Pittsburg, PA
Pirates Share Thoughts on Replacing Andrew McCutchen
Few players have meant more to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21st century than Andrew McCutchen.
For the foreseeable future, though, they’ll be without McCutchen, as a left knee injury landed him on the 10-day Injured List on Saturday. While Pittsburgh managed fine in his absence in a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners, the impact of losing McCutchen isn’t lost on Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
“Big shoes to fill,” Kiner Falefa said. “This is his team [and] his organization. His number is going to get retired here. He means a lot to us. He’s been a big help for me. Hopefully, I can just keep learning from him.”
Kiner-Falefa, who was acquired by Pittsburgh (58-64) at the trade deadline by the Toronto Blue Jays, stepped into the leadoff spot with McCutchen out. The utility infielder went 3-for-4 and hit his first home run in a Pirates uniform. In 13 games, the 29-year-old has batted .296 with five RBIs, three doubles and two triples.
McCutchen, 37, has been the sparkplug for the Pirates offense out of the leadoff spot, batting .252 with 15 home runs and 35 RBIs. For the season, the former MVP is batting .235 with 16 home runs, 40 RBIs and a team-high 59 runs scored. The five-time all-star leads Pittsburgh with 51 walks and is second in on-base percentage (.350), only trailing fellow outfielder Bryan Reynolds.
With Pittsburgh only having a 0.6 percent chance of making the playoffs via the Wild Card, according to Fangraphs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Pirates took a much more precautionary approach with McCutchen for the rest of the season. Managing without one of their best hitters won’t be easy, though, and Kiner-Falefa knows the challenge that lies ahead without McCutchen in the lineup.
“Cutch is irreplaceable,” Kiner-Falefa said. “No matter what you do, you’re never going to replace a guy like that. So we could go on a run, and it still doesn’t make up for not having him in the lineup.”
Pittsburgh will look to get the sweep when it faces the Mariners on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET at PNC Park.
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Pittsburgh Regional Transit has started to install its ReadyFare vending machines as the agency prepares to roll out its new fare payment system.
PRT said it’s working to roll out its new ReadyFare system and has started to install the new machine at some of its light-rail stations.
The new machines recently were installed at PRT’s Gateway station in Downtown Pittsburgh.
PRT said that as it prepares to roll out the new system, current ConnectCard holders will receive a card in the mail with instructions on how to request a ReadyFare card.
The new ReadyFare cards will be able to be purchased at the new machines for $1.
PRT said that riders will be able to transfer any balances they have on a ConnectCard to the new ReadyFare cards using an online balance transfer form.
Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
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