By james art A trio of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects turned in strong performances in the Scottsdale Scorpions’ 10-9 loss to the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.
Pirates No. 3 prospect Termar Johnson had an RBI single and finished the day 1-5 with a run scored and three hits. Outfield prospect Sammy Ciani continued his strong performance in the AFL, going 3-4 with two runs scored and a walk-off.
On the mound, Eddy Yean took the loss. He went 1.1 innings and allowed one run on four hits and a walk and struck out one batter. His teammate Valentin Linarez fared much better, going two shutout innings and allowing just one hit and one walk, and he struck out two batters.
The loss was the third in a row for the Scorpions.
Johnson, who is the No. 75 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, struck out to lead off the game and then struck out in his second plate appearance. He had his third hit in the top of the fourth inning and drove in a home run with a single to center field to extend Scottsdale’s lead to 4-2. The Pirates’ No. 3 prospect has struck out swinging in his last two at-bats.
Ciani doubled to center field in his first at bat in the top of the second inning and then reached base again in his second plate appearance in the fourth with a single to right field. Siani’s single set the stage for the Scorpions to tie the game 2-2 on an RBI single by San Francisco Giants prospect Charlie Szykowny and they scored six runs to take a 7-2 lead.
Siani entered his third game to lead off the top of the fifth inning, then immediately scored on a two-run home run by Shikovny. The Pirates prospect went down in the seventh and then he went out as a go-ahead lead in the ninth inning with a runner on first base. Ciani got a base hit to right field to extend the game and put the series-tying run in scoring position.
Scottsdale ultimately couldn’t capitalize, however, as Chic struck out to end the game.
Linarez entered the game in the second inning and worked around an error and a miss with a pair of hits, including one off Kansas City Royals prospect and 2024 MLB No. 6 draft pick Jac Caglianone, to escape the jam. The Pirates right-hander prospect got a pair of groundouts and a fly out in his second and final inning of work.
After Detroit Tigers left-handed prospect Jake Miller gave up seven runs in 1.1 innings, Yen entered the game with Scottsdale down 9-7 with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning and gave up a two-run single to tie the game .
A walk followed by back-to-back singles gave Surprise a 10-9 lead before Yean escaped without allowing another run after getting hit by a hit and New York Mets infielder Jett Williams threw out a runner at home on a single by the Houston Astros outfield prospect Quincy Hamilton.
Scottsdale will look to snap its three-game losing streak on Saturday when it faces the Saguaros (10-5) for the second straight game at 3:30 PM ET.
Be sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest Pittsburgh Pirates news, updates, interviews and information