Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Three Altoona Curve Home Runs & More

Home runs carry Double-A Altoona to first victory of 2023

Double-A Altoona picked up win number one of the season with a 9-1 blowout victory over the Erie Seawolves, improving to 1-3. The Curve offense was led by a power surge that saw them hit three home runs while also collecting a pair of doubles.

Second baseman Domingo Leyba got the power surge started for the Curve with a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning. This was part of a 2-for-4 night for Leyba. Right fielder Matt Fraizer was 3-for-4 with a solo home run, his 1st of the season, to go with a double, an RBI, and three runs scored. The third home run of the night was a 3-run blast by Jacob Gonzalez, his 1st of the season as well as at the Double-A level.

Outside of the three home runs, Matt Gorski doubled in his lone at-bat before exited the game and being replaced by Gonzalez at first base. Liover Peguero was 0-for-4, Henry Davis was 0-for-3 with a pair of walks and a run scored, and left fielder Connor Scott was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Aaron Shortridge started for the Curve and turned in a very strong start. In 5 innings pitched, the lone run the righty allowed came on a solo home run. He only allowed two other hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out six.

Cam Junker pitched the 6th inning, walking a batter and striking out the other three he faced. Oliver Garcia struck a batter out in a hitless, scoreless 7th inning. Braden Ogle allowed a hit, walked a batter, and struck a batter out in a scoreless 8th. Veteran Juan Minaya walked a hit a batter in the 9th, but struck out the other three batters he faced to finish off the Altoona victory.

High-A Greensboro survives bizarre 9th inning in 13-9 victory

Had it not been for the 12 inning drunken wild affair that took place in Indianapolis, High-A Greensboro would have had the craziest game of the night in the Pirate farm system. When the dust settled from a bizarre 9th inning, the Greensboro Grasshoppers found themselves with a 13-9 victory over the Jersey Shore BlueClaws to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Greensboro jumped out to a big lead early. The Grasshoppers led 9-0 entering the bottom of the 5th inning on their way to scoring 13 runs. Shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng continues to be the catalyst at the top of the Grasshopper lineup. Cheng was 3-for-6 with his 2nd triple of the season, two RBI, and two runs scored.

Catcher Abrahan Gutierrez was 2-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI, two doubles, and two walks. Mike Jarvis was 1-for-2 with a double, two walks, and three runs scored. Right fielder Jase Bowen was 2-for-4 with a run scored, a walk, a double, and four RBI. Left fielder Sammy Siani also had a pair of hits, to go with two walks, two runs scored, and two RBI.

Valentin Linarez made his first start of the season for the Grasshoppers, allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out two in 4 scoreless innings pitched. Mitchell Miller did not allow a hit in his inning of work, but walked a pair, hit a batter, and threw a wild pitch on his way to allowing 3 runs in the 5th inning. Miller's 5th inning is where things started to get weird for both sides.

Santiago Florez allowed a hit while striking out three batters in the 6th inning, however, he allowed an unearned run due to a fielding error by first baseman Will Matthiessen. After Grant Ford pitched 2 scoreless innings, the Grasshoppers appeared to be in position to cruise through an easy 9th inning on their way to victory. However, as is always the case with any team affilaite with the Pirates, nothing can ever be easy.

Drew Irvine started the bottom of the 9th for the Grasshoppers and walked the first three batters of the inning. Irvine was then pulled for Oliver Mateo. While Mateo struck out the first batter he faced, there was a Gutierrez passed ball, three straight walks issued by Mateo, and a single.

With the Greensboro lead cut from 13-4 to 13-8, Cy Nielson replaced Mateo. Nielson started his outing by issuing a bases loaded walk to make the scpre 13-9. Nielson was able to recover for back-to-back strikeouts to end the night with a Grasshopper victory.

Poor 5th inning sinks Low-A Bradenton

Entering the bottom of the 5th inning the Low-A Bradenton Marauders held a 4-2 lead against the Lakeland Flying Tigers. However, the Marauders allowed a 5 spot in the bottom of the 5th inning. This led to a 7-4 victory for the Flying Tigers, dropping the Marauders to 1-3 on the season.

Dominic Perachi started for the Marauders and pitched well. In 3.1 innings pitched he allowed 2 runs on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Righty Joshua Loeschorn replaced Perachi and got the final two outs of the 4th inning, but then he ran into trouble in the 5th.

Loeschorn allowed all 5 runs in the 5th inning and recorded just one out in the inning before being pulled. Darvin Garcia got the final two outs of the 5th inning and pitched a scoreless 6th, as he walked a pair and struck a batter out in 1.2 scoreless innings pitched. Ryan Harbin and Mike Walsh would each pitch a hitless, scoreless inning of relief that included a strikeout.

Second basman Jesus Castillo was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored at the top of the Bradenton lineup. Catcher Wyatt Hendrie was 1-for-3, third baseman Jack Brannigan was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and first baseman Alexander Mojica was 1-for-4.