Saturday’s 15-5 thumping at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks was yet another piece of evidence that shows the Pirates’ rotation, which has been dominant all season, is beginning to wear down.
Following a two-week span that has seen Jeff Locke, Francisco Liriano, and AJ Burnett rocked for an onslaught of runs in spate starts against the Rockies, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks. With rookie phenom Gerrit Cole still figuring out how to pitch consistently at the major league level and Charlie Morton struggling to keep the ball on the ground, the return of lefty Wandy Rodriguez is needed now more than ever for this tired Bucco’s staff.
Rodriguez, who left a start against the Braves on June 5th with tightness in his left forearm, has been slowly gaining momentum in his latest attempt at a return this season, after suffering several setbacks throughout the summer. According to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Rodriguez is still on track for a return to the rotation in September, and is also in line to make a rehab start with one of the Pirates’ minor league affiliates sometime soon.
This is all good news for the Bucs’ arms, especially the bullpen, which has been overworked in the last few weeks due to the poor performances by Pirate starters. Rodriguez was leading the team in wins at the time of his injury, and was coming off a stretch of winning four starts in a row before dropping his final two decisions before going down (although the second loss was after pitching just a third of an inning).
Rodriguez is a veteran workhorse who will give the Pirates innings upon innings of solid work, which is exactly what this team needs right now. His veteran presence on the mound and work ethic will help the pitching staff get back in its feet for the stretch run.
The return of Rodriguez to the Bucs’ rotation will give the team some much-needed depth, and will also give manager Clint Hurdle some options as far as resting certain guys in preparation for the postseason. Rodriguez will likely be third in line behind Burnett and Liriano in the Bucs’ playoff rotation come October, should the team advance to that stage.
With Jason Grilli poised to make a return for the last few weeks of the season, adding Rodriguez back into the mix of starting pitchers will give the Pirates a boost they sorely need.
Photo Source: http://triblive.com/sports/
