After the New York Yankees affiliates combined to go 1-3 on Wednesday, the four teams will look to get wins in the middle games of their respective six-game series. Hudson Valley looks to build off of their walk-off win last night and Scranton Wilkes-Barre looks to start a new win streak. So, who takes the mound tonight? Read about it in our Pinstriped Previews:
Nick Green (Photo by Robert M Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects)
Triple-A
Lehigh Valley IronPigs (6-2) vs. Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (6-2)
6:35 PM ET I PNC Field
LHP David Parkinson (0-0, 27.00 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Green (0-0, 7.71 ERA)
The RailRiders were three outs away Wednesday night from getting their seventh win in a row. Now, they will try to start a new streak tonight and they will need to get some innings out of their starter, Nick Green. The 26-year-old made his 2021 season debut on May 7 against the Syracuse Mets and the pitch count built up after a short period of time.
In 2.1 innings of work, Green allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, allowed a home run, walked one, and struck out three on 53 pitches (30 strikes). The RailRiders were able to win that game in six innings due to weather.
That last start was Green’s first-ever start at the Triple-A level, so it will be interesting to watch how he adjusts going into this game against an IronPigs offense that has scored a total of three runs in the first two games of the series.
The IronPigs will counter with David Parkinson. The 25-year-old southpaw was the Phillies’ 12th Round pick back in 2017. Back in 2019, he went 10-9 with a 4.18 ERA in 22 games at Double-A Reading. He had 118 strikeouts to 39 walks in 119 innings of work.
Parkinson’s first Triple-A appearance was not a good one out of the bullpen. On May 5 against the Rochester Red Wings, he went 1.2 innings, allowed five runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out a batter on 57 pitches (35 strikes). He was the Phillies’ 2018 Minor League Pitcher of the Year and has a fastball, split-changeup, and a slider in his pitch arsenal.
Parkinson faced Trenton twice in 2019 and allowed a total of three runs in the 10 innings that he pitched.
Janson Junk. Photo by Matt Kardos
Double-A
Somerset Patriots (5-3) vs. New Hampshire FisherCats (3-5)
6:35 PM ET I Delta Dental Stadium
RHP Janson Junk (0-0, 2.45 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Johnston (0-0, 9.00 ERA)
The Patriots will look to avoid extending their losing streak to three games tonight and Janson Junk will be the starter. Junk picked up the no-decision in his first start of the season on May 7 against Harrisburg. He went 3.2 innings, allowed one run on three hits, struck out four, and walked two on 58 pitches (36 strikes).
For the first three innings, Junk was throwing the ball well as he allowed only one hit and walked a batter. Then, it got away from as he walked the leadoff hitter and allowed singles to two of the next three hitters.
In that start, Junk was followed up by JP Sears, so it would be no surprise if that is the case again tonight. The 25-year-old lefty came in for 2.1 innings of relief against Harrisburg and allowed a run on two hits. He walked two and struck out three on 47 pitches (28 strikes). He is not known for striking out hitters as he had 45 K’s in 48.2 innings of work with then High-A Tampa in 2019. However, he only allowed 41 hits in that span and just three home runs.
The FisherCats will give the ball to Kyle Johnston. Johnston was acquired by the Blue Jays from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline in 2019 when the Nats acquired reliever Daniel Hudson. The 24-year-old right-hander was selected in the 6th Round of the MLB Draft in 2017 by Washington.
In 2019, he pitched in High-A with Potomac and Dunedin and was 10-12 with a 4.98 ERA in 26 games (24 starts). He had 113 strikeouts to 57 walks in 124.2 innings of work. However, he had a 10.07 ERA in the final six outings he made that year.
Johnston made his Double-A debut on May 7 against Portland and took the no-decision. He allowed three runs on eight hits and walked a batter in three innings of work on 64 pitches (38 strikes). Out of the eight hits he allowed, three of them were extra-bases, including a home run.
One of Johnston’s six starts with Dunedin came against Tampa on August 18, 2019. In that game he pitched out of the bullpen, he went four innings, allowed three earned runs on four hits, struck out six, and walked one. Estevan Florial was 2-for-4 that game with a pair of RBIs.
Another player to watch in this game is Diego Castillo. While the infielder only has one extra-base this season (a double), he has recorded a hit in five of his last seven games.
Josh Breaux (Photo by Robert M Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects)
High-A
Aberdeen IronBirds (6-2) vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (4-4)
Dutchess Stadium I 7:05 PM ET
TBD vs. TBD
After a walk-off win in extra innings last night, the Renegades will look to keep the positive momentum going. While no starter is officially listed, Jio Orozco would get the start if the rotation stays on turn.
The 23-year-old right-hander had a short outing in his first start of the year on May 8 against Jersey Shore. He went two innings, allowed three runs on three hits, walked a batter, and struck out two on 53 pitches (32 strikes). All three runs against Orozco came in the first inning as he walked Bryson Stott with one out, had a balk, a wild pitch, and allowed three straight hits.
Despite a rough start to the game, Orozco did retire the BlueClaws in order in the second inning and struck out Stott swinging to end his start. So, at least the outing ended on a positive note.
If the IronBirds stay on turn, the starter would be Blaine Knight. The 24-year-old right-hander was the Orioles’ third round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Arkansas. According to Prospects Live, he has a fastball that can tough 95 miles-per-hour to go with a curveball, slider, and changeup. They describe him as a “competitor on the mound” with a “bulldog mentality”.
Knight had a good start to the season on May 8 against Wilmington. He threw four scoreless innings, allowed three hits, and struck out two on 49 pitches (35 strikes) and did not allow a single extra-base hit.
For Knight, it was a good first step after a 2019 season in which he went 1-12 with a 6.13 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) for then High-A Frederick. One hitter to watch in this game is Josh Breaux. If Breaux gets the start, he had a pair of singles against Knight in 2018 when Knight was in Short-Season ball with Aberdeen and Breaux was with Staten Island.
While Breaux is only hitting .185, the catcher has recorded a hit in five of his last six games and has drawn five walks on the season.
Elijah Dunham stealing 3rd base (Photo by John Brophy/Pinstriped Prospects)
Low-A
Tampa Tarpons (6-2) vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers (4-4)
Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium I 6:30 PM ET
TBD vs. RHP Ted Stuka (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Last night was a game the Tarpons would like to forget all about as they were down 10-0 to the Flying Tigers after the second inning as they went on to lose the game, 15-4. Despite the loss, outfielder Elijah Dunham had a good game. The non-drafted free agent out of Indiana went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run (first of his career) and he had his sixth stolen base.
Dunham leads the Tarpons in stolen bases and is tied for second with two other players in the Low-A Southeast in that category. To put the stolen base number in perspective, Dunham stole a total of six bases in the three years he was at Indiana (94 games).
As of right now, the Flying Tigers are scheduled to start Ted Stuka. Stuka was the Tigers’ 14th Round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. In the 15 minor league games he has pitched in, he has only made five starts (0-3, 4.97 ERA in 15 games).
Stuka made his first start of the season against Clearwater on May 7 and struggled with his command, He allowed an unearned run, walked four batters, hit a batter, and struck out three on 48 pitches (20 strikes). Plus, he also made an error in that game.
There isn’t a large sample size to go off of. However, on July 25, 2019, Pat DeMarco did have a base hit against him when DeMarco was in Staten Island and Stuka was pitching out of the bullpen for Short-Season Connecticut. DeMarco has 15 RBIs on the season and is 10-for-26 (.385) at the plate in the first seven games of the year.
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