Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Bubba Chandler Shelled Again, Big Game for Ji Man Choi, More

3-run 5th inning sinks Double-A Altoona

Early on it appeared a pitching duel was developing between the Altoona Curve and Harrisburg Senators. However, a poor 5th inning proved to be the beginning of Altoona's undoing in a 5-1 loss. A loss that dropped the Curve to 34-37 on the season.

Nick Dombkowski started for Altoona. The lefty pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, he did not walk a batter, threw 41 of 60 pitches for a strike, and struck out three. Fellow lefty Omar Cruz took over for Dombkowski in the 5th inning but only recorded one out. Cruz was charged for 3 runs on three hits and two walks.

In 1.2 innings pitched Brad Case allowed a run on three hits and a strikeout. Braeden Ogle walked a batter and struck a batter out in a scoreless 7th inning. Grant Ford allowed a run on two hits and a wild pitch in the 8th.

Liover Peguero stayed hot at the top of the Curve lineup going 1-for-3 with a walk. Peguero continues to push for a promotion back to the majors. Mason Martin was 2-for-4 with a solo home run, his 12th of the season. Matt Fraizer was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and Jacob Gonzalez was 1-for-4. The rest of the Altoona lineup went 0-for-13 with a walk.

Bubba Chandler's struggles continue in Greensboro loss

Friday night's game was one taht the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers would like to forget. Greensboro recorded just one hit and saw their pitching struggling in a 5-2 loss against the Hickory Crawdads, falling to 37-34 on the season.

Highly touted righty Bubba Chandler started for Greensboro. When the season started Chandler looked liek a potential top 100 prospect in the making. Well, thus far, the 2023 season has been a disaster for Chandler.

Chandler's struggles continued on Friday night. He allowed 4 runs in the 1st inning of Greensboro's loss. While Chandler did not allow another run, he lasted just 3 innings allowing the 4 runs on nine hits, two home runs, no walks, and five strikeouts. In 57 innings pitched across 15 starts this season Chandler now owns a 6.63 ERA.

Mitchell Miller pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief of Chandler. Miller allowed two hits and struck a batter out. Jake Stevenson allowed a run in the 7th inning, but struck out the side. Eddy Yean struck a batter out in a 1-2-3 8th inning.

The top six batters in Greensboro's lineup were a combined 0-for-21 with a walk, not good!

Shawn Ross started at shortstop and provided the lone offense of the night. Ross went 1-for-2 with a walk. His hit was a 2-run home run, his 5th of the season. This was the lone hit of the night for the Grasshoppers.

Bradenton gets blasted

The Low-A Bradenton Marauders were pasted by the Clearwater Threshers 14-1 on Friday night. With the loss, the Marauders are now 38-33 on the season. The Marauders allowed 4 runs in 3rd inning, 7 runs in the 5th inning, and 3 more in the 9th.

Luis Peralta started for Bradenton and lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing 4 runs on three hits, five walks, a home run, and four strikeouts. Owen Sharts allowed 5 runs in 2 innings pitched and Geronimo Franzua allowed 2 runs while recording just one out.

Righty Sergio Umana was the lone bright spot for the Bradenton pitching staff. Umana allowed a hit, walked a pair, and struck a batter out in 3 scoreless innings pitched, lowering his ERA on the season to 1.35. Yoldin De La Paz followed Umana, and allowed 3 runs on a walk and four hits in the 9th inning.

As for the Marauder lineup, they were held to just four hits while drawing three walks. Enmanuel Terrero was 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored, Termarr Johnson was 1-for-4 with a RBI, Josiah Sightler was 1-for-4, and Francisco Acuna was 1-for-3.

FCL Pirates secure blowout victory

Friday afternoon the FCL Pirates improved to 14-5 on the season with a 10-3 blowout victory over the FCL Orioles. Over-slot 2022 draft pick Michael Kennedy started for the Pirates and continued his strong start to the season. The lefty allowed a hit, walked four, and struck out six in 4 scoreless innings pitched. Kennedy now owns a 0.61 ERA, 11 walks, and 23 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched in the FCL this season.

Andy Maldonado followed Kennedy. While Maldonado allowed a hit and walked a pair, he was able to pitch a scoreless 5th inning. Roelmy Garcia pitched 1.1 innings, allowing 3 runs on four hits, a walk, two home runs, and two strikeouts. Joaquin Tejada walked a pair and struck out a pair in 2.2 hitless, scoreless innings pitched to record his 2nd save of the season.

Second baseman Jeral Toledo hit lead off for the Pirates, going 2-for-5 with his 1st home run of the season and three RBI. Eddy Rodriguez was 3-for-5 with a double and a RBI, Sergio Campana was 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored, third baseman Kelvin Diaz also had a multi-hit, multi-RBI game.