Pirates manager Derek Shelton has revealed his starting rotation for the beginning of the 2022 season.
During his weekly segment on the Cook & Joe Show, Shelton said that J.T. Brubaker will open the season against the Cardinals Thursday. That information was previously released.
Mitch Keller well get the start for the second game of the season Saturday afternoon, followed by Bryse Wilson on Sunday, Zach Thompson on Monday and Jose Quintana.
Quintana will start for the Home Opener on Tuesday against the Cubs at PNC Park.
Brubaker went 5-13 last season with a 5.36 ERA.
Keller was 5-11 with a 6.17 ERA.
Wilson was 3-7 with the Braves/Pirates in 2021 with a 5.35 ERA.
Thompson, who came over from Miami in the deal that sent catcher Jacob Stallings to the Marlins, went 3-7 last season with a 3.24 ERA.
Quintana, who pitched for the Giants last season before signing with the Pirates was 0-3 for San Francisco last year with a 6.43 ERA before being designated for assignment.
Shelton says the order of the rotation was determined by the upcoming matchups.
A lot of people thought it might be a six-man rotation but as of now, it will be a five-man rotation, even though they considered adding an additional arm and could as the season progresses.
With the shortened Spring Training, Shelton says pitchers haven’t had the same amount of preparation time usually afforded during a normal spring, so don’t expect starters to go deep into games, at least early on.
“Early on, I mean we have not had a pitcher pitch into the fifth in Spring Training because of time so we’ll be very aware of efficiency and effectiveness,” said Shelton.
He adds another factor is weather and transitioning from the warm weather of Florida to the colder weather up north.