Pittsburgh Pirates Grapefruit League Game 24: Will The Real 5th Starter Please Stand Up

Does anyone want to be the Pittsburgh Pirates fifth starting pitcher? Anyone? Anyone?

In 10 days the Pittsburgh Pirates will travel to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati for their 2019 regular season opener against the Cincinnati Reds. When camp began, the team had a few battles unfolding. Now that Opening Day is approaching, most of these battles appear to be decided.

All signs point toward Nick Burdi and Francisco Liriano winning jobs in the bullpen, while Jung Ho Kang appears to have unseated Colin Moran at third base. Additionally, despite his offensive struggles this spring, it appears Erik Gonzalez will start at shortstop over Kevin Newman. This leaves just the fifth and final spot in the Pirate rotation up in the air.

Nick Kingham is one of the pitchers competing for the final spot in the Pirate starting rotation, and he will take the mound against the Rays in Port Charlotte on Monday afternoon. In 12 2/3 innings pitched this spring Kingham has posted a 7.11 ERA while allowing 16 hits, three home runs, and issuing six walks. It goes without saying that Kingham has not done much to earn a spot in the starting rotation this spring.

When Spring Training began, veteran free agent addition Jordan Lyles had the inside track to win the final spot in the Pirate rotation. Thanks in large part to the struggles of Kingham and Steven Brault, Lyles still appears to be the favorite. While it will not be in a Grapefruit League game, Lyles will also pitch on Monday afternoon.

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Lyles is slated to pitch in a simulated game at Pirate City on Monday. This comes after he exited his last outing after pitching just a pair of innings. His early exit came due to an ankle issue that popped up during his outing. The Pirates, however, do not seem concerned about the injury costing Lyles any time in the regular season. Lyles has struggled this spring allowing 13 hits, two home runs, and issuing five walks while posting a 4.91 ERA in 11 innings pitched this spring.

When Kingham’s day ends in Port Charlotte, three other pitchers are schedule to pitch for the Pirates. High leverage bullpen arms Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez are both scheduled to get an inning of work in for the Pirates. Non-roster invitee Tyler Lyons is scheduled to pitch as well.

Crick and Rodriguez have spots locked down in the Opening Day bullpen. As for Lyons, assuming Burdi and Liriano are locked into spots, he is competing with Kingham, Brault, Michael Feliz, and Brandon Maurer for the final spot in the bullpen.

When Spring Training began Lyons seemed to have a leg up on the competition for a bullpen spot due to his experience and success with the St. Louis Cardinals. However, after suffering from a shoulder issue in 2018 that led to a decrease in velocity, Lyons has continued to struggle this spring. In 6 innings pitched, he’s posted a 13.50 ERA while allowing 9 hits, a home run, he’s hit a batter, he’s walked two, and he’s recorded just two strikeouts.

First pitch from Charlotte Sports Park is scheduled for 1:05 PM on Monday afternoon. You can listen to the game on pirates.com, as well as the MLB At Bat App.