All Hands on Deck: Travis Swaggerty goes deep twice for Bradenton

Many strong starting performances as a pair of pitching prospects hit the disabled list along with a slew of promotions.

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Altoona Curve placed RHP Cody Bolton (6-6, 3.28 ERA in 101 ²⁄₃ IP) on the 7-day injured list. One of the system’s top starting pitching prospects, the 6th Round pick in 2017 out of Tracy, California started the year with a 1.61 ERA in twelve starts with Bradenton but struggled with Altoona, posting a 5.85 ERA in nine starts with six homers allowed. In his most recent starts three days ago Bolton allowed five runs on five hits in just one innings.

Greensboro Grasshoppers placed RHP Colin Selby (6-3, 2.97 ERA in 88 IP) on the 7-day injured list retroactive to August 16, 2019. The 16th Round pick in 2018 from Randolph-Macon had allowed only one run in seventeen innings, and a streak of seven starts out of eight with five or more innings with two or fewer runs before getting knocked around for seven hits and four runs in four innings in his last start on Aug. 12.

21 year old reliever Nick Mears (3.46 ERA, 62 K’s in 41 ²⁄₃ IP) was promoted to Altoona Bradenton. The six-foot, four-inch right-hander signed as an undrafted free agent late in the 2018 season. He spent the spring of 2017 at Sacramento City College then played that summer in the Northwoods League, but did not return to school in 2018. After another successful summer in the Northwoods, where he struck out 47 in 28 ²⁄₃ innings in two years, Mears signed and appeared in three games for Morgantown, striking out eight in four innings. This year he started at Greensboro, and after seven games in which he fanned 19 in 11 ²⁄₃ innings, was promoted to Bradenton where he walked 9 and struck out 43 in 30 innings.

RHP Oliver Garcia (1.80 ERA, 27 K’s in 20 IP) was promoted to Greensboro from West Virginia. In his fourth season with the Pirates, the 21 year old Dominican pitched well in two seasons in the DSL before struggling with a 7.28 ERA at Bristol in 2018. This year he’s made nine appearances with Bristol and five with West Virginia.

3B Jesse Medrano (190/252/279) assigned to Altoona Curve from Bradenton Marauders. The 31st Round pick in 2017 from Fresno State has never hit, with a 209/270/301 career line in three minor league seasons.

Bradenton Marauders activated RHP Ryan Valdes (5.79 ERA in 28 IP) from the 7-day injured list. The 33rd Round pick in 2017 out of South Florida has a 4.34 career ERA in 93 ¹⁄₃ innings.

Bradenton Marauders activated 2B Raul Siri (234/326/377) from the 7-day injured list. He’d been out since July 13. The 24 year old has a .745 lifetime OPS and have never exceeded the 66 games he played as a 19 year old in the DSL in 2014.

Bradenton Marauders activated 2B Chase Lambert (244/371/350) from the 7-day injured list. He’d been out since June 30 with a right big toe sprain. Lambert was a 31st Round pick in 2018 from Pepperdine and hit well at Bristol in 2018 and Greensboro this year before struggling in 32 games at Bradenton.

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Games

Triple-A

Indianapolis (60-64) falls 3-2 to visiting Lehigh Valley (60-63)

Lehigh Valley’s 2B Phil Gosselin (342/436/548) drove in all three runs with a two-run single in the second and a bases loaded walk in the ninth.

Indians’ starter Yefrey Ramirez (4.26 ERA, 74 K’s in 57 IP) had a fine game, fanning nine batters over six innings while allowing two runs on just two hits and three walks, including Gosselin’s two-run single in the second.

Indianapolis could never get their bats going either against Ramon Rosso (3.90 ERA in 115 ¹⁄₃ IP) who struck out eight without a walk and allowed just two hits in six innings, the only run off of him coming in the fourth when rehabbing C Francisco Cervelli was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and eventually came around on Jake Elmore’s ground ball.

Indians’ reliever Sean Keselica (3.69 ERA in 61 IP) gave up another run in the ninth when he loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before issuing the free pass to Gosselin.

Cervelli then homered in the bottom of the ninth, but leaving the team a run short. This was his fourth rehab game, playing every other day, and he’s gone 5-for-14 with two doubles and a home run.

LF Trayvon Robinson (318/400/495) had a pair of singles.

Double-A

Altoona (61-63) blanks visiting Bowie (68-56) by 5-0 score

23 year old right-hander Pedro Vasquez (8-4, 3.09 ERA in 116 ¹⁄₃ IP) fired eight shutout innings as he allowed just three hits and a walk, striking out four.

The Curve scored three in the bottom of the third on a trio of extra-base hits. 2B Brett Pope (246/318/319) walked with one out and was followed by a triple from LF Chris Sharpe (257/337/441) and doubles by CF Jared Oliva (285/358/422) and DH Logan Hill (251/328/432)

Hill added a two-run homer in the eighth, his tenth of the year, giving him three hits and three RBI in the game. Oliva went 2-for-4.

