Pirates Options to Kick Off Second Half of Season

With the All-Star Game in the books, the Pittsburgh Pirates will turn their attention to the second half of the season. The first question that needs to be answered is who will start that second half on the mound?

The 2021 MLB All-Star game is in the books, and it was a special night for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bryan Reynolds and Adam Frazier were both in the starting lineup, marking the first time since the 1992 season that the Pirates had two starters in the game. The duo went 1-4 and made a couple of nice defensive plays in what ended up being a 5-3 loss for the National League. Both earned praise from announcers Joe Buck and John Smoltz. However, with all the players back with their respective teams, it is time to get back to work with the second half of the season kicking off tomorrow. The Pittsburgh Pirates open things up with a three-game series with the New York Mets, and there is one question on everyone's mind. Who will start the opener?

Chase De Jong got the final start of the first half and would be the only Pirate on five days rest. However, every other starter the Pirates have is also on full rest and could take the ball in the game. As a staff, the starters have a 5.31 ERA this season and have worked a combined 437.1 innings of work. They are averaging just 4.2 innings per start this season, and the Pirates are looking for some more length from the group. They need someone who can get them off on the right foot and get some momentum back for the Bucs. With the New York Mets coming to Pittsburgh fresh off a series split before the break, the Pirates are hoping for similar or better results this time around. Today, we look at the Pirates' options to start the second half off on the mound on Friday.

JT Brubaker

After a hot start to the season, JT Brubaker fell into a little bit of a funk as the first half went on. After pitching to an impressive 2.63 ERA in the month of April, Brubaker has cooled down and currently sits at 4-9 with a 4.47 ERA. He hasn't had a win since May 29th and has hit a little bit of a rough spot here in July. I'm his last start against the Mets on July 9th, he was pitching well until the fifth inning and ended up allowing six earned runs in five innings of work to end the outing. During the month of July, he has pitched to a 9.00 ERA and went 0-2 in his two starts. However, there were some positive signs as Brubaker looked sharper than ever through his first four innings of work at Citi Field.

At the beginning of the season, when the Pirates needed a good outing they would turn to Brubaker. Now at the halfway point, they could give the 27-year-old a big boost of confidence by turning to him again here. One thing with Brubaker is that despite the struggles, he hasn't lost his command and he continues to attack the zone with just two walks in his last two starts. He has been working in his slider more recently, which comes in around 80 mph and offers a nice change-of-pace from his mid-90s fastball. After a strong start to the season, the Pirates have the option to put confidence in their future and sense Brubaker out to get them going in the second half.

Tyler Anderson

If you want to go with veteran leadership, then the choice is clearly Tyler Anderson to start the second half. Anderson leads the Pirates staff going 5-8 so far this season with a 4.35 ERA, but has been especially strong over his last three starts. He has combined to work 17.0 innings and has posted a 2.11 ERA while walking one and striking out 11. His final start of the first half came just after Brubaker on July 10th, and he went 5.0 innings allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out two in a Pirates 6-2 victory. He also hit the second home run of his career, when he launched a solo shot over the right field wall to break a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth.

When the Pirates went out and signed Anderson as a free agent this off-season, it was to lead a young Pirates rotation and to eat a lot of innings. He leads all Pirates starters with 97.1 innings pitched and is the only Pirates starter to not go less than 5.0 innings in any start this season. However, his time left in a Pirates uniform is most likely limited as his name is one of the ones circling in trade rumors. Anderson wants to make the most of the time he has left in Pittsburgh and has pitched well at PNC Park. In nine starts, he has gone 2-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 51.2 innings of work. He is trying to build on that home cooling in the second half and may get to lead the Pirates out of the gate at PNC Park.

Chad Kuhl

The Pittsburgh Pirates started the 2021 season with Chad Kuhl and could go right back to him for the start of the second half. After a horrible start to the season, which saw him post a 6.32 ERA over his first four starts, Kuhl hit the Injured List and would miss more than a month of the season. However, since he has come back, he has looked like a new pitcher, and it has shown. On the season, he is 2-5 with a 4.73 ERA and since coming back from his injury he has posted a 2.69 ERA over his last seven starts. Kuhl had major control problems early in the season, but over those last seven starts, he has walked three or more batters twice and has walked one batter or less in five of his seven outings since returning from the Injured List.

For Kuhl, the key to his success is whether or not his control is on. He is the only Pirate starter who did not face the Mets before the All-Star break, and if it weren't for the All-Star break, it would have been Kuhl's turn to take the hill. The Pirates have the rotation stay the way it was before the break, and that would mean sending Kuhl back out to the mound. It would be a showing of confidence in their right  List and would give him a couple more starts to see if he can maybe increase his trade value before the deadline. At 28-years-old, Kuhl is one of those swing guys who may stay or may be traded at the deadline. The Pirates are hoping he can be as good as he was over his last seven starts during the second half of 2021.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (34-56) kick off the second half of their 2021 season tomorrow when they face the New York Mets (47-40) at 7:05 pm. The Pirates have yet to name their starter for the game while the Mets send Marcus Stroman (6-7, 2.75) to the mound. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.

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