The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially recalled their top prospect on Thursday morning. Tyler Glasnow will make his Major League debut this afternoon. Kyle Lobstein has been optioned to Indianapolis to make room on the 25-man roster.
Lobstein was recalled yesterday to provide bullpen depth, but the Pirates still ended up using the bullpen for five innings for the second game in a row without using him. That could be a problem today with Glasnow on the mound if he is wild and doesn’t last long. There’s a chance that with the All-Star break coming up, Glasnow is sent right back to Indianapolis after the game and the Pirates add a bullpen arm. The problem they run into there is that the only option on the 40-man roster is Wilfredo Boscan and he just threw six innings yesterday. Recalling Steven Brault would require someone to go on the disabled list and he’s the only other pitcher at Indianapolis on the 40-man roster.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
I hope he has a good outing and at least 6 innings,
because our bullpen is exhausted and we have
the Cubs this weekend.
Glasnow making his debut today. All I have to say about it, quoting the most def poets, ghetto boys:
‘Damn it feels good to be a gansta’
Cards call up The Fort to replace Carpenter …
Hopefully this line of storms clears out in 2 hours.
https://weather.com/weather/radar/interactive/l/USMO0787:1:US?animation=true&layer=radarConus&zoom=8
Its nice hot and Sunny here in Camp HIll.
Too much humidity…God Bless the man who invented A/C.
Btw, in August, when the Curve come to town, are you going?
When is it, cause I was about to ask you the same thing but I didn’t pull the schedule up quick enough.
22nd thru 24th. All games at 7:00.
I can taste the Spot Dog already.
Yeah I am sure I will make it to one for sure. We will need to meet up watch the game. Write up a full game report.
My buddy goes to every game, so I will let you know.
Remind me as we get close. I am old, ya know.
HA HA sounds good Will do. Hopefully its not 95 that week. 🙂
Lobber going back and forth across the ‘net?
John, I was thinking about all this yesterday when they made the move to bring up Lobstein. I didn’t realize I was actually that smart, I thought I was missing something. But Maybe they will bring up another catcher and send Kratz to the Pen. 🙂 Lets just hope Glasnow goes 5+ and we should be OK. By Sunday Locke could pitch out of the Pen.
Personally, I would have kept Lobstein today and sent back Frazier. Leave the bench short-handed one day and then call up someone like Rogers or Hanson or even Moroff for the weekend. I would say Bell, but once he is up he is definitely staying. Then just recall Frazier in ten days. Four of those days are the All-Star break, so it’s not a lot of missed games and he’s basically riding the bench anyway. Let Frazier get a weekend of at-bats he won’t see in Pittsburgh.
It seems really risky to hope you get an extended outing from a pitcher with control issues in his MLB debut. If it was someone like Boscan today, you can let him take one for the team, but you can guarantee that won’t happen with Glasnow. The bullpen would take one for him
I actually was thinking the same thing. Be better for Frazier to be down during the All star break anyway to get at bats. Honestly with Fryer here in a pinch you have someone who can play Left or Right field. With Glasnow today and the Liriano issues as of late you are looking for a lot from the Pen the next two days.
I agree 100% Strange move.
Hopefully, Nicasio is ready to go 2 or 3?
They can always recall one of the recently DFA’d guys (Scahill/Partch/Rondon) for the weekend and send Glasnow back down … Would have to clear room on the 40 … I think Boscan’s spot would be in jeopardy
The problem is that the bullpen has already thrown half this series, 13.1 innings. They will be fine is Glasnow can go seven, but if you have to go to them for 4-5 today, then the best you can do is add one marginal arm to seven tired arms going right into a series against the Cubs with Liriano pitching, who is another possible four and done pitcher lately
So it’s not just worrying about one game today, it’s thinking about what one game can do on top of two games already that they saw extra work, as well as a possible fourth game tomorrow.
If Glasnow has to leave early, its’ going to destroy the bullpen. They would need to call up Trevor Williams at that point I’d imagine just to have someone who can go 5+ innings if needed for Liriano. Keeping Lobstein one extra day would have been a nice safety blanket just in case Glasnow has control issues
Well only other thought. The issue with Nieses Knee. I guess its possible to see him go on the DL retro to Monday so he would be eligible to be recalled on the 20th if I am correct which is the 5th game back after the break. That would allow Lobstein to be recalled out of the Pen Boscan could be switched with Glasnow and he and Locke could tag team on Sunday.
If Niese can’t pitch due to his knee, then I think you see Cole up, even if he can only give 4-5 innings
If the pen is used heavily today
– place Niese on the DL
– return Lobstein as an injury replacement
– start Cole on Sunday
– swap Boscan for Glasnow if needed
Yeah I thought about that too. have him go 4 or 5 and Locke double up for 2 or 3 on Sunday.
That would be great … Tim … Start working on the Book on Trevor!