Good Start Haulted By Early Yank in Peters Debut
In the first inning of yesterday's series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers, it looked like it would be a long day. Dillon Peters was making his Pittsburgh Pirates debut, and had already allowed one unearned run, and had runners at first and second with two outs. He had already thrown 23 pitches, and it had the makings of a short outing. However, he buckled down over the next 3.2 innings, averaging just 13 pitches an inning. By the time the game made it to the top of the fifth, Peters' stat line was looking pretty good. He had thrown just 75 pitches and lasted 4.2 innings allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits while walking three and striking out three. He had allowed a check-swing double against the shift to Christian Yelich, but with two outs was looking like he would get out of the inning.
But then, Manager Derek Shelton emerged from the third-base dugout and made a call to the bullpen. It was a suspicious move, in my opinion, seeing that Peters was only at 75 pitches and had been working in Triple-A all season long. While the bullpen did come in and kept the team in the game over the final 4.1 innings of the game, it just put a downer on what was a strong debut for Peters. Personally, I think he has earned another start in the Big Leagues, and the Pirates having a six-man rotation can afford him that opportunity. On paper, it may not have turned out to be the best stat line, but it showed that he can handle Big League hitting. Today, we look at Peters's debut and see how he and Shelton can build off of it moving forward.
It Isn't About How You Start, It's About How You Finish
The old saying goes 'it isn't about how you start, it's about how you finish" and that was true about Peters's start yesterday. With two outs in the first inning, it looked like things might start to snowball on the left-hander. He had already allowed one unearned run to score, and he walked Avisail Garcia to put runners at first and second with two outs. However, with 23 pitches thrown, he came back and got Lorenzo Cain to pop out to first on one pitch to clean up the inning. With so many first-inning pitches thrown, Peters was going to have to be efficient to go deep into the game. He did a nice job of limiting the damage, but now it was his time to respond.
He did just that in the second inning, turning around and throwing just eight pitches as part of a 1-2-3 second inning. After allowing two hits in the first, Peters spread out the final three hits he allowed over 3.1 innings of work but was left with traffic on the basepaths thanks to his walk numbers. However, he was much more efficient, averaging 13 pitches per inning over his final 3.1, and entered the fifth in a good place sitting at 68 pitches. It wasn't the most efficient he could be, but he was able to at least give himself a chance to finish five innings. He started it off with a strikeout and a lineout and brought Christian Yelich to the plate with two outs. The first pitch of the at-bat was a check swing by Yelich, but he made contact and sent the ball against the shift down the line for a two-out double.
It brought to the plate Avisail Garcia, who has been a Pirates killer this season but was 0-1 with a walk at that point in the game. However, Shelton made his way out of the third-base dugout and yanked Peters with a runner in scoring position. This move baffled me to be completely honest with you. Peters has pitched an entire season in the Minor Leagues and was definitely stretched out enough to go beyond 75 pitches. However, Kyle Keller got the call, and although he did get the final out, Peters more than likely would have done the exact same thing. I am not one to normally criticize the manager's decision, but this one baffles me. In the end, it didn't make a difference, but Peters definitely had more in the tank than just 4.2 innings of work.
Pitchers Getting Yanked Early
One key to this season, not only on the Pirates but around the league is the fact that pitchers are being pulled sooner than ever. On one night, there was a full slate of Major League games, and not one starting pitcher went longer than 6.0 innings. So, why are managers giving their guys the early hooks so much in 2021? Is it truly because of the fatigue of the 2020 shortened season, or does it have more to do with new-age analytical? Pirates starters this season have averaged just about 5.0 innings per start, which has led to an overall overworked bullpen. With so many young pitchers toeing the rubber for the Pirates this season, the lack of work could be seen as easing the young pitchers into the Big Leagues.
However, the "kid gloves" haven't been used just for rookies. Even Tyler Anderson, who began the season with the Pirates, was limited throughout the season. Anderson was the only pitcher to last at least 5.0 innings in every game, but he only went more than 6.0 innings three times in his short Pirates career. Gone are the days of the complete game, unless you throw a no-hitter/perfect game, and in its place is the day of five-inning starts followed by more work from the bullpen. It is a shift that is happening across the league, as more and more emphasis is being put on the middle relief pitchers. Guys like Duane Underwood Jr. are going to become more important while the one-inning relievers will become less valuable.
So, was Peters's debut destined to go longer, but got cut short, or is it a product of the new managerial style of today's game? Peters was very effective after throwing 23 first-inning pitches and looked strong in the fifth inning. But alas, we will never see whether or not Peters would have gotten out of the inning unscathed, but I believe he at least had another inning in him. Even though his stat line wasn't that impressive on paper, he definitely pitched well enough to earn at least another Big League start. There is no telling what Peters's future in Pittsburgh is, but if he can pitch well enough over these final two months, he could at least put himself in competition for the fifth starter spot this season. In conclusion, Peters pitched very well in his debut and he was pulled way too early.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (42-76) are on the road to start a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers (72-46) tonight at 10:10 pm. Steven Brault (0-1 3.00) makes his third start of 2021, having a good showing since his injury for the Pirates against a pitcher to be named later for the Dodgers. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen live on 93.7 The Fan.
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