Gonzales Shines, Griffin Wait

0:00It's March 29th. This is MLB News Today, AI-powered stories from around the league. I'm Cori with the story. The Pittsburgh Pirates are sitting at zero wins and two losses after dropping the first two games to the New York Mets. And they're desperate for that. First victory to close out the series. Batting and pitching just haven't synced up yet, leaving fans hungry for a spark from top prospect Connor Griffin. But holding things down at third base is Nick Gonzalez, the 27-year-old infielder who's making a strong case to stay in the lineup. He's been consistent at the plate with a career point 678 on base plus lugging percentage, and he notched 99 hits last season. Over 381 played appearances. Through those first two games, Gonzalez has looked sharp with four hits in 10 trips to the dish and three runs batted in, including a clutch go ahead. Single and extra innings. Fans are clamoring for Griffin, but Gonzalez's steady bat that wears down pitchers is proving tough to bench. Defensively, he's no slouch either. A former first-round pick with just 19 errors in two 27 career games.

1:06He's shifted to the hot corner this year after barely playing there before, and he's already looking natural while Jared Trio low moves to shortstop. As long as Gonzalez keeps delivering on both sides of the ball, Griffin's big league debut stays on hold, buying the pirate's time to get there, early this season groove back.