Morning Rundown: Pirates claim Justin Lawrence, Johan Oviedo to 60-day IL, Pirates lose to Yankees on road
Pirates make waiver claim, Oviedo to start year on IL, and the Pirates lose to Yankees
On Monday, the Pirates claimed right-handed pitcher Justin Lawrence from the Colorado Rockies. Lawrence saved 11 games in 2023, when he posted a 3.72 ERA in 75 innings pitched while recording 78 strikeouts.
Last year was more of a difficult struggle, putting up a 6.49 ERA with just 45 strikeouts (and 33 walks) in 59.2 innings pitched.
He’s primarily a sinker/sweeper pitcher, and throws from an incredibly low arm slot.
Without any options remaining, Lawrence will have to make the 26-man roster or be put back on waivers.
To clear a roster spot, the Pirates placed right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo on the 60-day injured list, officially taking him out of the running for an opening day roster spot.
Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery the previous offseason. Not only is he working back from that, but he was also dealing with a right lat strain, which is slowing his progress.
A three-run home run from Joey Bart proved to be the only offense the Pirates would put together, losing on the road to the New York Yankees 12-3 Monday night.
The first home run of the spring was one of two hits for Bart, who also walked before being replaced by Alika Williams.
Nick York was the only other Pirate record a hit, which came in the third inning off Max Fried. Oneil Cruz went 0-3 with three strikeouts, facing a lefty in the first two times up to the plate.
It was an uneven start for Bailey Falter, who allowed two earned runs (three total) on three hits and two walks in 2.2 innings pitched. He also struck out four batters and got four whiffs with his fastballs.
David Bednar tossed a shutout fourth inning, striking out Dominic Smith. The rest of the night fell apart for the pitching staff, as they allowed nine runs over the final four innings.
Bubba Chandler struggled to locate his pitches, walking two and only throwing 10 of his 22 pitches for strikes. Despite the control issues, 50% of his sliders and change-ups were called strikes or whiffs, and he topped out at 99.6 mph.
Entering after Chandler, Hunter Barco pitched 1.2 innings, striking out two and walking another two. He allowed a pair of home runs in the eighth before getting lifted.
Using all three of his pitches, Barco picked up five whiffs on 19 swings, and topped out at 97 mph with his fastball.
RHP Justin Lawrence claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies
RHP Johan Oviedo placed on the 60-day injured list.
Top Exit Velocity
Joey Bart - 109.1 mph - Home Run
Nick Solak - 106.3 mph - Lineout
Endy Rodriguez - 105.9 mph - Lineout
Bryce Johnson - 104.5 mph - Groundout
Nick Yorke - 102.8 mph - GIDP
Top Pitch Velocity
Bubba Chandler - 99.6 mph
Bubba Chandler - 99.2 mph
Bubba Chandler - 98.9 mph
Bubba Chandler - 98.5 mph
Bubba Chandler - 98.4 mph
Most Whiffs
Bailey Falter - 5
Hunter Barco - 5
David Bednar - 3
Bubba Chandler - 3
Mike Walsh - 2
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Bubba and Barco…you’re still my two favorite pitching prospects. Learn and grow from each outing no matter how good or bad it was. Never more true than outings in ST.
Unique - Top Exit Velo's #1 HR, #s 2 thru 5 all resulting in outs!
TRADES - Need to be showcasing Braxton Ashcraft and Kyle Nicolas. If the Pirates are entertaining the possibility of trading for a solid, young LH or SW Hitting OF or SS, these two will be two of the best Pitchers we could be willing to offer. Also possible a team would ask for both pitchers, and/or an MLB ready MI. A lot depends on the perceived value of the player coming to the Pirates.