Notes: Split Six In LA; Renegade, Colin Back, Gorski Up; Mayza, Lawrence On IL; Exes Shuffle

To the coast…

Pirates Stuff:

• OF Matt Gorski and RHP Mike Burrows were called up on Thursday. OF Jack Suwinski was optioned to Indy while LHP Tim Mayza was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day to open Matt’s spot’. LHP Justin Lawrence (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day IL to clear roster room for Mike. Lawrence may be gone awhile; he’s seeking a second opinion on his injury this week. Gorski had a hot camp and has been raking in AAA while Burrows debuted for the Bucs last year. This visit was quick; a couple of days later, he was optioned back to Indy after RHP Colin Holderman was activated on Saturday. Gorski homered in his first at bat. He’s the first Bucco since Starling Marte in 2012 to go deep during his debut at bat (Starling whacked his on the first pitch!).
• Tommy Pham was suspended for a game after he gave an obscene gesture to fans in Angels Stadium on Wednesday. He’s appealing, based on the fact that a fan made contact with him while he was fielding a ball in the corner.

Spencer Horwitz – 2024 Pirates

• 1B Spencer Horwitz finished a quick tune-up trip to Florida for some work and began rehab at Altoona on Sunday. If he gets through the rehab period cleanly, his return date is in mid-May.
• Injury report: LHP Jared Jones is due for another MRI; if it’s clean, he will be able to start some soft-toss throwing. C Endy Rodriguez is beginning “light” baseball activities while Mayza, recently put on the 15-day IL for a shoulder strain, will be shut down for six weeks after testing showed multiple muscle injuries.

Game Stuff:

• After a Monday travel day, Pittsburgh came out blazing in a 9-3 win over LA at Angel Stadium. Bailey Falter started and only lasted four frames – the team said the quick hook was due to back tightness rather than the three runs he gave up. The Buc bullpen then spun zeros (Chase Shugart got the dub for his two IP) while the Pirates bopped a season-high 18 hits. Cutch had a three-run homer while Bryan Reynolds, Tommy Pham and IKF added three knocks each.
• And it’s two in a row as Andrew Heaney went six one-hit scoreless frames with nine K and the pen took it from there in a 3-0 win. Oneil Cruz bombed a 463′ dinger and while the Bucs scratched for runs, they banged out 11 hits; all 10 batters (Jared Triolo pinch hit) had a hit.
• OF Matt Gorski made his debut, and it was a good one – he homered in his first MLB at bat. Cruz stayed hot; he banged another lead-off bomb. Carmen Mlodzinski continued his MO; the second time around the order, the Angels rang up a three-spot to knot the score. It was all arms after that; LA used a long ball in the eighth to take a 4-3 win.

Matt Gorski – 2025 Pirates

• Wooo baby – Paul Skenes v. Yoshinobu Yamamoto at Dodger Stadium was the Friday night special. And Paul claimed the honors, spinning 6-1/3 scoreless IPs (108 pitches) of five-hit, no-walk, nine-K baseball in the Pirates’ 3-0 win. Cruz kept on keepin’ on with two hits, a walk, a swipe, two runs scored and a RBI.
• Cruz hit a leadoff homer for the fourth time this month, and it was a see-saw, 4-4, game into the eighth before Colin Holderman, in his first outing since being recalled, gave up a three-run homer. Match, set, game – LA won 8-4. 
• Good start: Andrew McCutchen (Cutch went 4-for-4) and Emmanuel Valdez swatted back-to-back dingers off former Bucco Tyler Glasnow, who left after an inning with shoulder discomfort. That was the highlight as the Dodgers whacked Bailer Falter and romped to a 9-2 win.

MLB Stuff:

• The Pirates are ninth in draft pool money available with $14,088,400 cap, tucked between the Cards and the Brewers.
• The Diamondbacks called up RHP Scott McGough, 35. He’s from Plum HS and was drafted by Pittsburgh way back in 2008, although he didn’t sign. He’s got parts of three seasons in the show with Miami and Arizona.

Martin Perez – 2024 Topps

• LHP Marin Perez, who was 2-5/5.20 in Pittsburgh last year before being swapped to San Diego, is now with the White Sox (1-1/3.15) and was just placed on the 60-day IL with elbow woes. He’s not expected to face TJ surgery but is projected to be out until September.  
• RHP Connor Overton, who got a handful of outings or Pittsburgh in 2021, signed a minor league deal with Toronto.
• Ol’ Man River RHP Jesse Chavez was DFA’ed by Atlanta.