The Pittsburgh Pirates (23-20) are at PNC Park on Friday night for the first of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks (25-19). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM.
This is the first of six home games in six days, with the Texas Rangers coming into town on Monday night.
The Pirates will be sending out Johan Oviedo (2-3, 5.14) for his ninth start of the season. He will be going up against right-handed Zac Gallen (6-1, 2.35), who will be making his tenth start of the season.
Here are some links for the day:
**Pirates added to the bullpen today and subtracted from the bench.
**Colin Selby heads to the Injured List.
**Last night’s Prospect Watch is headlined by Termarr Johnson and Anthony Solometo.
**Here are some minor league moves from yesterday. If any pop up today, we will start a new article and post it here.
**New mock draft from Jonathan Mayo at MLB Pipeline
**For you baseball history fans, over on our history site today. There’s a new Card of the Day article looking at some cardboard from 1887.
**Today’s daily history article is headlined by a really rough day for Pittsburgh baseball.
UMPIRE SCORECARD
I usually don’t include the scorecard section after an off-day, but I have Wednesday’s scorecard here. Any Super Trooper fans? This reminded me of the gun range scene.
Fellow umpire: Hey Nic, what was with that one call well above the strike zone?
Nic Lentz: That little guy? I wouldn’t worry about that little guy.
Umpire: Nic Lentz
Final: Pirates 8, Tigers 0#LetsGoBucs // #RepDetroit#PITvsDET // #DETvsPITMore stats for this game 👇https://t.co/SrfrUtzw3M pic.twitter.com/chhJKHFBMw
— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) May 18, 2023
LINEUPS
Pirates
Welcoming the team from the desert.
📺 AT&T SportsNet
📻 93.7 The Fan | The PRN#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/SDiGnlipg6— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 19, 2023
Diamondbacks
Game 45. #ArizonaBorn pic.twitter.com/EVOtu0nE9i
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 19, 2023
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.
Raise it!!!
Back in 1rst Place
And just like that, Palacios rises above the Mendoza line…..
If I’m Commissioner teams can only carry 11 pitchers and position players must pitch an average of at least 1 inning per game
Robert cue the Bugsbunny baseball GIF.
I hate position players pitching. Wearing out a bullpen should be the prize you pay for sucking. I’m glad they made strides to eliminate the overuse, but they should just abolish it.
Agree, and I think it sucks watching my team feast on a position player.
🙂
It’s like a change of pace. All of the sudden the game turns into a Slow-Pitch Softball game
What the hell is defensive indifference? On lameday
Stole second base, but they weren’t holding him on and didn’t throw through. Doesn’t get credit for the steal in the stats.
Why does owings get late inning ABs and not castro?
Cheng has a slam.
Harrington was great for five innings, then got charged with two runs after leaving in the sixth.
Chandler with another very bad outing.
Bubba with 5 BB in under 3 innings oof
He’s having pitching discomfort……
Or pitcher indifference.
I think I like that better!
Cutch and the 1B umpire aren’t friends anymore.
Buccos hitting everything, while the Curve are getting no hit.
☹️
Ramirez should only throw sinkers, the slider seems to need work.
Then he throws a good one, wtf do I know…..
You know Freddie Mercury and Sir Mix Alot agreed on maybe one thing.
These are the days I love that I have Reynolds on my fantasy baseball and real life teams.
Underwood about to go on IL? I hope he’s not actually pitching through injury though.
If he’s going to stick in the majors Underdog needs to go to a team that realizes he is a three batter or one inning pitcher at most!
I like DUJ for the Brewers.
How many cases of Milwaukee’s finest for him he asked.
Lifetime supply
Is that a requirement? Isn’t pitching discomfort enough? He clearly has that.
Underwood pitching for his roster spot?
He’s so bad
He needs to go.
He better hope he’s not. Ten-run lead and he can’t throw strikes.
Well, starting another string of quality starts 😁
I heard the plan is a full 6 game homestand sweep
Can’t confirm, but it sounds right!
Rays lead! Rays lead!
Rays win! Rays win!
Castro should be getting an AB or two tonight, no reason not to
Why did he sit 5 or 6 games?
Pat on the back for Oviedo. Job done for the night.
Shit. Just got home from watching my son move up a belt in tae kwon do to think Bucs may be getting no hit. WTF.
