Bubba Chandler (2-7, 4.76) gets the ball for the Pirates against Kyle Freeland (1-7, 7.98) at Coors Field, 6:40 PM MT first pitch. Chandler's coming off arguably his cleanest line of the year — 5.2 innings, 2 earned, 6 punchouts against Miami — while Freeland coughed up 6 runs in 5.2 innings in his last trip to the mound against the A's.
The story on the Pittsburgh side is a club that finally remembered how to swing it. The Pirates hung 12 on Oakland in the series finale and have piled up 18 runs over their last 2 games, suddenly looking like a lineup instead of a punchline. Now they get the friendliest park in baseball and a Rockies starter who hasn't won a game since April 7 and is sitting on a 12.46 ERA across his May outings.
The catch, of course, is that Coors does what Coors does. The Rockies have scored 4 or more runs in 6 straight games, including a 23-9 stomping of the A's in Las Vegas that set a franchise scoring record. Their pitching is a flaming dumpster — Chase Dollander is heading for UCL surgery, Jose Quintana is on the 60-day, and the bullpen has lost Welinton Herrera for the year — but the bats are alive.
Pittsburgh is going to have to bash without Oneil Cruz, who's looking at a 4-6 week timeline with a hand injury, and shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin is also down. Colorado's outfield is even thinner: Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck, and Mickey Moniak are all on the IL, and Kris Bryant remains parked on the 60-day with the chronic back. This is two undermanned rosters trying to slug at altitude.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Solometo SP — Solometo underwent left shoulder labrum surgery and is expected to be sidelined until at least April 2027, Mark Chiarelli of Baseball America reports.
- Day-To-DayMitch Jebb LF
- Day-To-DayOddanier Mosqueda RP — Mosqueda will not throw for a couple weeks due to left forearm inflammation, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
- Day-To-DayMike Clevinger RP — Clevinger is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySean Sullivan SP — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Sullivan is battling right elbow soreness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 10-Day-ILOneil Cruz CF — Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Cruz (hand) is facing an estimated recovery timeline of 4-6 weeks, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKonnor Griffin SS — Griffin will report to the Pirates' facility in Bradenton, Fla. during the upcoming week to continue rehab for his right forearm strain, Aidan Stepansky of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILWilber Dotel RP — The Pirates recalled Dotel from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.
- Day-To-DayBrayan Castillo RP — The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCase Williams SP — Williams is currently slowed by a stress reaction in his right triceps, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJared Thomas CF — The Rockies announced Monday that Thomas hasn't been participating in spring training while he recovers from offseason surgery to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, TheDNVR.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrenton Doyle CF — Doyle (oblique) worked in the batting cage Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJordan Beck LF — Beck (hamstring) stretched and did running drills prior to Tuesday's game against the Cubs, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMickey Moniak LF — Moniak (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTanner Gordon RP — Gordon (0-1) took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk over three-plus innings against San Francisco. He struck out two.
- 60-Day-ILChase Dollander SP — Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said Friday that Dollander will likely undergo surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.
The Pirates need Chandler to actually finish 5 innings here, because a Coors bullpen game with this pen — Devenski on the 60-day, Clevinger sidelined 6 weeks with an MCL sprain, Dotel just back from the IL — is the nightmare scenario. Freeland against Pittsburgh is the kind of spot the Pirates have spent two months waiting for, and if they can't punish him, they probably can't punish anybody.