Monday, August 9, 2021

Weekend Notes: Alford Up, Evans Down, Gonzalez, Fowler, Rivera Gone; Other Stuff

The weather is hot; the Pirates are not...

Notes:

  • The Bucs recalled OF Anthony Alford, 27, from Indy. He was the Bucs starting CF when the season opened but hit just .083 while striking 16 times in 29 PAs and was DFA'ed to AAA. He caught fire after a slow start - since June 1st, he's hit .356 with 12 HR, 31 runs scored and 31 RBI, although still sporting a K rate north of 30%. To clear room, the Pirates moved a couple of utility guys: Phil Evans, 28, was optioned to Indy and Erik Gonzalez, 29, was DFA'ed. Phil the Thrill was batting ,208 and E-Gon's BA was .232 this season.
AA is back for round #2 - photo Pittsburgh Pirates
  • The Reds have won 13 of the past 14 games against the Pirates, outscoring the Bucs 99-32. 
  • More housecleaning: OF Dustin Fowler, 26, has been released after hitting .171 in his early season audition with the big club, then spending much of his minor league time on the IL. Fowler was batting .270 in AAA, but only got in 13 games. Also, Indy IF TJ Rivera, 32, has been traded to the Phillies with the return undisclosed. He was hitting .249 at Indy after being picked up as a depth piece this year and was assigned to AAA Lehigh by Philadelphia.
  • Hi-A Greensboro OF Will Matthiessen gave up six runs pitching in the 12th inning after the Grasshopper bullpen was emptied. But he made up for it - Will hit a walk off grand slam to earn a 15-14 win over Hickory.
  • The Rays called up OF Jordan Luplow after a week at AAA Durham; he's batting leadoff for them. He was part of the 2018 Erik Gonzalez trade with the Tribe and Tampa acquired J-Low at the deadline; seems like every Pirates prospect gets an audition with the Rays sooner or later.
  • 1B/OF Connor Joe, 28, the Pirates first round pick in 2014, had four RBI for the Rox Saturday and is slashing .295/3 HR/19 RBI in 25 starts for Colorado. He was traded for Sean Rodriguez in 2017 before he got a shot in Pittsburgh and overcome surgery for cancer in early 2020 to earn a spot with the Rockies.

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