Atlanta, meanwhile, became the first team to 40 wins and rolls in at 42-21 despite a rotation held together with tape and Spencer Schwellenbach still on the 60-day. Ronald Acuña Jr. just snapped out of a 1-for-20 funk with a grand slam at Fenway and stayed hot through the Reds series, so the top of this order is finally looking like the version we were promised. Austin Riley is hitting third and trying to find his swing.
The injury report is where things tilt. Atlanta is without Sean Murphy, Drake Baldwin, Jurickson Profar (full-season PED suspension) and a stack of pitching depth. Pittsburgh isn't whole either — Konnor Griffin (flexor strain) just hit the 10-day IL and Joey Bart is still working back from a foot issue, which thins out the middle of the diamond.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Solometo (SP) — Solometo is sidelined at Double-A Altoona with recurring left shoulder discomfort, Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayOddanier Mosqueda (RP) — Mosqueda will not throw for a couple weeks due to left forearm inflammation, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayMike Clevinger (RP) — Clevinger is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DaySean Sullivan (SP) — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Sullivan is battling right elbow soreness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILKonnor Griffin (SS) — The Pirates placed Griffin on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a flexor strain in his right elbow.05/31
- 10-Day-ILJoey Bart (C) — Bart (foot) has been cleared to resume weight room activity and play light catch, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.05/29
- 15-Day-ILChris Devenski (RP) — Devenski (illness) is expected to resume throwing bullpen sessions during the upcoming week, MLB.com reports.06/01
- Day-To-DayBlake Burkhalter (RP) — Triple-A Gwinnett placed Burkhalter on the 7-day injured list March 27 with back spasms, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILDrake Baldwin (C) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday that Baldwin (oblique) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during the team's June 16-21 homestand, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.06/02
- 10-Day-ILKyle Farmer (DH) — Farmer went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's rout of the Guardians.05/18
- suspensionJurickson Profar (LF) — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILSean Murphy (C) — Murphy had the cast on his left hand removed Tuesday and is now wearing a splint to protect his fractured middle finger, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reprots.06/04
- 60-Day-ILHurston Waldrep (SP) — Waldrep (elbow) allowed no hits and walked two batters over two scoreless innings during a rehab start Monday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.06/01
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach (SP) — Schwellenbach (elbow) has begun throwing on flat ground, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.05/26
- 60-Day-ILAJ Smith-Shawver (SP) — Manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Smith-Shawver (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions, and the next step in his rehab is to face live hitters, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/22
- 60-Day-ILJoe Jimenez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss revealed Wednesday that Jimenez underwent another surgery on his left knee 3-to-4 weeks ago, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/13
- 60-Day-ILDanny Young (RP) — Atlanta transferred Young (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILJoey Wentz (RP) — Atlanta placed Wentz (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
The angle to circle: Pérez is the kind of soft-contact lefty this new Pirates lineup can either rough up or strand on the bases for 5 innings, depending on which version shows up. Keller has to be sharper than his last outing or the Braves will make him pay early. If Pittsburgh gets length, this is a live underdog spot against the league's best team.