BRADENTON, Fla. -- It’s been an incredibly eventful spring for Chad Kuhl with the birth of his first child in the midst of his fifth spring training with the Pirates. Just three days ahead of the opener at Wrigley Field, Kuhl got his second reward this month.
During the second inning of Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Twins, Derek Shelton announced that Kuhl will get the start for the Pirates on opening day in Chicago.
“It’s all special. It’s obviously an honor,” Kuhl said Saturday when asked about the possibility of getting the opening day call. “It’s a big honor, but it’s really just about the start of one of hopefully 30 starts for you. Once the game starts, it’s just another game that you have to prepare for and give your best.”
Shelton said he called Kuhl into his office at LECOM Park on Monday to inform the 28-year-old of the decision. Steven Brault was hiding in the manager’s office bathroom when Shelton and pitching coach Oscar Marin gave Kuhl the news. Brault, who will be on the injured list until at least June, then jumped out to surprise his teammate.
“As soon as we told him, Steven came out and gave him a hug,” Shelton said. “It was pretty cool."
Kyle Hendricks will oppose Kuhl in the season opener at Wrigley Field on Thursday.
“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,” Kuhl said. “It’s a fun day. It’s an honor.”
Kuhl has a 3.38 ERA in four appearances for the Pirates this spring. He had been away from the team for 11 days following the birth of his son, Hudson. But the right-hander got a final tune up Saturday with two innings against the Red Sox and some additional work at the back fields.
"I’m going to go as long as I can until Shelton takes the ball from me," Kuhl said without naming a target for pitch or inning count. "I’m sure there’s a number, but that’s not really in the back of my mind at all."
Shelton said that they made no plans for the length of Kuhl’s start Thursday as he’s been limited to just eight innings this spring.
“We’re just going to let him go and kind of see where he’s at,” Shelton said.
In four seasons with the Pirates, Kuhl has a 4.36 ERA with 8.02 strikeouts per nine innings. The opening day nod is vindicating for Kuhl, who missed all of 2019 after having Tommy John surgery the previous September, then had his return delayed by the pandemic. He was third on the team with 46.1 innings pitched in 2020 while holding a 4.27 ERA over 11 appearances, nine starts.
Kuhl said there's going to be something special about pitching in front of his newborn son for the first time, and his family for the first time since 2018.
"I was just fortunate, obviously, to have a happy, healthy baby and an amazing wife that’s taking care of him right now," Kuhl said. "Then to be fortunate enough to be on an Opening Day roster and for them to have confidence in me to hand the ball to Game 1. So yeah, it’s been a pretty good stretch of a couple of weeks here."
Kuhl has a 5.82 ERA in 12 career appearances against the Cubs with 49 strikeouts in 51 innings. His numbers at Wrigley Field specifically are a little more favorable. He sports a 4.92 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 20 innings on the north side.
The news comes a day after another candidate to start the opener, Mitch Keller, made 72 pitches in his final spring game against the Orioles. Keller would have been on three days rest in the opener. JT Brubaker is scheduled to pitch the spring finale against the Twins on Tuesday in Fort Myers, leaving Kuhl and Tyler Anderson as the only starters on appropriate rest by Thursday.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Chase De Jong allowed two runs over 2 2/3 innings, striking out a pair and allowing a homer.
The right-hander was one of the better stories in camp, but he was among the Pirates' second wave of cuts Monday, alongside Chasen Shreve. Shreve also allowed a home run in the ninth inning.
• Kevin Newman actually went hitless in his three trips to the plate Monday, resulting in his batting average plummeting to .645.
He will be the starting shortstop for Thursday's opener, Shelton announced.
• Down a run in the bottom of the eighth, Liover Peguero ripped a two-out double into the gap in right-center with Travis Swaggerty on first, but the Twins executed a perfect relay and got Swaggerty at the plate to preserve the lead.