Pirates Reveal First Lineup Under Don Kelly
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates play their first game under new manager Don Kelly, who just released his first lineup, as they take on the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park.
The Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on May 8 and promoted Kelly, who was serving as bench coach. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said this decision is permanent for 2025, meaning Kelly is not an interim manager.
The Pirates made just two lineup personnel changes from their latest defeat vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 7, 5-0 shutout, their seventh of the season.
Rookie Matt Gorski will come in for Enmanuel Valdez at first base and hit sixth in the lineup. This is Gorski's fifth start of the season, all coming at first base, and his second start in the past three games. He has slashed .211/.211/.474 for an OPS of .684, with four hits in 19 at-bats and one home run in his first MLB at-bat vs. the Los Angeles Angels on April 24.
Jared Triolo starts at shortstop, replacing Liover Peguero, and hit ninth in the lineup. Triolo has struggled as of late with just two hits in 22 at-bats in his past eight games, with a slash line of .091/.182/.136 for an OPS of .329.
The Pirates will keep the same four batters at the top of the order, with Oneil Cruz playing center field and leading off, Bryan Reynolds working out of right field and hitting second, Andrew McCutchen serving as designated hitter and batting third in the lineup and Joey Bart playing catcher and hitting fourth in the batting order.
Ke'Bryan Hayes stays at third base, but will move up one spot from sixth to fifth in the lineup.
Adam Frazier and Tommy Pham will stay at both second base and left field, respectively, and both seventh and eighth in the lineup, respecitvely. Alexander Canario will replace Pham, the team announced.
Left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter will make his eighth start of the season for the Pirates. He has a 1-3 record in his first seven starts, a 5.06 ERA over 37.1 innings pitched 28 strikeouts to 11 walks and an opposing batting average of .252.
First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup vs. the Atlanta Braves
Back home vs. the Braves.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 9, 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.