Pirates Prospect Update: Thomas Harrington dominance, Jared Jones rehab

After laboring in two rough starts to begin his tenure with Triple-A Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Thomas Harrington put forth one of the best starts of his pro career Saturday against the St. Paul Saints.

Harrington tossed seven scoreless innings with just 63 pitches and worked a perfect game for the first five frames. He allowed a pair of hits and struck out two. The dominant performance was much-needed for the right-hander, who had allowed seven runs in 10 1/3 innings in his previous two starts since being promoted to Indianapolis at the end of July.

Harrington, the No. 5 prospect in the Pirates' system according to MLB Pipeline, is known for his vast pitch arsenal and his ability to throw as many as five distinct pitches for strikes. In Saturday's start, he relied primarily on his fastball, which touched 93.4 mph and was good for two whiffs and four called strikes. He also threw his sweeper and his slider while mixing in a handful of changeups.

Jared Jones set to make one more rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis before returning to Pirates' rotation

Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones made his second rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis Wednesday, striking out three while giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.

According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Jones will make at least one more rehab start before returning from the 15-day Injured List. The right-hander has been out since July 4 with a Grade 2 lat strain.

Jones has struggled in his first two rehab outings with Indianapolis, racking up six earned runs allowed across six innings. Jones threw 67 pitches (43 strikes) during his most recent appearance, which is encouraging, but the pair of outings haven't been his best. Prior to landing on the IL, Jones posted a 5-6 record with a 3.56 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 91 innings in 16 starts for the Pirates.

It's likely the Pirates want to see Jones return to form (or at least close to it) in terms of his effectiveness before re-inserting him into the major league rotation. If all goes well, Jones should be back in the big leagues after his next rehab start.

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