Notes: Bad Week At the Ballyard; Kell Hits #700; Banged Up Bucs; Team & Ol' Mateys In the News

Quite a start…

Pirates Stuff:

• The Pirates called up IF Tsung-Che Cheng, the team’s MLB Pipeline’s #17/Baseball America’s #19  prospect after IF Jared Triolo was placed on the 10-day IL (lumbar spine strain). Tsung-Che is a versatile good glove guy in the Triolo mold who has to prove his stick will play in MLB. But it sure looks like Cheng has leap-frogged Liover Peguero at shortstop, which is still an unsettled spot now manned by Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
• CF Oneil Cruz sat out Wednesday’s game; he had been hit in the hand the previous night and it was 40 degrees at gametime, so Shelty opted to give him the contest, followed by a travel day, off to recover. The down time lasted until Sunday when he returned to the lineup.
• Joey Bart left Friday’s game with a sore back, likely brought on by a collision with 1B Endy Rodriguez while pursuing a pop up. He was out of the lineup the next day and Henry Davis was called up from Indy and added to the taxi squad. Henry was quickly activated and RHP Chase Shugart optioned back to Indy. It’s been a notable week for Joey; his drive to the track on Wednesday not only won a game for the Bucs, but was his first MLB walk-off hit after six seasons and 829 PAs.
• OF Bryon Reynolds is beginning to throw after spending the start of the year as a DH because of a shoulder injury that allows him to swing but not toss. No timeline was given for his return to two-way player.

Bryan Reynolds – 2024 Topps Golden Mirror

• IF Jared Triolo, on the DL with a back sprain, is expected to resume baseball activities in the next few days. When he recovers, he’s expected to get a rehab stint before returning.
• RHP Colin Holderman, who’s on the 15-day IL with a knee injury, has began throwing off flat surfaces.
• IF Nick Yorke, off to a 5-for-15 start with three doubles at Indy, was put on the 7-day IL with a sore shoulder. He returned to action Friday – and homered.
• Thomas Harrington’s four-inning save on Monday was the Bucs first one in 25 years, since Jason Christiansen did it against the Expos in 1998. It was also his first save as a professional at any level. It didn’t help his cause, though – he was optioned back to Indy a couple of days later after posting an 0-1/10.13 line. A little more seasoning seems like the smart play; Harrington only had eight AAA outings before he was called up this month. Kyle Nicolas was recalled, so it appears Carmen Mlodzinski has claimed a rotation spot for now.
• As of 4/13, the Pirates were last in MLB in BA (.184) and tied for 27th in runs scored (50).
• IF Maikol Escotto of A+ Greenboro was named the Sally League Player of the Week after going 6-for-9 with a homer.
• After starting a fan furor over removing a Roberto Clemente sign in RF, the Pirates started another brushfire when it was discovered the the “Bucco Bricks” that were removed from the Stadium walkway were being recycled with no chance for the original donors, many of whom dedicated the bricks to family, to claim as a keepsake. The Bucs replied that the bricks will be replaced in some other ballyard format (they fibbed; the bricks were recycled). The problem isn’t moving things around  or updating the physical plant but the lack of communication which creates PR mountains out of molehills. BTW, they did put the Clemente Memorial marker back in its original RF corner spot.

Game Stuff:

• Carmen Mlodzinski did better in his second outing, holding the Cards to a run on five hits with six K in five frames. Thomas Harrington covered the final four frames as the Bucs rolled, 8-4. Joey Bart homered and tripled while Cutch and Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two hits/two RBI each.
• Paul Skenes made his ’25 home debut and sadly, pitched like a normal human. He gave up a career-high five runs and the Bucs went down to Sonny Gray and the Cards, 5-3.

Mitch Keller – 2025 Pirates

• Mitch Keller became the fastest pitcher in club history to reach 700 strikeouts by innings (718-1/3 IP) on Wednesday. Kells went 7-1/3 scoreless frames, giving up four hits while walking one and fanning six. The Pirates were no-hit until the seventh. The Cards lost a run in the eighth when KeBryan Hayes made a heads-up tag at home after Joey Bart and Endy Rodriguez collided with each other and Tommy Pham threw out a runner at home in the 10th. Both teams broke the ice in the 12th; for the Bucs, Pham’s two-out single scored Hayes to keep Pittsburgh alive. In the 13th, Isiah Kiner-Falefa came across when Joey Bart lifted a fly to the track over the shallow Card outfield, and the Pirates prevailed, 2-1, to win their first series of the year.
• The guys were off Thursday and traveled to Cincy for a weekend set. Bailey Falter opened and gave up five runs in five innings (two unearned on a bad Endy Rodriguez throw). The Bucs showed life in the fifth when Tommy Pham doubled in Jack Suwinski ahead of an Adam Frazier homer but 5-3 is how it ended; the Pirates had just four hits.
• Andrew Heaney had one blip in his outing – two bopped batters led to a Cincy grand slam – and the Pirates bats and gloves remained icier than the Pittsburgh weather in a 5-2 loss.
• The Reds caught up to Mlodzinski the second time around on Sunday and chased him after 4-1/3 IP as the Pirates were swept by a 4-0 score; the team scored fives runs on 10 hits in the three-game set. Pittsburgh (5-11) returns home tomorrow to open a seven-game stand against Washington and Cleveland.

MLB Stuff:

• The Milwaukee Brewers got RHP Quinn Priester from the Boston Red Sox for OF Yophery Rodriguez, a Competitive Balance Round A Selection and a PTBNL. The Brew Crew slotted him right into their injury-bitten rotation. The BoSox had acquired Quinn from the Bucs last year for IF Nick Yorke. Milwaukee also called up LHP Jose Quintana; they signed Q four or five weeks ago and sent him to the minors to knock off some rust.
• RHP Cody Bolton, who pitched for the Pirates in 2023 and then was sold to Seattle in the off season, was DFA’ed by the Mariners and sold to the Guardians. 

Josh Palacios – 2025 photo via Indy Indians

• OF Josh Palacios, who was recently DFA’ed, opted for free agency and signed with the White Sox. He was called up Thursday. 
• C Yasmani Grandal signed a minor-league deal with Boston. He was the Bucs #1 guy last year (.228 BA/9 HR) until he got bumped from the top spot by Joey Bart.
• Mark Mathias, a jack-of-all-trades guy who played a bit for the Pirates in 2023 (.231/22 games) has signed with the indie Long Island Ducks.
• LHP Angel Perdomo, who tossed for the Bucs in ’23 (3-2/3.72 in 30 outings) was DFA’ed by the Athletics; he’s coming back from 2024 TJ surgery.
• Octavio Dotel, 51, died when a night club roof in the Dominican Republic collapsed. Dotel pitched for the Pirates in 2010 (2-2-21/4.28 in 41 outings), before being dealt to LA at the deadline for James McDonald and Andrew Lambo. Former Nats IF Tony Blanco also died in the incident; his 19-year-old son, Tony Jr,. is a OF prospect at Bradenton.