There was so much activity prior to the trade deadline for the Pirates that the game itself was almost overshadowed by the moves made by GM Ben Cherington. But the Bucs had a job to do on the field, and they got it done.
Bailey Falter returned from the injury list and gave up two runs, one earned, in five-and-a-third innings, and Michael A. Taylor homered for the second game in a row as the Pirates beat the Astros, 6-2. Connor Joe was 3-for-4 and Joey Bart had two hits.
The Pirates will start right-hander Jake Woodford [0-2, 10.80 ERA] against Astros ace Framber Valdez [9-5, 3.43 ERA] in the series finale tonight. Woodford signed as a free agent last month after he was designated for assignment by the White Sox. In seven starts for Indianapolis, the former Cardinals first round draft choice was 1-2 and had an ERA of 2.29. It’s a 7:45 airtime, 8:10 first pitch on WCCS. He was called up yesterday when Carmen Mlodzinski was placed on the injured list with a sore shoulder.
General manager Ben Cherington was dealing yesterday before the 6 PM trade deadline. He traded with the Marlins for corner outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, who is hitting .245 with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs this season. In exchange, they sent two minor leaguers to Miami, pitcher Jun-Seok Shim and infielder Garret Forrester. The GM said they’ve had their eye on De La Cruz since he played for the Astros.
Cherington then traded with Toronto for versatile infielder Isaiah Kiner-Falefa for Altoona third baseman Charles McAdoo. Kiner-Falefa is a distant relative of Pirates legend Ralph Kiner. He’s batting .292 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs this season. He’s been on the 10-day injured list since July 2nd with a knee injury but is currently on a rehab assignment and is eligible to be activated.
Cherington is excited to get Kiner-Falefa, a former Yankee and Ranger who three times in his career has won his team’s Heart and Hustle Award.
Other deals made by Cherington:
- Starting pitcher Martín Pérez was traded to San Diego for 18-year-old right-hander Ronaldys Jimenez, who’s pitching in the Dominican Summer League.
- Left-handed reliever Josh Walker was acquired from the Mets for 18-year-old pitcher Nicolas Carreno, who is also in the Dominican Summer League.
- Minor league infielder/outfielder Billy Cook was acquired from the Orioles for Pirates’ minor league pitcher Patrick Reilly.
Cherington said it was an “anxious” day working the phones and waiting for the right deals that made sense for 2024 and beyond.
The Pirates added seven players Monday and Tuesday.
Comments