Pittsburgh Pirates: Yoshi Tsutsugo Homers Again on Rehab Stint & More

Rehab starts continue at Triple-A, shutout losses for Double-A and High-A, and more in Saturday’s Pittsburgh Pirates minor league roundup

It was an up and down night for the top farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Triple-A Indianapolis Indians trailed 3-0 after the 1st inning, scored 8 runs in the top of the 2nd inning, and then found themselves in an 8-8 game after 5 innings of play.

With the game still tied at 8 going to the bottom of the 8th inning, the Nashville Sound scored twice to make the score 10-8. This would go on to be the final score, dropping the Indians to 37-38 on the season.

Miguel Yajure started for the Indians and struggled. Yajure allowed 7 runs on 8 hits, a home urn, 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in 3 innings pitched. Eric Stout pitched 2 innings, allowing run on 2 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. After Eric Handhold pitched a scoreless inning, John O’Reilly allowed 2 runs on a home run and a walk in 2 innings pitched.

Offensively, the Indians were led by Pittsburgh Pirates players who were continuing their rehab stints. Kevin Newman bat leadoff while serving as the team’s designate hitter, going 3-for-5 with a double, a RBI and a run scored.

Yoshi Tsutsugo was 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a walk. Tsutsugo now has 2 home runs, 8 walks and an OPS of 1.343 during his rehab stint. All signs point toward Tsutsugo being ready to rejoin the Pirates.

Ben Gamel started in left field going 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored. Jake Marisnick hit clean up. Marisnick started in right field and was 1-for-5 with a run scored. Newman, Tsutsugo, and Gamel should all rejoin the Pittsburgh Pirates by Tuesday.

Ji-Hwan Bae had a rare offensive performance going 0-for-4. Travis Swaggerty was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI as he continues to push for another opportunity in the majors. Rodolfo Castro was 2-for-4 with his 8th home run at Triple-A and 2 RBI.