ATLANTA — Friday was purported to be Jared Jones’ flip within the rotation, however the Pirates opted to skip it for 2 causes. The primary was to handle his workload. He’s already solely about 40 innings off of his profession excessive and the group would like for him to pitch by means of the top of the season. Some built-in breathers will in all probability be wanted to do this and hold his innings at an affordable whole.
The second was getting Martín Pérez again from the injured record. The group’s veteran lefty had been absent from Main League sport motion for over a month as a consequence of a left groin pressure, and his first begin again was lower than ideally suited. The Braves racked up six runs, together with a five-run third, on eight hits and two walks over 4 innings towards the returning southpaw in a 6-1 Pirates loss at Truist Park Friday.
Pérez appeared to suit the soft-tossing, strike-throwing free agent lefty that had labored for Pittsburgh in recent times — Tyler Anderson, José Quintana and Wealthy Hill all match this mildew — however issues began to show bitter as soon as the calendar turned to Could. Pérez has surrendered 27 runs (25 earned) over 26 2/3 innings because the finish of April, together with permitting 9 dwelling runs in comparison with only one over the primary month of the season.
When Pérez is clicking, it’s normally as a result of he’s capable of find and execute his secondary pitches, particularly the changeup. He couldn’t do this Friday. After Matt Olson simply pulled foul what would have been a two-run shot off the offspeed providing within the first inning, Austin Riley hit a changeup to Pérez’s handside flush to straightaway heart for a second-inning homer. With the bases loaded and no person out within the third, Pérez turned to the changeup once more towards Marcell Ozuna, however the designated hitter wound up clearing the bases with a double.
“He simply left ‘em up,” mentioned supervisor Derek Shelton. “I feel we see when Martín’s efficient, he can run the fastball in after which run the changeup off it on the opposite aspect. That’s a heavy and actually good right-handed hitting lineup. We simply left some balls up.”
“They get good swings on that pitch,” mentioned Pérez. “The hitters had been prepared for it. … That was their method.
Shelton believed Pérez needed to get some rust off after not pitching in a Main League sport since Could 26, however the pitcher wasn’t searching for an excuse.
“Typically you throw the pitch they usually’re able to hit,” Pérez mentioned. “I acquired plenty of delicate contact, and I used to be throwing good pitches in. They had been simply on it. That’s the sport. That’s what occurs while you face good hitters, and these guys can hit the ball.”
Whereas Pérez’s line of six runs on eight hits and two walks over 4 innings was tough, he solely allowed 4 hard-hit balls in play. He was removed from excellent, however it’s not outlandish to see how an analogous sinker and cutter execution may yield a significantly better begin with some higher batted-ball luck.
The Pirates definitely may use that April model of Pérez once more, particularly with a stretch of 13 straight video games on the docket beginning this Tuesday working by means of the top of the primary half of the season. A six-man rotation is a risk for at the least a part of that stretch, and even after then, the group wants arms to offer breaks for Jones and fellow rookie phenom Paul Skenes.
“The well being of our gamers is an important factor,” Shelton mentioned pregame about workload administration for his younger pitchers, “and getting probably the most of them is what we’ll proceed to take a look at.”
The easiest way to do this is to have the entire rotation clicking, together with veterans like Pérez.
