Pirates Three Stars Of The Week: Ortiz Dazzles In Debut, Castro Leads Offense

Talk about a tale of two cities for the Pittsburgh Pirates this week. The Bucs began the week by sweeping the Cincinnati Reds in four games at Great American Ballpark, the club’s first four-game sweep since 2019.

Then, the Pirates traveled to New York for a four-game series with the Mets and were swept in four games against the National League East division leaders.

Pittsburgh’s loaded week consisted of some interesting performers, including a spectacular major league debut.

Oneil Cruz slugged three homers for the Bucs this week, but ultimately just missed the top three.

Here are the Pirates’ top performers from last week.

Third Star: Ke’Bryan Hayes – .276/.323/.483, 8 for 29, three doubles, one home run, two RBIs, two steals, seven games

Hayes had a strong week at the plate, especially in the power department as he totaled four extra-base hits including his seventh homer of the season, setting a new career-high.

The solid play on both sides of the ball was overshadowed some by an incident where Hayes took of his glove to enjoy some sunflower seeds in the middle of a play against the Mets, but the Bucs’ third baseman had a great week overall nonetheless.

Major Ke' Alert pic.twitter.com/VGjL5lIoQ3

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 13, 2022

Second Star: Luis Ortiz, 0-0, 5.2 innings, one hit, no runs, three walks, five strikeouts, one start

Ortiz’s major league debut couldn’t have gone much better. The young right-hander limited the Reds to just a single hit over his 5.2 innings on the mound.

Ortiz averaged 99 mph on his fastball and hit triple digits on the radar gun on multiple occasions. The only thing that could have made his debut sweeter was if he was rewarded with a win, but the Pirates did win the game.

Firepower. pic.twitter.com/OjfRaxnSvX

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 14, 2022

First Star: Rodolfo Castro – .273/.314/.636, 9 for 33, three doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs, eight games

Castro’s power surge this week cemented him as one of the key guys in the Pirates lineup. Castro totaled an impressive six extra-base hits, three of which left the yard.

The 23-year-old drove in eight runs on the week as he anchored the middle of the lineup.

A three-run blast by Castro! pic.twitter.com/BVR69TJ3rS

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 14, 2022

The Pirates remain in New York for a quick two-game series against the Yankees beginning on Tuesday. Pittsburgh then returns home to PNC Park for a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs.

Check back next week for the Pirates’ top three performers from the week ahead.