May 1: As expected, the MLB.com transaction log indicates that Harbin has been released. It stands to reason Pittsburgh will try to bring him back on a minor league contract.
April 29: Pirates right-hander Ryan Harbin has been designated for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to veteran reliever Chris Devenski, whose previously reported promotion to the major league roster is now official. Lefty Hunter Barco was optioned to Triple-A to open a 26-man roster spot for Devenski.
Harbin, 24, was the Pirates’ 17th-round pick back in 2019. The Bucs added him to the 40-man roster this past November in order to protect him from being selected by another organization in December’s Rule 5 Draft. He was rocked in his first taste of Triple-A last summer but had pitched 50 combined innings between High-A and Double-A prior to that, logging a 2.88 ERA with a massive 36% strikeout rate.
The 6’4″, 228-pound Harbin relies primarily on a three-pitch mix: a four-seamer that averaged 97.2 mph last year, a slider that sat 87 mph and a sinker that averaged 96.7 mph. He also mixed in a very occasional cutter (87.8 mph) and splitter (89.8 mph), though his usage rate on both pitches in Triple-A sat just north of 5%.
With a good start to the season in Triple-A, Harbin might have gotten his first big league look this year. Instead, injuries have derailed his season. Harbin suffered a strained teres major during spring training not long after being optioned to minor league camp. The Bucs put him on the 60-day injured list in the minors. He hasn’t pitched yet in 2026, and there’s no clear timetable for his return to the mound. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, so now that he’s been designated for assignment, Harbin will either be traded to another club or released.
Weird the Pirates added 3 relievers to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, traded one (Tyler Samaniego), then DFA’d another in Harbin. Guess that’s just the life of a depth reliever.
They should have never promoted Harbin in the first place.
He was a very low draft choice and had not pitched well in the minor leagues.
Stupid decision by Cherington.
If he was selected in the rule 5 draft he would have to stay on the ML roster.No team would have done that and the Pirates would have kept him in the minor leagues.
Eh, I don’t think it’s really a stupid decision, just one that ultimatley didn’t work out. You need depth relievers on your 40-man roster. A lot of teams don’t really prioritize just minor league performance when it comes to Rule 5 drafting either. I can see a team taking Harbin because he throws hard with a good breaking ball and hoping to figure out the command later. Like I don’t think Harbin was any better or worse than Matt Pushard, Roddery Munoz, Carter Baulmer, but they were also taken in the draft.
However, I will say what was stupid is that letting Dauri Moreta go and keeping Sanders or Harbin was a horrible decision. Moreta has the attitude to be a closer, and I think his stuff would have rebounded given more time this year.
They should have kept Shugart.He is pitching well with the Phillies.
I was surprised about Moreta too.He had the swagger and fairly good stuff but would walk too many like a lot of relievers.
It is telling though that no ML team picked him up.He is pitching in Japan now.
Eat up 4 2/3 inning and save the bullpen. Your reward…..
I mean, he saved the bullpen by giving up 5 runs and ultimately letting the game get out of reach. I wouldn’t say that demands a hero’s reward.
Ramirez was available, it was Kelly who allowed the game to get out of hand by keeping Barco after he walked 2 consecutive batters
The Pirates had a chance to come back but not after Barco had given up 3 runs
Yeah, but Ramirez was like the only other guy avaiable after Ashcraft’s breavement list stint forced a bullpen game.
Paul…this is why the pirste will never win with Kelly as manager
Kelly also only allowed Mattson to pitch to one batter during the bullpen game
He could have pitched another inning or two thereby saving the bullpen from being overused and not needing Barco in last night’s game
Mattson threw only 4 pitches during the bullpen game
That bullpen game screwed them for the entire week
Maybe even longer than a week
Kelly using Soto, a closer, as a setup man and pulls Mattson after a third of an inning. Then Santana implodes and breathes life into a division opponent. I get that this guy is your closer—one of two—but you’re right. That kind of loss screwed the entire series. They’ve already had several sickening losses this season due to utter stupidity. And you say this team is going to be fighting for a wild card berth?
Feels like those Shelton hot starts followed by a collapse that we got used to.
If things don’t turn around soon then it may be time for our manager to join Cora and Thomson.
