Pirates manager Derek Shelton spoke with Suwinski in the bottom of the eighth, asking if he was ready to go deep a third time. Shelton said he was told, “No.”

I appreciate that honesty.

Pirates are calling up 6'7" shortstop Oneil Cruz (cup of coffee last year) and OF Bligh Madris. It's starting to look more like a young team now.

I noticed Suwinsky for the first time the other day when looking at rookie stats. He's have a solid season -- sub-300 OBP but a 256 ISO (11 HR in 162 PA). Different body type but if pitchers start working around him a bit to avoid the power, looks like a roughly Schwarber bat so far.

Bligh Madris -- seems not quite a great name but certainly an odd name on both ends. He will be the first Madris and the first with Bligh as his given name (Ned Bligh was a backup C in the 1880s). Cruz will be the first Oneil (first name, no apostrophe) although Samuel O'Neil Wilson (a C in 1960) went by Neil which is almost kinda close.

Alas, Madris is 26 so not much of a kid. Having a nice year at AAA though. With a career minors line of 262/333/407, the upside is late bloomer. The Pirates lineup was already young with Gamel and Tsutsugo (both 30, both on the IL) being the oldest players getting much time. The average lineup age was already 26.7, Quintana is the only pitcher of note over 29, average age of 27.7. (I don't know if those mean ages are weighted.) They already have the youngest NL lineup and 3rd-youngest staff.

The Pirates weren't remotely a drive for 75 team. Their problem is not aging vets -- they also had the youngest lineup and 2nd-youngest pitchers last year; they were #2/#3 in 2019. They are just cheap as #### and not good enough at draft/develop. The payroll is just $40 M (per b-r) with their 2 highest paid players being 25-yo Hayes ($10 M as b-r counts it) and 27-yo Reynolds ($7). Their big FA is Roberto Perez at 1/$5 (also on the IL).

It's not like they're losing elite FAs every year. They had Starling Marte at another 2/$24 but even that was too rich for their liking ... heck, his FA contract is just 4/$78 so conceivably they could have had 6 years for $100 M. In the Marte trade They got Liover Peguero who cracked the top 100 lists this spring so that's good. They also got HS draftee Brennan Malone, just 19 at the time. He missed all of that year, threw 14 bad innings last year and 5 bad innings so far this year, is at A ball.

Bligh Madris -- seems not quite a great name but certainly an odd name on both ends

Madris is apparently of Palauan descent, though he was born in Las Vegas.

Madris and Cruz combined for five hits and six RBIs in last night's win over the Cubs.