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3 Takeaways From Pittsburgh Pirates Series Victory In San Diego
The Pittsburgh Pirates capped off a great 7-4 road trip by taking 3 of 4 from the Padres in San Diego. What were some key takeaways from the series victory?
Regardless of the sport, a sign of a good team is the ability to overcome adversity. Few teams, if any, in all of baseball have faced more adversity than the Pittsburgh Pirates have this season. Yet, they just keep winning baseball games.
Following a 6-4 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon, the Pirates finished an 11 games in 11 days road trip with a 7-4 record. On the trip the Pirates faced three good teams in the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Padres, they overcame more injuries, and still find themselves enjoying a well deserved day off on Monday with a 24-20 record.
When Trevor Williams was placed on the injured list on Friday, he became the 20th Pirate player to go on the IL this season. While the Williams injury is, in my opinion, the second biggest blow of the season next to Jameson Taillon‘s, the team still went on to win the final three games in San Diego.
After the off day on Monday, the Pirates will welcome the Colorado Rockies to PNC Park as the team kicks off a 6-game homestand. But before we turn our attention to the Rockies, let’s take a look at key takeaways from the team’s series victory over the Padres.
Young guns stepping up in the bullpen
The Pittsburgh Pirates appeared primed to have one of the best bullpens in the National League this season. So far, Felipe Vazquez and Kyle Crick have done what was expected of them. Francisco Liriano has, surprisingly, been dominant. This is where the good from the bullpen ends.
After having a great rookie season in 2018, Richard Rodriguez pitched so poorly he was optioned to Triple-A on Friday. After a slow start to the season, Keone Kela had gotten back on track with six consecutive scoreless outings before landing on the IL earlier this month. Rookie Nick Burdi was emerging as a high leverage option before hitting the IL with a nerve issue.
Chris Stratton, Clay Holmes, Dovydas Neverauskas, Michael Feliz, Nick Kingham, and Steven Brault have all pitched out of the bullpen this season as well, and all have struggled. However, a pair of rookies may prove to be the patches that the leaky dam that can be the Pirate bullpen needs.
In the first game of the road trip Montana DuRapau made his MLB debut. He pitched in 6 2/3 innings across five games on the trip, including serving as the opener in Saturday night’s victory, and he has allowed just six base runners while striking out nine. DuRapau has also flashed a filthy slider, and looks very capable of pitching in high leverage situations.
On Saturday, righty Geoff Hartlieb was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis in a move that should have happened a few weeks ago. After pitching a 1-2-3 9th inning on Saturday, Hartlieb was thrown into the fire by manager Clint Hurdle on Sunday. Hartlieb took over with one out in the 7th inning and the Pirates leading 5-4. He proceeded to get the final two outs of the inning, helping the Pirates earn a series victory.
During Spring Training Hurdle raved about Hartlieb’s ability to stay calm on the mound when things got hairy, and it is clear that the Pirate manager already has some trust in Hartlieb. Moving forward, it would be great to see him become the Pirates ‘fire man’ out of the bullpen. He and DuRapau both should be pitching in high leverage situations unless they give Hurdle a reason not to be.
Bryan Reynolds is quickly becoming a vital piece to the puzzle
The Andrew McCutchen trade keeps looking better and better for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Crick had already proved his value to this team last season and has continued to do so this season. Now the other piece of that trade, outfielder Bryan Reynolds, is doing the same.
Against the Padres Reynolds went 6-for-17 with two walks, a double, and a pair of home runs. This included some clutch hits. Both of his home runs played a key role in a Pirate victory, and his double on Sunday led to a key insurance run.
80 plate appearances into his MLB career he is slashing .320/.363/.533 with a .379 wOBA, 140 wRC+, and an extra base hit rate of 13.3%. Reynolds has also been a strong defender in left field, as he’s been worth +4 defensive runs saved. This is especially impressive due to how difficult left field at PNC Park can be to play.
A month into his MLB career Reynolds looks like a legitimate National League Rookie of the Year candidate. He also looks like a player that will be a starting oufielder for the Pirates for the foreseeable future. With how well both he and Melky Cabrera are playing it will be interesting to see what the team does when 2018 Gold Glove Award winner Corey Dickerson gets health.
It’s Mitch Keller time
As we discussed above, the Pirates have been decimated by injuries this season. This includes the starting rotation. Due to this, it is time for Mitch Keller to be promoted to the MLB level.
The team’s top pitching prospect was originally slated to pitch for Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, but that start has now been pushed back to Tuesday night. Chris Archer will start for the Pirates on Tuesday, but, as of this writing, the team does not have a starting pitcher announced for Wednesday. Could this be Keller? Did the Pirates push his start back on Sunday so that his next start could come at the MLB level? We will have to wait and see.
Jordan Lyles could start on Wednesday on regular rest, but the team could roll with Keller as well. Even if Keller does not start Wednesday, the team will need him at some point on the upcoming homestand.
Say they roll with Archer Tuesday, Lyles Wednesday, an opener Thursday, and Joe Musgrove on Friday, this leaves them in need of a starting pitcher on Saturday. If Keller does not start Wednesday, then he needs to on Saturday.
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With the month of May coming close to an end, the Pirates remain in contention in the National League. This is despite their two best starting pitchers – Taillon and Williams – being on the IL. With the team’s top two starters on the IL, it’s Keller time in Pittsburgh.