Trevor Williams’ return to the rotation could be considered awful. However, when your team rallies for a win, everything is a little rosier.
Williams was tagged for seven runs and nine hits in five innings Wednesday night after being activated from the injured list before the game. However, the right-hander got taken off the hook for the loss when the Pirates came back from a 7-1 deficit to beat the Tigers 8-7 at PNC Park. You can read more about the game here.
The Tigers scored twice in the first inning then put up a five spot in a third inning that included back-to-back home runs from Niko Goodrum and Brandon Dixon. Raise your hand if you knew Goodrum and Dixon were big-league players. Now raise your hand if you knew Goodrum and Dixon were the Nos. 4 and 5 hitters in the Tigers’ lineup.
However, Clint Hurdle stuck with Williams through five innings and there was a reason behind it. Williams responded by holding the Tigers scoreless in his last two innings.
“That’s probably always going to be the operative when a pitcher comes back from the injured list, he needs to pitch to get better,” Hurdle said. “That was the thought process of letting him hit in the fourth inning and pushing him back out there in the fifth to get more pitches, get more of a rhythm going. He just got better as he continued to pitch. Overall, I think he’ll feel much better because of the zeroes he put up at the end.”
There were signs Williams could have just been knocking the rust off after not pitching in a major-league game since May 16 because of a strained right side. He had seven strikeouts and no walks while also throwing 52 of his 69 pitches for strikes.
“I’m thankful Clint let me go out and continue to pitch,” Williams said. “I think it’s good for everybody to let me go out and work out the kinks. This was a slugfest and I’m going to wear (the seven runs), but it’s going to be good to build on so I can give a better effort five days from now.”
Williams is in line to pitch in six days as the Pirates are off Thursday and next Monday. His turn would fall next Wednesday against the Astros at Houston.
Nevertheless, it is easy to understand why Williams can’t wait to make his next start with the way he finished Wednesday night. And the Pirates could certainly use his stabilizing presence in the rotation.
• Richard Rodriguez has become the relief pitcher fans most love to hate this season.
Rodriguez has certainly earned it by giving up nine home runs in 30 1/3 innings. His ERA is also 4.75 in 34 games.
However, Rodriguez in showing signs of turning back into the dependable bullpen arm he was last season as a rookie. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning, striking out the side, and wound up getting credit for his second win in three games.
Rodriguez has not been scored on in his past eight outings.
“When you’re giving up home runs, it’s hard to have conviction and maybe you step off the gas a little and start having second thoughts about what you’re going to through,” Hurdle said.
Rodriguez seems past that now. He combined with Francisco Liriano and Felipe Vazquez to pitch four shutout relief-innings with Vazquez earning his 17th save.
The Pirates’ shaky bullpen finally seems to be stabilizing and a large part of that is Rodriguez getting right.
• Mitch Keller is at the stage of his career where he is caught in between.
The right-hander has proven he can be an effective pitcher at the Class AAA level. However, he is 0-1 with a 10.50 ERA in his first three major-league starts.
Keller was optioned back to Indianapolis on Wednesday when Williams was activated.
So where does Keller go from here?
He's 23 and really has nothing left to prove in Class AAA. He has basically spent a full season there between 2018 and 2019. Yet Keller has also proven he is not ready to pitch in the major leagues.
It’s far too early to write Keller off as a failed prospect after three starts. However, he is at a small crossroads in his career.
The Pirates believe Keller can turn into a pitcher who can be slotted at or near the rotation. Yet a handful of scouts from other organizations have told me they project Keller as more of No. 3 or No. 4 starter.
Time will tell but the one encouraging sign in talking with Keller before he left the clubhouse was that he seems to have a much better grasp of what it is going to take to be successful at the major-league level. Now, it’s up to him to do it.
• The Pirates pulled off a bit of a draft coup Wednesday when they signed 11th-round pick Jase Bowen, a center fielder from Toledo Central Catholic High School.
Bowen had planned to play both football and baseball at Michigan State and was thought to be very solid in that commitment. He was a three-star recruit in football as a wide receiver and return specialist.
The Pirates’ amateur scouting department has rightfully taken its share of criticism over the years. However, it deserves credit in this situation for correctly reading the situation and knowing Bowen would at least consider signing a professional contract.
• I like Lonnie Chisenhall a lot and hesitate to ever question the severity of an injury. Yet it’s a bad look that he is home in North Carolina rather than rehabbing his calf injury either in Pittsburgh or Bradenton.
Chisenhall could at least give the appearance that he's trying to earn his $2.75-million salary.