Pirates rain delay could force imminent roster move to address bullpen

Pittsburgh Pirates staff ace Mitch Keller was only able to pitch four innings before rain interrupted Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After a rain delay that lasted just over an hour, the Pirates went on to use five pitchers to cover the final five innings. The result was a 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks, but it was a major loss for the Pirates' bullpen.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh's weather woes didn't end there. In the series opener against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, the Pirates had an even longer rain delay (two hours and 40 minutes, to be exact). Bailey Falter blanked the Padres in two innings before the tarp came out, and the Pirates had to use four more relievers to cover the remaining innings in what turned out to be an ugly 6-0 loss.

Jake Woodford – who just a week earlier lasted five innings in his first start for the Pirates – came out of the bullpen to pitch 2.1 innings against San Diego. The Pirates then turned to Kyle Nicolas for 2.2 innings, followed by Hunter Stratton and Dennis Santana, who tossed one inning apiece. Woodford took the loss after being charged with three runs. Nicolas allowed one run and Santana allowed a pair, leaving Stratton as the only Pirates reliever with a scoreless outing against the Padres.

Abbreviated starts due to weather have left Pirates' bullpen depleted

After the Pirates needed to use 11 pitchers through two rain-delay games, it's fair to wonder whether a roster move might be warranted to provide some relief (no pun intended) to their bullpen.

If they do decide to seek reinforcements, they have left-hander Josh Walker, who was acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, on their 40-man roster. Walker posted a 5.11 ERA across 10 appearances in the big leagues with the Mets this season and a 3.34 ERA in Triple-A between the Pirates and Mets affiliates.

The only other minor-league pitchers on the Pirates' 40-man roster are Braxton Ashcraft, who is currently on the injured list, and Mike Burrows, who only recently made it back to Triple-A Indianapolis after a rehab stint recovering from Tommy John surgery.

In the meantime, Marco Gonzales is slated to start on the mound for the Pirates Wednesday. He has yet to go more than five innings in three starts since returning from the injured list just before the All-Star break. Buckle up, Pirates fans – this could get ugly.

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