Morning Rundown: Paul Skenes picks up third win as Pirates defeat the Dodgers
Pirates clinch series against Dodgers, go for sweep on Thursday
The Pittsburgh Pirates clinched their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 10-6 win on Wednesday.
After scoring just one run on Tuesday, the offense came alive, scoring seven runs in the second inning. Nick Gonzales went 2-3 with four RBI, picking up another extra-base hit. His major league OPS sits at .855 right now.
Batting in the cleanup spot, Edward Olivares also picked up a pair of hits, while also walking twice.
Paul Skenes is now 3-0 on the season after pitching five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out eight. He did allow two home runs, and did find himself in a bit of a jam during the fifth, but got out of it to make himself eligible to get the win.
Five relievers came in to close out the final four innings, including David Bednar in the ninth.
Antwone Kelly pitched a career-high 5.2 innings for the Bradenton Marauders on Wednesday. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk while also striking out seven.
The seven strikeouts tie a career-high from earlier this season. Of his 92 pitches, 37 of them were his change-up, where he picked up eight whiffs on 24 swings (33%). He also posted a whiff rate of over 30% with the fastball, which averaged 94.6 mph and got up to 97.4 mph.
Kelly has had a solid season, especially since the month of April, when he posted an ERA of 9.00.
2B Yoyner Fajardo assigned to Altoona Curve from Indianapolis Indians
Bradenton Marauders transferred C Justin Miknis to the Development List
Bradenton Marauders activated 2B Juan Jerez
Indianapolis Indians sent CF Joshua Palacios on a rehab assignment to Greensboro Grasshoppers
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Top Exit Velocity
Omar Alfonzo - BRD - 108.8 mph - Groundout
Connor Joe - PIT - 107.7 mph - Groundout
Canaan Smith-Njigba - IND - 107.6 mph - Double
Ke’Bryan Hayes - PIT - 106.7 mph - Single
Edward Olivares - PIT - 105.3 mph - Single
Top Pitch Velocity
Aroldis Chapman - PIT - 104 mph
Aroldis Chapman - PIT - 103.8 mph
Aroldis Chapman - PIT - 103.4 mph
Aroldis Chapman - PIT - 103.2 mph
Aroldis Chapman - PIT - 103 mph
Most Whiffs
Antwone Kelly - BRD - 16
Thomas Harrington - ALT - 13
Paul Skenes - PIT - 12
Luigi Hernandez - BRD - 10
Daulton Jeffries - IND - 9
Indianapolis Indians - 11 vs Columbus Clippers - 6
Top Hitter - Andres Alvarez: 4-5, 3 R, 3B
Top Pitcher - Josh Fleming: 3 IP, BB, 2 K
Altoona Curve - 6 vs Richmond Flying Squirrels - 10
Top Hitter - Jase Bowen: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, SB
Top Pitcher - Eddy Yean: IP, 3 H, ER, K
Greensboro Grasshoppers - 6 vs Jersey Shore BlueClaws - 5
Top Hitter - Hudson Head: 2-3, 2 RBI
Top Pitcher - Alessandro Ercolani: 3 IP, BB, 5 K
Bradenton Marauders - 2 vs Clearwater Threshers - 7
Top Hitter - Keiner Delgado: 1-3, R, SB
Top Pitcher - Antwone Kelly: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K
DSL Pirates Black - 2 vs DSL Rojos - 9
Top Hitter - Iverson Allen: 2-4, R, RBI, 3B
Top Pitcher - Wali Pierre: 2.1 IP, H, ER, BB, K
This rotation is gifting Cherington with an opportunity few GMs have ever dreamed of. Anybody else would be scrambling frantically to put a decent team behind it, but five years in, we’re still waiting for a scrap of evidence that winning baseball games is on his to-do list.
Obviously, congrats to Jared Jones and Paul Skenes for getting two wins off of a very tough opponent. And, Nick Gonzales, who entered 2024 with very little value. His work at AAA led to his promotion to MLB and he has continued to hit and establish himself as a key player in the future of the Pirates. It's baseball, and I'm glad he produced that First Round caliber of play with the Pirates.