Ahead of their contest with the Cubs at PNC Park Saturday, Derek Shelton stated that the Pirates were going to consider openers for games not started by Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo down the stretch. It was an opportunity to give different pitchers different looks and see how this could apply to the 2024 team.
The timing was a bit serendipitous, considering the Pirates inducted four new members into their team Hall of Fame earlier that day, including their two best relievers, Kent Tekulve and Elroy Face. What could have been if they were the ones experimenting in a new role decades ago.
Well, Colin Selby, Saturday's opener, excelled in his first big-league start, retiring all six batters he faced and striking out three before handing the ball over. Osvaldo Bido, the bulk guy, was wild, walking five -- including two with the bases loaded -- en route to allowing eight runs while only recording seven outs. That deficit would be too much for the Pirates to overcome, as they would go on to lose, 10-6.
"He just looked like he was over-rotating and kind of rushing the ball against his arm side," Shelton said. "He just didn’t have the command we’ve seen him have previously.”
Shelton hasn't shied away that Bido starts/bulk days are going to come with some creativity, like the opener. The 27-year-old rookie rose to the majors due in large part to a series of injuries throughout the staff, and is one of those pitchers who is being afforded a lengthier opportunity than many expected coming into the year.
It hasn't gone that well to start, and his outing Saturday inflated his ERA to 6.36. There's a reason why his starts call for the most experimentation, at least until someone like Roansy Contreras, Quinn Priester or a prospect are ready for the call to the majors.
And since openers are on the menu, Selby will continue to be an option for that spot.
"It was different," Selby said. "That was my first start since Double-A, I think. Just trying to keep the team in the game early and get outs efficiently. Just try and go as long as they would allow me."
"We’re going to have multiple people that can do that," Shelton said. "He was really effective, his stuff played and he did a nice job.”
On the Cubs side, they needed to go to the minors for a starter and handed the ball to Jordan Wicks. His major-league debut got off to a shaky start when Ke'Bryan Hayes homered on the first swing of the game, but he settled in from there and struck out nine over five innings.
"He had his changeup working," Joshua Palacios said. "Was putting it in the right locations, made good pitches, and for a lot of us, it was the first time seeing it."
The Pirates did rally for five runs in the seventh inning to pull within a pair, but Thomas Hatch -- another pitcher who has been in that opener/bulk guy role in his short time with the Pirates -- allowed a pair of runs with two outs in the ninth to give the Cubs the extra breathing room they needed.
"They kept going, they fighting but we just came up short," Shelton said.
A five-run rally in the seventh is usually a recipe for success, but that deficit was too much to overcome. That wasn't so much the opener-bulk guy role as it was just not executing.
"The biggest issue we ran into today with the bulk guy was just the fact that Bido didn’t put the ball on the plate," Shelton said.
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THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: RF Henry Davis (thumb)
• 15-day injured list: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (elbow)
• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), INF Tucupita Marcano (knee), LHP Angel Perdomo (elbow), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Andrew McCutchen, DH
4. Connor Joe, 1B
5. Endy Rodríguez, C
6. Joshua Palacios, RF
7. Liover Peguero, 2B
8. Jack Suwinski, CF
9. Alika Williams, SS
And for David Ross' Cubs:
1. Michael Tauchman, CF
2. Dansby Swanson, SS
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Cody Bellinger, 1B
5. Seiya Suzuki, RF
6. Jeimer Candelario, 3B
7. Christopher Morel, DH
8. Miguel Amaya, C
9. Nick Madrigal, 2B
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will try to earn a series split Sunday when Bailey Falter (1-7, 4.53) takes on Javier Assad (2-2, 3.13). First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. DK will have you covered.
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