Pirates sweep doubleheader against Milwaukee, Day one of the MLB Draft
Pirates win both games on Saturday, make selections in MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates swept both games of their Saturday doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and are now guaranteed to go into the All-Star break with a winning record.
Game one, Esmerlyn Valdez hit not one but two home runs for the Pirates, including the go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning. He went 3-4 on the day, driving in six of the seven runs scored by the Pirates.
Braxton Ashcraft, who will not play in the All-Star Game since his start was pushed back to Saturday, allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings pitched. Most of the damage was done on two home runs allowed.
Carmen Mlodzinski pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks, picking up his sixth win of the season.
It was Valdez again in game two, delivering a big blow for the Pirates’ offense. He hit his third home run of the day, 10th overall on the season, in the bottom of the fourth, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
A Brice Turang two-run double tied the game in the fifth, but Bryan Reynolds put the Pirates back up for good in the sixth with an RBI single that scored Brandon Lowe.
Bubba Chandler was given an opportunity to get out of the fifth inning, but ended up giving up the double that tied it briefly. He allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six over 4.2 innings pitched.
Brandon Eisert made his Pirates debut, walking a pair of batters before getting the last out of the fifth inning.
Yohan Ramirez pitched a scoreless sixth, eventually getting the win, his sixth of the season.
Day one of the 2026 MLB Draft was on Saturday, with the Pirates selecting five players in the first four rounds. The rest of the draft (rounds 5-20) will take place on Sunday, starting at 11:30 am ET.
Here are the Pirates’ draft picks so far:
1.5 - OF Derek Curiel
2.44 - SS Aiden Ruiz
2.51 - 2B Chris Rembert
3.80 - RHP Jason DeCaro
4.108 - OF Andruw Giles
Pittsburgh Pirates go for 'safe' in day one of draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates made five picks on day one of the 2026 MLB Draft. It wasn’t too long ago that they had six, but they traded the 34th overall pick to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert.
Here is a full breakdown of every pick, as well as my thoughts on day one in general.
There will be no separate gameday article for Sunday’s game. With the draft underway, I don’t want to clutter the site with additional articles. If you want to talk about the draft, head on over to the draft tracker. Use the comment section here if you want to talk about the game.
It was announced Saturday that RHP Jacob Misiorowski would not pitch in today’s game. He was originally supposed to pitch against Paul Skenes.
Robert Gasser will get the start instead. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 pm ET, with Peacock broadcasting the game.
RHP Landon Tomkins assigned to Indianapolis Indians from Altoona Curve
Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP Wilber Dotel on a rehab assignment to Indianapolis Indians
Pittsburgh Pirates recalled RHP Noah Murdock from Indianapolis Indians
Pittsburgh Pirates optioned SS Jack Brannigan to Indianapolis Indians
Pittsburgh Pirates optioned RHP Thomas Harrington to Indianapolis Indians
Top Exit Velocity
Esmerlyn Valdez - PIT - 109.2 mph - GIDP
Esmerlyn Valdez - PIT - 108.1 mph - Home Run
Brent Iredale - BRD - 107.5 mph - Single
Nick Gonzales - PIT - 104 mph - Groundout
Esmerlyn Valdez - PIT - 103.7 mph - Home Run
Raymond Mola - BRD - 103.7 mph - Single
Top Pitch Velocity
Carlos Mateo - BRD - 102.3 mph
Bubba Chandler - PIT - 102.1 mph
Carlos Mateo - BRD - 102.1 mph
Carlos Mateo - BRD - 101.8 mph
Carlos Mateo - BRD - 101.7 mph
Most Whiffs
Bubba Chandler - PIT - 13
Braxton Ashcraft - PIT - 12
Reinold Navarro - BRD - 12
Khristian Curtis - IND - 11
Treyson Peters - GBO - 11
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Bucs on Deck: Pittsburgh Pirates 2026 Midseason Update
The Pittsburgh Pirates have seen a major shift at the top of their system, having their two best prospects graduate to the majors. That would usually leave most organizations searching for talent, but the Pirates still have one of the top prospects in the game, Seth Hernandez, who tops the Bucs on Deck 2026 midseason update.
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Indianapolis Indians - 3 vs Toledo Mud Hens - 4
Top Hitter - Enmanuel Valdez: 1-2, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB
Top Pitcher - Khristian Curtis: 4.1 IP, H, 5 BB, 6 K
Altoona Curve - 5 vs Richmond Flying Squirrels - 1
Top Hitter - Titus Dumitru: 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 2B
Top Pitcher - Kyle Robinson: 6 IP, 7 H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Greensboro Grasshoppers - 7 vs Greenville Drive - 12
Top Hitter - Yordany De Los Santos: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B, HR
Top Pitcher - Hung-Leng Chang: 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, K
Bradenton Marauders - 2 vs Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 0
Top Hitter - Bralyn Brazoban: 1-4, R, RBI, 2B
Top Pitcher - Yonleg Gaetano: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K
Bradenton Marauders - 2 vs Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 3
Top Hitter - Johan De Los Santos: 1-3, R, SB
Top Pitcher - Reinold Navarro: 5.2 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
FCL Pirates - 0 vs FCL Orioles - 3
Top Hitter - Jonathan Rivero: 2-3
Top Pitcher - Victor Trejo: IP
DSL Pirates Black - 1 vs DSL Giants Orange - 7
Top Hitter - Adrian Martinez: 1-2, BB
Top Pitcher - Fredery Solano: 2 IP, BB, 3 K
Wietgrefe having a great start for Indy, Sterling had one for Bradenton.
The Brewers have a guy named Yoho?