Pirates' Martin Perez: Posts one strikeout in no-decision
Rotowire
Perez did not factor into the decision Monday against the Mets, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out one.
Perez was pitching well again through his first five innings until being chased by three Mets hits and a walk in the sixth inning. The 33-year-old veteran has provided stability to the rotation during his first year in Pittsburgh, pitching to the tune of a 2.55 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB over 24.2 innings. Perez is scheduled to make his next start at home against the Red Sox.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Ji Hwan Bae: Activated and optioned
Rotowire
Bae (hip) was activated from the 10-day injured list by the Pirates on Sunday and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Bae is done with his rehab from a left hip flexor injury, but the Pirates have elected to keep him at Indianapolis rather than add him to the major-league roster. He should be back to fill a utility role with the big club eventually.
Pirates' Paul Skenes: Not immediate option for rotation
Rotowire
Skenes will not fill the rotation spot of Marco Gonzales (forearm) in the short term, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Gonzales was placed on the injured list Sunday due to forearm tightness, opening a spot in the big-league rotation. Skenes won't be a candidate to take the job, as the Pirates have carefully monitored his workload early in the new campaign. He was built up to 55 pitches in his last outing with Triple-A Indianapolis, but Quinn Priester, Eric Lauer and perhaps Luis Ortiz are candidates to be in the rotation in the short term.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Jared Triolo: Swipes second bag
Rotowire
Triolo went 1-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base Sunday against the Phillies.
Triolo has settled into a near-everyday role at second base while hitting primarily seventh or eighth in the lineup. He has at least one hit in 11 of his 14 starts, with the result being a .268 average across 62 plate appearances. The rest of Triolo's line is fairly empty, however, as he's tallied only two extra-base hits -- including one home run -- and two stolen bases.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Joey Bart: Makes most of rare start
Rotowire
Bart went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run Sunday against the Phillies.
Bart made only his third start with the Pirates and first since Monday. While his playing time has been limited to giving Henry Davis breathers, Bart has made the most of his chances by going 4-for-12 with a pair of home runs and a double since joining Pittsburgh. Due to the lack of playing time, Bart is difficult to roster in most formats, though he is a player to monitor given Davis' early-season struggles.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Jack Suwinski: Slugs key homer
Rotowire
Suwinski went 2-for-4 with a walk and a grand slam Sunday against the Phillies.
Suwinski belted a game-deciding grand slam in the sixth inning, his second long ball of the season. He's gotten off to a slow start to the new campaign, tallying only two multi-hit games and only one extra-base hit in addition to his long balls. On the other hand, Suwinski has shown some improvement in his skill profile, most notably that he's struck out only 17.2 percent of the time across 58 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Mitch Keller: Goes seven innings against Phillies
Rotowire
Keller (2-1) earned the win Sunday, allowing two runs on eight hits and no walks over seven innings against Philadelphia. He struck out four.
Keller notched his second straight victory Sunday, allowing a pair of runs via a Trea Turner solo homer and an RBI single also hit by Turner. After giving up five runs in each of his first two starts, Keller has bounced back with a pair of quality starts, bringing his ERA down to 4.50 with 21 strikeouts across 24.0 innings. He's expected to make his next start during a three-game homestand against the Red Sox.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Belts milestone homer
Rotowire
McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, two additional runs scored and a stolen base during Sunday's 9-2 win over the Phillies.
McCutchen notched his first homer of 2024 on Sunday, plating Ke'Bryan Hayes as part of a two-run knock off Ricardo Pinto in the ninth inning. The long ball was the 300th of McCutchen's storied MLB career, and he became the 160th player to reach the milestone. McCutchen has gotten out of the gates slowly in year 16, slashing .194/.326/.333 with a 37.2 percent strikeout rate through nine games.
The Pirates recalled Ryan from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.
Ryan will rejoin Pittsburgh's 26-man active roster as a replacement for southpaw Marco Gonzales (forearm), who was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. The right-hander reliever has previously made four appearances out of the Pirates bullpen this season, logging a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 5.1 innings.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Marco Gonzales: Lands on IL
Rotowire
The Pirates placed Gonzales on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a left forearm muscle strain, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Gonzales was able to turn in his second straight quality start in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies, but he evidently was pitching with an arm injury at some point during that outing and will now be shut down for at least the next two and a half weeks. The Pirates recalled Ryder Ryan from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Gonzales' spot on the active roster and provide a heathy arm out of the bullpen in the short term, but the focus now turns to whom Pittsburgh will tab as the veteran lefty's replacement in the rotation. Top prospect Paul Skenes turned in a dominant 3.1-inning start with Indianapolis on Friday and would line up for Gonzales' spot in the rotation, if the Pirates feel ready to bring the 21-year-old to the majors. Quinn Priester also pitched Saturday for Indianapolis and, unlike Skenes, already has a spot on the 40-man roster, so he could represent another potential Gonzales replacement.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Edward Olivares: Retreats to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Olivares is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Olivares had started each of the past four games -- two against right-handed starting pitchers and two against lefties -- while going 5-for-15 with a pair of solo home runs and an additional run. The 28-year-old still looks like the Pirates' fourth outfielder/backup designated hitter, but he's playing regularly versus lefties and often enough against righties to warrant consideration for a roster spot in deeper mixed leagues.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Henry Davis: Resting Sunday
Rotowire
Davis is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Davis will get a breather for the series finale in Philadelphia after catching each of the Bucs' last four contests while going 4-for-13 with one double, three walks, two runs and two RBI. Joey Bart will step in to handle catching duties for Pittsburgh.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Bryan Reynolds: On base four times in loss
Rotowire
Reynolds went 1-for-1 with three walks, a run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.
Despite getting very little to hit, Reynolds still managed to extend his hitting streak to five games. The 29-year-old outfielder has been his usual solid self through the first couple weeks of the season, slashing .274/.384/.452 in 15 games with two homers, two steals, seven runs and 11 RBI.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Marco Gonzales: Provides quality start Saturday
Rotowire
Gonzales came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out five.
The veteran southpaw delivered his second straight quality start and left the game nursing a 3-2 lead, but the Pirates' bullpen couldn't get Gonzales his first win of 2024. He tossed 64 of 90 pitches for strikes, and through his first three outings this season he sports a 2.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB over 17 innings. Gonzales will try to get into the win column in his next start, scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Red Sox.
Solometo (illness) returned to the mound April 7 after missing portions of spring training due to an illness.
Solometo was forced to miss the Spring Breakout game due to a serious case of the flu that made its way through the Pirates' clubhouse. However, he was able to return to throw four scoreless innings while allowing one hit with Double-A Altoona on April 7 -- though he did walk three. Solometo is one of the better prospects in Pittsburgh's minor-league system, and there's a chance he could make it to the big-league roster toward the end of the 2024 campaign.
