Pirates Minor League Report: Jack Brannigan Swats Two Homers

Pirates’ minor league affiliates won two of three games played on Tuesday, beginning the last week of games ahead of the All-Star Break.

The Altoona Curve blanked the Bowie BaySox 4-0. Bubba Chandler kicked off the shutout with two scoreless innings on 19 pitches, keeping things brief ahead of his appearance in the All-Star Futures Game this Saturday. Tsung-Che Cheng accounted for most of the offense with a three-run homer, while Charles McAdoo added two singles.

Jack Brannigan hit two home runs for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, who hung nine runs on the Winston-Salem Dash. That wasn’t enough for victory, though, as they ended up losing 11-9.

Single-A Bradenton rounds things out with a 6-3 win over the Jupiter Hammerheads. Carlson Reed pitched a quality start, striking out six batters in six innings, and Esmerlyn Valdez and Omar Alfonzo each swatted a homer. Triple-A Indianapolis, meanwhile, saw their game postponed due to rain, set for makeup as part of a Thursday doubleheader.

Here’s a look at the top performances amongst the Pirates system on Tuesday.

Triple-A Indianapolis (38-46)

DNP: rain.

Double-A Altoona (35-47)

SS Tsung-Che Cheng

• Game: 1-for-4 with a homer.
• Season: .241/.338/.399 with 13 doubles and 9 homers in 73 games.

RHP Bubba Chandler

• Game: 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 K’s.
• Season: 63.2 IP, 3.53 ERA, 77 K’s in 16 appearances (14 starts).

High-A Greensboro (51-30)

DH Jack Brannigan

• Game: 2-for-5 with 2 homers.
• Season: .216/.339/.432 with 10 doubles, a triple and 13 homers in 63 games.

SS Termarr Johnson

• Game: 1-for-4 with a double and a walk
• Season: .245/.397/.398 with 13 doubles, a triple and 9 homers in 78 games.

Single-A Bradenton (36-46)

RF Esmerlyn Valdez

• Game: 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk.
• Season: .242/.361/.452 with 14 doubles, a triple and 10 homers in 65 games.

C Omar Alfonzo

• Game: 1-for-3 with a homer and a walk.
• Season: .253/.369/.369 with 13 doubles and 5 homers in 69 games.