Notes: Good Week; Shuffle Continues; Draftees Class In (19 of 21 Signed); Pirates HoF First Class Announced; Minor/Major League Snips

The dog days approach... 

 Notes: 

• Pittsburgh ended a seven-game losing streak with a victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday. They followed on with a pair of walk off wins to sweep the three-game Brew Crew set, coming from behind in all three contests. They salvaged the third game against Baltimore to finish the week at 4-2. Next on the agenda, they travel to Arizona and San Francisco.
• On Monday, the Pirates sent RHPs Jose Quintana, 33, and Chris Stratton, 31, to the Cards for RHP Johan Oviedo and 1B/3B Malcomb Nunez, a power-hitting AA prospect. Q, signed as a FA in the offseason, went 3-5/3.50 in 20 starts while Stratton, who joined the Bucs in 2019 with a Pittsburgh line of 15-7-10/3.98, was having an off campaign. Oviedo, 24, was 2-9/4.65 with 19 of his 33 MLB outings as a starter. The 21-year-old Nunez has 17 HRs and was converted from 3B to first this year on the farm. Oviedo was optioned to Indy and Nunez assigned to Altoona as Pittsburgh called up RHP Colin Holderman and RHP Chase De Jong (tendinitis) came off the IL.

Tucupita Marcano - AT&T SportsNet

• DH Yoshi Tsutsugo was waived/released and IF Tucupita Marcano was called up. Also, RHP David Bednar was put on the 15-day IL (lower back inflammation) and the club brought up RHP Yohan Ramirez from Indy.
• Ke'Bryan Hayes only missed one game due to a slight knee sprain, yay, but then C Tyler Heineman left Wednesday's game after appearing to injure his groin running out a grounder. He was placed on the 10-day IL the next day, with Taylor Davis as his replacement. (Davis was DFA'ed two days later when the Pirates claimed Jose Godoy off waivers from the Twins, cleared and was sent back to Indy). LHP Dillon Peters joined him, going on the 15-day IL (elbow inflammation) and LHP Eric Stout was called up to fill his spot. The Bucs claimed 1B/3B Kevin Padlo from Seattle. He's played 20 MLB games for three teams in the past two seasons and was optioned to Indy. OF Jake Marisnick was dropped from the 40-man to clear a spot.
• The inaugural class of the long-promised Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame was named on Sunday. It consists of 19 members: Jake Beckley, Steve Blass, Ray Brown, Max Carey, Oscar Charleston, Fred Clarke, Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson, Ralph Kiner, Buck Leonard, Bill Mazeroski, Danny Murtaugh, Dave Parker, Willie Stargell, Pie Traynor, Arky Vaughan, Honus Wagner, Lloyd Waner, and Paul Waner. The team was inclusive, as promised. Four of the inductees - Brown, Charleston, Gibson and Leonard - played for the Homestead Grays/Pittsburgh Crawfords. The ceremony will be on September 3rd.

• Bryan Reynolds was voted the Pirates Heart and Hustle awardee for 2022.
• Pittsburgh has used 31 pitchers so far this year; the record is 38, set way back in 2021.
• The Pirates win on Sunday was only their second in 13 tries at Camden Yards.
• 2B Nick Gonzales (wrist) and CF Lolo Sanchez have joined Bradenton on rehab stints; third round draft pick RHP/3B Jack Brannigan came up with them, the first member of the 2022 draft class to play full-season ball. Good call; he homered in his debut with the Marauders.
• The Buccos bought RHP Jeremy Beasley, 26, from Toronto and optioned him to Indy. Over three MLB years, he's made 18 relief outings and posted an 0-1/5.84 line. Beasley has been fairly effective in the minors, with his time spent between starting and the pen, with a 3.88 ERA and averaging a strikeout per inning.
• Here are MLB.com's Top 30 Pirates Prospects (minus the draft class).
• Before Monday's deadline, Pittsburgh inked its 14th round pick, LHP Julian Bosnic, from South Carolina. The Pirates signed 19 of their 21 picks, including their top twelve selections. The two players who didn't sign were Mississippi State RHP KC Hunt (12th round) and North Broward (FL) prep RHP Yoel Tejeda (19th round).
• Greensboro's Endy Rodriguez was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month. Endy batted .373/.489/.773 and led the Sally League in runs (23), home runs (eight), RBI (21), on-base percentage (.489), slugging percentage (.773) and OPS (1.262).

Endy Rodriguez - 2021 Topps Inception

• The Florida State League picked out a couple of Bradenton Buccos for weekly honors: RHP Po-Yu Chen, 20, and Jase Bowen, 21. Chen went seven shutout innings, giving up a hit with five K (3-6/4.33 overall) and Bowen, who's played a number of positions, banged three homers in six games (.278/13/60 overall).
•  RHP Blake Cederlind had loose bodies removed from his elbow (not TJ surgery, just a 'scope) and is expected to be shutdown for the Next six weeks. The elbow had already landed him on the 60-day IL.
• Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, who was the voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 years, died at the age of 94.
• The White Sox sent one-time Bucco C prospect Reese McGuire to Boston for LH reliever Jake Diekman. Another Pirates oldie, OF Robbie Grossman, was shipped to the Braves by Motown for minor league LHP Kris Anglin. A newer ex-Buc, LHP Anthony Banda, was DFA'ed by Toronto.
• LHP Anthony Banda, late of the Pirates and Toronto, has elected free agency after being DFA'ed by the Jays.