Pan…I’ve been saying that since they tagged him as manager last year. He mishandled the pitching staff. He should just go with a steady lineup and batting order. Quit giving players days off every week. Quit pinching hitting Yorke for Lowe. You can’t take the bat out of his hand. He did it again Wednesday night. Yorke got a hit. But as Joe Block said Lowe was 3 for 31 against lefties. But Yorke was in a 4 for 36 slump. Kelly is total garbage.
Shouldn’t have been the case either. I am not sure why they insist on the majority of their relievers being strict one inning guys regardless of pitches thrown. Mason Montgomory threw around 10 and was replaced. I guess they wanted him to face the top of the order? Then Mattison, multiple times this season, has thrown less than 10 pitches and was promptly removed. I don’t understand that logic at all.
He just left Barco in to get slaughtered last night and conceded. I get it was likely over but the offense fought back and there’s no reason someone like Lawrence or Sisk couldn’t have came in that inning.
I am getting more than a bit concerned about Kelly’s decision making.
Like I’ve been saying all along. Kelly is incapable of being a manager. The pirates just handed him the job last year and then made it permanent. They never even looked for an experienced manager.
I remember Joe Brown firing Harry Walker in mid-season in 1967. And that was after 2 third place finishes. Then he fired Larry Shepherd after one year in 1968. And even Bill Virdon in 1973. This pirate owner will keep a nobody as manager until it goes really bad. How long would Shelton have lasted on another team? Now how long will we have to endure Kelly’s blunders. Finally the pirates have a decent team,but a garbage manager.
Kelly is a Shelton clone. The former manager pulled the same stunts on his pitching staff and like Kelly does, Shelton gave position players scheduled days off, sometimes when they weren’t scheduled to play for a few days
It’s sickening watching Kelly make the same mistakes that Shelton made
Maybe as Dream says, it’s a case of going by analytics. If so, it’s time to throw the data out and go with the idea of being a human being who knows the game as manager.
Washed..you couldn’t of said it better
Paul..Kelly was only given the job because he’s from Pittsburgh and nutting was too cheap to even look for a manager.
While I did say that he’s not a great decision maker, there is something about his demeanor that seems to make the players rally around him. More than Shelton I’d say.
I wonder if his hands are tied from the front office? If so, the coach matters very little but at a certain point he has to man up and say that he’s the coach and will run the team as he sees fit. Obviously within reason. I like that he’s not afraid to sit a guy like Ozuna considering his salary, but they still have to get him going because it’s too early to flush 12M down the drain.
It’s funny you say that because I’ve been watching with my mom for more than a decade and she gets so angry over things like that. She knows more than casual fans but not analytical and is fuming whenever they pull pitchers early or leave a struggling one in forever. And the good ole day off for a good player who can’t play a few days in a row. If she gets it, the coach should be able to as well.
I remember a few years ago, IKF had been hitting the ball well, getting on base, over a period of several games
Shelton gave him a scheduled game off, when he returned to the lineup, IKF went into a slump
@Washed Every manager and every front office uses analytics for most of their decision making. The teams who use the least are usually the ones who are the worst (ex: Rockies, White Sox). It comes down to how they use them. You can’t use a screwdriver on a nail.
I don’t think Shelton was a good manager, and Kelly has certiantly made some questionable decisions (Although I think he has made far less questionable moves than Shelton), but I don’t think Shelton giving a guy with a career OPS hovering around .650 is the reason he fell into a slump. It sounds more like IKF just became the player he has been for nearly a decade.
Camel35…Kelly’s hand aren’t tied. His feet are,he keeps tripping.
Every player has at least one career year depending upon how long they play
IKF’s career OPS has nothing to do with the fact that he was hitting well before Shelton gave him a scheduled day off
I don’t know, I think IKF became a bad hitter because he has been a bad hitter. If one off day throws him off that badly from having a career year, then he’ll never have a career year.
There is nothing wrong with using analytics.These teams would be stupid not to do so.Few would argue with that even the old timers.But these for the most part are long term baseball minds and there are many interactions with human players where decisions should be made without consulting a computer.
Posters here complain with sitting hot hitters because of pre scheduled rest days.That is a valid complaint
Posters complain about taking out key pitchers after they have thrown 4 or 10 pitches.That is a valid complaint.
