For the past month, since the playoffs have become more and more certain, the Pirates’ plan was to have a fully healthy Wandy Rodriguez return to pitch in September, and to fill out the postseason rotation with A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano. Yet, after Thursday’s news, it appears that there is only a slim chance if any that Rodriguez will pitch again in 2013. This opens up a spot in the postseason rotation. Who will be the pitcher to fill that void? The other three starters in the Pirates rotation all can make a case for that spot. So, let’s take a look at all three.
Gerrit Cole: The rookie phenom has wowed the league with his rocket arm. He has a 6-6 record with a 3.81 ERA since being called up in early June. He has exhibited great control with 57 strikeouts to only 17 walks in 78 innings; a ratio that is a little over 3-1. The righty throws an upper 90’s fastball. His problem has been use of his secondary pitches. He relies too much on his fastball which becomes hittable when a hitter knows they can sit dead red. If he can start to use his secondary pitches more effectively it will make only add the effectiveness of his fastball. Cole has pitched well in his last two starts giving up a combined four runs in 12 innings.
Jeff Locke: What a year it has been for Locke. He started as the fifth man in the rotation and rode that to an 8-2 record with a 2.15 record and an All-Star selection. He had been effective using his two-seamer to keep the ball on the ground. Still, he had issued a lot of walks and given up a number of hits. These rarely turned into runs as Locke sported one of the best strand rates in the NL. Since the All-Star break, it has been a different story. He has had major control issues and has a WHIP over two. His ERA has risen to 3.01. If Locke wishes to be part of the postseason rotation, he needs to address his control issues.
Charlie Morton: Ground Chuck. Since returning from the DL Morton has made 13 starts. Going into Friday’s game, he was 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA. He has been phenomenal at getting runners to hit ground balls. He has a 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio. He has been one of the more solid pieces of the rotation recently. And still, it always seems that Morton is the man on the mound when a ground ball takes a bad hop, or the ball trickles in between the shortstop and second baseman. He has been great at getting groundballs, which is his game plan, but sometimes this leads to bad luck and a lot of weak hits from the other team.
When taking a look at these three pitchers, it is obvious that Cole far and away has the most upside. With more experience, he will become the ace of the staff and a perennial Cy Young contender. Yet, when it comes to the postseason, the more experience, the better. This leaves Morton as the logical choice for the third man in the postseason rotation. His experience and knack for getting groundball outs leaves him the most suited for postseason competition.
