CINCINNATI -- Less than four weeks ago, Trevor Cahill was a free agent, still looking for a job for this season.
On Tuesday, he is going to be starting for the Pirates against the Reds.
The Pirates announced the Cahill signing on March 12, with Ben Cherington saying he wanted to have six people on the major league team who could start. That could potentially mean a six-man rotation later in the season, but once Steven Brault hit the injured list with a lat strain to start the year, the focus went to Cahill and if he could be ready for a start this opening week.
“You have to be a little bit more focused when you come into camp,” Cahill said Monday about stretching out. “I’ve done it before. I’ve built back from injuries fairly quickly. I’ve done it enough, I guess I kind of know my body and what it’s capable of. I think I’m in a good spot.”
Cahill made three appearances this spring, totaling 3 ⅔ innings pitched. He was throwing before he signed with the Pirates, and he threw in the backfields as well, including in the spring finale in Fort Myers, Fla.
Derek Shelton said he’s stretched out to four innings-plus.
“We can expect him to be stretched out probably where everybody else is at right now,” Shelton said.
Four innings would be more than what the Pirates have been getting early this season.
Chad Kuhl and Mitch Keller were both pulled after three innings in their debuts against the Cubs, and veteran Tyler Anderson went five frames. The Pirates did have an off-day last Friday and will have another this Friday, but they will need to get more innings out of their starters going forward. Even though the bullpen has nine players, asking them to pitch four or five innings every game will get taxing quickly.
Shelton didn’t want to put any expectations on Cahill other than “just to cover innings and throw strikes.” Now entering his 13th year in the majors, Cahill has done plenty of that throughout his career.
“I’ve always just gone out there and pitched until the manager has taken the ball out of my hands,” Cahil said. “That’s all I can do, and that’s what I plan to keep doing.”
MORE PIRATES PREGAME NOTES
• Before the game the Pirates announced that they had acquired right-hander Kyle Keller from the Angels for cash considerations. Right-hander Edgar Santana was designated for assignment to open up a spot on the roster.
For Santana, the decision to expose him to waivers came down to him being too far removed from game action.
“I think with the fact that he hadn't pitched in the last two years and we were able to get Keller, he just became the casualty of it,” Shelton said.
More on the trade here.
• Erik Gonzalez is getting the start over Kevin Newman at shortstop Monday. Shelton said it was to get Gonzalez into the lineup and give Newman a day off.
“I think in the next three or four days, you’ll see all of our starters get a blow at some point, just because we're playing 162,” Shelton said.
Gonzalez will bat fifth. Phillip Evans will play third and bat second, filling in for the injured Ke’Bryan Hayes. Dustin Fowler is getting the nod in center.
• In the very early goings of the season, the Pirates have allowed four stolen bases -- the most in the National League -- with no caught stealings. Three of those stolen bags have been with Jacob Stallings behind the plate.
“I wouldn’t read anything into it at this point, but I think we do need to do a better job at times with our holds, our looks and our times,” Shelton said, referencing the pitchers. “Some of it's just been, runners picking the right pitch to run on. There's a combination of both things, but it's nothing that Jacob’s done.”
• Colin Moran is coming into Cincinnati as the Pirates’ hottest hitter. In the three game set with the Cubs, Moran walked three times and lined three hits, including a home run and a double. All of those hits were to left field.
In the past, Moran often has lined the ball to the opposite field when he is in a groove at the plate. It’s a positive sign for an offense that didn’t produce many runs out of the gate against the Cubs.
“I don't know if it's actively trying to go the other way or if it's just not trying to do too much,” Shelton said. “I think that plays a big part of it when guys try to do too much. That’s why I said we didn't tell him to hit the ball right field, left field, center field; we said ‘Swing the bat.’ When that happens, you end up getting hits in all quadrants.”
