Weekly Report: Jekyll & Hyde, Bubba & Nick Arrive, 'Hoppers & Curve In Playoffs, Ex-Bucs Shuffle

25 To Go…

Pirates Stuff: 

• The Pirates recalled IF Nick Yorke (.287 BA, 7 HR) and RHP Cam Sanders (2-2-4/2.96) from Indy as their September call-ups. Cam was up-and-down; a few days later, he was optioned back to Indy after Kyle Nicolas returned.
• Utility guy Ryan Kreidler lasted a week in Pittsburgh, being optioned back to Indy without making an appearance, He was replaced by Jae Hwan Bae.
• Before Bubba Chandler made his first start (ouch!), he earned two wins and a save in his first three big-league outings, making him one of three pitchers since 1969 to post two wins and a save in his first three MLB games, joining Tom Johnson (1974) and Hector Carrasco (1994). Those hill visits were all four-inning appearances.

Bubba’s debut – 8/22/2025 SportsNet Pgh.

• The Pirates have seventh sweeps after brooming LA, the most in one season since they had 11 sweeps in 2015. Six have been at PNC Park.
• 3B Cam Devanney flared a single into left on Wednesday off the Dodgers Emmet Sheehan to post his first MLB hit. Earlier, Cutch homered for his 2,255th hit.
• September rehab notes: RHP Jared Jones can begin a light (45-60′) throwing program, keeping him on his original 10-12 month timetable to recover from his elbow brace procedure. Also, RHP Justin Lawrence (elbow) was cleared to pitch back-to-back games in Indy. OF Ronny Simon suffered a torn labrum and will require surgery while OF Jack Suwinski is still limited mainly to a treadmill and light hitting for his groin injury. 
• Prospect RHP Thomas Harrington went on the IL for a groin injury on August 9th, came back to pitch an inning for Indy on the 28th before being shelfed again with the same injury and is presumably done for the year.

Esmerlyn Valdez – 2004 Bowman’s First Auto

• Altoona’s 1B/OF Esmerlyn Valdez (.444, 4 HR, 9 RBI) was selected as the POTW and RHP Wilber Dotel (2 Wins, 10-2/3 IP, 2 hits, 9 K) as the Pitcher of the Week in the Eastern League. Greensboro’s Callan Moss’ first month in the Pirates system was pretty good as he was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for August. Moss, who came over from KC in the Bailey Falter deal, slashed .383/6 HR/19 RBI while teammate RHP Carlson Reed (6 IP, 0 Runs, 10 K) was the Pitcher of the Week. Valdez and Konnor Griffin both made MLB Pipeline’s weekly All-Prospect team, Valdez in LF and Griffin at SS.
• Altoona VIPS: 1B Nick Cimillo (.241/20 HR) was the Team’s MVP, RHP Alessandro Ercolani (1-8/4.04) was the Pitcher of the Year, RHP Justin Meis (4-3-7/2.87) was the Fireman of the Year & UT Mitch Jebb (.264) was the Unsung Hero.
• The Altoona Curve and the Greensboro Grasshoppers are both in the playoffs. The Curve will host the AA Eastern League First Half Champion Erie Seawolves at PNG Field on Tuesday, September 16. The ‘Hoppers host First-Half Sally League winners Bowling Green on September 9. Indy and Bradenton didn’t make it into the post season.

Game Stuff:

• The Pirates opened at home v the Dodgers on Tuesday (no, no idea why there wasn’t a Labor Day game), and lost an early 4-0 lead when Bubba Chandler was proved human by LA (he gave up three runs in one bad frame, followed by three goose eggs and got the win, with a Dennis Santana save). The Bucs kept on, and when the smoke cleared, they were on the right side of a 9-7 tally. Eight starters either scored, drove in runs or both.
• Buc pitchers dodged figurative raindrops all night (LA stranded ten runners), and with early B-Rey and Cutch solo shots plus a Joey Bart RBI two-bagger (he had 3 hits), the Left Coasters fell again, 3-0. Mike Burrows got the win in relief of Braxton Ashcraft while Santana picked up another save v the Big Blue.
• Paul Skenes spun six two-hit, shutout innings with eight fan jobs and left with a 5-0 lead; it was enough as the Bucs swept the Dodgers, 5-2. Nick Yorke had the clutch hit, a two-run double, and Bryan Reynolds scored twice.

Paul Skenes – 2025 Finest Creators

• Quinn Priester made his return to PNC Park with the Brew Crew. Johan Oviedo worked five frames for the Bucs before leaving with a 2-1 lead, but Priester worked seven frames and called it a day with a 3-2 lead after Carmen Mlodzinski was banged around. The Bucco bats had no answer – they managed just six hits – and lost the opener, 5-2.
• SOB – no bats, no win; they dropped Game #2, 4-1.
• Bubba Chandler got his first MLB start and was totally toasted, giving up nine runs in 2-2/3 frames to trigger a 10-2 beatdown. 

MLB Stuff:

• RHP Andrew Heaney was claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and assigned to their AAA Oklahoma City club.  
• Plum HS RHP Scott McGough is already 35, but still kickin’ – the D-Backs called him up from AAA. He’s been yo-yo’ing between ‘Zona and Reno (with a brief stop at Oakland) since his 2023 return from Japan.
• The Giants added JT Brubaker to the MLB roster.
• 1B/DH Carlos Santana has signed a MLB deal with the Cubs. 
• Brewers RHP Shelby Miller, 34, who the Pirates brought up briefly in his comeback campaign of 2021, has a UCL sprain and was put on the 60-day IL.
• RHP Bryse Wilson was DFA’ed by the White Sox and outrighted to AAA. He was 4-13/5.37 with the Pirates rotation in 2021-22.
• Righty Nick Mears, who’s been a solid reliever reliever for Milwaukee (5-3/3.42 in 59 outings), was placed on the 15-day IL with back tightness. He was with the Buccos from 2020-22 (1-0/4.75 in 36 games) to start his MLB clock.