PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There are two ways the Pittsburgh Pirates can go about addressing their struggles in the bullpen, which were especially evident in Wednesday night’s loss to the Houston Astros. 1. Acquire talent from another team elsewhere in the MLB, or 2. Look within their own organization.
While searching the league for a solid relief arm can seem enticing, there is also the chance the Bucs’ brass decides to look within instead and bring up a pitcher from the Indianapolis Indians, the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. And despite the Indians’ similar struggles this season in the pitching department, all options seem to be on the table for this Pirates team as it looks to stop blowing late leads.
With that being said, here are four Triple-A pitchers who could potentially come in and try to help the Bucs’ bullpen.
RHP Isaac Mattson
Since he was sent down to Indianapolis after appearing in the Pirates’ blowout loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 17th, Mattson has made a strong case to return to the MLB. As a top reliever for the Indians, he’s allowed just four hits, two earned runs, walked three batters, and struck out six through 5.2 innings of work. It’s a small sample size, but it’s clear his experience at the highest level of baseball has helped him find a new level as of late.
With plenty of major league experience already on his resume, he’s certainly one of the more qualified arms the Pirates could pick from their litany of right-handers in Indianapolis. If the Pirates do decide to bring him up soon, he definitely wouldn’t look too out of place.
RHP José Urquidy
Coming off an overall solid month of May, now may be the perfect time for the Pirates to add a pitcher like Urquidy to their ranks.
Though he opened the month with a forgettable 3.2 inning outing where he allowed 12 hits and eight earned runs, Urquidy responded with strong outings in four of his next five appearances. On May 9th, Urquidy racked up seven strikeouts and walked only one batter as he held Omaha scoreless through five innings. He improved on that showing days later back at home against Iowa when he silenced the Cubs through seven innings on May 31st with a final line of 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, and 6 Ks.
Urquidy closed May with a 5.10 ERA, but that number doesn’t really do his performance during the stretch justice. Calling him up to the majors is a gamble that could potentially pay off for the Bucs.
RHP Antwone Kelly
The Indians’ thrilling 10-8 victory over Louisville on May 12 served as a reality check for Kelly. The outing couldn’t have gone much worse for the right-hander. In an appearance that stretched 5.2 innings, Kelly gave up four homers and five earned runs, which completely erased the multi-run lead his team had established through the first three innings.
But over his next three appearances the rest of the month, Kelly bounced back. Against Louisville, Toledo, and Iowa, he allowed just five earned runs, walked five, and fanned 13 batters through 13 innings of work. He then kicked off June by allowing only one hit and logging a pair of Ks through three innings in the Indians’ blowout loss to the St. Paul Saints.
LHP Hunter Barco
Though the Bucs already have plenty of lefties to choose from in their bullpen, bringing in one more could still help give it a push in the right direction. That pitcher could very well be Barco.
After making multiple appearances in the majors throughout April, Barco put together a strong string of performances this past month. Through 15.2 innings across five games, Barco consistently gave Indianapolis a chance by allowing two or fewer earned runs in each of his outings.
By the end of May, he had given up just five earned runs , one homer, and struck out 24 hitters for a combined ERA of 2.87 despite his 1-3 record.
