Pirates plan to keep Griffin around

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are optimistic about reaching a long-term contract with rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, but general manager Ben Cherington cautioned they’re not at the finish line.

Cherington said it typically takes a series of items to come together for both sides to strike a deal. While some appear to be in alignment, Cherington didn’t indicate a pact was imminent.

“I think about past experience with things like this, when they happen, it’s usually some combination of the player being open and interested, the team having a high level of belief and conviction in the player, and then having organizational alignment around that,” Cherington said. “I do think some of those ingredients are in place with Konnor, and so that would give me a level of hope, potentially.”

The 19-year-old Griffin, the ninth overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft, made his big league debut last Friday against Baltimore. He laced an RBI-double off the wall in center field in his first at-bat in the majors and collected his second and third hits in Tuesday’s 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres.

The Pirates are very bullish on the 6-foot-3 Griffin, who was among the final cuts at the end of spring training before quickly being promoted a week into the season. He responded by hitting .438 during a brief stint at Triple-A Indianapolis and has looked right at home in the field.

He’s also handled the attention that’s part of the gig when you are anointed as the top prospect in the majors with ease.

“Just what he brings energy-wise, attitude-wise, and as a teammate, that’s going to be there every day,” Cherington said. “Whenever he was going to get to the Major Leagues, there was going to be some offensive transition. We know that. Ultimately, it just felt like he was going to make the team better. That was how it landed.”

There have been a series of aggressive moves by organizations to lock up talented young infielders lately. Seattle signed 20-year-old Colt Emerson to an eight-year contract last week before Emerson even reached the majors. The Milwaukee Brewers did the same with 21-year-old shortstop Cooper Pratt last week.

Cherington has made it a point since taking over in late 2019 to identify players considered cornerstones and keeping them around for the long haul, a list that includes two-time All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds and right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller.

Griffin, who has a $780,000 salary this season while he’s in the majors and a $127,100 salary while in the minors, has said he wants to be a Pirate “for a long time,” among the reasons Pittsburgh had no trouble calling him up less than 650 days after he was drafted. Rocketing through the club’s farm system helped.

Cherington knows there is a transition period for any player when they reach the majors. The way Griffin has responded to minor setbacks along the way has the Pirates believing it is only a matter of time before it all comes together.

“Part of the calculus of trying to call a player up is the conviction that they’re equipped to handle that, whatever comes with that,” Cherington said. “We have a very high belief with Konnor to do that. He’s going to respond that whatever challenges come his way and overcome them.”

Skenes takes no-hitter into the sixth

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes put together his second straight solid start, keeping San Diego hitless until the sixth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-1 win over the Padres on Tuesday night.

Skenes (2-1), who was rocked during an opening day loss to the New York Mets, struck out six and walked two in 6 1/3 innings while lowering his ERA to 5.54. The Padres’ first of two hits against the 23-year-old was a clean single to left by Fernando Tatis Jr. with one out in the sixth.

Xander Bogaerts homered off Skenes — the first round-tripper given up by a Pittsburgh starter this season — with one out in the seventh. Skenes exited to a loud ovation from the announced crowd of 9,061 on a chilly night as the Pirates won for the sixth time in seven games.

Oneil Cruz hit a two-run double off Nick Pivetta (1-2) in the fifth and Nick Gonzales added a two-run single to start a five-run eighth for the Pirates. Skenes and three relievers combined on a three-hitter.

Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin picked up the second and third hits of his major league career. The 19-year-old had an infield single in the fifth and scored from first on Cruz’s laser down the left field line. He added a line drive to center for a two-run single in the eighth, a few hours after Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said some ingredients for a long-term contract for Griffin were “in place.”

Pivetta was dominant through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. The veteran right-hander gave up two runs on four hits with a walk and a season-high eight strikeouts.

The series wraps up on Wednesday. Michael King (0-1, 3.38 ERA) starts for the Padres against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.50).

Rocchio’s hit lifts Guardians in ninth

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brayan Rocchio’s single with one out in the ninth inning drove in CJ Kayfus to give the Cleveland Guardians a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.

Kayfus singled off John Schreiber (0-1) and advanced to second when Bo Naylor walked. Rocchio’s single just eluded Kansas City second baseman Jonathan India to go into right field. Kayfus slid into home and beat the throw of right fielder Lane Thomas for the winning run.

Cleveland second baseman Juan Brito went 2 for 4 in his major-league debut and Steven Kwan had an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Kansas City rookie Carter Jensen homered for the second straight game for the Royals’ only hit. Jensen connected on a cutter in the second inning off Cleveland starter Gavin Williams and drove it over the wall in right-center for his third home run of the season.

Cade Smith (2-0), the fifth Guardians pitcher, got the win after retiring the Royals in order in the ninth. It was the Guardians’ first one-hitter since Aug. 6 last season at the New York Mets. The previous Guardians one-hitter at home was on May 7, 2023, against Minnesota.

Cleveland tied the game in the fifth. Austin Hedges singled with one out, advanced to second on a ground out and scored when Kwan lined a single to left field.

The game was moved up five hours because of an evening forecast with temperatures below freezing. However, it was 33 degrees at first pitch, making it the coldest game at Progressive Field since April 9, 2018, against Detroit, which was also 33 degrees.

It will be a matchup of left-handers in Wednesday’s series finale. Cole Ragans (0-2, 3.60 ERA) goes for Kansas City while Joey Cantillo (0-0, 3.00 ERA) takes the hill for Cleveland.