First Call: Ex-Penguin Jordan Staal finalist for Selke Trophy; 2 former Pirates pitchers lighting up the NL

Monday’s “First Call” has an honor for a former Pittsburgh Penguin. Chase Claypool gets a familiar number with his new team. Paul Skenes isn’t the only Pirates pitching prospect worth tracking in the minors.

And a pair of ex-Buccos pitchers are tearing it up in the National League.

Selke for Staal?

Jordan Staal, who played on the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup-winning team, has been named a finalist for the 2024 Selke Trophy.

The Selke — voted upon by Professional Hockey Writers Association members — is given “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”

Staal led all Carolina Hurricanes forwards in shorthanded ice time. The team’s penalty kill of 86.4% was tops in the NHL during the regular season. The 35-year-old also won 58.1% of his faceoffs and ranked second among NHL forwards in SAT percentage (61.9%) while on the ice.

Staal was a finalist for this award when he was with Pittsburgh in 2010. If Staal took home the hardware, he would be the first Hurricane to do so since his current coach, Rod Brind’Amour, in 2007.

According to the Hockey News, the 14-year gap between his Selke Trophy nominations is now the longest for a voted award in NHL history.

The other two finalists are Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Toronto’s Auston Matthews. Barkov won the award in 2021 and was a finalist in 2022. Via NHL.com, Matthews blocked 93 shots and totaled 85 takeaways. Those numbers ranked second in the NHL among forwards.

Boston center Patrice Bergeron won the award last season, his final year before retirement.

Big shoulder pads to fill

Former Steelers receiver Chase Claypool already had plenty of pressure to finally fulfill his natural potential when he signed in Buffalo late last week.

Now he’ll have even more on his back.

Working on his fourth team since entering the NFL in 2020, Claypool is beginning 2024 with the Bills. At one point a hot prospect for the Steelers after an impressive start to his rookie season, the Notre Dame product has since been traded to the Chicago Bears, traded to the Miami Dolphins, and then signed a free-agent contract with the Bills on Friday.

Buffalo has decided to give Claypool No. 14. That was the number formerly worn by ex-Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs.

Buffalo Bills WR Chase Claypool (@ChaseClaypool) is wearing number 14. Last assigned to Stefon Diggs. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/fgQzbcIAi3

— NFL Jersey Numbers (@nfl_jersey_num) May 3, 2024

After some unrest over the past few years, Diggs was traded to Houston in April and restructured his contract there. Claypool will likely back up the likes of Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel and rookie Keon Coleman in a revamped Bills receiving corps.

Since leaving the Steelers in the middle of the 2022 season, Claypool has just 22 catches for 217 total yards and one touchdown.

More sports

• 'Looking out for us': Pirates deliberate in development of Jared Jones, Paul Skenes
• Roman Wilson’s college stats were limited, but Steelers believe they have draft steal
• Pirates GM Ben Cherington offers thoughts on Paul Skenes' path, Henry Davis' demotion

Keep ’em coming

It took three home games this weekend against the woeful Colorado Rockies for the Pirates to finally get a series win. It was the first for manager Derek Shelton and company since taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles on April 5-7.

Colorado now leaves Pittsburgh with a record of 8-26. That’s the worst in the National League. The Pirates aren’t much better at 16-19. But at least they’ve climbed out of the NL Central cellar, half a game in front of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Even better for the Pirates, the Los Angeles Angels are coming into town next at 12-22. Only the hideous Chicago White Sox (8-26) have fewer wins among American League teams than the Angels.

Los Angeles started the season 0-2, then won four in a row March 31-April 3. Manager Ron Washington’s club hasn’t won consecutive games since. They have just three wins in their last 13 games.

Shohei Ohtani is cross town with the Dodgers now. Mike Trout is injured. So the Angels are lacking the star power they used to have in their lineup. But it’s the pitching that is really bad.

L.A. has a team ERA of 4.90. The Rockies are one of only three teams with a higher mark. The staff has allowed 41 homers. Only four teams in Major League Baseball have yielded more. And with 132 walks, only four teams have allowed more free passes.

It took three games for the Pirates’ hibernating bats to finally wake up a bit against the Rockies’ lousy pitching, winning 5-3 on Sunday. That’s after they managed to scratch out a 1-0 victory Saturday and dropped a 3-2 decision Friday.

Perhaps a little of Sunday’s success will carry over to this week’s games against the struggling Angels before the Central Division-rival Cubs (21-14) come to PNC Park at the end of the week.

Since we brought it up

Speaking of the Cubs, Jameson Taillon spun another gem for Chicago on Saturday. The former Pirate twirled six shutout innings en route to a 6-5 Cubs victory over the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Taillon allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven along the way.

.@JTaillon50’s seven Ks on the day! pic.twitter.com/Fxh4u5XO9p

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 4, 2024

The ex-Bucs starter is now 3-0 with an ERA of 1.13. His WHIP is 0.88. As of now, Taillon is slated to start the series opener between the teams on Friday against Pirates rookie Jared Jones. The right-hander has 52 strikeouts, the fourth most in Major League Baseball.

The leader in that category is another ex-Pirate, Tyler Glasnow. He has 63 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Taillon was baffling the Brewers on Saturday, Glasnow was also getting a win, striking out 10 Atlanta Braves as the Dodgers were winning 11-2. Glasnow allowed two runs on five hits and one walk to improve his record to 6-1.

More in the minors

When it comes to keeping tabs on Pirates prospects, most folks were watching the latest start from Paul Skenes on Sunday. The Pirates’ 2023 first-round draft choice was making what many are hoping will be his last start in Triple-A Indianapolis before being promoted to the Pirates sometime this week.

It wasn’t the best start for Skenes, working on four days of rest for the first time as a pro. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on three hits (including a homer) and two walks with a season-low four strikeouts in 4⅓ innings for the Indians as they won 8-3 over Buffalo.

So we’ll see if Skenes gets the call before this homestand is over Sunday. But if you are looking for hints, his girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, posted this photo on social media Sunday night.

Livvy Dunne posted a Paul Skenes jersey on Snapchat tonight. That settles it. He's pitching in Pittsburgh this weekend. Debate over. pic.twitter.com/HP52wxs3M2

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 6, 2024

Clever product placement with the purse, by the way.

Meanwhile, another top Pirates prospect had a strong start with the Altoona Curve on Sunday. Left-handed pitcher Anthony Solometo tossed three innings of shutout ball, allowing no earned runs and striking out five. Although he did allow three hits and three walks

Anthony Solometo (@Pirates) put on a show for the @AltoonaCurve.

MLB's No. 73 prospect's day:
3 IP | 3 H | 0 R | 3 BB | 5 K pic.twitter.com/Cn7tR85PqU

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 5, 2024

That was the 2021 second-rounder’s best performance since his opening outing of the year on April 7, when he pitched four shutout innings against Akron. The Curve went on to beat Harrisburg, 6-2, and Solometo lowered his ERA to 5.06.