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BRADENTON, Fla. -- With just three games remaining this spring, Derek Shelton said that the club still hasn’t made a decision on an opening day starter.
But when looking at the way the chips plan to fall over the final few days in Florida, that choice might already be made by default.
Chad Kuhl pitched the first two innings of the Pirates’ 7-4 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. It was Kuhl’s first game back from an 11-day hiatus following the birth of his son, Hudson. He made 32 pitches and before going to a back field and getting stretched out for two more innings.
“I thought he was good. The second inning he got sped up and slowed himself back down,” Shelton said. “It was nice to see him.”
The 28-year-old right-hander felt comfortable in his return overall, but needed to shake off some rust. Particularly in the second inning, in which walked the first two batters and surrendered a run on Marwin Gonzalez’s single. It was important for him to pick up the tempo to get back in the rhythm he found in his perfect first inning.
“I think it's just the conditioning of being back in the game,” Kuhl said. “And then just executing pitches.”
It could be crucial for the Pirates to get Kuhl stretched out and comfortable because there appears to be a good chance he will be the opening day starter Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Even without an official announcement from the team, it would be difficult to deviate away from Kuhl or this past Friday’s starter Tyler Anderson in the opener. Especially when counting on the next few days going according to plan.
Mitch Keller was probably the best bet to start the opener heading into the spring. But he is scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Orioles and would be on short rest for the opener. Also, it doesn’t help his case that he’s given up 15 earned runs in 8.1 innings (16.20 ERA) while opposing batters are hitting .512 against him.
With Steven Brault out until at least June, the likely final pitcher with a solidified spot in the rotation is JT Brubaker. He’s also in line to start again this spring -- in the finale against the Twins on Tuesday. That just leaves Kuhl and Anderson from that group of starters that would be on appropriate rest by Thursday.
There’d obviously be more wiggle room if Brault were available or if Keller had enough in-game success to maybe pitch into the fifth or sixth inning at some point this spring. But his longest outing in the Grapefruit League was his most recent, in which he lasted 3.1 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits.
Naming Kuhl the opening day starter does not signal a rotation is in shambles. He’s been good enough this spring to maintain his spot in the rotation, pitching to a 3.38 ERA with 11 punchouts over eight innings. Anderson has also been productive this spring, holding a 5.00 ERA with 18 strikeouts in as many innings.
The prediction that Kuhl would start opening day is simply a product of timing, where it doesn’t necessarily matter who starts Game 1 as opposed to Game 3.
For Kuhl, who saw what it was like for former teammates Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon to start for this team on opening day, it would be a tremendous honor. Even though he’s got his eye on the bigger picture.
“It’s really just about the start of one of hopefully 30 starts for you. Once the game starts, it’s just another game,” he said. “Obviously it’s an honor to look across the league and see all of these big name guys who are getting the ball on opening day. It’s a fun day. It’s an honor. But whoever gets it, they’re going to be more than deserving.”
Without the luxury of having a bonafide ace to call upon for the opener based on their track record, there are other external factors that the Pirates are forced to consider. It seems very likely that the team will break camp with 14 pitchers, but Shelton said he’s still considering a 13-man staff. There are also two off days among the first week and a half of the season, so piggybacking a swingman like Trevor Cahill or Chase De Jong -- one or both of whom could end up in the rotation depending on if they want to use a five- or six-man group -- might also be on the table.
“At some point -- and I'm not saying we won't [piggyback], I'm not saying we will -- but the other thing comes into it is just managing innings, because we're having to cover 1,500 innings,” Shelton said.
Cahill, De Jong, Steven Wright and Wil Crowe will likely have to make some starts while Brault is out. It’s an added opportunity for those types of pitchers in a season where there were already chances being created by a need for a deep list of available arms.
“That's just been the whole turn of camp,” Kuhl said. “There's innings. There's starts. There's opportunities to be had for a lot of guys … it just enhances the competition that we have going right now, so everybody's in a good spot, and we're getting to that end of spring training.”
Crowe, another potential member of the rotation, worked around a hit and a walk in two scoreless innings Saturday. He lowered his spring ERA to 0.77 in 11.2 total innings during his fifth Grapefruit League appearance.
Much like David Bednar or Clay Holmes, both of whom have spotless ERAs without being on the 40-man roster, there were little to no expectations in anticipation of Crowe’s performance in camp. But regardless of whether it’s a rotation stalwart, like Kuhl, or a new guy making a first impression, like Crowe, the club assesses each pitcher with a similar criteria.
“Command of the fastball in the zone, ability to spin the ball in the zone. I think those are the big things,” Shelton said. “Command is a huge issue for any pitcher. Just making sure that we stay consistent and attack hitters is the most important thing.”
This method of evaluation points to Shelton’s consistent belief that the pitching staff won’t really have any roles written in stone. Although the pageantry and exuberance of opening day will be met with excitement, there’s not much to indicate that the pitcher taking the mound Thursday at Wrigley Field will truly be the leader of the staff throughout the season.
MORE FROM THIS GAME
• Kevin Newman had hits in each of his first three at-bats. At one point in the afternoon, Newman was hitting .741, but he bounced out in his fourth trip to the plate, sinking his average to .714. It was a six-point increase from when the day began.
• Bryan Reynolds went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored to boost his spring average to .317. It was his first multi-hit game since March 6. Each of Reynolds’ three singles were struck with authority, and he’s got four extra-base hits, including three homers, in Grapefruit League play.
• The sinkerballer Holmes got exactly what he was looking for in a perfect fifth inning Saturday. Holmes got three outs on the ground, two via curveball and one on the sinker. He’s not currently on the roster but it seems he should be among the relievers to break camp with the major league team. Holmes has not allowed a run in 8.2 innings this spring. Bednar also has a spotless ERA this spring. He struck out three in his lone inning of work, rebounding perfectly from a well-struck, one-out double off the bat of Michael Chavis -- the only true big-league hitter to face him in the inning. Bednar’s scoreless streak has lasted 8.1 innings this spring.
• A day after the club lost Todd Frazier to an opt-out, Phillip Evans took his prospective spot at first base. Evans had two hits Saturday to boost his average to .406 and will likely break camp on the roster. The 28-year-old has limited experience at first base, but that’s likely his best avenue to more time in the lineup. He shifted over to second base, a more natural position for him, late in the game Saturday, and also played a whole game in right field Thursday night against the Orioles.
So, in addition to rewarding a player that’s tearing the cover off the ball, it helps Evans’ case that he can be moved all over the field. Erik Gonzalez can play three infield positions. Dustin Fowler can play three outfield positions. Tony Wolters even got an inning at second base Thursday. If the club ends up carrying 14 pitchers, their limited bench will have to be versatile defensively.
• During a full-blown battle with the sun throughout the afternoon, Anthony Alford performed well on both sides of the ball. He made a full-extension diving catch on Alex Verdugo’s sinking liner in the third inning. Then he bashed a double to the opposite field in the ninth. Alford also drew a walk and committed an error in center field. He is batting .281 with an .874 OPS this spring.
• Miguel Perez threw out two runners on the bases and recorded a hit in three chances.
• Following the game, right-hander Tyler Bashlor was optioned. Bashlor made his spring debut Friday afternoon after coming back from lower-back tightness. In addition to Frazier’s exit, the active roster currently stands at 35 players, with Brault’s injured list announcement looming.
• Keller starts against Matt Harvey and the Orioles with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. Michael Feliz, Sam Howard, Luis Oviedo and Edgar Santana are expected to follow.