Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Roansy Contreras Struggles, Matt Gorski Hits Another HR & More

It was a tough Sunday afternoon for Roansy Contreras

Jun 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras
Jun 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Roansy Contreras struggled, Cam Junker stepped up for the Curve, and more from Sunday's Pittsburgh Pirates minor league roundup

As their season begins to wind down, the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians are now back to being 10 games under .500. Following an 11-5 loss against the Omaha Storm Chasers on Sunday, the top farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates is now 66-76 on the season.

As we discussed on the site on Sunday, the current starting pitching situation for the Pirates is embarrassing. A lack of starting pitching depth is also spilling down to Triple-A, causing Indy to have to use openers with regularity. Sunday's opener was Dauri Moreta who allowed 2 runs on two hits, four walks, and two strikeouts in 2 innings pitched.

Roansy Contreras followed Moreta and was hit hard. In 4 innings pitched, he allowed 6 runs on nine hits, three home runs allowed, no walks, and three strikeouts. Contreras had mostly pitched well at Triple-A, even though his velocity was still down. Sunday afternoon, that down velocity finally caught up to him once again. A very long, but very important offseason is ahead for Contreras.

John O'Reilly allowed 3 runs, but only 1 earned due to a Domingo Leyba error, in the 7th inning. Osvaldo Bido followed O'Reilly, allowing a hit and striking a batter out while pitching a scoreless 8th inning.

Matt Gorski continues his strong finish to the season by hitting his 3rd home run with Indy, raising his OPS at the Triple-A level to .893. Nick Gonzales was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, and a RBI. Ryan Vilade was 1-for-5 with an RBI, Mason Martin was 1-for-4 with a run scored, and Malcom Nuñez was 0-for-3 with a walk.

10 inning victory for Altoona

Once again, the Double-A Altoona Curve are within a game of .500. Following a 4-3 victory in 10 innings over the Akron RubberDucks on Sunday night the Curve now sit at 67-68 overall on the season.

Justin Meis started for Altoona and pitched 3.1 innings. Meis allowed a run on two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. He threw 38 of 62 pitches for strikes, and exited with two runners on base. Oliver Garcia replaced Meis, working around a walk with the help of a strikeout to finish off the 4th inning.

After getting the first two outs of the 5th inning, Garcia issued a walk and allowed a hit. This led to him being pulled for Tyler Samaniego. Samaniego would strikeout Aaron Bracho to end the 5th inning. Even though he put two runners on base, Samaniego was able to also pitch a scoreless 6th inning.

Tahnaj Thomas pitched a scoreless 7th inning before running into trouble in the 8th inning. Thomas allowed 2 runs on three hits and two walks in 1.2 innings pitched. Cam Junker was then summoned to get the final out of the 8th inning. Junker also pitched the 9th inning, posting a zero to send the game to extra innings.

Tsung-Che Cheng was the runner who started the 10th inning on second base. After moving to third base on a ground out, it looked like he may be stranded there following Jase Bowen striking out for the second out of the inning. However, Cheng was able to use his speed to take advantage of a passed ball to scurry home to give the Curve a 4-3 lead.

Junker returned to the hill in the bottom of the 10th and retired the RuberDucks in order to close out the game. Junker could easily be named the player of the game for the Curve after pitching 2.1 hitless, scoreless innings of relief. Junker now owns a 3.25 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched this season.

Cheng went 0-for-4 at the top of the lineup, but drew a walk and scored two runs. Bowen was 1-for-5 with a double and a RBI. Connor Scott was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, Chavez Young went 1-for-4 with a double and a RBI, and Lolo Sanchez was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Next. late inning arm needed. Another Reliable Late Inning Bullpen Arm is Needed. dark

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