A strong start by Carmen Mlodzinski at Double-A, Oneil Cruz has another big game at Triple-A and more in today’s Pittsburgh Pirates minor league roundup
Stop me if you have heard this before, Oneil Cruz had a big game for Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. The top prospects in a deep and talented Pittsburgh Pirates farm system bat leadoff for the Indians, going 2-for-5 with his 3rd triple of the season. Cruz also scored 3 runs and drove in 3 in a 12-7 victory for Indy. With the win, Indianapolis is now 30-27 on the season.
While it is great to see Cruz doing well it is also frustrating. Offensively, Pirate shortstops have been among the worst in baseball this season. Pirate shortstops have hit for a .212/.264/.284 slash line this season. It’s time. It’s beyond time. Get Cruz to the majors. At this point it’s nothing short of embarrassing that he is still at Triple-A.
In addition to Cruz, it was also a big offensive night for outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba has been red hot of late, that continued on Saturday as he went 3-for-5 with a his 15th double, 3rd triple, 2 RBI, and a run scored. Designated hitter Bligh Madris was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, 2 runs scored and a RBI. Ji-Hwan Bae was 2-for-5 with a RBI and Mason Martin went 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI.
Heath Hembree and Nick Mears each pitched in a rehab outing with Indy on Saturday. Hembree struggled, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk in his inning of work. As for Mears, he pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts. Cam Alldred walked a batter and struck a batter out while allowing an unearned run in 2 innings pitched. Fellow lefty Blake Weiman as an opener for Indy, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in 2 innings pitched.