After making just one start since returning from injury, the Pirates have sent right hander Vince Velasquez back to the injured list with right elbow discomfort and recalled right hander Cody Bolton.
Velasquez threw just two innings his return from a three week layoff due to elbow discomfort yesterday, giving up four earned runs against the Mariners before being removed from the game. There’s obviously a lot of concern when a player is sent to the IL almost immediately after returning, and Velasquez relays to Pirates reporters (including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that he’ll take a bit longer to rest his elbow. Just what that timeline looks like is unclear, but it seems safe to assume that Velasquez will be out a bit longer than the three weeks he missed in May.
It’s a shame for the Bucs and Velasquez, who was enjoying a nice first season in Pittsburgh. Prior to getting knocked around yesterday, Velasquez had made seven starts of 3.06 ERA ball for the Pirates this season. That was a bright start for a player who has often flashed promising stuff, but has struggled to lock down a rotation spot in recent years. Between 2020-22, Velasquez made 37 starts and 24 relief appearances for the Phillies, Padres and White Sox, pitching to a 5.61 ERA, so this was clearly a step forward with the Bucs.
As Justice delos Santos of MLB.com mentions, GM Ben Cherington told 93.7 The Fan radio that the team had planned to shift Roansy Contreras to the bullpen before Velasquez’ injury, but it now seems those plans will be shelved and Contreras will remain in the rotation, with Bolton going to the pen.
Bolton has made a handful of appearances for the Pirates this year, pitching six innings across three appearances and giving up three earned runs. At Triple-A Indianapolis he owns a 2.08 ERA in 17 1/3 relief innings.
I could do that.
For MLB minimum.
And meal money, of course.
Too bad it wasn’t Connor Joe, he has the worst average with runners in scoring position yet Shelton continues to put him 3rd in the batting order
Hitting with RISP is not a skill.
It actually is a skill. Not that the extremely small sample size is relevant whatsoever.
he went 0-13 in the current series, with 8ks,
And 0-7 with runners in scoring position
That in my opinion makes him a bum, and whether hitting with runners in scoring position is a skill, it doesn’t matter
He has no business batting 3rd
I would go Bae,Marcano,Cutch,Reynolds,Suwinski,Santana,Joe,Hayes,and Delay/ Hedges.
Cutch’s power is needed later now that I think about it.
He can’t bat there unless clueless Shelton puts him there. The broadcasting team amazingly never questions the strange order.
The broadcaster team always says how selective of a hitter Joe is with pitches then fails to admit that he’s second only to Suwinski in strikeouts
Hated is another head scratcher, striking out 4 times yesterday
I’m not blaming Joe for where he bats in the lineup, Shelton and our failure of a hitting coach are to blame
How can an entire team always be in a perpetual slump?
Paul-They are in a month long slump because they cannot hit.
This is no Lumber Company.
What I do not understand is how a team who ties their all time record in game total home runs has as many errors as hits in the next game.
Why can’t they hit? There has to be a logical explanation.
It can’t all be explained that each player lacks the ability to hit a baseball.
I heard for years that the Bucs had a top tier farm system. Was that just propaganda?
They are tied for 22nd in runs and 18 th in OPS,so there are worse teams.
The Phillies have tried to buy a title and they have scored one more run all season than the Pirates.
They have four hitters over 800 in ops with two more over 790.
Jerry Coleman was asked once why he did not criticize the Padre players ever when he was their broadcaster.
He had played in the ML and he said that he knew how hard it was.
The Pirates farm system was judged by others and rated highly over the last three years when they have been drafting high.The Pirates hype the players but I think that many teams do that.
Like players,the Pirates do not have the best scouting and development teams,so they do not have a steady stream of first rate prospects coming up like some of the teams do.
They seem to be getting better,and I suggest that you listen to the late great Willie Stargell.
Don’t get too high after the victories and too low after the losses.
I’m sorry but saying there’s worse teams doesn’t excuse their inability to win games or hit with runners in scoring position
Lost Underwood for two innings of four runs allowed from Velasquez. Underwood kinda of a four A player anyways but probably will be claimed to be someone’s 13th pitcher.
Underwood’s ERA over 3 years with the Bucs was 4.46, and was at 5.16 this year
It wasn’t just one outing that caused his departure
Nothing worse than having to explain in detail facts that seem to elude people
So Underwood’s potted meat is what you’re saying?
Underwood was a strong garbage man but anyone can do that role. More valuable to most other teams as he is likely better than their 8th option. Won’t be shocked to see him improved. Either K increase or ground ball increase.
Underwood being DFA’D was far from a loss. That was addition by subtraction regardless of who replaces him.
RJ- They need to give more young pitchers a chance and Bolton has pitched well in AAA.
They knew what they had in Underwood.
I don’t understand sending Contreras to the bullpen to keep Velasquez and Ortiz in the rotation. Granted i haven’t watched a lot of Pirates games but his start against Boston he was unhittable
Lost his breaking ball since then. Needs it back and or his fastball mph from 2021. Ortiz better option now.
Then Roansy should be sent down to AAA if Velasquez would have stuck.
They have considered him a starter from day 1 and if he is having a bad stretch as most young pitchers do he should be optioned if they have five other starters.
It’s the Pirates. They consider everyone a starter for as long as possible. His stuff plays drastically better out the the pen and he is under 6 feet. Odds say reliever. Nothing lost in trying. Definitely can try once more. Little pen stint won’t hurt. Might be short lived with Velasquez out again.
He did pitch well today in relief.The problem is they have to consider him a starter because they do not exactly have a plethora of them coming up especially with Burrows out.
BC has been doing very well with the free agent starters so maybe those one year contracts is the course that they will take every year.
Big contracts are iffy at best for starters and I think the Pirates are wise in not giving them out to free agents.Keller,on the other hand,should be approached for one.I say $50-60 M for five years.
They do things nowadays with the starter-reliever decisions that are kind of mind numbing to dinosaurs like me and really, it’s reflective of modern baseball. The 100 pitch counts. The 5-inning goal. Very strange to some of us
I didn’t get how Contreras is sent to the pen but then again, I look at a kid like Hernandez and wonder how he was never looked at as a starter
Where VV is concerned, I really thought he was coming along this year. A shame, as he had heat and command of his breaking pitches. I’d wonder if we will see him again this year
I think that high school and college pitchers are probably abused which starts the inevitable path to surgery.
Once it is broke it is tough to fix.
I know that teams look for big guys who throw hard with lots of spin on breaking balls but those are the reasons why few remain healthy for extended periods of time.
As for VV,I developed a saying at work years ago named Johnston’s Law.
It said that Murphy was an optimist.
Because his other starts since Boston haven’t been as good.
With Velasquez back on the IL, Contrares will be back in the rotation
This does not augur well.
Sending contrares to the bullpen is stupid….and speaking of stupid…Ben Shelton should be FIRED
Shelton is pure and simple a piece of garbage
At least get the guy’s name right Buuba.It is Derek.
If you are talking about today,Stephenson has taken over for Underwood in the mediocre at best category.
They need someone who can give them three good innings.
He used up Ramirez and Hernandez in the last couple of games.
Using the relief corps properly is a difficult assignment and separates the good from the bad as managers.Hopefully,Bolton and eventually Selby will provide good complements to the others.
speaking of striking out, Hayes accomplished this in yesterday’s game, FOUR times