Gonzales' return fueled by vision of health and success

CHICAGO -- Marco Gonzales admits he felt an overwhelming amount of frustration upon landing on the injured list in mid-April. Less than a year removed from a season-ending surgical procedure to address a nerve issue in his forearm, Gonzales had just finished off six innings of two-run ball against the Phillies on April 13 when he experienced soreness in his forearm. The diagnosis: A left forearm muscle strain that ultimately resulted in a three-month absence and yet another time-consuming rehabilitation process.

"The hours, the days, the months and the years put into this game and this career, for something seemingly out of my control to just kind of come up, it was very frustrating," Gonzales told me Friday night. "Especially with how I started. I felt so good. Felt like myself, but even better." 

Acquired by the Pirates in the second of two offseason trades, Gonzales thrived through three early-season starts, contributing with a pair of quality starts and compiling a 2.65 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. The Pirates have had their share of starting pitchers require stints on the IL, but Gonzales was the first of the bunch to have to spend any sort of time away from the mound.

"Injuries are tough, man," Joey Bart would say. "Mentally, everybody wants to go out and compete, and that’s the one plague in this league that it’s hard to tell when it’s coming. You just have to fight every day and try to put your body in the best position to keep coming."

Gonzales admits he's found a way to motivate himself by consistently envisioning what he's capable of when fully healthy. That vision fueled him to work tirelessly through his rehab and come back better than he was before. Nearly three months to the day of his last major-league start in Philadelphia, Gonzales' vision became his reality, as he returned to the mound and delivered in the process by allowing a singular run over five stellar innings in the Pirates' 4-1 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. 

"One thing I've been very good at throughout my career is finding something to motivate me," Gonzales said. "Always trying to have a chip on my shoulder because that's what drives you. Showing up to work every day and putting in the hours with that in mind of, 'I'm going to get back and be who I know I can be,' that was all I needed." 

Gonzales gave up two hits in three of his innings and ultimately surrendered seven total while striking out four. He allowed his lone run on a third-inning single by Luis Robert, one that followed a one-out double by Tommy Pham. Still, despite the hefty hit total and a run that gave the White Sox an early 1-0 lead, Gonzales kept his pitch count relatively low thanks to a four-pitch second inning and needed just 60 pitches -- 45 for strikes -- to cover five innings and pass the baton on to the bullpen. 

"For him to come back and do what he did tonight, credit to him for working," said Bart, who was able to be behind the plate for Gonzales for the first time this season. "He picked us up big time, you know, we’ve had the injury bug around here and Marco did what he did and he picked us up tonight. I was extremely excited for him and I gave him a big hug and I was like ‘Welcome back, bro.’ That was fun."

Derek Shelton was impressed by the way Gonzales spotted pitches on the edges, while utilizing a heavy dose of cutters and changeups to keep a lineup full of right-handed hitters at bay. But, more importantly, Shelton showed admiration for the unwavering amount of resilience Gonzales has shown in coming back from an injury that seemingly placed a cloud over his future back in April. 

"It takes some strong testament," Shelton said of Gonzales, who has now been limited to 72 innings of work since the beginning of last season. "He had the injury last year, then he has the other injury a couple starts into this year, I think to be able to build back out and go out to give us five good innings -- and we were looking for five today -- was really important. I think we just have to continue to build off of it, but I think it just speaks about him as a person, being able to get over a little adversity." 

Over a three-month period, Gonzales turned uncertainty into what he described as a "gratifying" return to the mound. With a re-solidified role in a rotation that was recently left with voids to fill following the injuries to Jared Jones and Bailey Falter, Gonzales is now focused on staying healthy, producing effective outings on a consistent basis and helping a Pirates team that sits two games under .500 with two remaining until the All-Star break. 

"It was very important, not only because I want to show who I am and who I can be, but for this team," Gonzales said. "I feel like we have a lot of potential, so I wanted to come back to contribute and help us win ball games."