Notes: Week W/O A Win; Delay Down, Bart Up, Grandal At Indy; Jared Gets Ks, Mitch Gets IPs; Moves, Injuries, Randomness

 April...

At the Big Apple: The Bucs looked bad in losing the opener to the Mets, 6-3. It was another night when the fielding yips, bit them. In game two, Jared Jones went five one-hit innings with seven strikeouts and a 1-0 lead as ol' rental mate Jose Quintana was hangin' tough. And that's all they got, losing 3-1. The following afternoon, the bullpen continued to sputter and the bats continued to snooze as the Bucs were swept, 9-1, to end a 2-5 road trip.

itch Keller - 2024 image mlb.com

Back Home: New Steeler QB Russell Wilson winged his first Pgh. pass by tossing Friday's opening pitch. They should have kept him on the hill; Quinn Priester left in the fifth after three dingers, down 5-0, and the final ended up 8-1. They got closer in game #2, but Mitch Keller wasn't very lucky nor sharp in his six frames  and the offense remained in suspended animation as they lost their fifth straight, 4-2; they've scored eight runs in the five losses. Make that nine runs in six losses as they were swept by the BoSox, playing with a very pedestrian Sunday lineup, winning the finale, 6-1. The bad part is that they're not misfiring on just one cylinder; every part of the Pirates game has been subpar this week.

Moves/Injuries:

• LHP Jose Hernandez was optioned back to Indy and RHP Quinn Priester was called up on Friday to take Marco Gonzales (forearm strain) place in the rotation.
• Ji Hwan Bae (hip) finished his rehab, was removed from the 10-day IL, and optioned to Indy.
• C Jason Delay had meniscus cleanup surgery on his right knee and is expected to miss six weeks before he can restart baseball activities.
• The Bucs were hazy about a timeline for C Yasmani Grandal's (foot) return, but he was assigned to Indy for a rehab stint on Tuesday, so that clock is ticking now. 
• Endy Rodriguez won't play in the system this year, but the C's rehab is coming along smoothly so far and there's a a possibility he may see some Fall/DWL action.
• 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes was a late scratch on Tuesday because of “lower back tightness,” per skipper Shelty. It locked up on him during the pregame. He was back in action on Friday.
• C Joey Bart got smacked in the noggin by a batting practice HR ball while in the bullpen earlier in the week and was scratched from his scheduled Wednesday start, per Noah Hile. He was back in the saddle on Saturday.
• LHP Marcos Gonzales (forearm strain) won't throw for two weeks; the Pirates are hoping the rest will allow him to avoid surgery.
• LHP Ryan Borecki (triceps) played catch on consecutive days, felt some soreness afterward and is on a no-throw regimen this week. 

Yasmani Grandal - Indy photo

Notes:

• On Tuesday, Jared Jones whiffed seven Mets in eight innings. He is the fourth MLB pitcher since 1893 to K seven or more in each of his first four MLB games, joining Masahiro Tanaka, Stephen Strasburg, and José DeLeón. DeLeon had a five-game streak as a Bucco rookie in 1983.
• Reliever Aroldis Chapman received a two-game suspension from the MLB for his words during Monday’s game against the Mets, when plate umpire Edwin Moscoso ejected him in the bottom of the eighth inning for undisclosed lip. It was a pretty calm tete-a-tete, so the language must have been salty. After a hearing, the suspension was cut down to one day and he served it on Friday night. 
• LA Angels RHP Robert Stephenson is out for the season with an elbow injury after signing a three-year, $33M contract during the offseason. He suffered from shoulder inflammation in camp, lasted four pitches into his rehab and is now done for '24. Stephenson made 31 appearances for the Bucs in '22-'23 and was traded to Tampa for IF Alike Williams, became a FA and signed with the Halos.