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The Pirates Keep Finding Ways to Win

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are 8-2.

They’ve won three games in extra innings, have shown the repeated ability to battle from behind, and on Sunday, they won their game and series against the Baltimore Orioles with a wild finish.

One play after they nearly tied the game on a challenged call at the plate, the Pirates sent Edward Olivares to the plate with one out and the bases loaded. Olivares grounded up the middle to Gunnar Henderson, who made a diving stop and tagged the bag at second with his glove. Henderson’s throw to first went wild, allowing the winning run to walk home, and avoiding the game winning out for the Orioles.

The Pirates were set up today with good pitching from Marco Gonzales (6 IP, 2 ER, 4 K), Roansy Contreras (1.2 shutout innings), and the recently returned Jose Hernandez (1.1 shutout innings, 2 K). Gonzales was showing good swing and miss ability, picking up some clutch strikeouts. Hernandez also brought swing and miss stuff in his return to the big leagues.

Olivares picked up two hits earlier in the game, joining Ke’Bryan Hayes as the only players with multiple hits. He scored the first run of the game for the Pirates in the bottom of the 5th on a sacrifice fly from Henry Davis. The final play of the game had an 87.1 MPH exit velocity, and was difficult for the Orioles’ young shortstop to field.

With the win, the Pirates continue their hot start to the 2024 season. It’s early, but their 8-2 record leads the NL Central by a game and a half, and is tied for the best record in baseball. Only four teams have a better run differential, and only two teams have scored more runs during the young season.

The Pirates will look to continue this with two games at home this week against the Detroit Tigers, before traveling across the state to Philadelphia for a four-game series next weekend.

PIRATES TRADE COLIN SELBY FOR CONNOR OLIVER

After the game, the Pirates announced that they acquired LHP Connor Oliver from the Kansas City Royals for RHP Colin Selby. The Pirates designated Selby for assignment on April 2nd.

Oliver is much lower on the depth charts, getting drafted last year in the 17th round out of Miami of Ohio. He pitched one inning in rookie ball for his pro debut. Selby represented a depth option for the bullpen, and the Pirates had too much depth to keep him. They’ll get an extra pick from last year’s draft to develop in exchange for that extra depth.

In other moves, the Pirates called up LHP Jose Hernandez and placed LHP Ryan Borucki on the 10-day IL. Borucki’s placement is retro April 6th, and due to left triceps inflammation.

Ji Hwan Bae began a rehab assignment in Bradenton.

PROSPECT WATCH

Both of the upper level teams lost, while the A-ball teams won on Sunday.

Indianapolis lost 3-2.

  • SS-2B Nick Gonzales picked up three hits in four at-bats, while walking once. One of his hits was a double, although that wasn’t one of the three batted balls he hit at 95 MPH or higher. Gonzales is now batting .405 with a 1.058 OPS. More importantly, he has just a 17% strikeout rate.
  • LF Canaan Smith-Njigba went 2-for-3.
  • C Carter Bins went 1-for-3 with a walk.
  • LHP Cam Alldred made the start, allowing one run on two hits in four innings, with three walks and three strikeouts.
  • RHP Colin Holderman made his latest rehab appearance, throwing a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Altoona lost 1-0.

  • LHP Anthony Solometo made his 2024 debut, pitching four shutout innings with one hit, three walks, and two strikeouts. Solometo made 12 starts at the Double-A level last year, posting a 4.35 ERA, with improved walk numbers compared to the High-A level. His control was off today, but he pitched a good outing.
  • RHP Valentin Linarez pitched two innings, allowing one run on one hit, with no walks and five strikeouts.
  • 1B Aaron Shackelford had most of the offense today, going 2-for-4.
  • 2B Francisco Acuna went 1-for-1 with two walks.
  • LHP Tyler Samaniego and RHP Cam Junker each pitched scoreless innings in relief.

Greensboro won 7-2.

