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Horwitz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Rockies.
Horwitz led off the game with his 10th home run of the season and third in his last 11 starts. His current career-best homer total in a season is 12, which he set in 2024 across 381 plate appearances. Horwitz will almost certainly clear that mark, and he also should continue to pick up plenty of counting stats while serving as Pittsburgh's primary leadoff hitter. Across his last 11 games, he's managed 10 runs scored and seven RBI while going 12-for-42.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Unfortunate again in loss
Rotowire
Skenes (6-7) took the loss against Colorado on Saturday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters over six innings.
Skenes had a frustrating beginning to his outing, as a Jake McCarthy liner to the outfield was poorly played by Pittsburgh's defense and ended up as an inside-the-park home run. Beyond that, Skenes gave up just one other run and racked up 19 whiffs along with eight punchouts, but he was saddled with the loss as a result of the Pirates' offense managing only one run in the Colorado altitude. Skenes is 0-5 over his past seven outings, but he has three quality starts and an impressive 51:11 K:BB across 38 innings during that span. The star hurler will look to get back into the win column the next time he takes the mound, which lines up to be a home matchup against Cincinnati.
Reynolds (groin) will start in left field and bat third in Saturday's game against the Rockies.
Reynolds was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game due to left groin discomfort, though he ended up coming off the bench and delivering an RBI single in his lone plate appearance. Now cleared to return to the starting nine, Reynolds will look continue building his case for a third career All-Star selection.
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Pirates' Bubba Chandler: Posts quality start in no-decision
Rotowire
Chandler didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Rockies after tossing six innings of two-run ball, allowing six hits and walking two while striking out one.
Chandler recorded a quality start for the first time since April 17, and this was just the second time all season that he's pitched six complete frames. He seems to be trending in the right direction. After posting a 4.70 ERA across five outings and 23 innings in May, Chandler has given up two earned runs in each of his last three starts and owns a 4.09 ERA in four starts (22 innings) in June. He's slated to make his next start at home against the Mariners.
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Pirates' Mason Montgomery: Tagged with blown save, loss
Rotowire
Montgomery (2-2) was tagged with the loss and his second blown save of the season Friday against the Rockies. He allowed two runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.
Montgomery entered the game with the Pirates holding a 3-2 lead and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. He retired TJ Rumfield with a groundout, but back-to-back singles from Tyler Freeman and Cole Carrigg set up Braxton Fulford, who gave the Rockies the lead with the game-winning hit -- a two-run double on a line drive to center. Montgomery then struck out Ezequiel Tovar, but the damage was already done. The 26-year-old southpaw has been inconsistent of late. He was on a run of four consecutive scoreless outings before this game, but he's also given up multiple runs in three of his last seven appearances. He has a 7.94 ERA and 2.29 WHIP across six outings (5.2 innings) since the beginning of June.
Griffin (forearm) threw from 150 feet with no pain Friday, MLB.com reports.
Griffin has been rehabbing in Florida for roughly the last week and has increased his throwing distance from 90 to 150 feet in that span. He's expected to return in late June, but he will still likely need to embark on a rehab assignment before being activated.
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Pirates' Bryan Reynolds: Appears as pinch hitter
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Reynolds (groin) went 1-for-1 with an RBI in Friday's game against the Rockies.
Reynolds was a late scratch from the lineup, but he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and managed to deliver an RBI single. While that was a positive indication that his injury isn't particularly serious, Reynolds was immediately removed from the game in favor of a pinch runner. Injury aside, Reynolds is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 16-for-38 with four homers, nine RBI and eight runs scored.
Pirates' Bryan Reynolds: Scratched with groin issue
Rotowire
Reynolds was scratched from the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies due to left groin discomfort, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.
Reynolds has been scorching hot at the plate recently, slashing .405/.463/.838 with four homers, eight RBI and eight runs across his last nine games, but a groin injury will prevent him from starting Friday. While he takes a day off to heal, Esmerlyn Valdez will enter the lineup to start in left field.
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Pirates' Hunter Stratton: Shipped to Pittsburgh
Rotowire
The Pirates acquired Stratton from Atlanta on Thursday in exchange for Joey Bart.
Atlanta designated Stratton for assignment Wednesday and quickly found a trade partner for the 29-year-old right-hander. Stratton was originally a Pirates draft pick in 2017 and spent the better part of nine seasons with the organization before he was dealt to Atlanta last summer. Across 60 career big-league appearances, Stratton owns a 3.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 60:17 K:BB across 69.2 innings, though he'll initially report to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Horwitz went 2-for-4 with two walks, two doubles, one RBI and three runs scored Wednesday against the A's.
Horwitz helped the Pirates jump out to an early lead with a double in each of his first two plate appearances, and he came around to score on each occasion. This marked a fourth multi-hit performance in his last 10 starts, during which he's hit .275 with two homers, six RBI and seven runs scored. Horwitz also continues to serve as Pittsburgh's primary leadoff hitter against righties.
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Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Goes yard in blowout win
Rotowire
Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 12-4 win over the Athletics.
Prior to Wednesday's start, Ozuna hadn't gotten into a game since last Thursday. While he has gone 11-for-41 (.268) over his last 12 contests, just two of his hits in that span have gone for extra bases, and he also has a 1:14 BB:K. Ryan O'Hearn most often works as the designated hitter, leaving Ozuna as a bench bat. For the season, Ozuna is batting .198 with a .595 OPS, six homers, 24 RBI, 16 runs scored, five doubles and no stolen bases over 213 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn: Career-best six RBI in win
Rotowire
O'Hearn went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and six RBI in Wednesday's 12-4 win over the Athletics.
O'Hearn delivered two RBI with each of his hits. He doubled in the first inning, homered in the fourth and singled in the seventh while accounting for half of the Pirates' run production in a career-best effort. O'Hearn is batting .290 with an .826 OPS, 11 homers, 41 RBI, 33 runs scored, eight doubles and one stolen base over 60 contests this season. He remains a fixture in the lineup versus right-handed pitchers.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Gets back in win column
Rotowire
Ashcraft (6-3) allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Wednesday.
Ashcraft had his best start of June in this outing, throwing 58 of 93 pitches for strikes while issuing his most free passes since late April. This was his ninth quality start in 15 games this season. He has a 3.18 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 97:22 K:BB through 90.2 innings on the year. Ashcraft has largely taken care of business in easy matchups, giving him a reliable floor in fantasy. His next start is projected to come at home versus the Mariners.
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