Pirates' Bailey Falter: Blanks Cincy for third win
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Falter (3-3) picked up the win in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over the Reds, scattering four hits over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.
It was a dazzling performance from the southpaw, who tossed 55 of 79 pitches for strikes before handing the ball off to the Bucs' bullpen to complete the shutout. Falter has allowed just one run in four May starts and none in his last three trips to the mound, giving him a 0.38 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB through 23.2 innings on the month. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Brewers.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Runs up pitch count Wednesday
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Falter did not factor into Wednesday's decision against the Mets, allowing three hits and five walks while striking out three across 3.2 scoreless innings.
Falter was able to keep the Mets off the board, but he allowed eight baserunners and ran his pitch count up to 78 (41 strikes) before being lifted for Chase Shugart in the fourth inning. It was the first time in nine starts this season that Falter didn't make it out of the fourth frame, but he has yielded just one earned run over his last three starts. He's in line to start against the Reds at home next week.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Tosses six scoreless frames in win
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Falter (2-3) earned the win against Atlanta on Friday, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three over six scoreless innings.
After yielding three baserunners in the first two innings, Falter proceeded to face the minimum in three of the next four en route to his second scoreless outing of the year. He hasn't generated a ton of whiffs or strikeouts this season, but the 28-year-old southpaw has allowed three earned runs or fewer in six of eight starts and has a 4.36 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 43.1 innings this season. Falter's next start is tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Mets.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: No-decision in quality start
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Falter did not factor into the decision of Saturday's game against the Padres, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out six over seven innings.
Falter scatted four baserunners over seven strong innings, with his only blemish coming on a Manny Machado solo homer in the seventh frame. It was Falter's third quality start of the season and the second time he has made it through seven innings. He has a 5.06 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 28:11 K:BB across 37.1 innings, and his next start is slated for next weekend at home against Atlanta.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Stumbles in loss
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Falter (1-3) yielded seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against the Dodgers.
Falter struggled right out of the gate Sunday, coughing up four runs in the first inning and another in the second. He settled in for a bit until the Dodgers plated three more runs in the fifth frame, with two being charged to the left-hander. It's the second time that Falter has allowed seven runs in a start this season and his ERA jumped to 5.93 through 30.1 innings. He's projected for a home matchup with the Padres next weekend.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Ready for next start
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Falter (back) is listed as the Pirates' scheduled starting pitcher for Sunday's game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old lefty departed after four innings in his latest start Tuesday due to back tightness, but he's apparently bounced back and will be ready to take the hill Sunday on normal rest. While Falter has delivered a strong 1.19 WHIP through his first five starts of the season, most his other ratios (5.19 ERA, 12.5 K-BB%) have painted an unflattering picture of his performance. He won't be a recommended streaming option as he takes on a stellar Dodgers offense on the road.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Exits with back tightness
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Falter was removed from his start Tuesday against the Angels due to lower-back tightness.
Falter threw just 65 pitches across four innings before being pulled from the game, during which he gave up three runs on five hits and no walks while striking out five batters. The severity of his injury remains unknown, so there's no telling if he'll be able to make his next start -- tentatively scheduled to come against the Dodgers on Sunday.
Falter (1-2) earned the win against the Nationals on Wednesday, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two across seven scoreless innings.
Falter needed just 83 pitches (of which 57 were strikes) to get through seven scoreless frames, allowing only three baserunners in the process. It was his second quality start in four tries and a nice bounce-back effort for the 26-year-old southpaw, who yielded 12 runs (10 earned) in his two previous outings. Falter will look to make it two wins in a row in his next start, which is tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Angels.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Struggles with command in loss
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Falter (0-2) was hit with the loss against the Reds on Friday after giving up five runs (three earned) on three hits and five walks while striking out four batters across five innings.
Falter ran into trouble early on, allowing the first three batters he faced to reach on walks. A double play kept hope alive that he'd be able to get through the first inning with minimal damage, though those hopes quickly evaporated when Jeimer Candelario smacked a ball 384 feet into the left-field bleachers. Two more walks and a wild pitch allowed Cincinnati to score two more runs in the third frame and would keep the Reds in front for the rest of the game. Falter now owns a 7.20 ERA through 15 innings across his first three starts, and he's lined up to make his next start at home against the Nationals.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Allows seven runs in loss
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Falter (0-1) took the loss against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts over four innings.
Falter entered the fifth inning with a 4-1 lead but was unable to record an out, ultimately surrendering six runs in the frame. Despite generating 14 swinging strikes on 88 pitches, the southpaw was tagged for two home runs by Trent Grisham. Falter will take an ugly 8.10 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 9:1 K:BB across 10 innings into a road matchup with the Reds next weekend.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Logs quality start in no-decision
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Falter did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Marlins, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks with four strikeouts over six innings.
Falter started strong with four scoreless innings but exited in a 2-2 tie after giving up runs in the fifth and sixth frames. The 27-year-old was efficient, throwing 56 strikes on 87 pitches and generating nine whiffs. He's slated for a tough matchup with the Yankees next weekend.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Good to go Monday
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Falter (general soreness) is scheduled to start Monday's split-squad game against the Tigers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Falter was scratched from his spring start Thursday as a precautionary measure due to general soreness, but he'll be ready to take the mound a few days later. The left-hander will begin the season at the back end of Pittsburgh's rotation after finishing 2024 with a 4.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 97:45 K:BB over 142.1 innings.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: No longer pitching Thursday
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Falter did not recover well from his catch session Wednesday and is no longer scheduled to pitch in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said the move to scratch Falter was made out of an "abundance of precaution," adding that Falter is dealing with "general body soreness" and will instead play catch again Thursday before the team determines the next steps. Falter is expected to have a spot in the Pittsburgh rotation to begin the season, but this issue could throw a wrench into those plans if it delays the lefty longer than expected, with Opening Day just two weeks away.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Should have rotation spot
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Falter is projected to begin the season in the Pirates' rotation, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Falter's role was precarious after Andrew Heaney was signed, though Bubba Chandler was since reassigned to Triple-A and Johan Oviedo (lat) placed on the 60-day injured list. That should keep Falter in the rotation to begin the campaign. In two spring starts, he has allowed two earned runs across 4.2 innings with a 7:3 K:BB.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Gets $2.22 million for 2025
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Falter and the Pirates avoided arbitration by agreeing Thursday to a one-year, $2.22 million contract, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Falter was arbitration-eligible for the first time, coming off a 2024 campaign in which he covered a career-high 142.1 innings over 28 starts for the Pirates. The southpaw was decent enough as a back-end rotation arm with a 4.43 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, but a career-worst 16.5 percent strikeout rate doesn't inspire much confidence in his ability to take any sort of major step forward. Even though he should be in good shape to retain a rotation spot heading into 2025, Falter's fantasy utility will likely be limited to deeper mixed leagues or NL-only leagues.
Pirates' Bailey Falter: No-decision in final outing
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Falter did not factor into the decision in Sunday's loss to the Yankees, allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. He failed to record a strikeout.
Falter's first two pitches of the contest were both laced for extra-base hits -- a double by Gleyber Torres and a two-run shot by Trent Grisham. Falter never fully recovered, allowing two more runs in the third inning before being pulled after 62 pitches. The 27-year-old started a career-high 28 games for the Pirates in 2024, finishing with a respectable 4.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 97:45 K:BB in 142.1 innings. Although the southpaw showed improvement from previous seasons, his paltry 6.3 K/9 (eighth percentile) made him a low-upside fantasy option.
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