P2Live: Pirates are in Baltimore for Three Games

The Pittsburgh Pirates (21-17) take on the Baltimore Orioles (24-13) on Friday night at Camden Yards in the first of three games. First pitch tonight is at 7:05 PM.

The Pirates are sending out Johan Oviedo (2-3, 5.59) for his eighth start of the season. He will be going up against right-handed pitcher Kyle Bradish (1-1, 5.95), who is making his sixth start.

Here are some links from today and the off-day yesterday. If anything else comes up before the game, we will add the link/notes below.

**Prospect Watch: Sean Sullivan Has Another Good Start, Bradenton Rallies to Win

**Chase De Jong cleared waivers and has been assigned to Indianapolis. We will see if he decides to report.

**Minor Moves: Noe Toribio to the Injured List; Brad Case Returns to Altoona

**Pirates Sign LHP Ryan Borucki to a Minor League Deal

**New mock draft from BA

**Luis Ortiz Could Benefit From a Heavy Slider Approach

**Pirates Prospects Daily: Alessandro Ercolani is Off to a Strong Start in May

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John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.

When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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skliesen

We suck again.

PiratePrimate

Well, we’ll always have April. I feel like Rick at the train station when Ilsa doesn’t show up.

bucsws2014

I was losing faith in DUJ. He was making me look bad by pitching well too often lately. But he’s back on track now.

robertkasperski

Hey statscbl! Sure hope your jinx worked!

robertkasperski

Well, Jobu was stronger!

b mcferren

Joe Joe Joe Joe GOOOOOOO Joe

b mcferren

time to call up Selby and push underwood off the plank

skliesen

Bottom of 8th is looking worse and worse with every hit the Pirates get in the 9th. 🤬🤬🤬

loehr22

Underwood = terrible

Orioles announcers fascinated and focused on the bird bath = ridiculous

wtf

skliesen

Walk the guy ahead of the guy who needs a homer for the cycle. Then leave DUJR in to ensure the feared outcome becomes reality.

Hope nobody gets offended when Wilbur drags Sheldon’s name through the mud in the postgame recap article.

loehr22

I still think Shelty is a dud…..change my mind, lol

robertkasperski

Well…….poop……

PiratePrimate

Hell, Hayes can play SS better than Castro!

docdon385

Castro can play second decently and can hit lefties decently. Otherwise he is a total waste. Hayes would probably be a good SS if given the chance.

melkel

I must have taken some crazy pills, but I think the best defensive options for shortstop is Cheng in high A.

PiratePrimate

Looks like Andujar borrowed Hedges’ swing

PiratePrimate

With a real SS that’s a double play.

jon6er

Marcano would have had that Rudy

statscbl

I better go re-rank my Pirate shortstops.

jon6er

What if I would have said Owings or Cruz, lol

PirateRican21

So bottom of the 7, heart of the order and we send a rule 5 guy out there?????

skliesen

In fairness, his arm’s better than everyone but Holderman and Bednar.

Iowasteel

9th hitter due up first, not exactly heart of the order. Lefty, lefty, switch hitter are the first three up, so a lefty is not a bad choice.

PirateRican21

Heart of the order in todays game are the first two hitters, their best two hitters are Mullen and Rauchtman, I think is a bit much to ask a rookie.

ArkyWags

Hernandez has been good. I have a larger issue with not getting someone who could play shortstop.

robertkasperski

Rule 5 Guy has pitched very well.

PirateRican21

I’ve watch the games!

statscbl

Next time Bae attempts to steal second, he needs to go in spikes first.

jon6er

Is Hyde bringing a position player in to face Hedges, lol.

Last edited 19 days ago by jon6er
AdministrativeSky236

Joes xDAWG 📈

PiratePrimate

All is forgiven. He knew he should have caught that ball. Nice makeup!

Iowasteel

Joe giveth and Joe taketh away. He’s even on the day.

statscbl

and the Pirates win 9 out of 10, then lose 9 out of 10. I am going to quit getting too high or low and just watch Seinfeld’s “Even Steven” episode again.

robertkasperski

BOOM!!!!

Iowasteel

A bit on the wild side, but aside from that, Moreta has been a relevation.

AdministrativeSky236

I feel like moretas stuff almost plays up since hes a little wild

robertkasperski

I really like Moreta and Hernandez.

robertkasperski

Speak of the devil, Mr. Rule 5 Guy is warming….

PiratePrimate

Bad outfield play + bad catching play = bad baseball

jon6er

It helps to have elite outfield defense when you can’t score runs.

PiratePrimate

Joe should have caught that ball. Gutless to start his slide before he even got to the foul line.

robertkasperski

You have to remember how many visiting RF have the same reaction to The Clemente Wall too.

jon6er

Yeah and what’s with stopping on the play to point to the foul line. The amount of time that took might have nailed Mullins at third.

PiratePrimate

Exactly! But if he’d caught it, he wouldn’t have it the HR 🙂

jon6er

True, lol.

AdministrativeSky236

Is that two triples to joe in RF tonight?

