PITTSBURGH -- With the MLB Draft looming on Saturday, the Pirates made a deal late Friday night to help the team in the present. Pittsburgh dealt the No. 34 pick and Triple-A pitcher Jaden Woods to the White Sox for infielder Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert.
With the excitement surrounding Pittsburgh’s first few rounds of the MLB Draft and the trade on Friday, it still had two of its biggest games of the year to play. Against the NL Central-leading Brewers, the Pirates swept the doubleheader, winning both games by a one-run margin.
With All-Star Braxton Ashcraft on the mound in Game 1, the Pirates fell behind, 6-3, but battled back with some magic.
Esmerlyn Valdez, also known as “The Magician,” tallied six RBIs. With the Pirates trailing in the seventh, Valdez hit a towering grand slam for his second home run of the game and the lead.
On in relief of Ashcraft, Carmen Mlodzinski allowed one run in three innings to stretch the game to the ninth for Gregory Soto. While loading the bases, Soto worked a 5-2 double play to end the game and secure a 7-6 victory to open the series.
Between games, Gonzalez and Eisert were activated for the Pirates. Rather than use the 34th pick to address the bullpen need directly, Pittsburgh elected to improve the bullpen and fill a gap with Konnor Griffin’s absence.
Gonzalez was in the dugout in Game 2, but he didn’t start with the Brewers' starting left-handed pitcher Shane Drohan.
The former first-round pick will fill in at shortstop largely, though he has played all over the infield. Pirates manager Don Kelly was especially excited about his power improvements, which could play well as a left-handed bat in PNC Park. Eisert adds a left-handed arm with Evan Sisk out.
“The underlying stuff that the office saw is very intriguing,” Kelly said pregame. “How he's able to attack lefties … to add another lefty that gives us some more flexibility to do other things.”
While the additions will help, it was the rookie again in Game 2 that led the way. Valdez homered in the fourth for his third of the day (two in the first game and one in the second), giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead with Bubba Chandler on the mound.
After Brice Turang doubled to tie the game in the fifth, Eisert came on for his Pirates debut. He walked two batters but worked out of the jam to escape unscathed. With the score still tied, Bryan Reynolds retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth on a single down the right-field line.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen worked four scoreless innings to close the game out, securing a 3-2 win and sweep in the doubleheader.