High-A

Bradenton (67-57) holds on for 3-2 win at Lakeland (56-65)

CF Travis Swaggerty (267/345/386) extended his hitting streak to eight games as he slugged a pair of solo homers. Since June 29 he’s hit 345/398/494 in 45 games.

Nick Economos (9-8, 3.07 ERA in 123 IP) pitched well in his return to Bradenton, allowing just one run in six innings, allowing five hits and two walks while fanning three. Promoted to Altoona on July 23, he struggled to a 8.83 ERA in four appearances with the Curve.

SS Rodolfo Castro (235/291/463) was 2-for-4.

Low-A

Greensboro (73-50) victorious 7-0 over visiting Lakeland (66-57)

22 year old right-hander Winston Nicacio (1.79 ERA in 45 ¹⁄₃ IP) lowered his ERA to 0.43 with Greensboro as he allowed only three singles in six scoreless innings, striking out three. Nicaco has allowed only one run in his last six games, allowing ten hits without a walk in 24 innings while striking out 24.

RF Jonah Davis (245/330/484) continued his hot hitting with three hits, including a solo homer, his 16th. He’s hit 327/393/655 with fourteen home runs in 42 games since June 30.

2B Ji-hwan Bae (307/392/389)had a single and double in four trips.

Short Season A

West Virginia (33-27) loses 4-0 to visiting Williamsport (25-36)

Braxton Ashcraft (5.77 ERA in 53 IP) allowed two runs, one earned, in five innings on five hits and a walk, striking out three, but it wasn’t enough as the Black Bears managed just four hits.

SS Ethan Paul (224/336/318) was 2-for-4 and has gone 11-for-30 in his last eight games.

Advanced Rookie

Bristol (28-28) rolls 7-2 at Princeton (26-30)

20 year old right-hander Jose Maldonado (4.54 ERA in 39 ²⁄₃ IP) tossed five scoreless innings, fanning three while giving up three hits and two walks. This follows four hitless shutout innings in his last appearance, and he’s only surrendered one run in his last fourteen innings.

SS Francisco Acuna (329/377/483) drove in three on four hits, while RF Yoyner Fajardo (359/409/389) was 3-for-5 and DH Jesus Valdez (312/400/453) 2-for-5. Valdez has hit 418/466/642 in 16 games since July 31.

Rookie

Orioles at GCL Pirates suspended in the bottom of the first inning.

Dominican Rookie

Pirates-1 (30-36) win 5-3 at Cubs-1 (31-35)

18 year old right-hander Raydel Velette (3.24 ERA in 33 ¹⁄₃ IP) threw five shutout innings, allowing five hits and just one walk as he fanned three. Velette has seen just two runs score in his last 18 ²⁄₃ innings over his last five games.

RF Luis Tello (277/354/325) and 3B Eliazer Montero (271/356/400) each had a pair of hits.

Pirates-2 (51-15) drop 5-3 score to visiting Giants (29-37)

The Giants scored three in the top of the eighth to break a 1-1 tie and added another in the ninth. The Pirates rallied with two outs in the bottom of the nine for for a pair, but came up short when Randy Romero (377/421/500) flew out with two more on base to end the threat.

Felipe Mezquita (3.86 ERA in 44 ¹⁄₃ IP) worked the first three innings, giving up just one run on three hits and a walk. Francisco Hodge (1.64 ERA in 49 ¹⁄₃ IP) followed with four scoreless innings of relief, striking out four without a walk.

Romero and 1B Dariel Lopez (350/412/497) had two hits apiece.

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Disabled List

Triple-A Indianapolis

2019-08-15 2B Kevin Kramer, left knee contusion

2019-08-04 LHP Blake Weiman, left shoulder tendonitis.

2019-04-28 RHP J.T. Brubaker, right forearm strain

2019-04-04 RHP Tom Koehler (rehabbing with West Virginia)

Double-A Altoona

2019-08-17 RHP Cody Bolton

2019-08-01 RHP Austin Coley, sprained left ankle

2019-07-29 OF Bralin Jackson

2019-06-12 LHP Elvis Escobar, left shoulder strain (rehabbing with West Virginia)

2019-04-26 2B Stephen Alemais, right shoulder strain

2019-04-04 RHP Gage Hinsz, right forearm strain

High-A Bradenton

2019-07-23 RHP Nick Mears

2019-07-07 LHP Braeden Ogle

2019-07-06 RHP Logan Stoelke

2019-05-17 LHP Oddy Nunez, back strain

2019-05-04 RHP Drew Fischer, right elbow strain

Low-A Greensboro

/2019-08-16 RHP Colin Selby

2019-07-04 SS Mariano Dotel

2019-06-28 LHP Zach Spears (60 day)

2019-04-04 RHP Travis McGregor (60 day), recovering from Sept 2018 Tommy John surgery

2019-04-04 RF Conner Uselton

2019-04-04 RHP Wander Romero

Advanced Rookie

2019-06-17 LHP Roger Santana

Rookie

2019-06-24 RHP Andres Arrieta (60 day)

Dominican Rookie

2019-08-13 RHP Oscar Echerry (60 day)

2019-07-25 LF Stilwatt Valerio (60 day)