Pitching was not a strong suit for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, as they lost in Seattle on Independence Day to the Mariners 6-0.
Pirates pitching allowed four total home runs to Seattle. Starter Bailey Falter allowed three; he was taken deep by Cal Raleigh, MLB’s home run leader, who increased his total to 35, and also allowed one to Randy Arozarena. Reliever Braxton Ashcraft surrendered one to Dylan Moore, marking the final run of the game.
However, it was a phenomenal day to be a pitcher literally anywhere in the farm system of the Pirates. Rarely do you see such organizational dominance like the team did on July 4th, and a performance like that from Low-A to Triple-A deserves a report.
Triple-A Indianapolis
In Triple-A, as the Indianapolis Indians had plenty of Independence Day events planned out, they put their headliner arm out there to cap off the festivities.
Bubba Chandler, the fifth rated prospect in the minor leagues by MLB Pipeline, took to the mound for Indianapolis as they took on the Louisville Bats (the affiliate of Cincinnati).
Chandler was looking to get back on track after an incredibly rough June. In five starts last month, Chandler amassed a 8.53 ERA through 12.2 innings. He only made it past the third inning twice, and struggled immensely with his command. He walked 12 batters to only 11 strikeouts, with opponents slashing .309/.433/.418 against him during that time.
But in the July 4th threads, Chandler locked it down. He pitched six shutout innings against Louisville, his highest total since a May 24th start and second highest total of the season.
Chandler held the Bats to five hits (including four singles) and two walks whole striking out six.
For Chandler, it was a desperately needed bounce-back game. As the season drags along, Pirates fans are getting antsy to see him in the major leagues. But for as long as he was on a skid like that, one that has dragged his name down the prospect rankings, a call-up wasn’t in the cards.
It was incredibly encouraging to see him shove like he did on Friday.
And fans didn’t have to wait until the end of the game to see some fireworks ay Victory Field. Chandler got some incredible run support from Indianapolis, with the Indians scoring runs in the first three frames and jumping out to an 8-0 lead at the end of three innings.
All but one of Indianapolis’ batters notched a hit. Billy Cook, Matt Frazier, and Tsung-Che Cheng all recorded multi-hit games.
The Indians’ bullpen also pitched well. The only run allowed by Indianapolis came at the hands of Colin Holderman, who has recently joined the Indians on a rehab assignment. Perhaps that’s a conversation for later.
The win, in front of nearly 14,000 fans puts Indianapolis at 49-35 on the year and 7-3 in the second half.
Double-A Altoona
Further east, in Pennsylvania’s capital in Harrisburg, the Altoona Curve took on the Senators (the affiliate of Washington).
Right-hander Antwone Kelly was on the bump for Altoona, making his second start with the Curve after a midseason promotion from High-A Greensboro. One-upping up his Double-A debut was no easy task; in his first start with the Curve, Kelly pitched five innings of one-run ball, earning the win.
But Kelly found a way to improve even upon that. He tossed 5.2 innings for Altoona, one out shy of his season high, set back in Greensboro. He held Harrisburg to two singles that never threatened to score. He struck out six and only walked one, but a plunked batter in the sixth inning triggered an exit from the game.
Altoona, much like Indianapolis, gave Kelly plenty of run support, establishing a 5-0 lead for him before he left the game. The Curve would win 5-1.
Second baseman Termarr Johnson and catcher Omar Alfonzo had multi-hit games, with the latter hitting a solo home run in the second. Shortstop Kervin Pichardo also had a home run, scoring two in the fourth.
Kelly is now 2-0 in Altoona with an 0.84 ERA and three total hits against him. With the High-A Grasshoppers, Kelly had a 3.03 ERA in 14 starts (59.1 innings), 0.978 WHIP, and .192 opposing batting average.
The win was Altoona’s sixth straight and fourth to open their seven-game series against Harrisburg. This recent run now has the Curve back at .500, at an even 39-39.
High-A Greensboro
There was some fantastic ball played down at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. Unfortunately for the fans of the IronBirds (the affiliate of Baltimore), that ball was being played by the visitors.
Greensboro sent righty Khristian Curtis out to pitch, making his 16th start of the season. Curtis had, by far, his best start of the season, tossing six scoreless frames and racking up ten strikeouts against Aberdeen. Curtis’ previous season highs were five innings and eight punchouts.
It was only his second start of the season where Curtis didn’t allow a run. Even if Aberdeen is 29-49 on the season, seeing him put up numbers like that is very encouraging.
Curtis has a 4.70 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 75.1 innings this season with Greensboro.
Curtis was throwing a perfect game through six, but at 85 pitches, Grasshoppers manager Blake Butler took him out. But the perfect game was preserved. Grasshoppers reliever Jake Shirk earned the hold and Michael Walsh got the save for the win, combining for a perfect game.
On offense, the Grasshoppers totaled only five hits, but it was enough for a 2-0 win. Newly acquired Titus Dumitru had a multi-hit game and an RBI from the outfield, and designated hitter Will Taylor also brought in a run.
Greensboro is now 55-23, the best record of any team within the Pirates’ organization. The Grasshoppers currently lead the North Division in the South Atlantic League, having a 10-3 record during the second half of the season.
Low-A Bradenton
Down south in Fort Myers, left-hander Victor Cabreja was up for the Bradenton Marauders as they took on the Mighty Mussels (the affiliate of Minnesota).
Cabreja is having a quietly good season in Low-A, pitching to a 7-1 record and 2.70 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and .218 opposing batting average.
Cabreja had an unconventional quality start, pitching six innings against Fort Myers and holding them to two hits and one run against, which went unearned thanks to a fielding error that allowed a runner to reach first base safely. He finished the day with one walk and surprisingly, no strikeouts.
The two hits against Cabreja were a single and a double, the latter coming in the sixth inning and bringing a runner home, ending Bradenton’s shutout bid. It also ended up being his last batter, as the runner was eventually thrown out at third base trying to extend the play.
Bradenton, meanwhile, absolutely obliterated Fort Myers, racking up a season-high 14 runs and 16 hits. Five Marauders had multi-hit games, seven had at least one RBI, and the team had more than double the amount of walks (nine) than strikeouts (four).
Shortstop Yordany De Los Santos led the way with four hits, including a double, a pair of RBI, and snagging his 27th stolen base of the season.
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