The Pirates offense isn’t moving at top speed yet, but it woke up a bit yesterday in a comeback win over the Rockies. Joe Block has the recap.
The middle of the Pirates batting order yesterday was a combined 5-for-12. Bryan Reynolds had two hits, Ke’Bryan Hayes had one, and Oneil Cruz had two. Manager Derek Shelton says he needs them to lead the way at the plate.
Shelton liked the resilience of Bailey Falter, who survived a tough inning.
Bailey Falter had that tough 2nd inning, but he says going 5-and-a-third and holding the Rockies to those three runs wasn’t a bad job.
Riding a two-game winning streak, the Pirates open an interleague series tonight as their 9-game homestand continues. The Bucs host the Angels for three game. Mitch Keller [2-3, 5.18 ERA] starts against former Pirate Tyler Anderson [2-3, 2.23 ERA]. Airtime is 6:15 on WCCS.
On The Ben Cherington Show on WCCS yesterday, the GM said he understands how anxious Pirates fans are to see Paul Skenes dominating in Pittsburgh, as he has in Indianapolis this season. Skenes started on four days rest yesterday, “checking off a box”, as Cherington refers to it, and he gave up his first home run as a professional, a solo shot in the 5th inning of an 8-3 Indianapolis win. Skenes gave up two earned runs in 4-and-a-third innings.
Cherington also said he still sees Henry Davis as a key to the Pirates 2024 season, despite Davis and his .162 batting average being sent down to Indianapolis on Friday. He said Davis’s “superpower” is that he works his tail off as hard as anyone.
And Cherington continues to believe that both Marco Gonzalez and Ryan Borucki will overcome their arm miseries and be valuable parts of the pitching staff.