I complained about starting a pitcher who just got off the bereavement list.That is a valid complaint.
I complained about bringing a starter into relief when he has shown that he cannot relieve.That is a valid complaint,
Some of have complained about not having someone ready to come in for another receiver albeit a good one when he clearly has nothing that day.That is a valid complaint.
This smacks of the constant use of a computer telling you what to do.It is a tool and nothing more.But too many executives I believe do not take the human element into account because it is much more difficult to do so.
Ask Matt Klentak about that.
Many of these things have nothing to do with analytics. Analytics didn’t tell the Pirates to start Ashcraft after coming off breavement. They probably would have skipped Ashcraft’s start if they truly didn’t think he was ready. I also don’t think analytics are saying bringing in a starter to relieve is a good idea either. If we’re talking about Barco, Barco’s control has been all over the place since reaching Triple-A. I don’t think starting him would change much. Analytics aren’t telling managers or front offices to sit guys when they’re doing hot. TheMan3 used IKF as an example. IKF is just a bad hitter in general, and alot of the Pirates’ hottest hitters the last few years are generally bad players who went on a hot streak for a 2-3 weeks. A scheduled day off didn’t end a hot streak, being a typically below average hitter did.
I don’t know who Klentak is
And I couldn’t care less about anything Bright Eyes has to say. He’d reduce athleticism to data
No use at all for his input
No one has said analytics has no place. Please put away the broad brush no one is using.
Dream has stated repeatedly that analytics is the new Bible of managing baseball teams. Perhaps he’s right.
And I’ll just say again that it fails to take into account so much of the human element.
If Kelly is relying upon analytics to guide his managerial decisions and style, it’s gonna be a long season
ML hitters get into grooves,even the bad ones.
If a player is hitting well what does sitting him do to his psyche?
You may be right about Ashcraft and Barco,but you may be wrong.This is by far the worst start that Ashcraft has had.Do you think that his rhythm was disrupted by a death in his family?
If the computer did not dictate it then the person making the decision does not take the human element into consideration.
Regarding Barco,I presume that the day was about the one in his
regular turn.Don’t you think that a starter in the minor leagues is more comfortable starting in the MLs no matter what his control is like?
The point is that these knuckleheads set both too of these young pitchers up for failure,which they both did.
Two different kinds of slumps.
One has a guy hitting the ball hard. Seeing it well. A lot of “at ‘em” shots. You don’t sit him. He’ll break out
The other is a guy who’s not seeing the pitch. Multiple bad at bats. Weak swings and contact. He’s the guy you sit. Give extra BP to. Have him hitting off a tee in cage under the stands.
Analytics won’t tell you this of course
Klentak was a failure for the Phillies before Dombrowski.He was from the Ivy League and very big into analytics.
I am not painting with a broad brush when I say even the old timers know that using analytics is important.I hope that I am not wrong with that statement.My point is that it is just a good tool to use but should not dictate in all situations,and that the human element is missing from it.I think that I have been very clear about that.
On Ashcraft, I think they should have skipped his start. He probably told Kelly he was 100% good to go, so Kelly just trusted he was. I could see that happening. Again, a lot of decisions don’t have anything to do with analytics, just bad decision making, and maybe in this case, even the human element of trusting he was good to go letting them down. Maybe Barco is more confrontable as a SP, but his control has still been poor at Triple-A and has a 12.5% BB%. That’s just above what Bubba Chandler had at Triple-A, except Barco doesn’t have the high octane stuff to get away with it.
@Washed I mean, this is exactly why analytics were created. They tell you this exact kinda stuff.
“One has a guy hitting the ball hard. Seeing it well. A lot of “at ‘em” shots.” This is what exit velocity, barrel rate, launch angle, xwOBA, xwOBACON, and whiff rate tell you.
“The other is a guy who’s not seeing the pitch. Multiple bad at bats. Weak swings and contact.” This is what chase rate, heat maps, bat speed, exit velo, and launch angle tell you. xwOBA and xwOBACOn will also tell you when a guy isn’t making good contact.
That’s why IKF isn’t good all these stupid travel days. 1 off day and he is toast so just when he gets it going off day it’s a never ending cycle.
