Pirates Q&A: Why the Low Pitch Counts? Plan at Third Base? More

Photo provided by Eddie Provident

Welcome back to another edition of our Pittsburgh Pirates Q&A. Let’s get to your questions.

To Mr. Don Kelly;  why do you pitch grown ass men only 5 innings a game?  You are Derek Shelton Junior.  Skenes will never get a no hitter, because you won’t let him. – George Getlak

I get the frustration, George, especially with some shakiness out of the bullpen. But keep in mind we are only in the middle of April.

Only one pitcher has thrown more than 90 pitches in a start this season (Bubba Chandler on Sunday at Wrigley). Paul Skenes might’ve been added to the list had it not been for a lengthy 10-run sixth inning on Monday night against the Washington Nationals.

The Pirates are going to continue to ramp up their starting pitchers and you will see a longer leash as the season goes on. Don Kelly has said as much.

But the last thing this team needs right now is a long-term injury to one of their starters. Until Jared Jones returns from injury, their top candidates to fill a spot in the rotation are José Urquidy who has struggled out of the bullpen, Mike Clevinger who has a 5.19 ERA in six relief appearances with Indianapolis, Thomas Harrington who had a 15.58 ERA in three appearances with Pittsburgh last season, and Hunter Barco, who was just sent down to get stretched out again.

See why there is some caution early in the season?

Who do you think settles in at 3B?  Is a trade still a possibility? – Dean Lipperman

It’s a good question, Dean, and the answer is the Pirates are just going to play the hot hand. Right now, that’s Nick Yorke, who even after an 0-for-6 performance on Monday night is still hitting .289 with a .773 OPS.

Nick Gonzales will get some chances and could take over if Yorke starts to slump. Jared Triolo will get time at the hot corner once he returns from a knee injury, though that still could be a little ways away.

As for the possibility of a trade, I think that third base will be one of the primary targets for the Pirates if they are in position to buy at the deadline. Yorke, Gonzales and Triolo are all probably best served as utility guys instead of everyday players. Adding someone with more upside could go a long way, and I think they’ll explore that possibility when the time comes.

Who will be the Buccos 3 everyday OFs post all-star break? While he has shown signs of improvement think it’s fair to say Cruz isn’t a long term solution. – @KC130_

Although the defensive trio leaves a lot to be desired, the offensive output of Bryan Reynolds-Oneil Cruz-Ryan O’Hearn is just too strong for the alignment to be any different as the season continues. Jake Mangum and Billy Cook can always come in as defensive replacements when needed.

In regards to Cruz, while he has the tools to be a good outfielder, it just hasn’t worked out yet. The arm and the speed continue to provide hope but there have been too many miscues so far. But given what he’s done with the bat, I think the Pirates will absolutely live with some of those defensive shortcomings.

His performance at the plate so far this season has been incredibly impressive and there are some indicators that a high-level of play is sustainable and he can have a really strong bounce-back season. That would be such a boost for the Pirates this season, as it has been through the early going.

What is the pirates plan at catcher. Davis can’t hit but is ok at catcher. Bart can’t hit or catch (teams steal on him left and right). We need another option, [Rodriguez] is hitting .134 in minors!! – Doug Spamer

Davis will continue to get the bulk of the starts behind the plate. As you said, he’s a good defender and is an incredibly-respected battery mate of everyone on the pitching staff.

Is there still hope he can turn things around offensively? Some. He’s batting .229 with a .639 OPS so far this year. Of course that’s not anything spectacular but it is at least progress. And he does have a strong minor-league track record.

As for Bart, his defense is subpar as you said but his bat is also a major concern. He struck out 17 times in 39 trips to the plate in spring training and has gone down on strikes 10 times in 22 plate appearances so far during the regular season.

We might be an Endy Rodríguez hot streak away from the Pirate shaking things up.

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