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The Pittsburgh Pirates have had an up and down season that has consisted mostly of inconsistently good offense and mediocre pitching. They at one point fell 14 games behind the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs but in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, they closed the gap to 8.5 games and leapfrogged the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals managed to salvage the final game of their recent series on the strength of Adam Wainwright‘s right arm, putting them back in second place, though the Bucs didn’t lose any ground on the struggling Cubs.
Pittsburgh’s resurgence is encouraging for fans should remain just cautiously optimistic. Over the past several weeks, four starting pitchers have made their big league debuts. Jameson Taillon got it started on June 8 when he picked up a no-decision against the New York Mets. It was a quality start but nothing spectacular. The same can’t be said for his second appearance six days later against the same Mets when he tossed a two-hit gem through eight innings for his first win. He’s made his way to the DL but holds a solid 2-1 record heading into the all-star break.
Next up was 23-year old Chad Kuhl who made his debut on June 26. It was a memorable one as he gave up just four hits through five innings to beat Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Steven Brault was then called-up from Triple-A Indianapolis this week to make a spot start against St. Louis. He picked up a no-decision in the Pirates’ 5-2 win.
The promotion everyone was waiting for was No. 1 prospect Tyler Glasnow. He made his debut Thursday in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Cardinals. He pitched well despite the loss, giving up just three hits in 5.1 innings pitched. He’s had control problems all season and walked two in his debut.
Overall, the young guys have pitched extremely well in their limited opportunities. When Taillon and ace Gerrit Cole return from the DL, it’ll likely push one or two regular starters into the bullpen. It’s just a matter of who. Francisco Liriano, Jon Niese and Jeff Locke have been mainstays, but there probably won’t be room for all of them unless the organization decides to send rookies back to the minors.
Juan Nicasio has already been pushed to the pen and has been doing well with his new assignment. It’s important that anyone sent to the bullpen pitches well in relief due to the lack of production they’ve been getting from the unit so far this year. It has cost them a few games and if the team wants to make a late-season postseason push, the bullpen will need to start holding onto late-game leads.
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