Pirates Prospects Finish Up-And-Down AFL Performance
It was a mixed bag for Pittsburgh Pirates prospects at the plate and on the mound in the Scottsdale Scorpions' 4-2 loss to the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.
The loss was the Scorpions' (4-7) third in a row.
Pirates pitching prospect Eddy Yean took the loss, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing two runs, two walks, one hit and tallying a strikeout. Yean entered the game with Scottsdale leading 2-1 in the seventh inning and escaped without allowing a run despite walking the leadoff batter. He wouldn't be as fortunate in the top of the eighth inning, as after striking out the leadoff batter, New York Yankees infield prospect Caleb Durbin walked and came around to score on Arizona Diamondbacks infield prospect Tommy Troy's second double of the game.
Yean exited after allowing the double for New York Mets pitching prospect Jawilme Ramirez and he immediately allowed a two-run home run to Washington Nationals outfield prospect Robert Hassell III to put Salt River up by the final score.
Pirates No. 3 prospect Termarr Johnson led off and got the start at shortstop. He went 1-4 with a triple, one walk, one strikeout and a pair of stolen bases. Johnson walked in the bottom of the fifth inning and promptly stole second and third base. Back-to-back strikeouts by New York Mets infield prospect Jett Williams and San Francisco Giants infield prospect Bryce Eldridge followed by a flyout from Detroit Tigers catching prospect Thayron Liranzo ultimately stranded the Pirates' middle infield prospect 90 feet short of scoring a run.
Johnson got his first hit of the night when he hit a triple with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Things went exactly the same as the previous time he reached base, as Williams struck out to end the game.
Pittsburgh outfield prospect Sammy Siani returned to the lineup and got the start in right field. He went 1-3 with a run scored, one walk, a strikeout and one stolen base. He also tallied a pair of assists, throwing out a runner at home and first base.
Siani reached base in the bottom of the fourth inning on a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch before coming around to score on a base hit from Giants infield prospect Charlie Szykowny to tie the game 1-1. He reached base again on his next at-bat with a base hit to right field and later stole second base. The Scorpions ended up stranding Siani at second base.
On the mound, Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Derek Diamond got the start and pitched three innings, allowed three hits, gave up one run and struck out four batters. Diamond's lone blemish of the game came on a solo home run from Yankees outfield prospect Garrett Martin.
The Rafters nearly scored two batters into the game, but a relay from Siani to Toronto Blue Jays infield prospect Adrian Pinto to Giants catching prospect Drew Cavanaugh stopped Durbin from scoring on a double by Troy. Diamond then stranded Troy at second base with back-to-back strikeouts to end the top of the first.
After Martin's home run, Diamond retired the next six batters in a row, including back-to-back strikeouts to end his outing.
The Scorpions return to the field on Tuesday to face the Rafters (6-5) again at 9:30 p.m. ET.
