The Pirates are starting to turn some heads in the National League Wild Card race, and as they approach Sunday’s halfway point of the season, they are hoping to make a move, not only for the Wild Card but toward first place in the NL Central. They have some work to do. They are two-and-a-half games out of the Wild Card, and eight-and-a-half behind Milwaukee in the division.
Tonight, the Bucs continue their six-game road trip with a trip south to Atlanta. Joe Block has a preview.
Manager Derek Shelton has set up his rotation with the return of left-hander Martín Perez from the injured list. Perez (1-3, 4.71 ERA) will face former Pirate Charlie Morton (4-4, 4.20 ERA). Perez has not pitched since injuring his groin covering first base on May 26th against the Braves at PNC Park.
Shelton has shuffled the rotation. He will skip Jared Jones this weekend, giving the rookie right-hander a break. Paul Skenes is scheduled to start tomorrow and Bailey Falter on Sunday, then after an off day Monday, Jones would presumably pitch against the Cardinals at PNC Park on Tuesday, although the Pirates have not yet announced any of the pitchers for the St. Louis series. Mitch Keller’s natural turn in the rotation would be Tuesday.
Appearing on MLB Network’s MLB Now yesterday, Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington told host Brian Kinney that Mitch Keller, Paul Skenes, and Jared Jones are three powerful forces in the Bucs’ rotation.
Cherington told Kinney that he is looking to augment this year’s team for a playoff run but he won’t mortgage the future for it.
The GM said any trade to help this year’s team would have to make sense for both the short term and the long term.
Checking in on Pirates who are rehabbing in the minors, Quinn Priester made his first start at Indianapolis in the first game of a doubleheader. He threw four innings and gave up two runs on five hits of a 4-3 loss as he works to come back from a lat injury. Catcher Joey Bart was 3-for-4 as he works back from a thumb injury. Ji Hwan Bae was 0-for-3. He is returning from a wrist injury. Neither Bart nor Bae played the second game, a 5-4 loss. Rehabbing catcher Henry Davis did not play in Altoona’s 6-4 win over Akron.
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