@WashedUpOldTimer Analytics are the exact things you just said, but quantified.
“One has a guy hitting the ball hard”=hard hit rate, exit velocity, barrel rate
“Seeing it well”/”The other is a guy who’s not seeing the pitch. Multiple bad at bats.”=chase rate, whiff rate, zone/out of zone contact rate, CSW%
“Weak swings and contact”=bat speed, exit velocity, hard hit rate
“A lot of “at ‘em” shots”=xwOBA, xBA, xSLG%, xwOBACON, barrel rate
Personally, you can judge if a player is good by 3-4 simple metrics that literally answer the most simple fundamental questions:
Exit velocity: Is he hitting the ball hard?
Barrel rate: Is he making quality contact?
Whiff rate: Is he regularly making contact?
Chase rate: Is he laying off pitches outside the zone?
Rocky, I agree. My counterpoint to you would be simple. On one hand, if I’m any kind of manager I already know what you just reported without the need of analytics
On the other, as a manager who is more in touch with the human aspect of my players, I have a feel for who is going good and not do good, who is feeling confident and who is pressing. Who is about to break out and who needs to step back
Again, I’m not saying analytics don’t have a place. They certainly do. To me at least, the game still involves players with mental approach and emotions. That trumps a set of numbers on my desk
Hole- You and me both.
Kelly is a nice guy but I do not think that he is the brightest bulb in the pack.
Efficient use of relievers is one of the traits of a good to very good manager.Yes,you cannot overwork them,but don’t save them during close games where you have a chance to win especially with a lead.
Barco should have started and Ashcraft could have given an inning or two coming back from bereavement,which is the reason that he never should have started in the first place.
AI GM claims that all of this is fore destined by the computer,and,if it is,Cherington should be the one fired first along with his 20 analytics nerds.If they are letting statistics rule the day this foreshadows another uneventful summer in Pittsburgh,in which case Nutting has to do what he may very well should have done by now.
And what did that do for Barco’s confidence,who is a young starter and not a reliever.They do not take the human element into consideration.
And you and others are correct in Kelly letting some of these pitchers be underused,but that could be Cherington and his computer dictating changes.It just does not make sense otherwise as it just plain stupid.
@washed I have no idea why you’re being disrespectful and completley disregarding my input because I view things differently. The human element 100% has and should have an impact in decision making. I’ve never not claimed that. However, I think a lot of bad decision making simply comes down to someone making a bad decision, independent of any sort of analytics. Judging by the human element has led to bad decisions too, just like analytics. The reason for bad decision making is not mutually exclusive to either.
It’s not just Kelly, it’s the method of all major league managers today. They all look at stats to see what you have done and what you will “probably” do in today’s game. To me that is unwise decision making. My opinion- if a pitcher is getting outs, is not showing classic signs of pitcher tirdness, then leave him continue pitching. Go with what is working so far, not with what may work. The next guy called to pitch IS AN UNKNOWN for today. Everyone has a bad day.
Exactly. Agree 100%
And yeah, your comment about modern managers relying on analytics is well taken.
I’m a dinosaur. I don’t discount the human element. To me it’s even more important, even in the age of the prima donna player
Again, I get it. Stats have always been important. Analytics are just a deeper dive of an extension. But they shouldn’t solely dictate how one manages games or even take priority.
If so, you might as well put a robot in the dugout
@Washed I really don’t think many, if any managers only rely soley on analytics to make all decisions. Many simply just don’t make the right judgement call.
What happened to follow the science!!!!
They believe 1 inning is easier on the arm than 2. Once a starter shows any signs of tiring they remove them. All about trying to keep arms as fresh and healthy as possible.
Whoever comes in to pitch depends on availability and matchup and situation. So Kelly may have a choice between 2 guys or 1 guy is obvious choice so there is no choice.
Bullpen management has been just fine. You guys just don’t want to see the worst relievers used and unfortunately you have to use every reliever.
how does your logic explain why Kelly allowed Mattson to throw 35 pitches in the 7th inning alone while giving up 5 runs before pulling him from the game?
Kelly’s decision is contrary to your belief that bullpen management is fine
He’s been your 3rd to 5th best reliever. Pen is stretched thin with 13 straight starters failing to go past 5 innings and a bullpen game. You are losing. No choice but to go with him.