  • SS Jack Brannigan went 2-for-3 with two walks, while hitting his first home run of the season.
  • DH Lonnie White Jr. hit his second homer of the year, and his second in as many days, knocking in three runs.
  • RHP J.P. Massey made the start, going 3.1 innings while allowing two runs on two hits, with four walks and two strikeouts.
  • LHP Dominic Perachi threw 3.2 shutout innings in relief, allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out three.
  • RHP Brandan Bidios threw a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.

Bradenton won 4-0.

  • RHP Khristian Curtis, drafted in the 12th round last year, made his pro debut. Curtis pitched three shutout innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and striking out two. He had a six-pitch mix, mostly working with a four seam, cutter, and curveball. Curtis sat 95-96 MPH with his fastballs, topping out at 97.5. His cutter averaged 89.7 MPH, and his curveball averaged 80 MPH with over 2600 RPMs. All six of the pitches from Curtis move, registering with 2200 RPM or higher.
  • LHP Magdiel Cotto, taken in the 11th round last year, pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts. Cotto sat 94.5 MPH with his fastball, topping out at 95.5. He also threw a slider at 85, a sinker at 94.6, and a changeup at 88.7. Cotto picked up a whiff on the slider in two swings, and got a called or swinging strike on five of his eight four-seam fastballs.
  • CF Ji Hwan Bae made his first rehab appearance, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
  • LHP Yoldin De La Paz pitched two perfect innings, striking out two.
  • RHP Landon Tomkins, drafted in the 10th round last year, closed out the game with two perfect innings and four strikeouts. Tomkins had the best swing and miss stuff of the day, with five whiffs on six swings against his slider, and another whiff on the four seam. His fastball sat 93.6 MPH, touching 95, with a low-80s slider.

STATCAST HEROES

The Pirates got some swing and miss from Marco Gonzales today. STATS

Indianapolis continues getting hard contact from Nick Gonzales. STATS

Khristian Curtis brought the velocity in his pro debut for Bradenton. STATS

DAILY VIDEO RUNDOWN

Oneil Cruz made a nice stop and throw on this difficult play.

https://twitter.com/piratasbeisbol/status/1777049011918148083

That wild walk off from Edward Olivares.

Anthony Solometo picks up a strikeout in the first inning.

Valentin Linarez gets one of his five strikeouts.

Check out this power from Jack Brannigan.

Lonnie White Jr. goes opposite field for his second homer of the year.

This is a nasty curveball for a strikeout by Khristian Curtis.

Ji Hwan Bae picked up a double in his first rehab at-bat.

Bae followed that with an RBI single.

Shortstop Javier Rivas completes the rundown with another web gem.

TODAY: PIRATES (8-2) VS TIGERS (6-3)

Game Time: 6:40 PM EDT
Watch: SportsNet-PIT
Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7

Pirates Starter: Mitch Keller, RHP (0-1, 6.55)
Orioles Starter: Reese Olson, RHP (0-0, 0.00)

In the Minors…

The minor leagues are off on Monday.

PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY

In the latest First Pitch, I looked at the depth of the system to see if the Pirates have enough talent to contend in 2024 and beyond.

First Pitch: Do the Pirates Have Enough Talent to Contend in 2024?

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THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS

**2024 Pittsburgh Pirates Top 50 Tiered Rankings Version 1.0

The top 50 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, plus a few more, separated into tiered rankings to give you an idea of who could be starters and who could be depth.

**Indianapolis Will Provide Paul Skenes and Depth For the Pirates in 2024

Paul Skenes leads a group of prospects in Triple-A who will provide the Pirates with depth throughout the 2024 season.

**Altoona Features the Best Prospect Group in the Pirates System in 2024

The best prospect group, from the start of the year through the end of the year, will be found in Altoona.

**Greensboro is Loaded With Hitting Talent At the Start of the 2024 Season

The hitters at the top of the Greensboro prospect group will have fun hitting in that home park with zero outfield space.

**Bradenton Has One of The Best Upside Prospect Groups in Years

There’s a group of high upside players making their way to full-season ball, and it could be one of the best Single-A groups in years for the Pirates.

**Five Players in Rookie Ball Who You Should Watch in the Pirates System

Five players in rookie ball who stand out as some of the most promising options in the entire Pirates system.

SONG OF THE DAY

Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

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Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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