Derek Shelton said he didn't sleep much after Friday's game against the Brewers.
The decision to keep Cam Vieaux out there for the eighth was weighing on him. The rookie lefty was going to be the last pitcher the Pirates used that day because the game was a blowout. It ended up taking him 56 pitches to get through the inning, the most for any Pirate pitcher in an inning since at least 1988, when those records started to be kept.
"Hopefully, I’ll never be put in that situation again because it’s probably been one of the most challenging situations," Shelton said before Saturday's game. "We did not want to use another pitcher. Going to a position player mid-inning was not something I was really excited about."
"I knew that we didn’t have anyone behind me and that it was my job to wear it," Vieaux said Saturday.
Shelton has had multiple conversations with the lefty about that outing, both immediately after the game and when he arrived to the ballpark Saturday, wanting to get his feel for how he felt, both physically and about being used like that.
Vieaux was thankful that he wasn't pulled for a position player.
"It is what it is," Vieaux said. "I’m a competitor. I wanted to be out there the whole time just to show myself I could get out of something like that."
Vieaux said he feels the same Saturday as he does any day after he pitches.
Shelton understands that position, which is why he also talked to all of his relievers.
"I sat down with our bullpen guys and had a conversation about it and kind of walked through my vantage point, then gave them the forum to give me their vantage point of it, too," Shelton said. "I think that’s important in all situations. I’ve been really transparent with you guys: I try to learn from all situations. This is another one that I will learn through.
“Ultimately, do you want a guy to throw that many pitches in an inning? It’s not a perfect scenario. We were not going to use another pitcher there. It’s just more having a conversation and explaining a situation that hopefully never happens to us again.”
Shelton also said that the decision by the league to limit pitchers to 13 last month rather than 14 played a factor, giving him one less pitcher at his disposal. Vieaux was also a starter in the minors until this year when he made the jump to the bullpen, which Shelton viewed as an opportunity for him to throw more pitchers than the average reliever.
"It wasn't like his max was 15," Shelton said. "The biggest concern for me is if he would have thrown a fastball like 86 [mph], or he threw a breaking ball that didn't look like it had the same action. If you go back and watch that outing, which I have, he actually executed some pitches right off the plate, and they were balls. That would have been more of a concern for me, if that was the case."
Vieaux acknowledged that he probably will never be in a situation like that again, and that "a lot of guys said it can’t get any worse than that."
When he said that, his locker neighbor reliever Tyler Beede let out a chuckle.
But he wanted to see if he could go through the inning, viewing it as a development opportunity.
"I wanted to see what I was made of and what I could do to get out of it," Vieaux said. "I’m proud of myself for figuring out a way to get through it and get out of it."
It's a scenario that asks what is more important, pitcher health or their confidence. It's a situation nobody wants to find themselves in, but one that will lead to different takeaways.
For Ben Cherington, it was a moment of personal accountability.
"Our minds are all going to go to different places," Cherington said. "My mind would go to, ‘Well, ultimately I’m accountable because it’s a big differential game.' We’re down by a lot of runs. That’s why we’re in that situation in the first place. If it’s a closer game, then we’re not in that situation. The game is being managed differently. Ultimately that’s my responsibility."
Vieaux is hoping that he will be available to pitch again Tuesday, after the weekend series with the Brewers and a team off-day Monday. He says he doesn't really know how much he can take from an experience like that, but he'll work to move forward.
"I’ve been through a lot in my career, and it’s just a tiny little bump," Vieaux said. "I'm going to throw a ton more innings. You learn from it. You just try to remember that feeling and do what you can to avoid it. I don’t think I’ll ever be in that situation again. I’ll probably be pulled if it does happen, but last night was very unique. I’m appreciative of him leaving me in to let me get out of that, because I think I would’ve been a lot more pissed off last night if I came out with no outs throwing 40 pitches and giving up a grand slam. I was able to calm myself down in an inning out there and figure out a way to get through it.
"So, I’m happy he left me in."
