Pirates’ youngsters show that growing pains can still be enjoyable taken in Detroit (Pirates)

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Miguel Yajure throws a pitch during his Pirates debut Wednesday

DETROIT -- The fluidity of a baseball rebuild gives the Pirates freedom to decide when and where to deploy key prospects to the major league team. As these young players get their first opportunities throughout the rebuild, it’s natural for some to not get the hang of this major league thing right away.

Some may fall flat on their face. Some may click immediately -- just ask Ke’Bryan Hayes in 2020. But when a player that represents a tiny peek into the future gets to the majors, it’s OK to appreciate what’s there. Even if it doesn’t look pretty at first.

The Pirates provided such a glimpse into what the future could hold in the nightcap of Wednesday’s doubleheader, where right-hander Miguel Yajure made his team debut during a 5-2 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park. The Pirates won, 3-2, in the afternoon to split the doubleheader and move to 8-10 on the season.

Yajure’s inclusion in Wednesday’s festivities had more to do with roster construction, poor weather in the Midwest and quirky doubleheader rules than it was an actual turning of the page, so to speak. But his first major league start showed both his excellence and maturity and a real need for more refining.

“My big takeaways are that he painted the zone,” Derek Shelton said of the right-hander who was part of the trade package the Pirates got from the Yankees for Jameson Taillon in January. “He worked back and forth, the slider was good, the curveball was good. I thought he threw the ball well. ... But overall, an impressive first start for a young kid.”

The final line in 22-year-old right-hander’s first major league loss was not indicative of how well he pitched. He found out he’d be used as a spot starter after Tuesday night’s game was snowed out in Detroit. It had been nearly two years since he’d gone longer than three innings in a professional game. But through the first four innings Wednesday, he faced just one batter more than the minimum.

“I felt very comfortable,” Yajure said through team interpreter Mike Gonzalez of the early portion of his outing. “I felt great. Obviously, I haven’t started a game in a while, so there are some adjustments I want to make there when it comes to the physical side.”

Niko Goodrum jumped on Yajure’s first pitch in the third inning and sent it into the seats in left field. At the time, it was merely a blip in an otherwise stellar performance. Yajure was landing his rainbow curve and sharp cutter in the zone. Following the Goodrum homer, Yajure showed poise and maturity on the mound as he retired the next six Tigers in order.

“It showed me, No. 1, that he’s not afraid to attack the zone. I think that’s the biggest thing. You see a lot of young [pitchers] that ... all of a sudden they start to scatter the ball,” Shelton recalled. “I think he probably executed pitches as well as he did all day, and that goes to the sign of maturity for a youngster.”

But then things started to unravel in the fifth. Yajure allowed another homer on just his 42nd pitch of the game to Jonathan Schoop to start the fifth. There was something of a “here we go again” feeling as the ball was crushed into the left-field seats. But there was also an uncommon sense of optimism. A knowing feeling that it was time for the fans at home to pull up a chair and pay closer attention to how this kid reacts to being backed into a corner again. Not just call it a night and see what else might be on TV. 

Of course, he could not bounce back a second time. Yajure was pulled before completing the fifth inning. He was charged with all three Tigers’ runs in the fifth, including the one scored on Willi Castro’s single off David Bednar later in the frame.

Obviously, it’s not the result one might want. Yajure left a changeup elevated and out of the heart of the plate, and Schoop punished him. Goodrum did the same on a fastball in a similar spot. But if he can learn how to sort out these issues, it won’t just be the difference between being a prospect and a major leaguer, but the difference in being a major leaguer and a good major leaguer.

“Something that I was able to attain throughout all of this, is that I can do this and I belong here. I was able to recognize in those first few innings that I belong here,” Yajure said. “This is something I can definitely do.”

His ERA after one start in the big leagues is 8.38. An improper indicator of how his night will probably be viewed for a long time to come. 

“Now, it’s just going back and preparing a little bit better, physically and mentally, going back to the drawing board, getting to know my body a little bit better, getting to know certain things,” Yajure said. “These adjustments will come, and I will be diligent in making these adjustments.”

Beyond the pressure of his quick inclusion from the taxi squad, Yajure is pitching during a time where the majority of the rotation has largely struggled so far this season. Wednesday’s Game 1 victor, Tyler Anderson, and right-hander JT Brubaker have performed well, but Mitch Keller, Trevor Cahill and Chad Kuhl have struggled to the point where it might be time to think about giving a younger guy like Yajure more of a role in the present.

