Pirates Q&A: How Will Bucs Make Room for Jared Jones?

How long did you give Ozuna before you make a move? – Derf Esurk

Marcell Ozuna has been playing better of late. He’s riding a four-game hitting streak and is 6 for 17 (.353) with a double, a home run and five RBI during that span.

It looked like Ozuna was turning a corner last homestand before scuffling once the Pirates hit the road again. If the veteran wants to feel good about his job security, he’ll need to maintain his current momentum.

We’re far enough into the season to the point where sample sizes are getting to be enough to where conclusions can be drawn. And Ozuna still carries a lowly .189/.256/.297 batting line with three home runs and 13 RBI in 29 games.

For now, the Pirates will keep him. But they’ve already dropped him in the order. If he falls into another slump, a more drastic measure might be taken. That could require the Pirates to eat $12 million, though, which I’m sure they are hesitant to do.

Williams is tearing it up in triple A, any chance of him getting another shot up here, especially if Triolo struggles again with the bat? – Dean Wagner

Alika Williams is indeed having a strong season with Indianapolis. He’s currently tied for third in the International League with a .347 batting average and has a .406 OBP and a .505 slugging percentage.

His emergence so far this season is an encouraging development for the Pirates, but unless something drastic happens, it still might be hard to get him on the roster.

Konnor Griffin isn’t going anywhere and is really heating up. Nick Gonzales is essentially the everyday third baseman as long as he continues to perform well. Brandon Lowe has been one of the best hitters on the team. The Pirates love Jared Triolo’s defense, even if his offense isn’t what it was to end last season. Plus Nick Yorke is still ahead of him on the depth chart.

Williams has value as a strong defender and could be a fine backup infielder. But I don’t see the Pirates being overly-aggressive in adding him to both rosters.

Matchups aside, why can’t a pitcher like Soto pitch more than an inning like he did on Sunday ? I hate it when they (DK) use two or three pitchers who after being ineffective, leave you with no one if it does go extra innings! – Dave Kurutz

That’s not just a Pirates thing, Dave, it’s just the way the game is structured today. Would I like to see relievers in certain spots keep going? Sure, but teams are much more cautious with their bullpen arms than they used to be.

Also consider that if a reliever does go two innings, that means he will be unavailable for the following game. It’s a tough balancing act for managers, but I agree, I liked seeing Don Kelly leave Gregory Soto in on Sunday and he came through.

I think as the Pirates continue to stretch out their starters, this will be less of an issue.

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