Earlier this week I wrote about how it would be wise for the Pirates to skip Jeff Locke in the upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds. It appears the Pirates are doing just that, per Travis Sawchik:
Jeff Locke will not start vs. Reds, per Hurdle
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) September 24, 2013
Hurdle indicates the likely plan vs. Reds is Burnett, Morton, Cole. Does not want to push Liriano up on short rest
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) September 24, 2013
A rotation of Burnett, Morton, and Cole is the best the Pirates could go with. The only better alternative would be Francisco Liriano in the mix. However, moving Liriano up wouldn’t be bad due to the lack of rest. It would be bad because if the Pirates made the Wild Card game, they would want Liriano pitching in that game. The rotation above would give the Pirates a good mix of starters against the Reds, and their best starter in the Wild Card game. Then if they make the NLDS, the rotation would line up as follows:
Game 1: A.J. Burnett
Game 2: Charlie Morton
Game 3: Francisco Liriano
Game 4: Gerrit Cole
Game 5: A.J. Burnett
Locke could still pitch in relief, although that’s not a role he’s ever had before, and putting him in that role at the end of a playoff race might not be smart.
