The Pirates couldn’t muster any offense Sunday as they dropped the series finale to the Phillies. Joe Block has the recap.
Manager Derek Shelton said it was a good series for the Pirates.
The Bucs face off with the Cardinals tonight in the first game of a three-game series. It’s a battle of right-handers between the Pirates’ Mitch Keller [10-5, 3.46 ERA] and the Cards’ Andre Pallante [4-4, 4.21 ERA]. Airtime on WCCS is 6:15 with first pitch at 6:40.
With the MLB trade deadline coming next Tuesday, the Pirates find themselves right in the middle of the National League Wild Card race and a potential buyer in the trade market. On The Ben Cherington Show on WCCS yesterday, the general manager said the number of contending teams in the mix is having a big influence on the number of players available.
Cherington says whether the Pirates keep on winning ahead of the deadline won’t impact the decision to trade or not, but it will influence the type of player they go after.
Cherington said offense is an obvious area of need, but he is always looking for any area he could improve, and not just for this year.
On the injury front, Cherington said starting pitcher Bailey Falter threw a simulated game last week and will likely make a rehab appearance in the minors before rejoining the Bucs’ rotation. Jared Jones has begun throwing again with a targeted return sometime in August. The GM said reliever Ryan Borucki’s rehab has been “a bit of a grind” and he’s not ready to return, but he still believes Borucki will be back this season and help the Pirates.
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