Pirates Look For Season Sweep Of The Sentinels

Pirates right hand pitcher Brandon Doehne throws a pitch against the Long Beach Legends at LA Valley College July 3, 2022. Photo by Maddy Whiting

The Pirates are streaking . . .

Coming off a 6-2 win Tuesday versus the Long Beach Legends, The Pirates have now won 7 games in a row moving their record to (15-11-1) (13-3 Best of the West). Thursday, they are back on the road to Jackie Robinson stadium in preparation for the Arroyo Seco Sentinels (8-7). This will be the third matchup this season between the two, with the Pirates winning both games by a final score of 10-3 and 6-2. Look for the Pirates to come out strong as they are currently tied for first place with Inland Valley.

Turning it around

RHP Alex Abbot is set to make his second start of the season for the Pirates. Abbot has mostly been used as a reliever but he’s currently 3-1 with 17 innings pitched, 4 strikeouts and a 4.24 ERA. Abbot had his fair share of struggles early in the season but as of late he’s been rock solid earning a win in each of his last three appearances. In particular, his latest outing was impressive coming into the game to relieve, pitching 4 innings, allowing 0 earned runs and 1 strikeout. He will look to carry on his recent success on the mound tonight against the Arroyo Seco Sentinels. Abbott is no stranger to big games, as he has also pitched on the road against CCL opponents, including the relatively local Arroyo Seco Saints at Brookside, where he will be throwing tonight. Last time at Brookside, Abbott went 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER and 2 K.

Bats and Arms at full form

The Pirates continue to show why they are at the top of the standings with a studded offensive attack. During their seven game win streak, the Pirates have outscored their opponent 55-18. In particular, the top of the Pirates lineup continues to get on base, setting the tone for batters to come. The Camacho Twins are coming off a combined 5-hit performance and their ability to get on base has been absurd all season. What is also impressive is that they both lead the team in batting average with Ryan at .432 and Jovan boasting a .359. They are also first and third on the team in OBP with Ryan having a .510 OBP while his brother Jovan is not too far behind with a .479 OBP. Kyle Soberano’s return to the Pirates this season has also helped bolster the offense, with Soberano hitting .429 with 2 RBI in just 7 at bats so far this season. Angelo Aleman is also another player to keep an eye on as he is batting .384 in his last 4 games.

Pirates pitchers have done an amazing job of stepping up as of late as they’ve held teams to 18 runs during their seven game win streak.They have shut the door on teams in the later innings and that’s mostly because of LHP Josh Yosfan, who continues to be lights out with a 0.53 ERA and 4 saves in 17 innings of work. However, other pitchers such as John Paul Claire, Xavier Stoker and Daniel Parra have stepped onto the scene allowing only 1 earned run in a combined 23 ⅔ innings pitched. Look for Stoker to come out of the bullpen if needed as Parra pitched 2 innings of no run baseball last game and Claire made an appearance for the All-stars yesterday.

League games Record . . .

At home: 6-0

On road: 6-3

Pirates Record When Leading After. . .

Sixth inning: 11-1

7th inning: 13-1

8th inning: 14-1

Team Leaders …

Hits: Ryan Camacho (38)

Home runs: Robbie Treto (4)

Triples: Ryan Camacho (2)

Doubles: Jovan Camacho (8)

Runs: Ryan Camacho (20)

RBIs: Robbie Treto (19)

Strikeouts: Brandon Doehne (23)

ERA: Josh Yosfan (0.50)