Gameday 47: Pirates look to gurantee series win with Saturday win

Bailey Falter set to pitch for the Pirates

May 18, 2024

The Pittsburgh Pirates sent their prized young pitchers to the mound in the first two games of their road series against the Chicago Cubs and won both times.

Now, they will look to Bailey Falter to guarantee them a series win against their divisional foe.

Paul Skenes pitched six no-hit innings on Friday, striking out 11 in getting his first major league victory.

The offense exploded for nine runs in support of the former number-one overall pick, with Jared Triolo and Andrew McCutchen going deep and Nick Gonzales hitting a double.

Opposing them will be Shota Imanaga, with his sub-one ERA and 5-0 record.

First pitch is expected at 2:20 pm ET.

Pirates Lineup

DH - Andrew McCutchen

LF - Bryan Reynolds

1B - Connor Joe

RF - Edward Olivares

2B - Nick Gonzales

3B - Jared Triolo

C - Joey Bart

CF - Michael A. Taylor

SS - Alika Williams

Lineup

1B - Patrick Wisdom

RF - Seiya Suzuki

CF - Cody Bellinger

3B - Christopher Morel

DH - Mike Tauchman

LF - Ian Happ

2B - Nick Madrigal

SS - Miles Mastrobuoni

C - Yan Gomes

Pitching Matchup

PIT - Bailey Falter (2-2, 4.15 ERA, 43.1 IP, 11 BB, 27 K)

CHC - Shota Imanaga (5-0, 0.96 ERA, 46.2 IP, 8 BB, 42 K)

Yesterday’s Feature

The Pirates have Garret Forrester trying a new position, catcher, while playing with the Bradenton Marauders. While I was in Bradenton, I checked in with manager Jim Horner to see how the progress was going.

Bucs On Deck

Garret Forrester 'progressing' behind the plate

When the Pirates drafted Oregon State infielder Garret Forrester in the third round in 2023, most thought he would slide over to first base long-term defensively. Turns out, the Pirates had different plans. Despite someone listed on MLB Pipeline as a first baseman ‘to watch’ in the 2024 season, the Pirates moved him behind the plate…

6 months ago · 4 likes · Anthony Murphy

Today’s Feature

Nearly two months into the season we take a look at some players who are trending up due to their performances.

Bucs On Deck

Early 2024 prospects trending up in the Pirates system

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6 months ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Anthony Murphy

Support the site by becoming a paid member, and get access to all of our premium content, including our Top 25 list with complete player write-ups and my video breakdowns, which come out weekly.

It will also give access to my player feature articles from on-site trips.

Bucs On Deck

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Even though there are a few repeaters, the amount we’ve seen on the Florida Complex League team players is pretty high. So, my trip to Bradenton was an excellent opportunity to see (plus get video) some of the players playing in the FCL. Many people have heard their names, but they haven’t seen many of them in action…

7 months ago · 5 likes · Anthony Murphy