What are you most excited about ahead of the Pirates home opener?
- The 4-2 start to the season.
- Oneil Cruz is in the lineup after the scare in Wednesday’s game.
- The potential for a #PNCBlackout.
Photo credit above to David Hague from the 2013 Wild Card Game.
The Pirates open their season at PNC Park today against the Chicago White Sox. Lineups and game info can be found below, as well as our daily links on the site. Join us in the comments below to discuss the game.
PIRATES VS WHITE SOX
Game Time: 4:12 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Rich Hill, LHP (0-1, 5.40)
White Sox Starter: Lucas Giolito, RHP (0-0, 3.60)
Pirates Lineup:
The Home Opener is here!
📺 AT&T SportsNet
📻 93.7 The Fan | The PRN#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/kaNAQ8Vow1— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 7, 2023
White Sox Lineup:
Lucas Giolito on the bump! pic.twitter.com/rF8BZm5QU1
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 7, 2023
TODAY ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
My daily column looks at the vibe in Pittsburgh and how it might impact the prospects arriving this summer.
With a full schedule of minor league games kicking off today, we picked our sleeper prospects to follow in the system. If you missed it from yesterday, check out our minor league previews:
Triple-A: Indianapolis Indians
Double-A: Altoona Curve
High-A: Greensboro Grasshoppers
Single-A: Bradenton Marauders
**Ethan Hullihen broke down the Pirates Opening Day payroll, putting them at around $75 million for the start of the 2023 season.
**In his latest daily article, Anthony Murphy looks at the two sides of Kyle Nicolas on the mound.
**The Pirates got several mentions among the best tools in the minors, and John Dreker breaks it all down.
**If you missed yesterday’s column, I looked at three prospects I’m following in the Pirates’ system this year.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Raise it!
Harrington is looking good tonight at Lecom.
Great deke by Rivas, fooling Justin Crawford into a fly out double play.
194 comments. That’s great.
Much better bullpen
Some really solid veterans
Talented young guys that are ready to win
Most importantly an absolutely awful division.
It just feels like this year is going to be different.
Will Jason delay Endy’s promotion?
If it’s by playing well, I think we can live with it.
OFFENSEEEEEEEEE!!
glad to see the pirates win. well. i didn’t see them technically. stupid blackouts
Condolences…..☹️☹️☹️☹️
thank u. I can only hope when MLB takes over the broadcasts, they will stop the blackoutd
RTJR!
4 game winning streak, baby!!!
Someone tell me how to post an image
Raise it!
Big lead and all, but Crowe is at 60 pitches.
Reminds me of when he was a starter, lol.
I finally see the gif box!! Raise it!!!
A fine choice.
Ok. Ok. Nobody panic.
I wasn’t going to panic until they said Oscar was going to the mound instead of Shelton!
It would be sweet for Moreta to get the win!
Two more outs please
Holy Shit, Batman, it’s fun to be a Pirates fan again!
Insurance run.
Joe’s having a great day
This team has an interesting mix of younger and veteran players, cool characters, and a lot of potential for folks to either break out or tap into a not quite yet exhausted well of ability. It could be the makings of some really good chemistry. Recency bias aside, there may just be something special happening in Pittsburgh with this team…
Connor Joe…need I say more?
I initially wasn’t thrilled with his signing but besides his previous mlb experience he had a real good spring and now I hope he has the season of his career in a Bucs uniform!
And the golden sombrero is given
Platinum Sombrero. 🙈
Let’s get Reynolds another AB
I’m watching the game in the Chicago area and their announcers have repeatedly mentioned the beleaguered Pirate bullpen. WTF are they talking about? I think they’ve been mostly good this year.
They meant big leaguer.
Maybe they got confused with their bullpen?? Pirates bullpen has been quite solid 🤔
Really strange considering that over 75% of runs given up have been by the starters for the Pirates. I’m guessing on the 75% but I’m too lazy to look it up, lol.
I think that’s a good guess.
starters 24 runs, 23 earned, bullpen 6 in seven games.
There you go!
Will Crowe….STUD.
Sadly these are the only kind of games you can trust him with and unless this offense becomes a regular thing he’s going to be a ?
I like that twirly ball Crowe throws.
Bednar might get a save chance yet with Crowe and De Jong having two innings left to cover.
Reynolds with a fielders choice. So disappointing. 🤣🤣🤣
Over rated.
No contract for him.
The way Nutting sees it Reynolds lost ten million in value with his three outs minus the eight million he gained with his three runs scored, three hits and six rbi’s!
slacker
Last cycle John Jaso is hilarious
Baseball is fun, ain’t it?
Happy Crowe Day Y’all!!
Roberts eats some Crowe. Nice.
17 hits in 34 ABs tonight. Yeah, I had that.
Jack down, Travis up
The Pirates have 17 hits and Suwinski is about to get his golden sombrero
Suwinski is completely lost out there. Check swinging his way to a third strike out. He’s taking up the roster spot of someone else who could be contributing. He needs to go down and work in an environment where he’s not feeling the pressure to produce.
Didn’t he struggle in AAA last year after the demotion even? Or maybe I’m just making things up.
You’re not.
Well that’s not ideal. I don’t know how he can fix his issue. Entire swing mechanics? More aggressive approach?
I just realized, Reynolds needs just a double to hit for the cycle? Make it happen
Plenty of time left, lol.
The 2013 vibes are in full effect with these Martin and Burnett interviews…
What I would give to have those same feelings again watching Pirates baseball.
I want to believe as well, but we had the same feelings in 2011 and 2012, and we all know how those seasons ended. That said, I think this year is different.
I don’t believe the team currently constructed is a winning team, let alone a playoff team. I wish they were.
I didn’t have any playoff feelings for the Pirates until late in the offseason in 2012. I bought season tickets for 2013 and was laughed at by most of my friends….
Once again very interesting that Shelton doesn’t go with Crowe or De Jong.
He’s waiting for a bigger lead, lol.
And here’s Crowe with 5 run lead…
For those of you too young to remember the early 70’s Pirates of Clemente, Stargell, Oliver, Hebner, Sanguillen etc., this is what it was like.
Back then, they’d be down four and you’d think, So . . . ?
16 hit in 5 innings is crazy 😂 bullpen please hold!!!
Good grief, Cherington, pay the man! Increase the offer to counter the opt out BS. There’s no way Reynolds can be traded now or there might be a revolt in Pirate land.
Unfortunately not up to Cherington to pay him…
This is the real answer.
Before this year he wasn’t an Alpha Dog. Now he’s letting the world know he’s The Alpha Dog!
19 runs score in less than ten innings played, PNC a hitters paradise.
Unfortunately I think we’re gonna see a lot of these Stat lines this year from hill…
BRYAN FREAKING REYNOLDS
Holy shit! I am so jacked up right now!
Extend that man.
Not with that opt out. Lol.
Maybe the Pirates will start garnering national attention now?
I was surprised even when we swept the Red Sox no reporter was really talking about it. Typical media?
Little league homer!!!
LFG
Reynolds is insanely hot right now
My heart is beating so fast 😂
Your comment could be taken in a way that you probably didn’t intend Angie.
Hahahahaha
Both are true though
I thought as much.
Holy shit.
That’s a slam in my book.