Notes: 0-For-6 Week; Velasquez on 15-Day IL, Holderman Immaculate; Minor League, Pirates, MLB News

May Day...

Notes:

• Pittsburgh started the week with its first measuring stick series against the equally red-hot Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. It got off to  a bad start when ex-Bucco Harold Ramirez hit his sixth career homer against his old mates v Roansy Contreras to spark a 4-1 Rays win. Game 2 was worse as the Bucs couldn't catch a cold. Game three was a 3-2 loss. And if this ump crew is the best MLB can come up with for a big early series...sheesh, bring on the robos. They came home to lose three more to Toronto. Icy bats and the starter shakes make for an ugh-ly wek.
• RHP Vince Velasquez was pulled after three frames on Thursday with R elbow inflammation  and went on the 15-day IL to challenge an already thin staff. Quinn Priester, Luis Ortiz and Caleb Smith are the likely AAA suspects to replace him, but after Tuesday a series of open dates in May could make his absence manageable via a short-term four-man rotation.
• Cutch and Ji Hwan Bae both had minor ankle tweaks and missed a couple of games, but both are back in the saddle.

Colin Holderman - 2023 photo Harrison Barden/Pirates

• The good news from Tampa Bay: Colin Holderman threw an immaculate inning (three whiffs on nine pitches) in the seventh frame of game 3, striking out Taylor Walls, Luke Raley and Christian Bethancourt.
• IF Chris Owings had returned to Indy from a two-week stay on the IL, 2B Nick Gonzales was activated by the Tribe after a 10-day IL break with a shoulder sprain, and IF Jared Triolo, who missed the first month of the season following hamate surgery, began a rehab assignment at Bradenton Tuesday.
• The Pirates have a pretty good group of OF's at Indy, and add another to the list - corner OF Josh Palacios, 27, was named the International League Player of the Week after batting .556 with four homers and 13 RBI over the span. He has a little MLB time in with Toronto and Washington; the Bucs claimed him from the Nats during the off season.
• PNC Park was updated with a new security system for quicker fan screening, and the Pirates donated their old metal detectors and divesting tables (the frames that x-ray folk) to the Pittsburgh Public School System. There were 30 of each machine, with a value of $250K.
• RHP Chad Kuhl was placed on the 15-day IL by the Nats after his rough outing against his former mateys, where he'll join another Ex-Bucco, Corey Dickerson, who signed with Washington in the off season.
• The oft-injured Steven Brault, 31, is trying to mount a comeback with indie Atlantic League Frederick club - as an outfielder! He does carry a .258 MLB BA and was a pinch hitter 10 times for the Bucs.