Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter enjoyed a nice start on Saturday afternoon as he struck out eight batters for the second time this season en route to earning his 10th victory of the summer. He allowed two earned runs, eight hits, and no free passes across six innings. In his past three outings, Falter has held an underwhelming 3.97 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. This outing can hopefully get the 27-year-old back on track, as he looked quite strong through the opening months of the season. Through his first full season in the Steel City, the former fifth-round selection sits with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Falter is currently slated to face the Reds next week in what could be a sneaky value play in DFS.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez went 3-for-4 with a home run and double to lead to the Pirates to a victory on Saturday afternoon. Tellez hit his 10th home run of the season in the fourth inning to score Oneil Cruz and knocked a ground-rule double later in the seventh which scored backstop Joey Bart. Entering this game, the 29-year-old has carried a solid .250 AVG through August with three doubles. Since June 1, the slugger has started to heat up as he boasts an excellent .300/.342/.506 slash line with eight long balls, 31 RBI, and 11 doubles. While Tellez rarely gets the call to start against left-handed pitchers, he is worth starting in most standard leagues, given his ability to hit right-handers quite well. Tellez should be expected to slot in the starting nine on Sunday as the Pirates are scheduled to face right-hander George Kirby.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (knee) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, with the team recalling infielder Alika Williams from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. McCutchen injured his knee running to first base late in Friday night's series-opening win over the Seattle Mariners and will now be forced to miss at least the next 10 days. It was a bad time for the injury, as the 37-year-old is in the midst of a modest six-game hitting streak while also hitting three home runs and driving in 14 in his last 15 games. McCutchen doesn't do much for fantasy managers these days besides give them modest power, but it's a big loss for Pittsburgh. His injury will probably mean more playing time for catcher Yasmani Grandal, with Joey Bart seeing more DH days.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (knee) is not in the starting lineup on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park. It doesn't come as a huge surprise after McCutchen tweaked his knee while running to first base late in Friday night's series-opening victory. Until we know more about the 37-year-old veteran's injury, consider him day-to-day. Shortstop Oneil Cruz is serving as the DH on Saturday and will hit second against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Cruz is a must-start in all fantasy lineups and has been on fire in the month of August. McCutchen, meanwhile, has provided a decent 16 long balls in 378 at-bats for a player in his 16th MLB season. He's also been excellent this month, going 11-for-30 (.367) with three homers and 10 RBI in nine games played.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds is getting the day off on Saturday in Game 2 of the series against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park. Bryan De La Cruz will take his spot in left field and will bat fifth against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Reynolds appears to just be getting a normal day off after going hitless in eight at-bats with five strikeouts in his last two games. The 29-year-old two-time All-Star is a must-start when he's in the lineup, though, and has hit .273 (15-for-55) with a homer, three doubles, eight RBI and six runs scored in 13 games so far in August. De La Cruz has hit only .167 against Castillo in his career, but only in a sample size of six at-bats. The 27-year-old has some nice power, but he has yet to go deep in 12 games with the Pirates and has gone 10-for-50 (.200) with a walk and 19 strikeouts since being acquired in a trade from the Miami Marlins.