The White Sox need bullpen help and should take a look at this guy.
Sports Illustrated has a piece on how horrible our catchers’ offense is this year and if Kelly ever figures out how to win they are going to need a catcher who can hit the ball effectively
Right now both Bart and Davis stink
Flores is hitting 211 with some power at an ops of 700.
Endy is hitting 225 with an ops of 630.
Flores is not a proven catcher and I wonder how Endy’s arm is now.
Bart will be a non tender next year if he does not start hitting especially lefthanders.
Henry will never be a good hitter and will have to get by on his catching skills.
But the Pirates are up the creek if they lose him.
Too bad jgio’s friend Alika Williams the skateboarder cannot catch.He is hitting 341 with an ops of 830.
Cherington is obsessed with catchers yet the team still doesn’t have a good one.
I think that he was counting on Endy to give Davis real competition two years ago and because of the injuries that has not happened.
Thank the good folks at SI to bring this to our attention.
I don’t just rely on this website to provide me with information regarding this team
Mendoza..I was taking applications for a gardener. Slips applied. I hired him. Then I fired him the next day. He tried to plant canned corn.
Paul..call the kid up that they got for bednar. He can’t be worse.
I agree. Even Endy would be an upgrade over Davis and Bart, plus he also plays first base
But this team won’t win unless they get offense from the catcher position
And they won’t win till they empty the garbage that sits in the dugout,who calls himself a manager.
I think Bart has to go soon. Davis will get the longer leash because of his defense and will be the next Austin Hedges. Such a damn shame from a top overall pick who looked to have a potent bat.
Bart should have already been sacked. I wonder if he still has options and can be sent down to Indy to get regular playing time to get his bat going
The Pirates pitching staff is third in the league in most walks
Bubba has already walked 3 batters in tonight’s game and it’s only the 4th inning
And our offense is sluggish again, only have 2 hits
I think I will watch the Pens game instead
Bubba has been frustrating to watch this season. He has the stuff but he constantly racks up the high pitch counts and long innings with too many walks. I almost feel like he’s not a starter.
But really, almost to be expected. I don’t think he or Ashcraft were “rushed” to the majors but they both need some refinement. Even when Jones first came up he went through a tough stretch.
That’s fine. And again, it explains why I think they’ll be a .500 type of team, at best.
Barco isn’t in this description. I have high hopes for him but they should just keep him at Indy as a starter and allow him to evolve
True. We were spoiled by Skenes who had no learning curve and dominated out the gate. Ashcraft was quite similar honestly on a lesser scale. He’s an older “prospect” as he battled injuries so is further along than Chandler. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I’m just afraid of him being inconsistent for a long time. Hope I’m wrong though.
Seems like some people jumped the gun on anointing the pitching staff as dominant when there’s still some growth needed. Fangraphs loved the rotation but you can’t just assume every young pitcher will be flawless.
Bubba may have to go back to AAA to get his act into gear.He cannot walk as many as does and be successful.
These young pitchers take time to mature.
So what’s the recourse? Hit the bargain basement again for a couple starters? Maybe get Rich Hill here for another go-round?
I don’t know about anyone else, but I expected this out of young pitchers. I’d only hope the pitching coach is working with them so as to learn
This is why pitching depth is so important.
Bubba ran into this in AAA last year.
Ashcraft has pitched well this year.I think that mlb has a good point in saying that Kelly asked him if he could go and of course he said yes.That is on Kelly.These players are competitors and Ashcraft did not want to let the team down.
I really think that Barco will be OK to be promoted in a couple of months.
That is right around the time that Jones should be ready.
And this is the reason that they cannot be giving away games because the manager is not on the ball.
Small market teams cannot afford the depth that the big market teams have.
Maybe Kelly will learn as he is a rookie,but I would not count on it.
I gave it one more inning and after Bubba giving up a 2 run homer, it’s time to definitely watch the Pens game
This offense stinks again tonight
Reynolds has historically struggled against Palente, the Cards starting pitcher in last night’s game
And Reynolds proved that correctly by going 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts
So why would Kelly insert him in the lineup to begin with having the knowledge that Reynolds doesn’t hit Palante?
