All Five Starters Show Improvement in Second Time Around
The first through the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting rotation, all five pitchers had some flaws. Whether it be wildness, getting hit around, or not lasting long into the game, there was something that each pitcher had to work on. However, the theme of the 2021 Pirates is growth and that started with the second turn through the rotation. It was up to all five starting pitchers to not only identify the flaws of their first starts of the year but be able to build off of them in their next outings. Now that we are twice through the rotation, the starters have seemed to take this to heart as each one improved from their first outing. Whether it was baby steps or a giant leap, each made adjustments that positively impacted their performance.
The first indicator of the group's improvement is strictly the numbers on the stat sheet. In the first five starts of the season, the Pirates starters posted a 7.10 ERA while walking 13 and striking out 23. During this stretch, the team was outscored 31-13 and went just 1-4 in those five games. However, the second time through the rotation has been much better for the starting corps, and the team is reaping the benefits of that improvement. Over the last five starts of the season, that same group has posted a 3.65 ERA while walking nine and striking out 29. Because the starters were improving, the team was as well as they were outscored just 24-23 and went 2-3 during the stretch. Today, we look at how each of the team's five starters took strides in their second starts of the year.
Chad Kuhl (0-1, 6.43 ERA)
For Chad Kuhl, the biggest difference between start one of the season and start two of the season was the time on the mound. He has struggled to be able to find his control this season and that is something that has cost him in his first two outings. He opened the season on the mound for the Pirates and, even though he kept the team in the game, it was a less than stellar performance. Kuhl needed 63 pitches to get through three innings of work and dealt with a lot of runners on base. He allowed just one hit and two runs, one earned, but walked three and struck out two. However, in his second outing of the year, Kuhl was a little more efficient, throwing 72 pitches in four innings of work, but still suffered from control issues walking five and giving up five runs, four earned, on just two hits.
The biggest thing for Kuhl to work on as the Pirates begin their third round through the rotation is his control. Of the 135 pitches he has thrown so far this season, only 49% of them have been strikes. The walks have been hurting Kuhl this season, and he has already walked eight batters over his first seven innings of work this season. He has allowed an opponent batting average of just .150 through his first two starts, but because he has had so much traffic on the basepaths, it has led to some struggles early on. Whether it be because Kuhl had a shortened Spring Training, or that he just isn't nailing his breaking ball yet, it has clearly affected his early outings. He is looking to continue to take steps forward and go deeper into his start tonight as the team begins the third time through the rotation.
Tyler Anderson (0-2, 5.23)
One of the most consistent Pirates starters this season, Tyler Anderson has gone out in both of his starts and has given his team a chance to win. However, he has received just three runs of support so far, and as a result, is 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA over those first two starts. His first start of the season came during the second game of the year against the Chicago Cubs. Anderson isn't a guy who is going to light up the radar gun, but he gave the Pirates 5.0 quality innings while allowing three runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out seven. He became the first Pirates pitcher to reach the five-inning mark and used his breaking ball to rack up the strikeouts. His second start came in the Pirates Home Opener and he was able to last longer and somehow pound the strike zone more as he went 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits while striking out five batters in a 4-2 loss.
For Anderson, the problem hasn't been wildness but putting the ball in the zone a little too much. Home runs have killed him this season, as four of the six runs, he has allowed this season have come home via the home run ball. Both solo home runs that he allowed came when he made a mistake with his four-seam fastball. Normally, Anderson likes to put the fastball on his arm side of home plate. However, the trouble has come when he gets too much break and it drifts over the middle of the zone. The third home run he allowed was on a great change-up that you have to give Javier Baez credit for somehow keeping it fair. His next start will be his first not against the Cubs, and he is looking to continue to be the most consistent pitcher in the Pirate's rotation.
