The Pirates had some injuries and roster shuffling before tonight’s game. Andrew McCutchen and Ke’Bryan Hayes went to the injured list, with Ji-Man Choi returning. There were also some minor league moves, with Travis Swaggerty going on a rehab assignment. Check out all of the daily moves here.
We had a lot of draft coverage on the site today. I wrote a column on why Paul Skenes is my pick. I feel like I could write so much more about Skenes alone, going into details about his game that I saw, but honestly I have no time. Plus, we had so much draft coverage with our recent Roundtable series, which wrapped up today.
I’m putting my reporter hat on for the next few days. Tomorrow, I’ll have a great perspective on the MLB Draft from one major leaguer mentioned in this article.
Sunday, I’ll have one of my largest articles ever. This novel will go up that morning, and will provide you with some original content to get you through the day as you wait for that first pick a little past 7:00 PM.
For now, Rich Hill is on the mound in Arizona. If you aren’t worn out with reading the comments from today’s articles, join in to discuss the game results below.
PIRATES (40-47) AT ARIZONA
Game Time: 9:40 PM EST
Pirates Starter: Rich Hill, LHP (7-8, 4.50)
Diamondbacks Starter: Zac Gallen, RHP (10-3, 3.12)
Pirates Lineups:
Baseball in the Valley.
Diamondbacks Lineups:
Game 89. #ArizonaBorn pic.twitter.com/KNWY7pz8lb
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 7, 2023
DAILY PIRATES NEWS
My column on the top five players, and why I would pick Paul Skenes.
**Williams: The Pirates Can’t Pass on the Chance to Draft Paul Skenes
The latest mock drafts have Skenes to the Pirates.
**Paul Skenes Goes to Pirates in Latest Mock Drafts from ESPN and Baseball America
Our Roundtable series wraps up with our picks.
**Pirates Roundtable: Who Would You Pick First Overall in the 2023 Draft?
PIRATES RECAP
By Wilbur Miller
Check back at the end of the night for all of the daily results throughout the system, or, join the discussion in the comments if you’re following Live.
Final Score: Diamondbacks 7, Pirates 3
Player of the Game: Jared Triolo 2-for-4, 2B
Recap:The Pirates and Rich Hill had little to offer against Arizona and its ace, Zac Gallen. The offense showed up a little bit after Gallen was out, just to make it look semi-respectable, but the Pirates were never in it, losing 7-3. Their latest losing streak is now three.
Hill wasn’t throwing strikes and got hit when he did. He lasted four innings and gave up five runs on seven hits and four walks. He now has a 5.68 ERA in his last nine starts.
The fatal inning was the third. Hill walked Jake McCarthy to lead off the inning, then picked him off but threw too slowly to first, so McCarthy reached second. After a single put runners at the corners, the D’backs executed a squeeze bunt — that’s where you don’t pop it up — and nobody bothered covering first, so the Pirates got nobody. Then a Lourdes Gurriel home run made it 4-0.
In the fourth, McCarthy led off with another walk and again stole second despite being picked off, this time with Carlos Santana throwing the ball into left. A two-out double by Gurriel made it 5-0.
The Pirates were overmatched against Gallen. He gave up just four hits over seven innings The only semblance of offense came in the fifth, when Jared Tiolo doubled and scored on a single by Tucupita Marcano.
Yohan Ramirez replaced Hill and threw a scoreless fifth, but in the sixth he gave up a single and a walk with two out. The D’backs, who ran wild in this game, pulled a double steal and got a run when Austin Hedges threw the ball away. A Christian Walker double got the other run in. That made it 7-1.
The Pirates showed some life only when Justin Martinez, making his first major league appearance, replaced Gallen in the eighth. They loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batsman (Henry Davis, of course), and Santana singled two runs home. Ji-Man Choi, making his return with an 0-for-4 night, struck out to end the threat. The Pirates went down tamely in the ninth.
Davis saw his first major league action behind the plate, catching the bottom of the eighth after Hedges left for a pinch hitter. Dauri Moreta pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.
