Notes: 4-2 Week v LA & Twinkies; Rowdy Rambunctious; More Moves; Rando Stuff

Into the Summer…

LA Rolled Into Town: Interesting opener with Tyler Glasnow facing off against Jared Jones and Shohei Ohtani making his PNC Park debut. Jones went six shutout frames, Jack Suwinski banged a solo shot off Glasnow, and that was it as the Bucs took the opener, 1-0, surviving a pair of loud, long outs by LA in the eight and ninth innings. Paul Skenes went five frames, giving up three runs while whiffing eight, and the Pirates scored seven second-inning runs while Nick Gonzales plated four teammates on the way to a 10-6 dub in game two. Bailey Falter had a rough start in game #3, then Ben Heller made his first appearance as a Buc and got toasted for a five spot as Dodgers sprinted away with a 11-7 win. Oneil Cruz and Nick Gonzales homered. 

Rowdy on the rebound – 2024 SportsNet Pgh

Twins 1st 3-Game Visit To PNC Park Since 2012: Mitch Keller kept it rollin’ in the opener, taking his sixth straight win with a 3-0 victory. Cruz and Connor Joe both went deep to give Kells some room to work. The short-staffed Bucs started Carmen Mlodzinski, followed by Luis Ortiz, as a piggyback pairing for the second match. Not a bad ploy; the Bucs used six pitchers and won, 4-0, with Rowdy Tellez’ solo shot in the seventh breaking up a duel and his two-run, two-out single in the eighth putting it away. The finale went 10 innings; Jared Jones gave up three runs in the first frame and Ben Heller ceded seven in extras as the Bucs fell, 11-5.

The Pirates are off today before three-game sets at St. Louis and Colorado.

Moves/Injuries:

• The Bucs signed LHP Justin Bruihl after he opted out of a minor-league deal with the Reds. The 26-year-old (he’ll be 27 on 6/26) has three years of MLB time with LA and Colorado, posting a 2-2-1/4.22 career line in 72 outings, pitching most effectively as a lefty-on-lefty specialist. Bru will join Aroldis Chapman as lefties in the pen. While working out of AAA Louisville this year, the southpaw reliever was 4-0/2.31 in 19 appearances. That move triggered some more shufflin’ – the Pirates moved LHP Ryan Borucki from the 15- to 60-day IL. RHP Quinn Priester (right lat) was placed on 15-day IL with a right lat muscle injury.
• The homestand started with some shufflin’. As reported, Henry Davis was back in the show and caught on Tuesday, while RHP Ben Heller (who had an opt-out, so it was call him up or lose him; prob played that call wrong), OF Jack Suwinski and IF Liover Peguero were all recalled from Indy. UT Ji Hwan Bae went on the 10-day IL (wrist sprain), C Grant Koch was DFA’ed (he cleared the wire and was sent back to Indy), LHP Jose Hernandez was optioned back to Indy and CF Michael A. Taylor was placed on the Paternity List (MAT returned on Friday; Peguero was sent back down). On the Monday off-day, C Jason Delay (knee) was removed from the IL and optioned to Indy while LHP Marcos Gonzales (left forearm) was moved from the 15-day to 60-day IL.
• Of all the guys injured, Martin Perez is, as of now, the only one likely to return this month; he’s on track to come back in a couple of weeks.

Stuff Happens:

• Paul Skenes & Jared Jones caught the eye of MLB.com’s Thomas Harrington.
• Bryan Reynolds played in the 700th game of his big league career on Thursday. B-Rey has been Mr. Dependable; he’s started all of Pittsburgh’s 65 games. 

Bryan Reynolds- 2024 Topps

• OptaStat dug deep: Sunday was the second in MLB history in which both starting leadoff hitters bopped 300+ career home runs w/Carlos Santana (MIN) & Andrew McCutchen (PGH). The other duo were Eddie Mathews (MIL) & Duke Snider (SF) on 07/16/1964.
• 19-year-old IF Yordany Delos Santos was selected as the Florida Complex (Rookie) League Player of the Month. He hit .406 with two homers and 12 RBI.
• Greensboro UT Charles McAdoo was selected the Hi-A Sally League’s POTW. The 22-year-old bat-first prospect went 10-for-19, scored six runs and chased home four more last week.
• For deep/young prospects watchers, The Dominican Summer League began on Monday, opening a 55-game slate that runs through August 20. The Pirates have two teams entered.
• The White Sox agreed to a minor league contract with IF Michael Chavis (Pirates 2021-22/.242), who opted out of a non-roster deal with Seattle over the weekend.
• RHP Geoff Hartlieb was just called by by Colorado; he pitched for the Pirates from 2019-21. 
• Padres IF Tucupita Marcano was smacked with a lifetime ban from baseball for violating MLB’s gambling policy. He was accused of placing bets on games involving the Pirates while he was on the IL for Pittsburgh last year, and the league confirmed the charges, leading to his exit.
• The Tigers are retiring Jim Leyland’s #10 on August 3, a couple of weeks after his enshrinement in the baseball HoF on July 21.