Pirates mailbag: Is it time to worry about Oneil Cruz's strikeout rate?
Welcome to the Pirates mailbag, where the Post-Gazette's Pirates beat reporter Colin Beazley answers your questions about the ball club. If you have a question, find him on X @colin_beazley or email him at cbeazley@post-gazette.com. Questions will be answered every Friday.
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Ben Handfelt on X: Everyone wants to fix the bullpen ASAP, but no meaningful upgrades are going to be available via trade for another month or two, short of a massive overpay. What do you think they can realistically do internally to hold down the fort until then?
Completely agree with the premise of the question. As I've written here before, guys like Aroldis Chapman - just throwing the name out there - simply aren't available yet. However, it is worth noting that deals can be made for less flashy names.
But internally, beyond simply getting guys going, I'd like to see more Triple-A players get opportunities. Bringing up Wilber Dotel was a good step, as was Brandan Bidois. Stinks to see Isaac Mattson be optioned, but he's one of the few the Pirates have that flexibility with. I'd like to see Antwone Kelly get an opportunity in relief, too.
The issue is the best potential Pirates bullpen has guys like Justin Lawrence in it and clicking. A reliever like that would be a difference-maker in a playoff push. You need high ceilings and strong stuff in October - but you also can't give so many opportunities that October is derailed before it can become a real possibility.
I'd say to let Evan Sisk, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto keep performing. Give Dennis Santana and Lawrence time, though Lawrence should be nearing his final looks. Yohan Ramirez is an adventure to watch, but he's uniquely suited for extra innings and mop-up situations. I like Bidois and Dotel getting shots and want to see Kelly.
I just don't want to see the same group trotted out.
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Harold Bloomfield on X: How long do you think the Pirates can tolerate Marcell Ozuna's lack of production? It's an even bigger problem now that Ryan O'Hearn is out. Hurts them defensively, too.
Don Kelly was asked about possibly pinch-hitting Spencer Horwitz for Ozuna with the bases loaded in the ninth inning on Tuesday.
Kelly's answer, in part: "He's had some good at-bats recently. I know the recent stretch hasn't been as good. We need to get him going."
Ozuna then sat Wednesday before a 2-for-4, two-RBI day Thursday, a performance Kelly hopes is "a little bit of a springboard for him."
As I wrote when Ozuna was signed, a full-time DH hurts the Pirates' flexibility, but it's worth it if that DH performs.
Maybe Thursday gets him going. Maybe it won't. But you're right that defense is a factor - the Pirates are best defensively with an outfielder, whether it's Bryan Reynolds, O'Hearn or Oneil Cruz at designated hitter. When Ozuna isn't performing, that decision becomes a whole lot easier.
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Martin Flajnik via email: Watching the games this weekend I noticed that Oneil Cruz took many called third strikes, most of them in the heart of the plate. I found that weird and disconcerting. My high school coach would bench us if we took even one third strike right down the middle. Am I just an old fart or was it true?
No comment on whether you - or any of our readers - are an old fart.
(Jokes, I kid!)
You're right, Cruz strikes out a lot, and I've certainly noticed a high number of strikeouts on pitches down the middle. He's up to 78 strikeouts in 48 games this season, including three more on Thursday. If he plays 150 games, that would put him on pace to break Mark Reynolds' record 223 in 2009, and Cruz is on pace to play 155.
But should he be benched? The strikeouts are worth living with when Cruz is hitting .250-plus with power, less so when he's around .200. He's batting .260 this month, but he is at just .212 with 16 strikeouts in his last eight games.
The Pirates will live with the strikeouts when Cruz is batting .257 with 10 homers, like he is. For Cruz, it's all a matter of minimizing his cold streaks.
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JRR via email: With Esmerlyn's promotion to the big leagues, how will both he and Password get enough playing time?
Good question. Short answer: I don't know.
The Pirates are promoting Esmerlyn Valdez to the majors. He'll join the team in Toronto. There's an opening in the outfield with O'Hearn sidelined, but Jhostynxon Garcia and Valdez can't both play in that one spot.
Billy Cook being optioned doesn't open up much playing time. I'd expect Cruz and Reynolds to get more DH opportunities, but it's not like Ozuna has entirely been sidelined.
The Pirates wouldn't have called up Valdez and Garcia if they didn't believe there were enough opportunities for the two of them, but both need to play to make calling them up worth it.
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Burg Bomber on X: Jared Jones. When?
I respect the succinctness of this question. Jones will make his next rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A Indianapolis in Toledo - the plan had been another home start at Double-A Altoona, but the weather forecast was iffy. I think there's a very real chance that could be his final rehab start.
He threw 4 1/3 innings and 67 pitches in his most recent start, so he'll likely be slotted for six innings and 80 pitches on Saturday. That's close to fully built up.
He'll also be eligible to come off the 60-day IL on Monday. And, with the Pirates in a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, it wouldn't hurt to push everyone back a day in the rotation. A six-man rotation seems unlikely long-term, but it could make sense for a turn.
FanGraphs projects upcoming starters, and it projects Jones to return to a big league mound on Friday against Derek Shelton and the Minnesota Twins. That's just a projection, not formal reporting. The Pirates have some options, but a return Friday night could make a lot of sense.
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Noah Hiles via email, text and X: Why don't you cover [Thursday's] game from the tarps off section like a real man?
Trust me, Noah - no one wants to see that.
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