Pinstriped Performances: Promotions Galore

The week began with a distinct manic energy across the Yankees universe, as the big-league brass held a crisis press conference while entire rosters in the minor leagues experienced tectonic shifts. Some baseball was also played on Tuesday, with a second straight gameday of four wins in the books.

Estevan Florial playing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on May 15, 2021 (Chris Jones)

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (24-11): Scranton fell behind by five runs early and then stormed back with a vengeance, hanging a seven-spot on the hapless Syracuse bullpen in the eighth inning to snatch a 12-6 win out of nowhere.

• Star of the Game: Estevan Florial – 3-for-5, 1 home run (3), 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 4 runs scored. A career day for Florial, who returned to the leadoff spot after being dropped in the order over the weekend. His solo home run got Scranton on the board in the bottom of the first, and his two-run double lengthened their late lead to 9-6
• Hoy Jun Park: 4-for-4, 1 triple, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk. Park is hitting .365 with a 1.165 OPS. On Tuesday, he added a run-scoring single and a two-run triple
• Robinson Chirinos: 2-for-4, 1 double, 1 strikeout
• Rob Brantly: 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 2 strikeouts. Scranton’s rally consisted of a parade of singles instead of a big blow, and Brantly’s eighth-inning hit tied the game at six
• Armando Alvarez: 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 run scored. Alvarez’s sacrifice fly gave the RailRiders their first lead of the night
• Deivi García: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 35 pitches (15 strikes). If we weren’t concerned before, we sure are now. A home run and four walks was enough to end the day for García after recording just one out
• Brian Keller: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 66 pitches (36 strikes)
• Albert Abreu: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 38 pitches (23 strikes). Abreu was as close to a pitching star as Scranton had. He kept the Mets silent in the middle innings while his teammates fought back into the game
• Trevor Lane: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 16 pitches (8 strikes)
• Kyle Barraclough: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 30 pitches (14 strikes)
• Braden Bristo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 18 pitches (11 strikes)

Donny Sands. Photo by Matt Kardos.

Somerset Patriots (23-13): Glenn Otto and a parade of big hits helped Somerset score nine unanswered runs to trounce Richmond 10-1 in the opening game of a homestand.

• Star of the Game: Glenn Otto – 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 14 K, 90 pitches (64 strikes). The run prevention hasn’t always been there for Otto, but the bat-missing stuff has. Tuesday was his third straight outing, and fourth in five, with at least ten strikeouts. 11 of 14 Richmond hitters fanned swinging and Otto has 69 strikeouts against 11 walks on the year
• Hitting Star of the Game: Donny Sands – 3-for-4, 2 home runs (5), 3 RBI, 3 runs scored. Sands went deep in the fifth and seventh for his second multi-homer game of the season
• Luke Voit: 1-for-4, 1 strikeout
• Oswald Peraza: 3-for-4, 1 triple, 3 runs scored. This was Peraza’s first three-hit game in a Patriots uniform
• Diego Castillo: 3-for-4, 1 home run (6), 1 double, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored. Castillo only needed a triple for the cycle and is now hitting .330 on the year
• Michael Beltre: 2-for-4, 1 run scored, 2 strikeouts
• Isiah Gilliam: 2-for-3, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 strikeout
• JP Sears: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 12 pitches (9 strikes)
• Addison Russ: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 18 pitches (10 strikes)

Josh Breaux (Robert M Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects)

Hudson Valley Renegades (21-14): What a ride. The Renegades fell behind by four early, clawed all the way back, blew a one-run lead in the ninth, and then landed the winning punch with a Josh Breaux walk-off home run to win 6-5 over Jersey Shore.

• Star of the Game: Josh Breaux – 2-for-4, 1 home run (4), 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk. Did anyone need this kind of a signature moment as much as Breaux? His one-out solo bomb sent the Dutchess Stadium faithful home happy
• Josh Smith: 0-for-5, 1 strikeout
• Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
• Chad Bell: 1-for-3, 1 home run (1), 3 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 walk, 1 strikeout. Bell hit his first High-A home run in his first game, and it was a big one, tying the score at 4 in the sixth inning
• James Nelson: 2-for-4, 1 run scored, 1 strikeout
• Jhony Brito: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 77 pitches (50 strikes)
• Barrett Loseke: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 54 pitches (32 strikes). Loseke turned in his second consecutive lockdown relief outing in a big spot
• Elvis Peguero: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 42 pitches (32 strikes). Peguero gave up the game-tying hit, but was then let off the hook when Breaux came through and ended up with the win

Jake Sanford (John Brophy/Pinstriped Prospects)

Tampa Tarpons (27-10): The high-flying Tarpons built a nine-run lead early and held on down the stretch for a 10-5 victory over Bradenton.

• Star of the Game: Jake Sanford – 4-for-4, 1 home run (4), 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk. Five Tarpons had multi-hit games on Tuesday, but none had as many hits as Sanford and none other than he hit one out of the yard
• Austin Wells: 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
• Trevor Hauver: 2-for-5, 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 run scored. Hauver is scuffling lately and his average is all the way down to .268, but he was a big part of Tuesday’s win
• Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, 1 run scored, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
• Eric Wagaman: 2-for-5, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 run scored
• Yoendrys Gómez: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 46 pitches (28 strikes). Gómez is still getting stretched out but he’s exhibiting the bat-missing stuff that has fueled his prospect stock
• Michael Giacone: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 48 pitches (27 strikes). Giacone picked up the win, his fourth of the season
• Trevor Holloway: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 41 pitches (27 strikes)
• Carson Coleman: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 31 pitches (17 strikes)
• Tanner Myatt: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 16 pitches (11 strikes)