MLB Player News

Helsley recorded a save against the Guardians on Saturday, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.

Helsley got a relatively easy save chance, as he entered in the ninth inning with St. Louis holding a three-run lead. He came through with a stress-free frame, retiring all three batters he faced on 11 pitches. This was Helsley's third straight scoreless appearance following a rough stretch to begin June in which he gave up at least one earned run in four consecutive outings. While he's had some struggles this season, Helsley is tied for 11th in the majors with 16 saves in 21 opportunities.

Mikolas allowed six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five batters over four innings in a no-decision against Cleveland on Saturday.

Mikolas looked great through three scoreless frames, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced. Things completely fell apart for him in the fourth, however, as the Guardians tagged him for six hits -- including two homers, two doubles and a triple -- to score six runs. Though he was allowed to finish that inning, Mikolas didn't return for the fifth, marking just the fourth time he's failed to complete at least five innings through 16 starts this season. The right-hander also gave up six or more earned runs for the third time, pushing his ERA up to a mediocre 4.76 across 81.1 frames.

Ray (8-3) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six batters over six innings in a loss against the White Sox on Saturday.

Ray fired five scoreless frames before surrendering a solo homer to Andrew Benintendi in the sixth. That ended up being the only run scored in the contest, resulting in Ray taking his second loss over his past three outings. In both of those defeats, Ray has also notched a quality start, and he hasn't give up more than three earned runs in an appearance since April 16, so he's not pitching terribly despite a so-so 3.54 ERA in five June starts. Ray still ranks among the top 15 qualified MLB starters with a 2.75 ERA and 110 punchouts on the season.

Bart went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Mets.

Bart played a key role in Pittsburgh's three-run second inning by tallying an RBI single and coming around to score. He's started seven of 11 games since returning from the injured list June 17, going 7-for-27 with three RBI and four runs scored.

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base Saturday against the Mets.

Cruz has been in and out of the Pirates' lineup during the team's recent series against the Brewers and the Mets due to a combination of poor performance and lack of effort. He re-entered the starting nine Saturday after sitting Friday, and he started a Pittsburgh rally in the second inning with a leadoff single before swiping his 27th base of the season and coming around to score. Cruz still struck out three times, raising his strikeout rate to 33.4 percent on the campaign.

Ashcraft (2-0) was the pitcher of record in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Mets after allowing one earned run on five hits and no walks while striking out two across 2.2 innings of relief.

After making a three-inning start in his first MLB start during Monday's win over the Brewers, Ashcraft shifted back to the bullpen this weekend. He entered Saturday's contest in the top of the second inning following a lengthy rain delay, relieving starter Bailey Falter. Ashcraft wasn't especially dominant Saturday and induced only five swinging strikes on his 52 pitches, but he largely worked his way out of trouble in both the third and fourth frames. The right-hander is likely to serve as a multi-inning reliever for Pittsburgh moving forward.

Holderman (thumb) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on Thursday and gave up one run on one hit while striking out three over one inning.

Holderman has been on the shelf since May 20 due to right thumb inflammation but was cleared to report to Bradenton after completing his throwing program at the Pirates' spring training facility. He'll likely need a few appearances in the minors before being activated from the injured list, but he should be back in the Pirates bullpen at some point in early July.

Marsh went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 6-1 loss to Atlanta.

Marsh has been a little inconsistent at the plate lately, hitting safely in just four of his last eight games. He's 7-for-25 (.280) in that stretch, adding two RBI, two runs scored and two doubles. Marsh has taken a step back on the basepaths this year, posting just four steals on five attempts after swiping 19 bags on 22 tries in the 2024 regular season. The outfielder has added a reasonable .261/.337/.373 slash line with two home runs, 17 RBI, 22 runs scored, 10 doubles an a triple over 185 plate appearances. He continues to see a strong-side platoon role in center field, though he did face a left-handed pitcher earlier in the week at the tail end of a stretch of three straight opposing southpaws.

Luzardo (7-4) allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings to take the loss Saturday versus Atlanta.

Luzardo wasn't great, but he did an effective job of limiting the damage in this start after giving up one run in each of the first two innings. He finished June with 15 runs allowed over 25 innings, though an eight-run meltdown June 5 skewed the numbers. He also posted a 30:10 K:BB this month, and while that's a little high on the walks side, he ranks top 10 in both strikeouts (111) and K/9 (10.48) so far this season among qualified starters. Luzardo's at a 4.06 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through 95.1 innings across 17 starts, and he's tentatively lined up for a home start versus the Reds his next time out.

Hayes went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Mets.

Hayes gave the Pirates a one-run lead in the second inning on an RBI single, and he extended the lead to two runs in the eighth when his single brought Nick Gonzales home. It was Hayes' 16th multi-hit game of the season, and the 28-year-old third baseman has recorded at least one hit in each of his last seven games, going 10-for-24 (.417) with five runs scored and six RBI over that span.