS Andres Alvarez (215/282/231) going 2-for-3 with three RBI and RF Angel Basabe (213/279/246) was also 2-for-3.

The trio of outfielders drafted out of high school, Sammy Siani, Jase Bowen and Jasiah Dixon, all had the game off.

Dominican Rookie

Pirates-1 (22-21) fail to score, dropping 5-0 decision to Dodgers Shoemaker (21-22)

17 year old starter Listher Sosa (3.71 ERA in 34 IP) pitched well but got no support, as he allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and a walk in five innings, striking out five.

The offense garnered just six singles and no walks.

Pirates-2 (35-8) keep battling back to grab 14-13 victory over Tigers-2 (18-24)

17 year old starter Adrian Mendez (7.31 ERA in 28 ¹⁄₃ IP) was pounded for seven first innings runs on a walk and five hits, including a three-run homer.

But that’s not enough to stop the Pirates-2 squad. Down 8-0, they plated four runs in the fourth, another four in the fifth, and then pulled ahead 11-9 with three in the seventh.

When the Tigers scored twice in the top of the ninth th score was knotted up at 11-11 and the teams headed for extras.

The Tigers scored in the tenth, but in the bottom Bladimir Susana grounded a single to right to drive in the fake runner.

The Tiger scored again in the eleventh when two wild pitches brought in the fake runner from second, but it’s not over ‘til it’s over.

In the bottom of the eleventh, the fake runner went to third on Jauri Custodio’s sacrifice bunt and then continued home to tie the score when the pitcher’s throw to first skipped away. With Custodio then at third representing the winning run, both Alex Mojica (364/479/610) and Carlos Arroyo were intentionally waked to load the bases. The Tigers did get a force at home on Bryan Mateo’s grounder to first base, but then C Jommer Hernandez (322/423/448) singled up the middle to walk it off.

The Pirates collected sixteen hits and ten walks, with RF Randy Romero (405/444/571) going 5-for-5 with two walks. Romero is now second in the league in batting average and has struck out only eight times while drawing eleven walks and stealing 21 bases without being caught.

Hernandez finished with four hits and a walk and Mojica had a double in five at bats and walked twice.