Pirates Prospect Watch: Michael Kennedy Continues to Star

Pirates’ minor league affiliates picked up a pair of wins on Saturday, with young lefty Michael Kennedy leading the charge as the Bradenton Marauders continue to surge.

Triple-A Indianapolis lost 9-3 to the Buffalo Bisons. They kept it close early, but couldn’t recover from a five-run sixth inning.

The Altoona Curve melted down once again, allowing four runs in their last two innings on the way to a 5-3 loss. Alessandro Ercolani got tagged for four runs in 3.2 innings, but that didn’t stop the Greensboro Grasshoppers from eking out a 5-4 win: Brandan Bidois struck out the side for his second save of the season.

The Bradenton Marauders continued their hot streak, with Michael Kennedy striking out eight over six innings of one-run ball on the way to a 10-3 win.

Here’s a look at the top performing Pirates prospects on Saturday night.

Triple-A Indianapolis (15-14)

LF Ji-hwan Bae

• Game: 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Season: .418/.529/.582 with 3 doubles and 2 homers in 15 rehab games.

1B Jake Lamb

• Game: 1-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly RBI.
• Season: .392/.473/.608 with 7 doubles and 3 homers in 23 games.

Double-A Altoona (5-21)

RF Tres Gonzales

• Game: 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Season: .206/.280/.265 with 2 doubles and a triple in 21 games.

1B Seth Beer

• Game: 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Season: .300/.390/.386 with 3 doubles and a homer in 21 games.

High-A Greensboro (15-10)

RHP Brandan Bidois

• Game: 1 IP, 0 ER, 3 K’s.
• Season: 10 IP, 4.50 ERA, 15 K’s in 9 appearances.

3B Charles McAdoo

• Game: 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly RBI.
• Season: .299/.385/.519 with 3 doubles, a triple and 4 homers in 22 games.

Single-A Bradenton (8-18)

LHP Michael Kennedy

• Game: 6 IP, 1 ER, 8 K’s.
• Season: 23 IP, 3.13 ERA, 30 K’s in 5 starts.

RF Esmerlyn Valdez

• Game: 2-for-4 with a three-run homer.
• Season: .282/.383/.436 with 6 doubles and 2 homers in 22 games.