There will be a lot of prospects or young players coming up and down through the Pirates in the coming months or years. The feeling provided by Yajure’s first outing with the club won’t be a first. There’s something there to appreciate. And it will return plenty of times in the future.

MORE ON THE DOUBLEHEADER

• The Pirates are still going to have to take things day-to-day with Hayes after the alternate site game in Toledo was postponed by the weather for the second consecutive day. The club seems to be intent on having him play that rehab game before activating him.

• It’s been an effective start to Anderson’s tenure with the Pirates. The veteran left-hander earned the win in the afternoon game against the Tigers, tossing five innings of two-run ball, allowing three hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven.

Anderson (2-2)  now leads the club with 20 ⅔ innings pitched and 21 strikeouts through his first four starts. 

“I feel like I always kind of strike guys out at a decent clip,” the sixth-year major leaguer said. “But I feel like this year -- I don’t know the numbers, but I feel like maybe it’s a tick above. Probably not too far off what my normal clip would be. And it’s early.”

The 31-year-old used a changeup-heavy approach against a Tigers’ lineup composed entirely of switch and right-handed hitters. He went to the change for 31 of his 90 pitches and got 15 whiffs over the course of the afternoon.

It was 38 degrees at first pitch in the matinee, which Anderson explained made it difficult to get a proper grip on the ball.

“That makes it harder to execute pitches,” he said. “Just try to make an adjustment and try to start pitches somewhere else and trying extra hard to finish them. It just takes a lot of focus on not letting them slip out too early, but it still happened on some.”

• Also making his major league debut for the Pirates on Wednesday night was switch-hitting infielder Rodolfo Castro. The 21-year-old was recalled from the alternate site team Wednesday and got the start at third base in the nightcap, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

“An  overwhelming amount of joy, even though it didn't turn out [as far as] the results, the way that probably I would have liked,” Castro said through Gonzalez. “But at the end of the day this has been a dream come true. That's why I'm still so happy. I’ve enjoyed every second, every bit of it. Ever since I was a little boy, this is something that I've been dreaming about.”

Castro last played in a competitive game with High Class A Bradenton in 2019. He was added during a series of roster moves that included the decision to designate Anthony Alford for assignment, and will probably not spend much time on the active roster this weekend.

But even without much to show for the results, Shelton remained impressed.

“He wasn’t afraid either. He made a nice play to his backhand side, a good, strong throw,” Shelton said. “He didn’t find a hole with any of his at bats but it was good to see him out there and I thought he played fine.”

THE ESSENTIALS

Box scores: Game 1Game 2
Video highlights: Game 1 | Game 2
Scoreboard
Standings
Statistics

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card for Game 1 with Tyler Anderson on the mound:

Adam Frazier, 2B
Phillip Evans, DH
Bryan Reynolds, LF
Colin Moran, 1B
Jacob Stallings, C
Gregory Polanco, RF
Erik Gonzalez,3B
Dustin Fowler, CF
Kevin Newman, SS

And Game 2 behind Miguel Yajure:

Adam Frazier, 2B
Phillip Evans, 1B
Bryan Reynolds, LF
Colin Moran, DH
Erik Gonzalez, SS
Gregory Polanco, RF
Dustin Fowler, CF
Rodolfo Castro, 3B
Michael Perez ,C

And for AJ Hinch's Tigers with Michael Fulmer on the mound:

Robbie Grossman, LF
Niko Goodrum, SS
Jeimer Candelario, DH
Wilson Ramos, C
Willi Castro, 2B
Victor Reyes, RF
Zack Short, 3B
JaCoby Jones, CF
Akil Baddoo, CF
Grayson Greiner, C

And for Game 2 behind Spencer Turnbull:

Robbie Grossman, RF
Willi Castro, SS
Jeimer Candelario, 3B
Wilson Ramos, DH
Jonathan Schoop, 1B
Harold Castro, 2B
Niko Goodrum, LF
Akil Baddoo, CF
Grayson Greiner, C

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates have a getaway day game to wrap their series with the Tigers on Thursday afternoon. Mitch Keller gets the start against Tigers' right-hander Jose Urena. After that, the Buccos travel to Minnesota for a weekend series with the Twins.

THE CONTENT

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