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About Matt Wilkes - RotoBaller
Matt is a recent Ohio State grad and has been writing about baseball for over three years. In addition to RotoBaller MLB, he currently writes for Redleg Nation, where he regularly marvels at Joey Votto's mastery with the bat. He's played fantasy sports since he was 9 years old, and it played a large part in turning him into the stats nerd he is today.
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Matt Wilkes - RotoBaller has written 221 articles so far, you can find them below.
Francisco Cervelli Says His Arm Will Be "Fine"
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli (arm) says he will be "fine," according to a report from MLB.com's Adam Berry. The 32-year-old left Tuesday's game after being hit by a fastball on the left forearm and was absent from the lineup in Wednesday's contest. Berry refers to the injury as a bruise, so it seems Cervelli... Read More
Trevor Williams Nabs Fifth Win of the Season
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams fired seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and notched his fifth win of the season. Staked with an early 6-0 lead, the right-hander cruised to the victory, striking out six and walking zero for the first time in a game this season. There are plenty... Read More
Joe Musgrove Set for One More Rehab Start
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (shoulder) is set to make his fourth and final rehab start on Friday in Triple-A Indianapolis. He's expected to throw 100 pitches or six innings, whichever comes first. His last rehab outing was nearly flawless, as the only baserunner he allowed reached on an error. Per MLB.com's Adam Berry,... Read More
Starling Marte Leaves Tuesday's Game
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte left Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox with "right side discomfort." He hit a double in the first inning and later came around to score, but he didn't come back out on the field on defense in the second. Sean Rodriguez replaced him in center field. There was no... Read More
Francisco Cervelli Leaves Game After HBP
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli left Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox after being hit by a pitch on the left forearm. He stayed in to run the bases but was replaced by Elias Diaz in the bottom of the inning. For right now, the Pirates are calling this injury "left forearm discomfort," but... Read More
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Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers for Week 7: Buy or Sell?
Due to a combination of harder throwers and hitters focusing on hitting for power, strikeouts are at an all-time high in baseball. For pitchers, this is an ideal trend. The ability to generate swings and misses is the most important skill to possess, as it's the only true way to control what happens after the... Read More
Chad Kuhl Shaky in No-Decision on Saturday
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl allowed three runs and struck out six in six innings on Saturday, taking a no-decision against the San Francisco Giants. That qualified him for a quality start, but the outing wasn't quite as clean-cut as it would seem. He also allowed six hits, including two homers and two doubles,... Read More
Joe Musgrove Dazzles in Rehab Outing
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (shoulder) fired 5 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball in a rehab outing with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday night. He was a strike-throwing machine, with 60 of his 79 pitches hitting the zone. The only blemish on his record was a fielding error by his first baseman in the opening... Read More
Josh Harrison Cleared for Baseball Activities
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison (hand) has been cleared for baseball activities and expects to begin a rehab assignment "soon," according to The Athletic's Rob Biertempfel. Harrison took batting practice on Friday, an important step in returning from a broken left hand that has kept him out since April 15. He was initially expected... Read More
Max Moroff Notches Two Hits on Friday
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Max Moroff went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in a victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday. After going hitless in his first three at-bats, Moroff singled in the sixth inning and hit a laser of an opposite-field homer to right-center in the eighth to put a cap on... Read More
Josh Bell Knocks Second Homer in Four Games
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in an 11-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday evening. It was one of four homers on the day for Pirates hitters, a no-doubter that traveled an estimated 432 feet over the center-field wall in PNC Park. After going 124... Read More
Starling Marte Hits Sixth Homer of Season
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte went 3-for-5 and blasted his sixth home run of the season in a win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday. On a night when the Pirates honored Andrew McCutchen in his return to PNC Park, Marte reminded Pittsburgh fans they still have a pretty good player manning center field.... Read More
Corey Dickerson Getting a Breather on Friday
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson is out of the starting lineup against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. With southpaw Andrew Suarez on the mound for the Giants, the left-handed hitting Dickerson is getting his first day off since April 25. Dickerson has hit well off of lefties this season (.849 OPS) but that goes... Read More
Colin Moran Swats Go-Ahead Home Run on Wednesday
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Colin Moran had one hit on Wednesday, but he made it count. The 25-year-old smacked a go-ahead, two-run home run against Chicago White Sox closer Nate Jones to cap off a four-run top of the ninth inning and give his team a 6-5 win. The homer was Moran's third of the... Read More
Gregory Polanco Goes Yard on Wednesday
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. The blast came in the sixth inning, cutting the White Sox lead in half to 4-2. It was Polanco's seventh home run of the season as he continues to try climbing out of... Read More
Trevor Williams Allows Four Runs on Wednesday
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams gave up four runs on seven hits in five innings against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, taking a no-decision. All the damage against him came via the home run, as Tim Anderson went deep for a two-run shot in the second inning and Daniel Palka added another two-run... Read More
Corey Dickerson Picks Up Four Hits on Tuesday
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI in his team's 10-6 win on Tuesday. He doubled in the second inning to start a four-run Pittsburgh rally and singled in the third, sixth and eighth. Dickerson's slash line now sits at a pristine .333/.371/.550, and his double (11) and RBI... Read More
Ivan Nova Lasts Just Two Innings on Tuesday
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova had his worst outing of the season on Tuesday, allowing five runs in two innings against the Chicago White Sox. Two batters into the game, Nova surrendered the lead, and he was tagged for four total runs in the first inning. When he gave up another in the second... Read More
Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers for Week 6: Buy or Sell?
