Pittsburgh Pirates Minors: AA and High-A Get Strong Pitching

The Pittsburgh Pirates won their rain-shortened game yesterday.  Their minor league affiliates played some pretty good baseball as well.

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates got another quality start from one of their starting pitchers.  However, it is not just at the Major League level that the team is getting quality starting pitching, but also in the minors.  Last night was no different, as the Pittsburgh Pirates saw more quality starting pitching in the minors.

At the Triple-A level, the Indianapolis Indians took on the Louisville Bats of the Cincinnati Reds organization.  The Indians lost by a score of 3-1 and are now 9-6 on the season.  Starting for the Indians was former Reds farmhand Rookie Davis.  Davis had a strong start going 5.2 innings striking out six and only allowing one run.  Also appearing in the game is former big league reliever Michael Feliz.  Feliz threw two innings, striking out four, and only allowing two base runners and no runs.

The offense was not clicking for the Indians last night, only scoring one run on five hits.  Gregory Polanco, who is nearing his return to the Pittsburgh Pirates, went 1-4 with an RBI double. Top offensive prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes also went 1-4 but struck out three times.  Jake Elmore was the only player with multiple hits going 2-5.

The Altoona Curve played in a double-header against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  James Marvel pitched the Curve to a victory in game one throwing seven shut out innings.  It actually counted as a complete game because minor league doubleheaders are only 7 innings each.  The former Duke pitcher only allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two.  Marvel also had an RBI in the team’s 2-0 victory.  Hunter Owen went 2-2 with a run scored.

In the other game, the Altoona Curve won against the Flying Squirrels again this time by a score of 1-0.  The team got a strong start from righty Pedro Vasquez.  Vasquez threw six strong innings and only allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five.  This game went into the eighth inning (technically one extra inning), so relievers Beau Sulser and Matt Eckelman threw one scoreless inning each.  Jared Oliva went 2-4 with an RBI.

The Bradenton Marauders took on the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Miami Marlins organization.  The Marauders won by a score of 3-2 over the Hammerheads.  Aaron Shortridge, the Pittsburgh Pirates fourth round pick in the 2018 Draft, got the start.  He went six innings and only gave up two runs giving, him an ERA of 1.17 for the season.  He struck out six while only walking one batter.

On the offense of side, the team had two players collect multi-hit games.  Outfielder Chris Sharpe, a 2017 Draft Pick, went 2-3.  He took a walk and scored one run as well.  One of the top prospects at High-A, outfielder Calvin Mitchell, also had two hits in four at-bats.  Shortstop Adrian Valerio had the only extra base hits going 1-3 with a double.

The biggest concern from all the games is outfielder Travis Swaggerty.  Swaggerty went 0-3 and is now batting just .193.  Right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates are seeing plenty of good pitching and a lot of their top prospects are hitting, which is good news.