You did things in the right order dad, the Bucs blowout is your reward!
Thanks. Took my bird, my daughter, and ninja to a Mexican place after so this is the third thing I have done tonight. But I appreciate the compliment. And the Bucco beat down.
Thank goodness we have depth past Underdog so your great dad reward actually happens.
Random dad story. Forgot you had to take your shoes off to go on the mat due to respect for martial arts. Sat down and was ready to take it all in when my 3 yr old daughter pointed out several holes in my sock. Attempted to hide the holes before thinking screw it. So now they may call me shoeless Bianco.
So it seems Drew Maggi really has played his last MLB game, as the only reason to bring him back up was to end the curse.
Double digits. Been a while
Boooommmm!!!!
REYNOLDS BOMB! Baseball is fun again
BRey! it’s raining Coco Pebbles here at Green Weenie Castle!
BREY HOMERUN!!!
I love Fat Bottom Girls, but now when I hear it it means that Hedges is getting another at bat.
I love fat bottom girls too!
I have the original poster that came with the album. That was a surprise for a 10 year old!
Always wanted to be a rock star. If it ever happens I will let you know if they make the rockin world go round.
we are talking about the song, right?
Either or. To each their own. I prefer the song but won’t hate on anyone saying it literally.
Oh….sure, I love Queen.
😂
Love me some vintage Cutch, lol!
Fun game so far. I’m breaking out the Coco Pebbles.
Control yourself!
Hard to do! Now available in a giant box!
I don’t know who is calling this game but with a 8-1 lead you should challenge guys with the bases empty not putting runners on to set up a big inning!
They just need to face aces to be good I guess.
So this means they go for another 10+ games winning streak, right?
The boys are back in town!!
Thanks Robert, now I must cue up Bruce after the game, lol.
Or…..Thin Lizzy. 😁
cowboy song on that album is good too! Actually, I think it was originally called, “Green Weenie Song.”
“I am just a Green Weenie, lonesome on the trail. Lord I’m just thinkin’ about a certain female. The nights we spent together ridin’ on the range. Lookin’ back it didn’t seem so strange…”
Yup, that’s how it went.
Damn this Carlsberg Elephants beer. thanks I def need to hear that song again, lol.
Carlsberg Elephants beer, I Damn thee!! 😁😁
Somebody is no longer the best pitcher in baseball.
Sending their sincerest apology to Keller who has been pitching like an ace and stopping the losing streaks despite the horrific team effort behind him
They’re gonna make sure it’s Cy Mitch in the end.
What the !*$&%*
They.. what?!?!! I have no words.
Who had Pirates lighting up both Rodriguez and Gallen? Baseball is so weird!
Second game in a row where they have lit up a really good pitcher.
And Key drives in two. What a weird sport.
Shelton must have lost a bet since he moved Key from lead-off.
Well, I wanted Cutch leading off from the day he signed.
I wanted him to lead off and manage the team since the day he signed.
I think Key said tonight that he doesn’t want to lead off.
Didn’t see that.
So BRey’s first RBI of the entire month comes on a bases loaded walk. Weird, but, OK.
Meanwhile, with this horrid streak, they’re actually for the second straight time giving a lot of trouble to an extremely good pitcher.
Are the Pirates back? Please?
I love April…oh sorry, lol
Look at BRey driving in a run.
Ump with a bad first strike call on BRey. I blame it on that shot he took to his melon.
And he still works the count and walk in a run!
It’s fun having Cutch back and it’s even better when they are playing better.
Of course they hit with RISP when NL’s top pitcher is on the mound. Like we all imagined. 😂
I bad mouth’em, they deliver! Josh Palacios! Play him everyday!
Bad mouth Reynolds now, we need him to get hot again!
Never! He’s the Man
…wait. that’s Palacios’ first hit as a Pirate??? I thought he already started quite some games
I think he’s had 9 or 10 AB coming into this game.
Ah. Somehow I thought he had more ABs than that…though 9-10 hitless ABs aren’t good either! Glad he finally got his first hit.
That was a Major League play by Mr. Marcano
Send Hedges down so Shelton cannot put him in the lineup
That’s the one step that I don’t think we’ll ever see, a player making $5 million send to AAA especially when no one else is ready.
I like XBH’s especially back to back