Pirates' Mike Burrows: Scoops up win in piggyback role
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Burrows pushed his record to 2-4 after striking out two batters while allowing two hits and one walk in three scoreless innings of relief during Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Dodgers.
Burrows made his second straight appearance in relief, though unlike the previous occasion, his usage Wednesday seemed to be a pre-planned arrangement. Despite keeping the Dodgers off the board through three innings, starter Braxton Ashcraft was lifted after tossing just 71 pitches, clearing the way for Burrows to step in and piggyback him while the Pirates held a two-run lead. Since the Pirates are likely looking to limit the innings of both Ashcraft and Burrows in September without having to shut down either pitcher, the two could continue to be deployed in tandem in Ashcraft's future starts.
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Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Makes abbreviated start Wednesday
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Ashcraft took a no-decision in his start during Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Dodgers, striking out four batters while allowing two hits and four walks over three scoreless frames.
After working at least five innings in each of his last three starts, Ashcraft tossed just 71 pitches before being lifted from Wednesday's contest. Ashcraft's early exit looks to have been a pre-planned arrangement; the right-hander has now totaled 103.2 innings between the majors and Triple-A Indianapolis this season, an increase of nearly 30 innings from what he covered during his time in the minors in 2024. The Pirates are also looking to manage the workload of one of their other young starters in Mike Burrows, who was moved to the bullpen last week and ended up tossing three innings in relief of Ashcraft on Wednesday. Though Ashcraft should continue to make starts for the Pirates, it wouldn't be surprising if he was deployed in tandem with Burrows in his future turns through the rotation.
The Pirates optioned Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.
Sanders will return to the Triple-A level as Kyle Nicolas returns from the bereavement list. Sanders has allowed five runs in five innings over five appearances with the Pirates this season, though all five of his earned runs came in one outing.
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Pirates' Kyle Nicolas: Activated from bereavement list
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The Pirates activated Nicolas from the bereavement list Friday.
Nicolas has rejoined the team after taking a temporary leave. Pittsburgh optioned Cam Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. Nicolas has a 5.14 ERA in 28 innings out of the bullpen with the Pirates this season.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Absent from lineup
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Davis is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Brewers.
It will be Joey Bart doing the catching for Friday's series opener. Davis is 1-for-17 with 10 strikeouts over his last five games.
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Pirates' Cam Devanney: Exiting starting nine
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Devanney is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers.
Devanney had drawn four straight starts at third base, but he'll take a seat for Friday's series opener. Jared Triolo is at the hot corner for the Pirates, while Nick Gonzales will play shortstop and Nick Yorke will handle second base.
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Pirates' Bryan Reynolds: On base three times
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Reynolds went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Dodgers.
Reynolds played a key part in a four-run fourth inning for the Pirates, singling in a run and then coming around to score. He's underwhelmed for large stretches of the season but has five home runs, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored across his last 32 games while hitting .296.
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Pirates' Nick Yorke: Knocks in two
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Yorke went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a double Thursday against the Dodgers.
Yorke made his second start since being promoted to the majors at the start of September, both of which have come against lefties. He was lifted in the eighth inning for defensive purposes, but Yorke delivered a key double that knocked in two in the fifth frame prior to his departure. Yorke looks to be on the small side of a platoon for the time being, but he could force his way into more at-bats if he continues to hit.
Holderman secured the save Thursday against the Dodgers, allowing one hit and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.
It's possible that primary closer Dennis Santana was unavailable after working each of the past two days for the Pirates, which opened the door for Holderman to collect his first save of the year and the third of his career. However, Holderman shouldn't be expected to see many more save chances down the stretch. Over 22.1 innings, the right-hander has a 7.66 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 15:14 K:BB with two holds.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Shuts down Dodgers in 10th win
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Skenes (10-9) earned the win Thursday against the Dodgers, allowing two hits and one walk in six shutout innings. He struck out eight.
Skenes was at his best against a scary Dodgers lineup, tying a season low in hits allowed during his fifth scoreless start since the All-Star break. The All-Star right-hander continues to be one of the top pitchers in baseball, having now conceded two runs or fewer in 24 of his 29 appearances in 2025. Skenes is well on his way to notching his first career National League Cy Young Award, posting a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 195:39 K:BB across 173 innings. On tap for Skenes next week is a matchup with the last-place Orioles at Camden Yards.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting again versus lefty
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Cruz is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers.
Southpaw Blake Snell is on the bump for the Dodgers, marking the fifth straight game the left-handed-hitting Cruz has been out of the lineup versus a lefty (when healthy). The 26-year-old is slashing a woeful .106/.212/.183 with a 36.4 percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitching this season, so he now appears to find himself in a platoon. Alexander Canario will be in center field and bat seventh for the Pirates on Thursday.
Pirates' Termarr Johnson: Power lacking at Double-A
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Johnson is slashing .270/.353/.386 with nine home runs and 20 steals in 109 games for Double-A Altoona.
His slash line doesn't excite, but he's been 15 percent better than the average Eastern League hitter. For what it's worth, Johnson's been racking up hits of late, batting .370 with a .446 OBP over his last 18 games, although none of his 27 hits during this stretch have left the yard. Johnson will likely be given more opportunities than his overall skill set might otherwise warrant due to the fact he was the No. 4 overall pick in 2022, but his dynasty stock is trending down. He hasn't slugged over .400 since he was at High-A in 2023 and he doesn't project to add defensive value at second base.
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Pirates' Dennis Santana: Grabs 13th save
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Santana earned the save in Wednesday's 3-0 victory over the Dodgers, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Santana's now 13-for-15 in save opportunities this season while converting his last seven chances, and he's given up just two earned runs over 11 appearances in that stretch. His ERA is down to 2.40 with a 0.92 WHIP and 49:15 K:BB across 60 innings this year.
Pirates' Edward Florentino: Back in action at Single-A
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Florentino (hamstring) has gone 1-for-9 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in two games since being reinstated from Single-A Bradenton's 7-day injured list Saturday.
Florentino was on the shelf for just over the minimum seven days due to a left hamstring strain, but the injury doesn't look like it will be derail what has been an outstanding season for the 18-year-old, who has emerged as one of the top lower-level prospects in all of the minors. Through 52 games at Bradenton, Florentino has walked at a 14.5 percent clip and has produced a .265/.384/.513 slash line with 10 home runs and 29 steals in 33 attempts.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Exiting starting nine
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Davis is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
Davis will be getting a routine day off after he started at catcher in each of the previous two contests. Joey Bart will be behind the dish and bat eighth for the Pirates in Wednesday's series finale.
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Pirates' Cam Devanney: Third straight start at hot corner
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Devanney will start at third base and bat ninth in Wednesday's game versus the Dodgers.
Devanney will pick up a third straight start at the hot corner after the Pirates lost Isiah Kiner-Falefa to waivers Sunday. Thus far, Devanney has gone 0-for-7 with five strikeouts, so he may have a short leash atop the depth chart at third base.
