Luis Ortiz turned in another dominant start for the Pirates on Sunday, but the bullpen couldn’t back him up and the Mets fought back to win the third game of the series.
Joe Block has the story.
Manager Derek Shelton said the Pirates’ bullpen gave up too many free bases to the Mets.
Making his second straight start, Luis Ortiz tossed six shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Shelton said Ortiz mixed his pitches well against a tough Mets lineup.
The series concludes this afternoon at PNC Park. Mitch Keller starts for the Pirates. He’s 9-5 with a 3.48 ERA. Christian Scott goes for the Mets. He’s 0-2 with a 4.32 ERA. It’s a 12:10 airtime, 12:35 first pitch on WCCS.
Ortiz’s hot streak could be big for the Pirates’ pitching staff, which has been beaten up over the last week. On The Ben Cherington Show on WCCS yesterday, Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Bailey Falter was placed on the 15-day injured list with left triceps tendinitis. Cherington said he was hopeful Falter’s stint on the IL will be short, but the team will learn more in the coming days.
RHP Jared Jones will likely miss the remainder of the month with a grade two right lat strain. Cherington said Jones’ return “will be measured in weeks, not days,” saying they need his injury to calm down before they determine the next steps.
Cherington also said catcher Henry Davis ended his rehab stint and was optioned to Triple-A, citing the need for Davis to catch everyday and the tandem of Yasmani Grandal and Joey Bart playing well in the majors.
Needing pitching help, the Pirates selected the contract of RHP Brent Honeywell Jr. from Triple-A Indianapolis prior to yesterday’s game. He was 1-3 with a 4.85 ERA in 31 games with the Indians this season. To make room on the 40-man roster, LHP Justin Bruihl was designated for assignment.
REYNOLDS/SKENES
The Pirates will have two representatives in this year’s MLB All-Star Game as Bryan Reynolds was selected as a reserve and Paul Skenes as one of the 10 pitchers. This will be Reynolds’ second All-Star Game while it’s Skenes’ first.
Skenes also became the first player in MLB history to be selected to the All-Star Game the year after he was drafted. He’s 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 10 Major League starts.
ALTOONA CURVE
After a marathon of games last week, the Curve are off again today. They will open a six-game homestand tomorrow night against Bowie.
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