Due to a combination of harder throwers and hitters focusing on hitting for power, strikeouts are at an all-time high in baseball. For pitchers, this is an ideal trend. The ability to generate swings and misses is the most important skill to possess, as it's the only true way to control what happens after the... Read More
Adam Frazier Launches Leadoff Home Run on Sunday
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier went 2-for-4 with a home run in Sunday's win against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 26-year-old sent Chase Anderson's second pitch of the day into the right-field bleachers in Miller Park, giving the Pirates an early lead they would never relinquish. It was Frazier's second home run of the year,... Read More
Josh Bell Hits First Homer in Over a Month
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The seventh-inning dinger was his first since April 4, breaking a streak of 124 plate appearances without one. The 25-year-old has had a disappointing season to date after slugging 26 home runs in 2017. He's batting... Read More
Jordy Mercer Smacks First Homer of 2018
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the year in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. The usually light-hitting Mercer took Chase Anderson deep in the second inning, mashing a 405-foot shot to left field. He added two singles and an RBI later in the game. Despite... Read More
Chad Kuhl Fires One-Hitter in Sunday's Win
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl tossed seven innings of shutout, one-hit baseball on Sunday, guiding his team to a 9-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The start was easily his best of 2018, as he walked just two batters and struck out eight. After surrendering a single to Domingo Santana in the second inning,... Read More
Starling Marte Homers in Second Straight Game
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte was responsible for all his team's runs on Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. He knotted up the game at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning before tying things up again with a two-run homer in the eighth. The long ball was his... Read More
Jameson Taillon Allows Just One Run in No-Decision
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon tossed five innings of one-run baseball in a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. The right-hander wasn't at his best, striking out only one batter and allowing at least one baserunner in all but his final frame of work. In total, he gave up six hits and two... Read More
Corey Dickerson Mashes Fifth Homer of Season
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson went 1-for-4 and launched his fifth home run of the season in a 6-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. The two-run shot came off of Junior Guerra in the third inning and gave Dickerson his third long ball in his last five games. The left fielder has been... Read More
Starling Marte Hits Inside-the-Park Homer on Friday
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte went 2-for-5 with an inside-the-park home run and two RBI in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. The dinger nearly left the yard, but instead took a strange bounce off the wall in Miller Park and caromed past center fielder Lorenzo Cain. By the time Cain got the... Read More
Felipe Vazquez Earns Multi-Inning Save
Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez picked up his first save since April 14 in a 6-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night. With his team nursing a one-run lead, the southpaw entered the game with a runner on first base with one out in the eighth inning. He allowed a hit and a... Read More
Nick Kingham Registers Second Win
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Nick Kingham picked up his second win of the season over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday evening. The right-hander didn't flirt with perfection as he did in his big-league debut, but he was good enough for the victory. Kingham allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 5 1/3... Read More
Trevor Williams Saddled With Loss on Thursday
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings in Thursday's loss to the Washington Nationals. The right-hander was cruising along through five shutout, one-hit frames before things fell apart in the sixth. He allowed a single to start the inning, followed by a two-run homer from Trea Turner two batters... Read More
