39 F
Pittsburgh

Pirates Notebook: Bullpen Reinforcements and Lingering Injuries

Published:

PITTSBURGH – The Pirates have made two moves to bolster their busy bullpen, and on the position player side they will have to muddle through with internal options in order to manage the ongoing injury problems.

As we reported earlier, the Pirates have recalled Cory Luebke and promoted Curtis Partch from Indianapolis. Wilfredo Boscan and Rob Scahill have been optioned to Triple-A to make room for both on the active roster, and Ryan Vogelsong was moved to the 60-Day disabled list in order to add Partch to the 40-man roster.

This will be Luebke’s third opportunity with the Pirates this season after making the roster out of spring training. He had a 1.50 ERA in four appearances (6 IP) with 11 strikeouts and no walks for Indianapolis since being optioned on May 19.

“It was good to get some reps that I missed in camp,” Luebke said today about his work with Indianapolis. “Location has been better; everything’s spinning better.”

For Curtis Partch, this will be his first major league opportunity since he was non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds after the 2014 season. His last MLB appearance was on July 30th of that year, and he spent his 2015 season with the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.

Partch has thrown 27.2 innings for Indianapolis this season, with a 1.78 FIP and 32 strikeouts against nine walks. He and Luebke have the two best strikeout rates (30.5% and 37.2%, respectively) among Indianapolis pitchers with at least 10 IP.

He credited the Pirates’ philosophy of pitching inside and having good feel for his slider and changeup as the primary contributors to his success with Indianapolis.

“The changeup was big for me; getting that consistent helped out a lot” Partch said, noting that it was particularly helpful against left-handed batters, who have yet to get a hit against him this season.

“It means a lot, knowing that the hard work paid off,” Partch said about his long road back to the major leagues. He and Luebke, who missed most of four seasons with injuries, are somewhat kindred spirits, and both will likely get an opportunity to help a taxed Pirates bullpen that has thrown 16 innings over the last four games.

INJURIES AROUND THE INFIELD

Yesterday’s injury to Chris Stewart has further complicated an already difficult situation for the Pirates’ infield. Clint Hurdle said before the game that David Freese will be unavailable as his right hand injury continues to heal, and Jordy Mercer will return to the lineup today despite dealing with the lingering effects of an elbow injury.

Chris Stewart will be playing hurt this evening as well after taking a Wilfredo Boscan pitch to the shoulder during last night’s game, and Cervelli is still managing a right foot injury suffered on Thursday in Miami. Clint Hurdle noted before the game that Cervelli has been able to swing a bat and throw, but has had difficulty walking and running.

Hurdle seemed confident that none of the injuries would require a player being sent to the disabled list, but they certainly have complicated the lineup construction process in recent days. The Pirates have both Jacob Stallings and Ed Easley at Indianapolis should they need a catcher, but neither is on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move would need to be made.

OTHER NOTES

  • Neftali Feliz has pitched nine scoreless innings in his last 11 appearances, striking out nine and walking none, posting a 1.12 FIP in that span.
  • Matt Joyce has recorded 10 RBI as a pinch hitter already this season, the most since Gaby Sanchez had 13 in 2014. Willie Stargell holds the franchise record with 16 pinch hit RBI in 1982.
  • The Angels will start RHP Jhoulys Chacin for today’s game in place of Nick Tropeano. In his last start on Monday, Chacin pitched a complete game with ten strikeouts against the Tigers.
  • Los Angeles first baseman Albert Pujols has visited the Roberto Clemente Museum in Lawrenceville while the team is in town, according to the museum’s Instagram page.

Related Articles

Article Drop

Latest Articles