Not even the debut of a star-studded prospect could turn the tide for the Pirates Monday night as they were shutout by the Chicago Cubs, 8-0, at PNC Park.
Greg Brown has the story.
Game two of the series is tonight. NL ERA leader Marcus Stroman will pitch for Chicago. He’s 8-4 with a 2.45 ERA. RHP Johan Oviedo (3-6, 4.40 ERA) pitches for the Bucs. Airtime is 6:40 p.m. on WCCS.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said his core of young hitters are trying to do too much at the plate when they fall behind early in the game.
Despite the loss, Shelton liked what he saw from 2021 first overall pick Henry Davis.
Davis, who rarely talks about himself, said he was just trying to help the team.
The Pirates needed to shuffle their roster yesterday prior to Davis’ arrival. To make room on the active roster, the team optioned INF Mark Mathias to Triple-A Indianapolis. To make room on the 40-man roster, they designated RHP Eli Villalobos for assignment.
After leading the division for several weeks, the Pirates now find themselves three games back in the NL Central, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by two-and-a-half games and the red-hot Cincinnati Reds by three. With a loss tonight, the Cubs could send the Pirates to fourth place in the division.
MLB
Around the MLB, the Reds activated first baseman Joey Votto from the IL yesterday. He went 2-for-3 with a home run against the Rockies.
Hall of Fame pitcher Dick “Turkey” Hall died Sunday at the age of 92. He started his career with the Pirates in 1951 and won two World Series titles with Baltimore. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.
