Morning Rundown: Pauls Skenes gets first major league win, Axiel Plaz home run, Bubba Chandler leaves early
Paul Skenes picks up first major league victory. Axiel Plaz homers in his first Bradenton game and Bubba Chandler doesn't make it out the first.
In his second start, Paul Skenes picked up his first big league victory on Friday and did so in grand fashion.
The 2023 first overall pick pitched six no-hit innings while striking out 11 Chicago Cubs.
Throwing 100 pitches for the first time in a professional outing, Skenes averaged 99.3 mph on his fastball, getting whiffs on 12 of 27 swings. Nearly half of his fastballs (46%) were either whiffs or called strikes (CSW%).
He got all of his secondary pitches involved with each recording either a called strike or whiff. The other four pitches combined for 10 whiffs on 27 swings (37%).
Of the 100 pitches he threw, 67 went for strikes, with the lone runner to reach in the first six innings was Michael Busch on a walk. It was an eight pitch at-bat, where you could make a case ball three hit the bottom of the strike zone, which would have been a called strike three.
It was a brilliant performance, and now the Pirates two prized young pitchers have recorded wins on consecutive days.
With Garret Forrester already on the injured list, the Bradenton Marauders were down to two healthy catchers heading into Thursday game against the Tampa Tarpons.
Justin Miknis would leave that game in the first inning with an injury, and was later put on the injured list.
That forced the Pirates to reach down to the complex and bring up Axiel Plaz from the FCL team.
Plaz burst on the scene a few years back for tearing up the Dominican Summer League as a 16 year old. He came statestide last year and struggled in the FCL and started again this season at the same level.
Getting a shot to catch on Friday, it didn’t take long for him to make an impact. He picked up a hit in his first at-bat, a single that was hit 94.8 mph off the bat.
His next at-bat was just a groundout, but he also hit the ball 112.2 mph. In the seventh inning, Plaz picked up his first home run, 110.6 mph off the bat. That’s three batted balls with an average exit velocity of 105.8 mph
Not a bad start.
For the second time in his last five starts Bubba Chandler failed to make it out of the first inning. On Friday against Akron he walked five batters in two-thirds of an innings before leaving the game with a trainer in the middle of an at-bat.
He was replaced by Justin Meis, who allowed a grand slam with those runners Chandler walked on base.
In the end it was five runs on five walks in two-thirds of an inning.
Attention will turn to figure out exactly what happened to cause Chandler to get pulled from the game while the trainer was out there. Whatever it was could likely have something to do with the extreme case of him missing the zone.
It hasn’t exactly been an ideal start to the season for Chandler, especially with how he closed out 2023. He’s still showing the stuff, just having a really hard time locating things.
Bradenton Marauders activated C Axiel Plaz
Bradenton Marauders placed C Justin Miknis on the 7-day injured list
C John Lopez assigned to FCL Pirates from Bradenton Marauders
Indianapolis Indians activated RHP Kade McClure from the 7-day injured list
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Top Exit Velocity
Axiel Plaz - BRD - 112.2 mph - Groundout
Axiel Plaz - BRD - 110.6 mph - Home Run
Javier Rivas - BRD - 109 mph - Single
Oneil Cruz - PIT - 108.9 mph - Lineout
Matt Fraizer - IND - 106.5 mph - GIDP
Top Pitch Velocity
Paul Skenes - PIT - 101.2 mph
Paul Skenes - PIT - 100.3 mph
Paul Skenes - PIT - 100.3 mph
Paul Skenes - PIT - 100.3 mph
Paul Skenes - PIT - 100.3 mph
Most Whiffs
Paul Skenes - PIT - 22
Michael Kennedy - BRD - 17
Drake Fellows - ALT - 16
Hunter Furtado - BRD - 9
Wily Peralta - IND - 6
Justin Meis - ALT - 6
Indianapolis Indians - 3 vs Toledo Mud Hens - 8
Top Hitter - Canaan Smith-Njigba: 1-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3B
Top Pitcher - Connor Sadzeck: 1.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 K
Altoona Curve - 3 vs Akron RubberDucks - 6
Top Hitter - Tsung-Che Cheng: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HR
Top Pitcher - Drake Fellows: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K
Greensboro Grasshoppers - PPD
Bradenton Marauders - 2 vs Tampa Tarpons - 5
Top Hitter - Axiel Plaz: 2-4, R, RBI, HR
Top Pitcher - Hunter Furtado: 2 IP, H, 4 K
FCL Pirates - 5 vs FCL Orioles - 2
Top Hitter - Carlos Tirado: 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB
Top Pitcher - Inmer Lobo: 2 IP, H, 3 K
Despite living in Illinois, yesterday I made my first drive to wrigley field and back in 25 years It was worth being stuck in slow moving traffic for 2 hours on the way back. That was the best 6 inning performance I have seen in person from a pitcher.
A few notes from the game about the little things we did well.
1. I liked seeing Rowdy Tellez hustlng on the base paths and getting us an extra run on the throw to get Grandal at the play that went long. Good to see him trying. I hope our fans are done booing him, unless it is just a lack of effort.
2. Nick Gonzalez doing what he is supposed to at the plate again with a successful sac fly. Whether it is a moving a runner from second to third by a fly ball or a sac bunt, he moves the runners when it is called for.
3. I don't know if it it just because there was a slow pitcher on the mound or we made it a priority, but we ran the bases well.
Friday, May 18
21 down. 60 to go.
Pirates 9-3 over the Cubs at Wrigley. They stand in third place, four games behind the second place Cubs and 6 games behind the first place Brewers.
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CARROTS ON THE HOUSE!!!!
@> Granny for his 2 for 5, 3 rbi day.
@>@>Triolo for his 2 for 4, 3 rbi day.
@>@>@> Baby Skenes for a historic six-inning no hitter featuring 11 Ks, seven of which were the first seven batters he faced.
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Ya gotta give some fresh summer squash to Telles for hitting a bright spot and also some radishes to Nick the Stick for having some nice at bats since his recall. Wasn’t sure it would happen, but the Stick may be latching onto the long-term starting 2b job… and that’s with the very glovey Triolo driving in runs at a decent pace. Granny already got his carrot for the day, but it is nice to see him, late start and all, starting to find a groove. There’s three guys who you hoped to see something from who are starting to produce. Let’s hope it continues.
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The ogres at the bat rack are back! I mean, Connor Joe goes 3 for 5 and doesn’t even get an over-ripe rutabaga? Daaaaannngggg!
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“Alright, Rabbit! Where’s Rocky? Where’s he hidin’?
“He’s not in this stove!
“Oh-ho! He’s hidin’ in the stove eh?
“Would I turn on the gas if Rocky was hidin’ in the stove?
“You might, Rabbit. You might.”
“Well would I throw a lit match into the stove if my pal Rocky was hiding therein?
“Alright, Rabbit. You’ve convinced me.”
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-Wabbit