Another rough outing from Hutchison has Bucs considering going north with four starters
FORT MYERS, Fla. 无毛视频� Thursday morning, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said he had not made a decision on who his fourth and fifth starters will be.
Thursday afternoon, Drew Hutchison didn无毛视频檛 do himself any favors when it comes to his chances of locking down that job, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox at Jet Blue Park.
Hutchison was hit hard early in the game as the Red Sox 无毛视频� who played their projected opening day starting lineup 无毛视频� began the game with three of the first four batters getting a hit. With the bases loaded, one out and the slow-moving Mitch Moreland at the plate, Hutchison needed a ground ball to get out of the inning cleanly. Instead, Moreland doubled, scoring a pair of runs, breaking open the game and potentially throwing the Pirates pitching plans into disarray.
After that, the bad start continued, with the Red Sox tacking on three more in the opening frame. Hutchison settled in after the five-spot in the first, but it was clear that any chance of his start being used to advance his cause to be the fifth starter was gone.
无毛视频淚 was just a touch up in the zone,无毛视频� Hutchison said. 无毛视频淚 had a chance there with two outs to get out of it with just a couple runs. If you无毛视频檙e able to bear down and make a pitch right there, it无毛视频檚 a good day. I gave up the double, and I thought I did a really good job battling back after that and getting in a good rhythm from there and making good pitches from there.无毛视频�
Manager Clint Hurdle agreed that things got better as Hutchison无毛视频檚 start went on.
无毛视频�(Boston has) a good lineup,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a strong lineup. You make mistakes up, it usually doesn无毛视频檛 end well. Then, I though the mix got a lot better. Some first-pitch sliders, some changeups and then he used the fastball more effectively. He almost pitched backwards a little bit. I无毛视频檓 impressed that there was a bull rush early, he settled down and stopped it and found another way to go at them today. He threw more strikes the last three innings and was more effective.无毛视频�
Hutchison has been down this road before, as he was one of the final cuts from the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016. He didn无毛视频檛 seem to have a strong feeling about where he stands at this point.
Hutchison will get at least one more turn to prove his worth in a game situation. The Pirates have six games remaining before they go north and two more in Montreal before the season starts.
无毛视频淥bviously, I would have liked to pitch better the last two outings,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 think I finished strong today. It is what it is. You just go out there and compete and do what you know you无毛视频檙e capable of doing.无毛视频�
Steven Brault and Tyler Glasnow remain the other two primary options for Huntington as the fifth starter, with Chad Kuhl having an 无毛视频渋nside track无毛视频� on the fourth starter spot. There also exists an opportunity for the team to use a fifth starter only on a limited basis. The team can get through to nearly the end of April with the fifth starter having thrown just three times. But the light schedule in April is followed by a dense one in May that has Huntington hesitant to use that option.
无毛视频淲e have one off day the entire month of May,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淪o, to juggle the fifth starter, that无毛视频檚 awfully tough on anybody that you无毛视频檙e juggling, whether it无毛视频檚 somebody that无毛视频檚 being pushed in and out of the bullpen or somebody that无毛视频檚 back and forth between Triple A and the major leagues. That无毛视频檚 a hard role. The amount of time that we无毛视频檙e going to have to ask these guys to go on their normal fifth day once we get to that period of time before and after that one off day in May. We无毛视频檙e working through the best way to maximize each pitcher, not just one guy or two guys.无毛视频