The Pirates beat the heat over the weekend in Washington, taking two out of three against the Nationals, and capping it off with a resilient win yesterday.
Joe Block recaps the day.
Manager Donnie Kelly says it was a great effort by the entire team.
Kelly says Konnor Griffin made a difference with his bat, his legs, and his glove.
Even the Pirates’ bullpen came through for them this weekend, and Kelly appreciates their fight.
The Pirates are off today and open a tough six-game homestand tomorrow night, with three games against the Braves, who are in first place in the NL East, followed by three against the NL Central-leading Brewers.
Paul Skenes was named to the National League All-Star team on Saturday, but he says he won’t be pitching in the game next week in Philadelphia. He plans to make his scheduled starts tomorrow against Atlanta and on Sunday against Milwaukee, which would make him unavailable to throw again on Tuesday. Skenes says he wants the National League to name teammate Braxton Ashcraft to replace him in the All-Star game.
On Pirates Insider on WCCS yesterday, general manager Ben Cherington said Skenes, who has not won a game since May 12th, is going to find his way out of his slump.
Cherington says the Pirates’ difficult July schedule, with series against the Braves, Brewers, Guardians, Yankees, and Cubs, will tell a lot about the Pirates, especially since they are missing some key bats.
On the injury front, Cherington said Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz are both working in Florida, with Cruz still not hitting as he waits for the broken bones in his left hand to heal. He said it would be “past the All-Star break, hopefully not too far past” before Cruz returns. Horwitz, with a hamstring injury, is doing “everything but running”, and is also targeting a return soon after the All-Star break. Wilbur Dotel is probably going to give another try at a rehab outing tomorrow after a pause last week.
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