AdministrativeSky236

Damn tough night at the dish for cutch

statscbl

I think earler in the year Cutch just tried to get on base and move runners over, as a result the ball went over the fence a few times. Now that we are slumping, I think he might be trying to do too much.

angie

Pirates bats are slumping so bad.. I don’t know if there’s any positive stats underlying that suggests there’s been tough luck or not but it’s really never easy to win any games if you require the starter to pitch scoreless games…

AdministrativeSky236

I would hope our avg with RISP is not sustainable but its not like we are hitting a bunch of bullets right at guys…

angie

Again lost confidence in our hitting coach 🫤

statscbl

I think the Buster Posey rule needs to be revisited. The rule protects the catcher, but any throw that pulls the catcher in the baseline puts the runner at risk. Btw, that is where the intent of the throw is usually going.

skliesen

Time to manufacture a run here. Hedges needs to advance Bae to 3rd at the very least.

PirateRican21

Bradish looking to easily improve his ERA. I think I’m gonna give this game until the 4th.

AdministrativeSky236

Hope youre still around!

statscbl

The Orioles have a 29 year old reliever from Cuba named Yennier Cano. I would say he has shown some improvement from last year.
2022 18 ip 26 hits 16 walks 23 earned runs
2023 19 ip 3 hits 0 walks 0 earned runs

robertkasperski

jon6er

Voodoo😁

robertkasperski

NMR

hottest arm in baseball.

patrick_kelly

I’m sure this has been mentioned, but thank you for moving the Latest section to the top of the homepage!

Let’s go Bucs!

robertkasperski

For a second there I thought we were gonna see another Rich Hill play,on a comebacker to the Pitcher……

PirateRican21

Two good pitches to get ahead 0-2 and then a meatball, then a 4 pitch walk………

robertkasperski

b mcferren

lets go bucs!

EightMenOut

I haven’t watch much of the games lately, does Marcano look ok at Shortstop? Statistically, and my eye test, says Castro and Bae are not options there except for an occasional appearance. The little bit I have seen of Marcano would suggest he may be ok there, for now.

statscbl

From my eye test, I rank those three in order of their defense at shortstop. 1) Castro, 2) Marcano, 3) Bae. Others may disagree.

EightMenOut

Castro does have 6 errors at Shortstop so far this year, seems like a lot.

statscbl

I meant he looks better than the other 2, not counting those 6 errors. 🙂

PirateRican21

1979andCounting

Raise your hand if you were one of us who was thinking about this Orioles team and what they accomplished from 2021 to 2022……a 31-game improvement! Astounding! Yeah, it crossed my mind for Bucs 2022 to 2023…….but then I quickly woke up from my dream.

jon6er

🤚

b mcferren

“which is what it was 🎵”

any keller fans out there?

b mcferren
NMR

yeah buddy!

Wilbur Miller

And it looked like the O’s punted the offseason, yet now they’re better still. They’ve probably hit on some new theory, like finding good players.

RAS TN

Drafting and Player Development…

Wilbur Miller

So that’s an option? Damn!

PirateRican21

Sounds like witchcraft to me.

jon6er

Maybe hold them to a touchdown and a field goal.

PiratePrimate

I’m ready for some LH bats to come alive and start pounding the ball.

MB21

Frazier batting 5th for the O’s. Interesting. I’m ready for some better RISP. So far the RISPY April has been so much better than the May RISP (or the 2020-22 versions).

NMR

Always happy to see old friends still getting work.

PirateRican21

Which Oviedo we are getting today, the ground ball inducing strike out machine or the home run prone/ big inning guy?

robertkasperski

Hmmmmm….. I’ll take the ground out inducing strikeout machine please 😁

PirateRican21

Good choice, a man capable of making the hard choices!

Last edited 19 days ago by PirateRican21
mpg43952

Managerial material!

AdministrativeSky236

I am as impressed with joe’s start as anyone, but doesnt he hammer lefties and just ok against righties? Feel like hes being stretched beyond his platoon or partial player limits

PirateRican21

I brought that exact point a few games back. The problem is who should play against RH pitchers? CSN wasn’t it, Cal and Travis are not it…..Palacios?

b mcferren

check his career splits by month and you will see that he will turn into a pumpkin by august

AdministrativeSky236

Perfect should be ready to carve for halloween then!

PiratePrimate

The Pirates are going to be alright. They just need to get Hedges’ bat going. . . . I think I just threw up in my mouth.

AdministrativeSky236

Well baltimore’s lineup is deep and pen is solid but their SP has been shaky so we will need to jump on their starters to take the series.

Side note: kinda fun that I would confidently roll keller out there against most any lineup and expect a QS! Would be fun for him to take home a series win sunday with him on the bump

PiratePrimate

Would be fun not to get swept

Danatural08

please don’t suck anymore Buccos

1979andCounting

It should be noted that the Bucs were on a 9-1 streak immediately before their current 1-9 streak. So that’s 10-10…..about all we should really expect out of this team. Yeah it’s been a roller coaster ride thru the first month and a half, would prefer some consistency, but it is what it is based on the roster (and coaching) that BC and Shelton put out there from night to night. Still it’s mind-boggling to see the bottom drop out from a team that was 1st in Runs (154), first in extra base hits (102), 1st in slugging (.456), 1st in stolen bases (39) and 1st in RISP (.312) before they hit a brick wall.
One of the more bizarre starts in memory.

b mcferren

we do have a number of streaky players

so maybe this is expected

but on the other hand 9-1 was against crappy teams and 1-9 was against good teams

statscbl

The 9-1 was a series win over the Dodgers. Earlier, the Pirates won a series against the Astros and swept the Red Sox at Boston.

SBRO

Well, 6 of those losses at least. The other 3 were against the Nats and Rocks.

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