For the second time this season, the Pirates surrendered more than 18 runs to a divisional rival as they dropped Sunday’s series finale to the St. Louis Cardinals, 18-4.
The loss also gave the Cardinals the series sweep of the Pirates.
Greg Brown has a full recap of the game.
The Pirates look to flip the script as they welcome the Colorado Rockies to PNC Park for a three-game set.
J.T. Brubaker (0-4, 5.50 ERA) goes for the Bucs, while former Pirates Chad Kuhl (3-2, 3.86 ERA) will start for Colorado. Airtime is 6:10 p.m. on WCCS 101.1 FM and AM 1160.
CONTRERAS, DE LOS SANTOS RECALLED
With the current staff failing to generate any sort of positive momentum, the Pirates turned to the minor leagues last night, recalling RHP Roansy Contreras and selecting the contract of RHP Yerry De Los Santos from Class AAA Indianapolis.
MLB insider Hector Gomez reported both moves around 8 p.m. last night.
Contreras, the Pirates No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, went 0-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 20 innings with the Indians since being optioned back in April. He’s also tallied 24 strikeouts and just 11 walks.
De Los Santos, who’s not in the Pirates Top 30 prospects, is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 12 games with the Indians. He’s allowed just three earned runs and eight hits while racking up 20 strikeouts over 15 innings pitched.
No corresponding moves have been announced yet. For De Los Santos to join the MLB roster, a 40-man roster spot must be cleared for him.
On his weekly radio show, Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington piqued the interest of fans, but not in a good way.
Despite the Bucs having the worst run differential in baseball, Cherington said that he’s “really encouraged by the way we’re making decisions in terms of who’s in the lineup, when the pitcher is in the game, and the strategy.”
Manager Derek Shelton, on the other hand, said “we didn’t play well this series,” and “I think that just speaks to execution.”
MLB
In other news, former Pirates catcher Andrew Knapp signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners yesterday. He played in 11 games for Pittsburgh before being designated for assignment last week.
