Pirates Star Missing Series Finale vs. Braves
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates face off against the Atlanta Braves in the series finale at PNC Park without one of their star players.
Oneil Cruz is not in the starting lineup for the Pirates, missing his first start since April 20 against the Cleveland Guardians at home.
Cruz made it to first base on a walk in the bottom of the ninth inning and then attempted to steal base when right fielder Tommy Pham got walked as well. He pulled up early, as he didn't need to slide, but ended up hurting himself in the process.
The Pirates took Cruz out of the game following the end of the inning, moving rookie Matt Gorski from first base to center field, Jared Triolo from shortstop to first base and then bringing in Liover Peguero to shortstop.
Pirates manager Don Kelly spoke on Cruz after the game, saying that he had lower back tightness and is day-to-day.
Alexander Canario takes over in center field from Cruz, moving from left field, while batting sixth in the lineup, moving up two spots from eighth the past two games.
Pham returns to left field and will hit seventh and Bryan Reynolds continues on in right field and second in the lineup.
Ke'Bryan Hayes stays at third base, but will leadoff for the first time since April 20 and for the fifth time this season.
Gorski and Triolo stay at first base and shortstop and will hit fifth and eighth in the lineup, respectively. Peguero takes over from Adam Frazier at second base for his second start there in 2025 and will hit ninth.
Andrew McCutchen and Joey Bart continue on at designated hitter and catcher and third and fourth in the lineup for the Pirates, respectively.
Right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski makes his eighth start of the season for the Pirates. He is 1-3 in seven starts with a 6.16 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched, 24 strikeouts to 10 walks and an opposing batting average of .318.
First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup vs. the Atlanta Braves
- 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes
- RF Bryan Reynolds
- DH Andrew McCutchen
- C Joey Bart
- 1B Matt Gorski
- CF Alexander Canario
- LF Tommy Pham
- SS Jared Triolo
- 2B Liover Peguero
Wrapping up the series vs. the Braves.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 11, 2025
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.