Joey Bart

The Pittsburgh Pirates were walked off by the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, but they feel like they should still be playing.Manager Derek Shelton and multiple Pirates players took issue with home-plate umpire Chris Conroy's safe call on Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel's game-winning single. Cody Bellinger was ruled on the field to have successfully slid home and the call was upheld after a review to give the Cubs a 1-0 victory. Christopher Morel delivers the Wrigley Field walk-off! pic.twitter.com/DqBZ61cv5r MLB (@MLB) May 18, 2024 The Pirates were insistent, however, that Joey Bart tagged Bellinger before the ball popped out of his glove. Bellinger appeared to knock the ball loose as he slid through home. Cody Bellinger was ruled safe on this play that won the game for the Cubs.Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/rb0IJGN7Fu Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 18, 2024 "I don't think he (Bellinger) did it intentionally, but you can see (Bart) had a firm grip of the ball until Bellinger made contact," center fielder Michael A. Taylor - whose 124-mph throw home on the play was the hardest by any outfielder this year - said postgame, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. "In my eyes, he was out right there and MLB made a mistake.""I'm not a guy that lives for excuses ever, but if I was in the wrong there, I'd stand right here and tell you, you know what I mean?" Bart said. "I felt like I did the best I could to make that play. Michael made a hell of a throw and we just didn't get the benefit of the doubt."Shelton concurred with his players' assessment as he broke down the play for reporters, stating Bart presented the ball to Conroy as evidence of the tag when it was dislodged."My interpretation is that Joey presented the ball," Shelton said, per SportsNet Pittsburgh. "And I mean, there's another runner on base, so he's presenting the ball to show the umpire that (Bellinger's) out. So you see him secure, you see tag, you see him take the ball out, and then there's contact with Bellinger. The way, again, I see it is, that's voluntary that he's taking the ball out, and that it's a tag."Pittsburgh has now dropped seven of its last 11 contests and sits 6.5 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are demoting catcher Henry Davis to Triple-A Indianapolis to work on his hitting, manager Derek Shelton said on Friday, according to Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.Davis is hitting .162/.280/.206 with four RBIs in 83 plate appearances this season.The first overall selection in the 2021 draft made the Pirates' Opening Day roster after posting a 1.067 OPS with four homers and 12 RBIs in 16 spring training games.Pittsburgh activated veteran backstop Yasmani Grandal from the injured list in a corresponding move. Grandal and Joey Bart, who has posted a .890 OPS since he was acquired in a trade from the San Francisco Giants, made Davis expendable.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.