Pittsburgh

Pirates

That means the team will push Mitch Keller to next week. It makes sense to use Jones, who is clearly on a pitch count, in the first start after the break because it means the bullpen will be fresh.

Sanders, the son of former Padres swingman Scott Sanders, had an 8.68 ERA in nine relief appearances for the Pirates this season before being DFA’d on Saturday. He offers ample strikeout ability with his mid-90s fastball and slider, but wildness has been a big issue throughout his pro career. He’ll head to Triple-A for now.

Kelly, who was called up Friday, gave up three runs while pitching two innings in the rout of the Brewers on Sunday. He’s allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings in two appearances for the Pirates this year.

Davis helped to break the game open with a 364-foot (95.6-mph EV) two-run shot off of Robert Gasser in the second inning that went just over the outstretched glove of Jackson Chourio to increase the Pirates’ lead to 4-0. He also delivered an RBI single during the Bucs’ 10-run uprising in the fourth inning and scored as Bryan Reynolds was plunked with the bases loaded. With his two-hit attack, the 26-year-old backstop is now slashing .166/.267/.344 with eight homers and 27 RBI on the season.

Ozuna smacked an RBI single off of Robert Gasser in the second inning that increased the Pirates’ lead to 2-0 before riding home on a two-run blast by Henry Davis. Ozuna then did some yard work of his own with a 338-foot (103.6-mph EV) solo shot off of Gasser to open the fourth inning. He has been a major disappointment overall for the Pirates this season, slashing just .205/.288/.305 with eight homers and 28 RBI.

Triolo doubled and scored on an RBI single by Henry Davis early in the fourth inning. He then delivered a two-run single later as part of the 10-run uprising in the frame. With his three-hit attack, the 28-year-old infielder is now slashing .233/.302/.306 with one homer, 16 RBI and six swipes in 215 plate appearances.

The star right-hander racked up seven strikeouts on the afternoon while allowing only one base on balls. The Pirates provided him with 14 early runs of support, so all Skenes had to do was keep the train on the tracks in this one. The only damage against him came on an RBI double by Jackson Chourio and a fielder’s choice by Gary Sanchez in the fourth inning. Skenes got nine whiffs on 82 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 28 percent. He finishes the first half of the season with an 8-8 record, 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 130/24 K/BB ratio across 108 1/3 innings in his first 20 starts.

Florentino stole second base after being hit by a pitch from righty Nolan Perry in the third inning. He came around to score a couple batters later on a run-scoring ground out from Jesús Made. It wound up being his lone at-bat of the contest as he was lifted for a defensive replacement in the fourth. The 19-year-old phenom has started the heat up recently at High-A Greensboro with 12 homers and four steals in 236 plate appearances over 52 games since the start of May. He’s a fascinating power/speed combo prospect with a strong enough hit tool to become a highly impactful fantasy contributor down the road.

Hernandez opened the second inning by fanning Blake Mitchell on an 87.8-mph changeup, induced a foul pop up from Caleb Bonemer and finished the frame by blowing a 99-mph fastball past Ike Irish on the outer edge. He averaged a sizzling 99.5 mph, hitting triple digits three times, while topping out at 101 mph in the 14-pitch appearance. The 20-year-old prodigy, selected sixth overall in last year’s MLB Draft, has a chance to finish the season as the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball. With top-of-the-rotation stuff and a rapidly accelerating trajectory, it’s not hyperbolic to say that Hernandez profiles as a potential fantasy ace alongside Paul Skenes once he arrives in Pittsburgh.

Valdez did it again, homering in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. This time, he put the Pirates on the board with a two-run blast off Shane Drohan in the fourth inning. It was his third home run of the day after mashing two in the first game and his 10th of the season in just 100 plate appearances while slashing .311/.370/.722.