Mitch Keller (1-1, 4.50)
After having the worst Spring Training of his career, and struggling with the command on his fastball, Mitch Keller was looking to turn things around in the regular season. However, it has been a tale of two starts for the third-year Big Leaguer as he faced the Chicago Cubs and Zach Davies in each of his first two starts. His first start of the season came on April 4th and is probably one he wants to forget. He was wild throughout the day, by was able to work out of jams when he needed to. Much like Kuhl, he lasted just 3.0 innings and threw 77 pitches while giving up three runs on on two hits while walking four and striking out four. He saw much better control in his second start and picked up his first win of the season going five innings giving up a run on five hits while walking one and striking out seven. The biggest improvement we saw from Keller in his two starts was his adjustment to begin turning to his secondary pitches.
His fastball command has been the thing that has hurt him the most this season. So, when he found out it still wasn't going where he wanted in his second start, he adjusted and worked his slider and curveball more. In the first at-bat of his April 10th start, Keller threw five fastballs to leadoff man Ian Happ and ended up walking him on five pitches. After that, you started to see Keller work in both his slider and his curveball, and both became effective pitches for the right-hander. He ended up using those pitches to keep hitters off-balance and struck out a season-high seven batters. However, he has continued being hard to hit like he was last year, and out of the five hits he gave up, only one has gone for extra bases. Keller is looking for a breakout, healthy season, as he develops into the Pirates ace of the future.
JT Brubaker (1-0, 1.93)
After two times through the rotation, the Pirate's best starting pitcher has been the youngest of the group. JT Brubaker has been getting it done both with the bat and on the mound and picked up his first win of the season on Sunday. While both starts have been good so far for the 27-year-old, even he has made strides from one start to the other. His first start of the year came on April 5th against the Cincinnati Reds, he lasted 4.0 innings in the game while giving up one earned run on three hits while walking four and striking out six batters. It would be hard to top that outing, but Brubaker did just that in his next start on April 11th, lasting 5.1 innings while giving up a run on four hits while walking one and striking out four to pick up his first win of the season.
For Brubaker, the main reason for his success has been his confidence on the mound. He greatly improved on his command from start one to start two, and the results were that he was able to go deeper into ball games. However, he played a more well-rounded game in his second start and even helped himself out with three RBI on the day. In his first full season in the Big Leagues, Brubaker is going to have his share of ups and downs as he adjusts to the league. However, getting out to a hot start from the get-go is a step in the right direction as Brubaker continues to develop. Now, he has to work on limiting the home runs and staying out of the middle of the zone to become an even more effective pitcher.
Trevor Cahill (0-1, 8.00)
The Pirates starter who made the biggest improvement from start one to start two was veteran Trevor Cahill. His time with the Pirates has been kind of a whirlwind, from a quick Spring Training to being thrust into the number five starter role. He made his first start on April 6th against the Cincinnati Reds, and to say that it was a disaster would be an understatement. He lasted 4.0 innings in the game but was tagged seven earned runs on nine hits while striking out four. Probably the only positive from that game was the fact that he did not walk a batter and was around the zone all night. However, he went through a big turnaround in last night's start when he lasted 5.0 innings giving up one run on three hits while walking two and striking out a season team-high eight batters.
The difference between the two starts for Cahill was the effectiveness of his curveball. In a typical outing, Cahill likes to mix his sinker and his curveball as his two primary pitches to get him outs. However, in game one of the season, his curveball was big and loopy rather than having the sharp break he likes to see. Because of this, he has to rely more on his fastball and that ended up getting him in trouble. Both home runs he allowed came on the fastball, with his four-seamer getting taken out by Tyler Naquin in the first and his cutter being hit for a three-run home run by Naquin in the third. However, in his second start, he had a much sharper curveball and used it to his advantage. He would throw it early in counts and set hitters up for the fastball and cutter later, which accounted for all eight of his strikeouts. With a strong start under his belt, Cahill is looking to develop into that veteran starter for the Bucs.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (3-7) play game two of their four-game series with the San Diego Padres (8-3) tonight at 6:35 pm. It is the third time through the Pirates rotation as Chad Kuhl (0-1, 6.43) battles Blake Snell (0-0, 1.86) for the Padres. You can watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter at @Buccos_Cove.
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