New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Pick & Prediction APRIL 6th 2025
Preview and Prediction
The Yankees will aim to maintain their record-breaking start to the season in terms of home runs, while the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are hosting the game, will try to break out of their offensive struggles when the two teams meet on Sunday afternoon for the final game of their three-game series.
New York has already hit 25 home runs in their first eight games, setting a new record in Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, the Pirates have only managed to score 27 runs in their first nine games.
The Yankees' lineup has been consistently productive, as seen in their 10-4 victory on Saturday, where Trent Grisham hit two home runs from the ninth spot in the batting order.
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Despite some lackluster performances from their short-handed rotation, the Yankees have managed to overcome these challenges with their impressive home runs. This was evident in Saturday's game, where Marcus Stroman had a poor start and only lasted four innings.
In Sunday's game, rookie right-hander Will Warren (0-0, 3.60 ERA) will try to provide some stability for the Yankees, as he faces off against Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-0, 1.80).
Heaney, a veteran in his 12th season in the MLB, had a solid outing in his first start on March 30 against his former team, the Miami Marlins. He only gave up one run, four hits, and struck out two in five innings. However, the Pirates were unable to support him and ended up losing 3-2.
The Pirates have struggled to find consistency in their pitching, as seen in Saturday's game where Bailey Falter gave up seven runs in just four innings. Heaney has also struggled against the Yankees in the past, with a record of 1-4 and an ERA of 4.71 in eight career starts against them.
The Pirates' bullpen has also been a cause for concern, particularly Colin Holderman, who gave up a three-run double to Anthony Volpe on Saturday, allowing the Yankees to pull away.
After Saturday's loss, Pirates manager Derek Shelton expressed the need to find a better role for Holderman in the game. He said, "We are trying to find him a spot, maybe earlier in the game to get him going. We've got to figure out a way to get him going."
Warren, who was moved into the rotation due to injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt, had a decent start in his first game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. He gave up two earned runs and only one hit, but his four walks were a cause for concern. He also allowed a two-run home run to Corbin Carroll after one of those walks.
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Although Warren has never started against the Pirates, he did pitch one inning in relief against them last season, where he gave up three earned runs, including a two-run home run to Nick Yorke.
In an interview with the New York Post this week, Warren expressed his belief that he belongs in the MLB and is capable of playing at this level for a long time. He said, "I think I belong here because I truly do think that I can play here for a long time. I know what I'm capable of. I didn't really show it last year, but I think that's the learning curve, and just like moving on from those experiences and trying to learn from guys like (Carlos) Rodon and Gerrit and Stroman and Clarke, those guys have been through it."
Schmidt, who struck out seven in 3 1/3 innings in his first rehab appearance on Saturday, is expected to make one more rehab outing before potentially rejoining the rotation on April 15 or 16, according to MLB.com.
New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Recap APR 6TH 2025
Tommy Pham's walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon.
Pham's hit helped the Pirates avoid getting swept for the first time this season and snapped a two-game skid as Pittsburgh secured the finale of a three-game series against the defending American League champions.
The Pirates prevailed despite their bullpen surrendering three runs in the top of the ninth and wasting a quality start from starter Andrew Heaney.
But in the 11th, automatic runner Jack Suwinski stole third with one out to set up Pham's game winning hit off Yankees closer Devin Williams (0-1).
Trent Grisham, who again led the Yankees, going 2-for-5 with two RBI, had a chance to give the Yankees the lead in the 11th. But Pirates reliever Joey Wentz (1-1) got Grisham to fly out to left with runners on second and third and two outs.
The Yankees appeared to be ready for another offensive outburst after scoring quickly in the first inning on Jazz Chisholm's RBI double. The hit scored Cody Bellinger, who singled two batters prior and stole second. Bellinger was back in the Yankees' lineup after missing their previous two games with a lower back issue.
But Heaney would proceed to strike out 10 over seven innings and 100 pitches as he delivered his second consecutive strong outing to open the season.
Yankees' rookie starter Will Warren's second start of the season lasted only four innings as he allowed four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five.
The Yankees' bullpen picked up their starter, though, as Brent Headrick, Yoendrys Gomez and Luke Weaver each pitched two hitless innings to hold the Pirates in check.
New York scored three runs in the ninth off reliever Ryan Borucki to tie the game at 4 and eventually force extra innings. Oswald Peraza doubled on a 2-2 count to score Anthony Volpe and put runners on second and third. Grisham then came up and delivered a game-tying single to score Peraza and Jasson Dominguez.