Pirates' rotation to open second half vs. Phillies seems destined to fail

The Pittsburgh Pirates won their final four games heading into the All-Star break to even their record at .500 for the first time since April 27. They sit 6 1/2 games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 1 1/2 games out of the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

As they open the second half of the season on Friday, the Pirates will face the tall task of quieting the best team in baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies. Pittsburgh's cross-state rivals cruised through the first half of the season and won a franchise-best 62 games before the All-Star break. They currently hold an 8 1/2-game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

The Pirates announced their probable starters for their home series against the Phillies on Thursday, and... fans have some thoughts.

Friday's matchup will pit left-hander Martín Pérez against Phillies ace Aaron Nola. The Phillies have yet to formally announce their starters for Saturday and Sunday's contests, but the probable matchups will be Luis Ortiz vs. Christopher Sánchez and Marco Gonzales vs. Tyler Phillips, respectively.

Conspicuously missing, of course, are Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller. Because why would the Pirates want to throw their best arms against the best team in baseball, anyway?

Skenes' absence isn't all that surprising, considering he started the All-Star Game this week and Pittsburgh is handling him – and his workload – with kid gloves. Keller started the Pirates' last game before the All-Star break against the Chicago White Sox on July 14 but exited after just three innings and 57 pitches, prompting concerns about his health. However, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette later reported that Keller's departure was not injury-related and that he was "fine." Again, probably just workload management.

Still, the thought of sending Pérez (1-5, 5.15 ERA) to the mound to face a stacked Phillies lineup featuring the likes of Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm in the first of a three-game series is... less than ideal.

Don't panic: Pirates may just be saving Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller for Cardinals series

There is a silver lining, however. With Keller and Skenes out against the Phillies, they are now poised to start in Pittsburgh's next series against the St. Louis Cardinals from July 22-24. In other words, the stage is now set for a showdown between NL Central rivals in which the Pirates have a chance to cut into St. Louis' lead in the divisional and Wild Card races.

OK, we probably want Keller and Skenes on the bump for that one.

Left-hander Bailey Falter (triceps) is also eligible to come off the 15-day injured list Monday; if he's ready to go, the Pirates would have a six-man rotation of Keller, Skenes, Falter, Perez, Ortiz and Gonzales. This would give Keller and Skenes longer breaks between starts while rookie Jared Jones is on the injured list with a right lat strain.

We all have feelings about the Pirates' management of their aces' workloads. Ultimately, though, it's going to be an important consideration if Pittsburgh is going to make a playoff push in the second half.

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