Pirates

Pirates Preview: First Divisional Game of Season vs. Brewers

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2024

Ke'Bryan Hayes, Jack Suwinski, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped their sixth game in a row in a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park on Sunday afternoon.

The loss marks the second-straight series in which the Pirates have been swept. They lost all three games against the Mets in New York before returning home to face the Red Sox.

The Pirates’ homestand continues and they will face their first division foe of the season when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town for the start of a four-game slate.

First pitch on Monday is set for 6:40 ET and the game will be aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Weather

Temperatures around 60 degrees with sunny skies at first pitch. Winds blowing WNW at 8 mph.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Send Out RHP Jared Jones (1-2, 3.13 ERA)

Jones is coming off of his best — albeit shortened — start in his rookie season. Against the Mets on Tuesday night, Jones allowed one base runner on a single in five-shutout innings with seven strikeouts.

Despite throwing only 59 pitches, 50 of which were strikes, the Pirates pulled Jones in a predetermined decision to manage his workload.

Jones leads baseball with a 16.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s second in baseball amongst qualified pitchers with 12.52 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Milwaukee Brewers Will Send Out RHP Joe Ross (1-1, 4.91 ERA)

Ross is pitching in the big leagues for the first time since 2021 when he was with the Washington Nationals. The right-hander made 17 appearances in the minor leagues with the San Francisco Giants last season.

He pitched pretty well in his first two outings of the season but was knocked around his last time out against the San Diego Padres.

In that game, Ross allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in 4.2 innings pitched. He suffered his first loss on the young season.

The last time Ross faced the Pirates was in 2019. In that game, he blanked the Pirates in 3.1 innings. He’s made four career starts against Pittsburgh and is 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA.

Brewers Hitters vs. Jones

Pirates Hitters vs. Ross

Andrew McCutchen: 3 for 12, one home run, four RBIs, two walks, four strikeouts
Bryan Reynolds: 1 for 2, one double

Tidbits

Last season, the Pirates finished 25-27 against the N.L. Central. They went 5-8 against the Brewers.
Andrew McCutchen has hit 37 home runs against the Brewers in his career. That’s the most he’s had against any one team.
Pirates’ starting pitching has scuffled of late after a strong stretch of games. In three games against Boston, Pirates’ starting pitching had a 7.54 ERA (12er/14.1ip)