Pirates

Pirates Preview: The Post-Derek Shelton Era Has Arrived

Published

2 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

Photo provided by Matt Lynch

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ seven-game losing streak has made its way back to Pittsburgh, following a sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals.

For the eighth time this season, the Buccos suffered a shutout, and on top of that, they’ve lost 10 of their last of 11 games.

The Pirates (12-26) had just two hits against Sonny Gray in his seven-inning shutout and concluded their fourth consecutive series loss. Mitch Keller, on the other hand, allowed three runs across six innings.

Pirates play-by-play broadcaster Greg Brown dropped this nugget mid-game: When the Buccos are behind after seven, they’ve gone 0-19, and if they’re down after eight? They are 0-22.

This… was finally enough for Ben Cherington to finally step in, and the very next morning, relieve Derek Shelton of managerial duties of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since the earliest days of Major League Baseball, 216 skippers have helmed teams for at least 700 games. Among that group, Derek Shelton finds himself near the bottom of the pack—coming in at 214th in career winning percentage.

Don Kelly, a former Pittsburgh Pirate, will take the reins as the new manager of the Pirates’ organization. Kelly spent six seasons at Derek Shelton’s side as Pittsburgh’s bench coach.

The Pirates will head back home to welcome the Atlanta Braves on Friday evening for Negro League Legacy Night at PNC Park. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh and 93.7 The Fan.

Weather

Mix of clouds and sunshine with temperatures in the high 50s. Winds NNW at 11-12 MPH.

LHP Bailey Falter (1-3, 5.06 ERA) Will Start for the Pirates

Falter arguably had his best performance in his last start against the San Diego Padres, where he allowed no runs on two hits with a season-high six strikeouts.

Pittsburgh is where Falter has thrown his absolute best this season. With his Padres and Washington Nationals outings at home, Falter has gone at least seven innings and has allowed one run or less.

The Falter Fastball has been the most effective pitch in the arsenal, which he tends to use 41% of the time on the mound, and with that, he has had a career-best fastball run value of five. However, although the fastball consistency has improved with corner placement in the batter’s box, when hitters get a hold of one, they become a rocket. Falter sits in the bottom 8% of the MLB in maximum exit velocity, coming in at a number of 114.3 MPH.

In Falter’s five appearances against Atlanta, he carries a 2-1 record, along with a 5.47 ERA.

RHP Bryce Elder (2-1, 5.06 ERA) Will Start for the Braves

Elder has been an up-and-down story for the Braves in 2025. He started off the season as the five-hole in the Braves rotation amid their injury bug.

Yet, in his last three starts, Elder has delivered steady results, posting a 3.18 ERA and 3.66 FIP while helping the Braves win all three games. Though he struck out just 12 batters over 17 innings, he limited the damage by allowing only one home run—a promising shift from earlier performances, especially in his last outing against the best offense in baseball.

Elder is also coming off what was arguably his best game of the season against the defending champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he allowed two runs and struck out six over five innings.

His breaking run value sits at 83 on the season, which has been a nice bounce back for the 25-year-old overall, especially with the usage of his slider. It is what made Elder a 2023 All-Star and has since been the surging right-hander’s best pitch.

Braves Hitters vs. Falter

Stuart Fairchild: 3 for 12, 1 double, 3 RBI’s, 1 strikeout
Marcell Ozuna: 5 for 10, 3 double’s, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Michael Harris: 4 for 9, 1 double, 1 home run, 2 RBI’s,
Matt Olson: 3 for 9, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Austin Riley: 2 for 9, 1 RBI, 1 strikeout, 1 stolen base
Ozzie Albies: 1 for 8, 1 strikeout
Orlando Arcia: 2 for 7, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

Pirates Hitters vs. Elder

Ke’Bryan Hayes: 2 for 6, 1 double, 2 RBI, 2 strikeouts
Bryan Reynolds: 1 for 5, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Henry Davis: 1 for 3, 2 strikeouts
Liover Peguero: 0 for 5, 2 strikeouts
Adam Frazier: 1 for 2, 1 double, 1 walk
Jared Triolo: 0 for 2, 2 strikeouts

Tidbits

A Butler, Penn., native, Don Kelly’s roots run deep in the Pittsburgh area—he played high school ball at Mount Lebanon, starred at Point Park University, and made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 2007, beginning a nine-year playing career.
Following Keller’s outing, he now finds himself in the bottom 8% of the MLB in XBA with .303.
The Pirates are the lone team in baseball yet to win a game in May. After Wednesday night’s loss, they’re 0-7 this month.