The Pirates have lost four of their last five games after being swept by the San Diego Padres with the third game of the series finishing this afternoon in a seven-to-six loss. The Pirates are now 56-58 and third in the National League Central. After today’s loss, the Pirates have fallen to four and a half games out of the last wild card spot in the National League. Next, they will head to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers. Suppose the Pirates cannot get out of this weekend with a series win. In that case, they might just have fallen too far back in the wild-card chase, or at the very least made it very tough on themselves to catch the likes of the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, or even the red-hot San Francisco Giants. Before today’s game, the Pirates announced several roster moves.
RF – Edward Olivares
The Pirates have designated Olivares for assignment today. He only played in 55 games this year for the Pirates and underwhelmed with 22 runs scored, four doubles, five home runs, 23 RBIs, 16 walks, 37 strikeouts, and one stolen base. He only slashed .224/.291/.333 with a .624 OPS while with the Pirates.
CF – Joshua Palacios
The Pirates have sent him on a rehab assignment to the Indianapolis Indians. In 20 games this year with the Pirates Palacios has eight runs scored, one double, two home runs, seven RBIs, seven walks, and 10 strikeouts, and has slashed .230/.319/.344 with a .663 OPS on the year.
RHP – Jared Jones
The Pirates have sent Jones on a rehab assignment down to the Indianapolis Indians in Triple-A. Jones was terrific before going on the injured list with five wins and six losses. He started 16 games with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. In 91 innings pitched he has 98 strikeouts and only 27 walks.
RHP – Colin Holderman
The Pirates have placed Colin on the 15-day injured list with a right wrist sprain. In 44 games this year he has three wins, five losses, and 15 holds. He has a 3.21 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. In 42 innings pitched, he has 47 strikeouts and 21 walks allowed.
RHP – Ben Heller
The Pirates have selected the contract of Heller from the Indianapolis Indians from Triple-A. In 3o games with Triple-A Indianapolis, he has two wins, three losses, and a 3.55 ERA. He has pitched in two games for the Pirates this year with one loss and a 49.50 ERA in just two innings pitched.
Overview
The Pirates need Jared Jones back as they try and make this push for one of the last wild card spots. Losing Holderman or any longer than the 15 days would be tough as he has been a weapon out of the bullpen this year for the Pirates. The team will have a tough weekend matchup, but hopefully, they can get two of the three wins this weekend to hold their ground in the race. They do have Paul Skenes going this weekend so they have a good shot between him and Mitch Keller to put their best foot forward, but still, they will need their bats to continue to hit to support their pitching staff this weekend. Make sure to tune in and watch them this weekend, cause this is a very crucial series for the Pirates!
