Joey Bart settling in with Pirates ahead of series finale vs. O's

Joey Bart is off to a fantastic start with the Pirates, and the power-hitting catcher hopes to further impress his new bosses when Pittsburgh hosts the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon for the rubber match of a three-game series.

Bart slammed a two-run homer on Saturday in his first at-bat since he was acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

His long ball helped the Pirates to an early 3-0 lead, and they eventually won 5-4 in 11 innings to even the three-game series.

The Giants selected Bart in the first round (second overall) of the 2018 MLB Draft with the hopes that he'd eventually take over for Buster Posey, but Bart didn't develop to the satisfaction of the organization, and he was designated for assignment last Sunday.

Playing in front of numerous family members, including his mother who grew up in nearby Toronto, Ohio, Bart also doubled off the wall in his debut with the Pirates.

"It's a lot of fun to be out here," Bart said. "A beautiful place and looking forward to keeping it going."

Pittsburgh plans to send left-hander Marco Gonzales (0-0, 1.80 ERA) to the mound for the series finale.

In his first major league appearance since May 28, 2023 because of a nagging forearm injury that eventually required surgery, Gonzales allowed one run and four hits in five-plus innings of an 8-4 win against the Washington Nationals last Monday. He left with a 3-1 lead, but the Nationals tied the score in the seventh against the bullpen, denying him the victory.

"It's not just showing up and pitching," Gonzales said. "It's months and months and months of rehab and a procedure to clean up my forearm, and then a lot of time in the weight room and throwing this offseason to get here. I'm very, very grateful and looking forward to keeping this going."

Gonzales is 1-1 with a 5.95 ERA in four career starts against the Orioles.

Baltimore will counter with right-hander Dean Kremer (0-0, 5.06).

Kremer did not record a decision in his most recent start against the Kansas City Royals last Monday, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs and three hits, including two that left the yard in a 6-4 win.

Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez hit the homers against Kremer, with both coming in the third inning. But Kremer then calmed down and retired eight of the final nine hitters he faced before being lifted with one out in the sixth.

If not for two errors in a scoreless first inning, Kremer may have gone even further.

"It is what it is," Kremer said of the first-inning mistakes. "We're all human. Guys make errors. It is what it is but it's my job to pick them up and they picked me up all night on the offensive side."

Kremer is confident the Orioles are on the right track.

"I think we've picked up right where we left off last year," Kremer said. "This lineup is going to put up some runs. It's going to be our job to hold the other team to less."

Kremer made his only start -- and appearance -- against the Pirates on Aug. 5, 2022, throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings in a 1-0 win in Baltimore.