This Week: Fraze All Star; Pirates Shuffle Their Wounded; Winless Week; Notable Stuff

It’s almost draft time…

Notes: 

• Adam Frazier joined Bill Mazeroski (six-timer) as the only Pirates 2B named as an All-Star Game starter after winning the fan vote, easily outpolling Ozzie Albies and Gavin Lux.
• Bryan Reynolds’ hitting streak of 14 games ended Thursday.
• The Pirates have optioned RHP Max Kranick back to Indy and recalled RHP Cody Ponce. Max can’t be called back for 15 days except for injury/doubleheader 27th man. Ponce was added not as a rotation guy but to bolster the pen.
• LHP Sam Howard was activated from the IL and LHP Austin Davis was optioned back to Indy.

• Domino theory: Colin Moran got plunked in the wrist during his first at bat Monday and later took himself out of the game. He ended up with a small fracture in his hand and was returned to the 10-day IL. OF Jared Oliva was called up from Indy. There are, btw, just four Pirate minor leaguers on the 40-man roster who are position players: Oliva, Cole Tucker (Indy), Oneil Cruz (Altoona) and Rodolfo Castro (Altoona). None play 1B. To boot, Erik Gonzalez left the game Thursday with “right side discomfort” and landed on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain. He was the planned plug-in for Moran. Wilmer Difo was called back up from Indy. A 40-man spot was needed, so Trevor Cahill was moved form the 10-day to 60-day IL.
• Gregory Polanco is dealing with hip inflammation; he was used as a pinch-hitter Friday after missing Thursday.
• Chad Kuhl’s reoccurring blister popped up again during his Wednesday start.
• The Quiet Man: Since 2020, Chris Stratton ranks first among MLB relievers in innings pitched (73-2/3 IP). His line over that span is 4-1-1/3.18 in 60 outings.
• Going into the Rockies series, the Pirates had won six straight games played at Coors Field, dating back to 2018. In their last 19 games played the Mile High city, the Pirates had gone 15-4, and they had just taken 3-of-4 from the Cards. So they went and got swept this week, putting up runs in just one of the 27 innings they played. It carried over; with bad play and bad weather, they only drew 11,074 fans for the “Reopening Day” and Big & Rich postgame concert. Milwaukee was prob a bad draw; they’ve now won 10 straight games with Friday’s victory.
• RHP’s Roansy Contreras and Quinn Priester will represent the Pirates at the All-Star Futures Game. It will be played before the ASG on July 11th in an NL v AL format. RHP Shane Baz (Rays), part of the Chris Archer deal, made the team as did LHP Nick Lodolo (Reds), who the Pirates drafted but couldn’t sign.