Weekly Report: Swept By LA, Pitcher-Pong, SABR/TSN All-Time Teams, Seth & Termarr Done For Year, Jhostynxon On IL

Time flies - School starts next week in a bunch of places...

Pirates Stuff:

• CF Oneil Cruz returned from rehab and Yohan Ramirez from paternity leave on Monday. LHP Hunter Barco and OF Ronny Simon were optioned back to AAA Indy to clear active roster room and OF Johnathan Rodriguez, recently acquired by the Bucs from Baltimore while DFA'ed and assigned to Indy, was DFA'ed again to open up a 40-man spot for Cruz. He was claimed by the A's.
• 3B Nick Gonzales returned to the lineup after missing a couple of days following a Friday beaning last week. 
• Pin-the-tail-on-the-bullpen continued as RHP Antwone Kelly was called up and RHP Isaac Mattson optioned back to Indy. Then on Sunday with a looming bullpen game, Pittsburgh recalled RHP Khristian Curtis from Indy (he spun three shutout innings in Sunday's loss to LA) and optioned Kelly, who worked Saturday, back to AAA. 

Khristian Curtis - 2026 photo/Pirates

• The Pirates bought the contract of C Christian Bethancourt from the Yankees. he was in the Buc system in 2021 and currently was hitting .270 in AAA. He started his MLB days in 2013 and has rostered on six squads since.
• Endy Rodriguez (hip) is getting a second opinion this week and his situation is still in the air; surgery is a possibility. Konnor Griffin (finger) is on schedule; he's due for an early September return. Ryan O'Hearn (quad) is still on a six-to-eight week timetable.
• Rafael Flores became the first Pirate of the Modern Era (1901>) to hit two home runs in a game he didn't start.
• SABR selected its Integration Era (1947-'72) All-Time Team. Elroy Face was a first teamer as was Casey Stengel (as manager; he was a Pirate for a couple of years as a player); Roberto Clemente and Billy Maz made the second team, as did Donora's Stan "The Man" Musial; ditto Jim Bunning and Bobby Shantz, who both made quick stops in Pittsburgh. Wampum's Dick Allen (Wampum is outside New Castle) won a third-team spot.
• The Sporting News published its Baseball's Greatest Players - Supernovas issue; Ralph Kiner made the squad as did Chuck Klein, long-time Phillie who made a local stop in 1939.

Seth Done For The Year - 2026 photo/MLB

• Farm IL: Top prospect RHP Seth Hernandez was bumped up to the 60-day IL (oblique), ending his season. He finished 6-1/2.43 with 118 strikeouts over 74 innings/18 starts, mostly compiled at Hi-A Greensboro. 2B Termarr Johnson had knee surgery Thursday.
• OF Jhostynxon Garcia, recently optiond back to Indy, was placed on the 7-day IL, reason unspecified (SOP for minor league IL status).
• Bradenton's LHP Reinold Navarro, 19, was selected as the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. He went five one-hit, shutout innings last week while fanning six and got himself promoted to Greensboro.

Game Stuff:

• Motown came a'calling to start the week; Carmen Mlodzinski got the opener. It was on ESPN, the first time PNC has appeared on that network since 2019. TV Land wasn't impressed - Carm was chased after three. The Bucs used a big frame to cut the gap to 8-5, the final score.
• Braxton Ashcraft drew the middle game while Oneil Cruz returned to the lineup. They both did good; Brax shoved again (eight IP, five hits, one run) and Cruz's two-run homer put the Pirates ahead for good as they evened the set with a 4-1 dub. 
• Paul Skenes took a couple of extra days off and was back in the saddle for the Detroit finale. It didn't help appreciably; he left with one out in the fifth and the Bucs in a 3-1 hole, giving up four hits, four walks and punching out five. Rafe Flores, subbed in for Hank Davis (HBP in the hand), homered in the seventh and again in the ninth to knot the score; Brandon Lowe followed with a walkoff shot an out later to make Mason Montgomery a 4-3 winner.

Oneil Cruz - 2026 Topps Wrecking Crew

• Pittsburgh got Thursday off as they're left-coasting at LA v the Dodgers starting Friday. Bubba Chandler got the ball and lasted four frames, leaving down 4-2. Oneill Cruz banged a two-run shot in the eighth to tie it up, and the Pirates had first & third with no outs in the 10th before Nick Gonzales K'ed (he earlier drove in the first two runs) and then loaded the bases with one down when Hank Davis banged into a DP. Gregory Soto had two outs and an 0-2 count with a runner on second before giving up the game-losing hit to Tommy Edman: LA 5, Pgh. 4. 
• Saturday afternoon saw Jared Jones take on Tarik Skubal. The Pirates jumped on Skubal for three runs in the first, then took a nap. JJ gave up a pair in four innings, Yohan Ramirez gave up two more in the next frame, and that was all she wrote as the Bucs fell 4-3.
• Can't score, can't win - LA 4, Pirates 0. The Bucs were held to two hits, the last in the second frame and Carmen got roughed up again for three runs in three innings. Oh well, pack 'em up and off to San Diego; when that set's done, it's a day off and a visit to St. Louis.

MLB Stuff

• RHP Ron Marinaccio lasted a week in Cincy. The Reds claimed him from the Pirates via waivers last week and then DFA'ed him on Monday after he gave up 10 runs in 5-1/3 IP. He cleared the wire and opted to become a FA; the Twins signed him to a minors deal over the weekend.
• OF Starling Marte, 37, was DFA'ed by KC ater batting .242 so far this year with two stolen sacks. He went unclaimed and was released.