Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter (8-7) was excellent on Wednesday night, as his team beat the Miami Marlins 3-1. Falter pitched 7 1/3 innings, only gave up two hits, and walked three while striking out five. The 27-year-old also recorded his eighth win of the season. Falter has been a consistent starter for the Pirates almost all season, except when he missed a couple of turns in the rotation because of a tricep injury in July. In 25 starts, Falter has pitched to a 4.20 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He has certainly increased his fantasy value and draft stock heading into 2025. Falter will look to build on Wednesday's performance in his next start on Wednesday on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman notched his eighth save of the season in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Marlins. The 36-year-old veteran came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first out on a strikeout, allowed back-to-back singles, got the second out on a fly-out, allowed an RBI single, and ended the game with another strikeout. Chapman has been inconsistent this season but has converted three of four save opportunities in the last seven days. He appears to be the fantasy arm to roster with David Bednar recently being removed from the closer's role. Chapman has now converted eight of 13 save opportunities this season with a 4.18 ERA, a 14.63 K/9 rate, and a 6.27 BB/9 rate in 56 innings pitched this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on his weekly appearance on 93.7 The Fan that as of right now, offseason back surgery is not on the table for third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back). The current focus is on strengthening Hayes' back. He has yet to resume baseball activities since landing on the injured list three-plus weeks ago. The 27-year-old tanked offensively in 2024, but most of his issues could stem from back issues that have plagued him all year. Hayes is not going to return in 2024, and his and the Pirates primary focus this offseason will be to get his back issues sorted out so that he can try to get back to form in 2025. The former first-rounder in 2015 struggled to a .233/.283/.290 slash line with a terrible .573 OPS, four homers, 25 RBI and 11 steals in 365 at-bats this year. Jared Triolo has been the primary beneficiary at third in Pittsburgh with Hayes on the IL.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie starting pitcher Paul Skenes continued to dazzle in Monday's 3-2 win over the Marlins. Skenes pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. The 22-year-old has lived up to all the hype that came with being a No. 1 overall pick and is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and an 11.33 K/9 rate (151 strikeouts) in 20 starts and 120 IP. Not only did the start help Skenes break the Pirates franchise record for strikeouts by a rookie, but it put him in a select group of all historical pitchers with more strikeouts in their first 20 games. Skenes' next start is slated to be a favorable matchup at the Cardinals, although the team does not strike out much.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Miami Marlins. The team will give Bart a rest day after he started in each of the last two games. This appears to be a routine rest day, so Bart should be back in the lineup after this game. In his absence, Yasmani Grandal will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander Valente Bellozo. The veteran catcher has been heating up at the plate lately with a hit in each of his last five games. He could be a low-cost DFS option ahead of Monday's slate.