This is the type of decisions I question whether Kelly truly knows what he’s doing.
Reynolds by the way is the only Pirate position player to have played in every game this season
This was a disgusting series losing to the. Cardinals of all teams. And yeah, I’ll place it on Santana’s shoulders. He changed the vibe completely jeee
It’s going to be that kind of season
Santana just had a bad game.
I have been very surprised that he has done as well as he has.
I noticed that Kelly had Yohan pitch the ninth and Santana pitch the eighth yesterday.
Kelly should have had Yohan warming up at the same time in the first game.
Like Skenes today, it would appear.
This is the Pirates team I expected to see this season. Poor, inconsistent hitting, a young pitching staff and an inexperienced manager
The problem with the “…just had a bad game” comment is that there have already been a number of them.
For a team that’ll struggle to get to .500, that’s problematic
And to get swept by this team????
Don’t tell that to Dream
Agreed. Washed
This series was ruined by Kelly for not having another reliever warming up after Santana allowed the first homer in a close game
When during the bullpen game, Kelly lifted Mattson after pitching to only one batter
Not changing his lineup, especially when there’s several players in slumps and should have been given a start off
Kelly should have never allowed Ashcraft to pitch after just burying a family member
I could continue but what’s the point?
This offense is too erratic to be considered competitive and the pitching staff is being run by an inexperienced manager
Paul…skenes pitched great since the first game. Bad game, all great pitchers have them. Bit as you said,and I’ve been saying Kelly is garbage. Buccos aren’t going anywhere as long as this goon mismanaged the team. As far as the erratic offense,its Kelly’s changing the batting order every game. It’s him giving guys off,especially when there is no game the next day.
And anyone who says Kelly is doing a good job,well they better sober up.
Kelly should have never allowed Ashcraft to pitch after just burying a family member”
Who are you pitching?
Kelly for not having another reliever warming up after Santana allowed the first homer in a close game”
Hrs are luck. 1 bad pitch. Doesn’t tell anything. After 2 maybe. 1 is absolutely nothing.
Kelly should have had Yohan warming up at the same time in the first game.”
Yohan has already been worked a ton. Why would you work him more just in case a guy with 0.69 era has his 1st bad game of the season? Makes zero sense.
The Bucs are currently down 3 runs and it’s only in the first inning. Skenes has given up 2 homers and the Bucs responded by doing nothing in their half of the first including Reynolds who was 2 for 11 on this home stand, striking out
If anyone needs a game off, it’s Reynolds
Or move him down in the lineup. Like Shelton did, Kelly pulls the lineup out of his hat
Davis stinks offensively. He might be better off hiring a personal hitting trainer, whatever Hague is teaching him, it’s not working
He’s looking very much like Hedges and Stallings.
No shame in being a top defensive catcher, but the Bucs can’t afford to carry Bart as the backup if he can’t hit lefties and post at least a .700 OPS
Hedges Stallings were way better defensively and offensively.
I will eat some crow, Reynolds has 2 doubles, 2 runs batted in and drew a walk since my post complaining about his slump
But I won’t retract my comment about Kelly
Mattson doesn’t have it has given up 2 runs, has thrown 34 pitches in the 8th inning and Kelly waits until the bases are loaded before removing him from the game
Cruz struck out looking again on a pitch right down the middle of the plate against a lefty yet against the same pitcher, Lowe hit a homer
The game is probably out of hand now since we only have 4 hits. FOUR hits!
It’s worth repeating, you must score runs if you want to win
It’s now 9-4. The losing streak continues
Make it 10-4
And with this loss, I officially give my fingers a rest
Just a sickening stretch of games
And swept. By the Cardinals
13 games in a row. Bullpen game. Starter 4 innings then 5 innings. Losing. Pretty much every any manager is sticking with Mattson until his pitch count becomes a issue. Nothing wrong with Kelly. He did exactly as he should. Someone has a wet fart and you want to replace them. Sorry but not how it works. Go watch some old games from last century.
old games from last century were managed differently than they are now
Last century, a pitched ball gets fouled off in fair territory or hits the dirt; that ball was kept in play
Now games go through on average 600 different baseballs during the course of one game from what I understand
Pitchers want unscathed balls to throw now
Pitchers didn’t throw as hard. Starters through more pitches innings complete games. You could have a quicker leash with relievers.
