Notes: Bad, Bad Week, Bad, Bad Stats; Santana & Hunter Back, Peggy & Rainey Up, IKF Hurt, Lawrence on 60-Day, Nicolas Down; Cruz Cruisin'

Homestandin’…

Pirates Stuff:

• Back-end reliever Dennis Santana went on the bereavement list on Wednesday (duration: 3-7 days) and Hunter Stratton was recalled to take his spot. The Pirates recalled IF Liover Peguero a couple of days later and optioned Stratton back to Indy. Peggy was called up as Isiah Kiner-Falefa is dealing with “some lower body stuff” per Shelty. To continue the thread, RHP Tanner Rainey, a 7-year vet signed this year who was at Indy was brought up on Saturday: IKF went on the 10-day IL, retro to May 1, with a hammy strain. RHP Justin Lawrence was flipped from the 15-day IL to 60-day to make room on the 40-man roster. Closing the circle, Santana returned Sunday and RHP Kyle Nicolas was optioned to Indy.

Dennis Santana – 4/2/2025 phot/MLB

• Injury report: RHP Dauri Moreta (TJ surgery) began a rehab stint at Altoona. C Endy Rodriguez hit a bump in his recovery and will have his hand (laceration) immobilized for another week. RHP Jared Jones can begin throwing off level surfaces. His estimated return from his UCL sprain, if all goes well, is 12 weeks. 
• Oneil Cruz swiped his 33rd straight base, the longest streak in Pirates history since 1951 (the year caught stealing was codified and became an official MLB stat), passing Tony Womack’s streak of 32 posted in 1997. The Pirates recognized all-time record is 37 consecutive larcenies by Max Carey in 1922-23. 
• The early season stats aren’t lookin’ so hot: The Pirates have been shutout a MLB-leading six time, grounded into a league- leading 35 double plays, are next-to-last in homers with 25 & slugging at .335 and rank 27th in BA at .223.
• LHP Hunter Barco, 24, has gone 25-2/3 scoreless innings to set an Altoona franchise record for the longest whitewash streak. As his reward, he was promoted to Indy this weekend. Hunter’s a 2022 second round pick out of Florida.

Game Stuff:

• Monday was an off day, with three against the Cubs and three more v the Padres on tap. Andrew Heaney couldn’t make it through the fifth for the Tuesday kickoff and the pen was banged around as the Cubbies won running away, 9-0. Pirate pitchers failed to fan a batter for the first time since 2009 while giving up four HRs.
• Carmen Mlodzinski made it to the fifth up 2-0; the first two runners reached and he was yanked. A following hit, passed ball and wild pitch put the Cubbies up 3-2. The Bucs stopped the bleeding, scoring twice in the seventh when Cutch’s hard-hit grounder was kicked by a sliding SS into short center, plating a pair. On the same play a fan fell over the Clemente Wall; he was unconscious when the medicos reached him (and the cavalry got there in a hurry in the form of paramedics and the Pirate/Chicago med staffs) and taken to AGH in critical condition (he’s conscious, alert and talking now). The score held up with Pittsburgh hanging on for a 4-3 win. Caleb Ferguson got the dub and David Bednar posted the save. Ke’Bryan Hayes kept his 10-game hitting streak alive with two knocks.

Caleb Ferguson – January 2025 image/Pirates

• Paul Skenes left after five frames down 3-2 (all solo shots), and the team was out of rallies as they were left in the dust, 8-3. Bryan Reynolds had two of the Pirates five hits, including a homer.
• Mitch Keller left the rain-delayed Friday game down 5-2 after five. The Bucs closed it to 5-4 before San Diego put up a three-spot in the eight and another in the ninth to run away with a 9-4 win.
• Saturday’s game was rain-delayed, too, but that didn’t stop Bailey Falter, who went seven innings of one-run, two-hit ball and left knotted at ones. It still ended up another loss. Fernando Tatis Jr hustled a double out of a grounder through the SS hole, stole third, and scored on a wild pitch that barely squirted out of the batters box. The Pirates stranded 10 runners and went down, 2-1.
• The Pirates pretty much mailed in the finale, losing, 4-0, and making unforced errors galore to lose their seventh game in eight tries. Elon Musk & Tesla have had a better start to the year. 

MLB Stuff: 

• RHP Charlie Morton, 41. has been moved to the bullpen. After inking a $15M deal with the Orioles, his line is 0-6/9.45 and his peripherals are at career lows. The O’s are hoping that a stint in the pen will get Ground Chuck back in the groove to return to the rotation.