Pirates Prospect Watch: Marauders Combine for One-Hitter

Pirates’ minor league affiliates picked up two wins on Thursday, including a virtuoso pitching performance from the Bradenton Marauders.

Triple-A Indianapolis took down the Buffalo Bisons 6-4, with the bullpen contributing five shutout innings to carry the club to victory.

The Altoona Curve lost both games of their doubleheader with the Harrisburg Senators. They nearly came back in game one, with Tsung-Che Cheng slugging a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh to close the deficit to one; the second game didn’t come anywhere near so close, with Altoona’s bats falling silent in a 7-2 thrashing. The Greensboro Grasshoppers fell 7-3, managing just two extra base hits… both off the bat of catcher Shawn Ross.

The Bradenton Marauders rounded out the slate, pitching a one-hitter and cruising to an 8-0 victory over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

Here’s a look at the top performing Pirates prospects on Thursday night.

Triple-A Indianapolis (15-12)

LF Billy McKinney

• Game: 2-for-4 with a double and a homer.
• Season: .266/.388/.438 with 5 doubles and 2 homers in 20 games.

DH Canaan Smith-Njigba

• Game: 2-for-4 with a double.
• Season: .281/.397/.386 with 4 doubles and a triple in 18 games.

Double-A Altoona (5-19)

INF Tsung-Che Cheng

• Game: 2-for-7 with a homer.
• Season: .179/.337/.313 with 3 homers in 19 games.

OF Joe Perez

• Game: 3-for-7 with a double and a homer.
• Season: .215/.303/.292 with 2 doubles and a homer in 20 games between Triple-A Indianapolis and Altoona.

High-A Greensboro (14-9)

C Shawn Ross

• Game: 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and a walk.
• Season: .167/.375/.500 with 2 doubles and 4 homers in 14 games.

RF Rodolfo Nolasco

• Game: 2-for-4 with 2 singles.
• Season: .182/.263/.303 with 2 doubles and 2 homers in 18 games.

Single-A Bradenton (6-18)

RHP Antwone Kelly

• Game: 5 IP, 0 ER, 0 hits allowed, 5 K’s.
• Season: 19 IP, 6.63 ERA, 16 K’s in 5 games (4 starts).

LHP Connor Oliver

• Game: 4 IP, 0 ER, 6 K’s.
• Season: 11 IP, 4.91 ERA, 11 K’s in 4 appearances.