Pirates notebook: Lefty Dillon Peters makes Bucs debut; Bryse Wilson, Anthony Alford go on IL

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a flurry of roster moves Sunday.

The most notable of the five was recalling left-hander Dillon Peters from Triple-A Indianapolis. He was the starter and loser as the Pirates fell 2-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park, though he allowed just two runs (one earned) in 4 2/3 innings.

Peters was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels last month and pitched in the major leagues from 2017-20 with the Miami Marlins and Angels.

Peters became the 55th player to appear for the Pirates in 2021, tying the franchise record set in 2016.

Meanwhile, right-hander Bryse Wilson (right arm fatigue) and left fielder Anthony Alford (back spasms) were placed on the 10-day injured list.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said the move with Wilson is mostly about load management.

Acquired from the Atlanta Braves on July 30 in a trade, Wilson has pitched a combined 102 innings between the major leagues and minor leagues this season. He logged just 15 2/3 innings during the pandemic-truncated 2020 season.

Left fielder Ben Gamel was activated from the 10-day IL. He had been out since Aug. 5 with a strained right hamstring. Gamel started in left field, went 1 for 4 and drove in the Pirates’ lone run.

Reliever Shea Spitzbarth was returned to Indianapolis after being recalled Saturday to serve as the 27th man on the roster for the second game of the doubleheader with the Brewers.

Tsutsugo reportedly signed

The Pirates have signed infielder/outfielder Yoshii Tsutsugo, according to multiple reports, though the team did not confirm the move.

Tsutsugo, 29, was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A Oklahoma City farm club, where he hit .257 with 10 home runs in 43 games before being granted his release to sign with the Pirates.

The left-handed hitter has played in 38 major-league games this season combined with the Tampa Bay Rays and Dodgers and hit just .155.

The Rays signed Tsutsugo as a free agent before last season, but he struggled with a .197 batting average and eight homers in 51 games in his first time in the major leagues.

Tsutsugo belted 205 home runs in 10 seasons while playing in Nippon Professional Baseball in his native Japan to go with a .285 average.

Statworthy tidbits

Some interesting statistical nuggets came out of the Pirates’ 14-4 victory over the Brewers in the first game of Saturday’s twinbill.

According to the team, Kevin Newman became the first Pirates shortstop in more than 100 years to have four extra-base hits in one game when his four doubles tied the major-league record.

Honus Wagner had three doubles and a home run against Philadelphia on Aug. 22, 1910, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Pirates won 8-4 at Forbes Field.

The Pirates’ 19 hits in Game 1 set a franchise record for most hits in a game of less than nine innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

They had 17 against the Cincinnati Reds on July 4, 1951, in a 16-4 six-inning win at Forbes Field and again in a 12-1 win over the Giants at San Francisco in seven innings on Aug. 18, 1976.

In the 1951 games, Ralph Kiner and Clyde McCullough hits two home runs each. Kiner finished with seven RBIs.

In 1976, Dave Parker went 4 for 4 and Richie Zisk drove in four runs.

Olympian in town

Jermey Bleich threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He pitched for Israel in this year’s Olympics in Tokyo.

Bleich is a former Pirates’ minor leaguer and currently works as an assistant in the team’s scouting department.

Coming up

The Pirates open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 10:10 p.m. Monday at Dodger Stadium. Left-hander Steven Brault (0-1, 3.00) will pitch for the Pirates, but the Dodgers have not decided on a starter.

Wil Crowe (3-7, 5.27) will face lefty David Price (4-1, 3.60) on Tuesday night, and JT Brubaker (4-12, 5.13) squares off with TBA on Wednesday night.