Even tonight you only have 3 rested arms. 2 that could go. And 3 that are toast. So to be ready for Saturday Sunday you ideally just want to use 3. Mitch is the guy you want. Hope he is good. But even if he isn’t he needs to give you 80 pitches so if he stinks gives up 5 runs and left in that’s why. If he gives up 2 runs every inning Mitch is going 4 innings if his body allows it. Someone has to pitch these innings. Then after that there won’t be any relievers warming up just in case. The quicker leash and playing matchups are for when you are winning and have rested arms.
You know, it’s just tiresome, it really is
The conversation about pitchers? Tiresome. What’s happened is essentially sacrificing length of action per game to heat
Nothing more
We coddle today’s millionaire….uh…athletes
Can’t have a pitcher go more than 100 pitches
Have to give players “days off”
It’s a joke. It’s the least truly athletic sport out of the big 4 Only the pitcher is constantly in motion. Otherwise, it’s a lot of standing around. And boring
Baseball has changed. And not for the better.
And the Pirates? I’m just tired of even talking about them. I’m tired of watching them.
It’s the same old BS. They’ll compete for a .500 record.
Inexperienced manager. Inconsistent young pitchers. And struggling hitters.
Getting swept. By the Cardinals. Dear God.
I enjoyed the Penguins season. I’ve discovered hockey. Exciting sport. This? I’ve about had enough
Really?
Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan disagree
“when you are winning “
5 consecutive losses suggest otherwise
“when you are winning “
5 consecutive losses suggest otherwise
You need to start comprehending what you read before quoting me.
NHL very boring. More teams make playoffs than don’t. They don’t start playing hard until playoffs. Watch what you want but I always enjoyed hockey but don’t pay any attention until playoffs. Regular season meaningless. Have a feeling baseball is heading that way as well but not there just yet.
Funny I don’t see other teams in our division with managers who mishandle their bullpens
You’re never going to convince me otherwise, Dream
Paul..no other team would have hired Kelly. We’ll maybe the twins, after all they hired his mentor.
And Kelly cannot manage a pitching staff. And there are people posting and sticking up for this buffoon. You know just like the orange cultist do.
That was about as train wreck as it gets. Totally killed any momentum and good vibes they had. Dream can talk until he’s blue in the face about how managers now rely on analytics etc. He can tell us forever how he’s just like every other manager. But between the bullpen usage and the mystery lineups, between guys coming back down to earth at the plate and throwing the ball all over the place out in the field, well, this is the Pirates team we’ve come to know and love
Yea old timer its amazing how analytics ruin managers. Could you ever imagine Danny Murtaugh relying on analytics? Or even Joe Brown. When both retired after the 1976 season,that ended the last era of pirates teams being consistently competitive.
They all manage the same. Reds manager tonight pitcher obviously toast but left in to eat pitches. As veteran as veteran experienced managers get.
Unless they start to turn things around tonight against the Reds, I’m afraid this will become yet another disappointing season in a long series of disappointing seasons we’ve come to expect
Yea psul you are right. It’s really sad.
Every season since 2017 has gone exactly as I expected zero disappointment.
With the high probability of rain delays after the game starts it might be wise for Derek Jr to have a bullpen pitcher start instead of Keller so when the delay comes, he can still use Kelper
But Kelly isn’t smart enough to think ahead
Whis dumber,Shelton or Kelly?
Both are tied for the dumbest. Even beating out the 🌮 president.
Be nice to see the game instead of watching Skenes talk. Maybe show the game and have him talk while showing game? Just need to hear him not see him.
Stupid Francona!!!! Moll only faced and easily took care of 2 batters. Should have came out for another inning. But Shelton I mean Francona brings in Johnson who loads the bases. And stupid Kelly I mean Francona doesn’t have anyone ready and leaves Johnson in to walk in another run. Reds need a more experienced manager!
Pittsburgh has been the absolute worst when it comes to roster management. Watching Jase Bowen leave the organization when he was beginning to seriously evolve was sad. Choosing to put Jack Brannigan on the 40 man as if anybody even knows who he even was. He barely seen AA at that time. It’s embarrassing.