Perrotto: Pirates Make Dangerous Move Pitching Bryse Wilson on Short Rest (+)
Granted, the Pittsburgh Pirates were in a bit of a bind Monday night, but pitching Bryse Wilson was dangerous.
JT Brubaker was scheduled to be the starting pitcher against the Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee in the opener of a three-game series. However, he was placed on the paternity list Sunday.
The Stork waits for nothing, even the relentless Major League Baseball schedule.
The Pirates could have pushed Mitch Keller up a day in the rotation to start Monday night. However, that would mean would be pitching on three days of rest for the first time in his career.
Thus, that idea was a – pardon the pun – non-starter.
The Pirates could have called a starter up from Triple-A Indianapolis and Monday was veteran right-hander Jerad Eickhoff’s day to start. However, the Pirates tried that idea June 22 and the Chicago Cubs rocked the 32-year-old Eickhoff for 10 runs in 4.1 innings.
So, it was understandable why the Pirates would be leery of giving Eickhoff the ball again.
However, it still would have been a better option than what the Pirates decided to do. They called on right-hander Wilson to start on two days of rest.
The rationale was that Wilson had lasted only one inning in his previous start, throwing 43 pitches against the Phillies in Philadelphia last Friday. Because of the short outing, the Pirates figured he would be OK to come back on short rest.
Through two innings, the strategy looked sound as Wilson blanked the Brewers while allowing only a walk. Then it fell apart in the third inning when the 24-year-old clearly became tired.
Wilson gave up three runs then was removed after the inning. He wound up throwing 56 pitches in all.
The Pirates dug out of the 3-0 hole and eventually pulled ahead 5-3, taking Wilson off the hook for the loss. The Pirates, though, wound up losing 7-5 when Wil Crowe gave two-run home runs to rookie Garrett Mitchell in the eighth inning and Keston Hiura in the ninth.
The Pirates’ decision to start Wilson did not cost them the game. However, it is easy to wonder if he will be affected over the long haul by the quick turnaround.
Pitchers are no longer trained to be workhorses.
The days of starting pitchers making the occasional start on short rest are all but over. Just like pitchers logging 250 innings a year are a thing of the past.
The Pirates are as cautious with their pitchers as just about any team in baseball. That is why it was quite surprising they had Wilson start for the second time in four days.
Wilson is certainly built like a workhorse at 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds. He also wants to be an innings eater, justifiably showing pride after pitching a career-high seven innings on Aug. 19 against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park.
However, Wilson is also just 24 years old, though it seems like he has been around a lot longer. Wilson made his major league debut in 2018 and shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2020 National League Championship Series while pitching for the Atlanta Braves.
Wilson hasn’t shown much since the Pirates traded for him last July. He is 3-12 with a 5.72 ERA in 27 games, including 24 starts.
Yet Wilson is still young enough and talented enough to at least play some part in the rebuilding Pirates’ long-term plans.
That’s why starting him Monday night just didn’t feel right.