Pittsburgh Pirates: Young Bucs Shine and Other Takeaways From Sweeping the Padres

Young Bucs shining and a big bounce back series from the bullpen help to carry the Pittsburgh Pirates to a sweep of the San Diego Padres

Tuesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates started a six-game homestand that felt like a bit of a crossroads. Losers of 12 of 13 games to plummet from first place in the NL Central to 4th place, it felt like this homestand could be a bit of a final stand for the 2023 Pittsburgh Baseball Club.

To their credit, through the first series of the homestand the Pittsburgh Pirates have answered in a big way.

The Pirates swept the San Diego Padres in their three-game series, the first series of the season between the two clubs. With the series sweep, the Pirates are now 38-42 overall on the season which puts them in third place in the NL Central 4.5 games out of first place. Additionally, they are now 11-12-1 in the 24 series they have played this season.

Before looking ahead to a big series this weekend against a divisional foe in the Milwaukee Brewers, let's take a look back at the Pirates sweeping the Padres. Here are takeaways from the Bucs sweeping the Friars.

Jared Triolo impresses in first MLB action

Prior to game two of the series on Wednesday, third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes was placed on the 10-day injured list. With Hayes on the shelf, the Pirates promoted one of their most underrated prospects - third baseman Jared Triolo.

Triolo is an elite defender at third base. He was won multiple minor league Gold Glove Awards and is also an above-average hitter. However, he has been blocked at third base by Hayes which has led to Triolo playing other positions around the diamond.

With Hayes on the IL Triolo was given an opportunity in the majors and it's an opportunity he has run with through his first two MLB games. Triolo went 3-for-6 in the series, he was hit by a pitch and he scored a pair of runs.

Triolo also showed why he is touted as an elite defensive prospect with multiple high-end plays at third base. This included Tirolo making challenge plays to record the final out of both games he played in.

For now, Triolo will be at third base every day until Hayes returns from the IL. When Hayes returns, the Pirates need to find a way to keep Triolo around. Triolo brings a lot to the table and can be a very good player for the Bucs.

Speaking of Young Bucs...

It would not be fair to talk about the impact of Young Bucs in this series without mentioning infielder Nick Gonzales. Playing in his first series at PNC Park, the 7th overall pick in the 2020 draft also made an impact for the Pirates.

Game one saw Gonzales pick up both his 1st MLB hit and home run. That 1st career hit was an impactful one, being a triple that helped spark a 3-run inning with the Pirate facing an early 3-0 deficit at the time.

Overall, he went 3-for-12 in the series with those two extra base hits, three RBI, and three runs scored. Playing shortstop, Gonzales also made an impact with his glove. His speed also impacted the game as he legged out an important infield hit as part of game two's 7th inning that saw the Pirates blow the game wide open.

Bullpen has much needed bounce back series

After being a strength for the Pirates during the first two months of the season the Pirate bullpen has struggled for much of June. This included playing a large role in the Bucs losing three of four in Miami in their previous series. However, against the Padres, the Pirate bullpen had a big, and needed, bounce back series.

After Rich Hill pitched 6 innings in game one of the series, Roansy Contreras fired 3 scoreless innings of relief to finish off the game. Carmen Mlodzinski, Yerry De Los Santos, and Cody Bolton each pitched a scoreless inning of relief in game two. This included a vital scoreless 7th inning from Mlodzinski when the Pirate lead was only 2-1.

Then in game three, the much maligned and struggling Ryan Borucki pitched 1.1 scoreless innings. Dauri Moreta fired a scoreless 7th inning with two strikeouts looking like the Moreta we saw for much of the season prior to his recent struggles. Angel Perdomo got the first two outs of the 8th inning before David Bednar got the final four outs of the game for his 16th save of the season.

All told, the Pirate bullpen allowed six hits, walked four batters, and struck out 12 in 10.1 scoreless innings pitched. That's the Pirate bullpen we saw in April, May, and early June.

Help is also on the way for the Pirate bullpen. Colin Holderman will be activated off the injured list prior to the start of Friday's game against Milwaukee. This will likely lead to either Borucki or Bolton, both of whom have largely struggled, being optioned to Triple-A.