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Pirates first baseman Colin Moran pulls in a ground ball hit by Marlins shortstop Jazz Chisholm Jr. in a 2021 game.
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Former Pirate Colin Moran enjoying life with division rival Cincinnati Reds

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Former Pirate Colin Moran enjoying life with division rival Cincinnati Reds

CINCINNATI — Not long ago, Colin Moran was a middle-of-the-order presence for the Pirates, the last remaining piece from the Gerrit Cole trade and one of the more productive first basemen in baseball during the first month of the 2021 season.

This weekend, however, Moran has been on the other side. The Pirates designated him for assignment last November. In March, Moran signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the rival Reds.

While everything leading up to Sunday was much like Moran — extremely low-key — he enjoyed an outburst Sunday by hitting a pair of home runs against his former team, including the fifth grand slam of his career.

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“It’s been good, yeah,” Moran said of joining the rival Reds. “I like the team, the coaches, everything. It’s been fun.”

Pirates catchers Roberto Perez and Henry Davis wait for a drill to begin during spring training at LECOM Park, Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Bradenton.
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Results had been elusive for Moran, who was hitting just .184 with a .463 OPS through 19 games prior to Sunday’s series finale. On Saturday, Moran was the victim of two terrific Pirates defensive plays in the outfield: Jack Suwinski robbing what would have been Moran’s first home run with his new club and Bryan Reynolds snaring a sinking liner two innings later.

The other wrinkle for Moran in Cincinnati has been on the defensive side. Although he has been playing first lately, Moran has actually seen the majority of his playing time over at third base, a position he played regularly as recently as 2019 but barely saw in 2020 and 2021.

After the Pirates designated him for assignment, Moran said he figured being able to play both corner spots might open up a job for him, so he made a concerted effort to work on third base this offseason. In 20 chances so far this season, Moran has not yet made an error.

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“I enjoy playing over there, so it’s been nice having the opportunity to do it,” Moran said. “I wanted to keep that opportunity open and try to prove that I could still play over there. I’m working to try and get familiar with it again.”

As for the Pirates’ decision to pick Yoshi Tsutsugo over him, Moran said there are certainly no hard feelings. Moran said he landed with the Reds because they offered playing time and an opportunity to grow his role with strong performance.

Moran’s time in Pittsburgh is interesting when you think about it. He actually had a really good offensive year in 2019, hitting .277 with a .751 OPS that included 30 doubles and 13 homers, along with 80 RBIs. In pandemic-shortened 2020, Moran might’ve been the Pirates’ best offensive player, with a .247 average, .797 OPS and 10 homers in 52 games.

Through the first 32 games of 2021, Moran was hitting .297 with a .821 OPS and 19 RBIs before several freak injuries disrupted his season and opened the door for Tsutsugo. Still, Moran isn’t exactly the type to sit back and think about what could have been.

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Aaron Fletcher (35) celebrates with catcher Roberto Perez after getting the final out of a win over the Washington Nationals in an April 22 game.
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“I enjoyed my time over there,” Moran said. “Obviously it was a different offseason and my first time being a free agent. The lockout was weird. Once that ended and I had some calls, I settled on a team, went to spring training, and it felt like baseball again. Just trying to focus on helping the team win once I got over here.”

‘Good to be back’

Michael Perez was standing in line for food at Indianapolis’ Victory Field when manager Miguel Perez pulled him aside with some breaking news: Roberto Perez had injured his hamstring, and Michael Perez needed to go to Cincinnati immediately to join up with the major league team for the second game of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park.

“I showered, packed my bag, and in about 10 minutes, I was gone,” Michael Perez said. “But it’s good to be back.”

Michael Perez, who played 70 games for the Pirates as Jacob Stallings’ backup last season and hit .143 with seven homers and a 29.4% strikeout rate, saw his first action of the season Sunday when he started the series finale against the Reds.

With Roberto Perez using crutches to get around and moving quite slowly at the moment, it appears Michael Perez will be with the team for a little while. So one of the clubhouse attendants in Indianapolis packed up Perez’s hotel room and gave his belongings to coordinator of pitching operations Jeremy Bleich, who will drive them to PNC Park for Michael Perez.

Indy updates

Pirates top prospect Oneil Cruz had two hits, including his second home run of the season, to go along with four RBIs on Saturday. It’s something to keep an eye on, as Cruz tries to work his way out of an early-season funk.

On the mound, Roansy Contreras worked four scoreless innings Saturday. In three starts with Class AAA Indianapolis, Contreras has worked 10 1/3 innings, allowing one run while striking out 16.

Also, Duane Underwood Jr. pitched two scoreless innings Saturday on his rehab assignment for a right hamstring strain. Underwood Jr. threw 34 pitches (22 strikes) and was spotted in the Pirates clubhouse after Sunday’s game, an indication that his rehab assignment has ended.

Underwood Jr. profiles as someone who could help in a hybrid or long relief role.

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published: May 8, 2022, 4:31 p.m.

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