Buccos Cove

Before he landed on the COVID IL in late July, Chad Kuhl was one of the hottest pitchers in the starting rotation. Now that he is back, he isn't stopping and is embracing his new role in the bullpen. At the beginning of the 2021 season, Chad Kuhl looked like a broken starting pitcher. He had trouble just getting out of the first inning, and control issues plagued him throughout the early part of the season. He had a 6.32 ERA through the month of May and was not pitching like the Opening Day starter that he was named coming out of Spring Training. He had walked 16 batters and struck out 14 batters over 15.2 innings of work. He had an opponents batting average of .222, but his control issues were setting him up for failure every time out. He ended up landing on the 10-day IL with "right shoulder discomfort" and would be shut down for nearly a month before going on a rehab assignment. He came back at the end of June and, after a sub-par June, he came back with a ...

As the calendar turns to August, the Pittsburgh Pirates' six-man rotation is beginning to take shape. With new acquisitions and guys returning from injury, we will see who the Pirates are going to move forward with, and who doesn't have a place in the Pirate's future. After the 2021 Trade Deadline had passed, Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton agreed that the team would go to a six-man rotation. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a couple of different guys to fill that role, coupled with a few new additions and people returning from injury. Some of the mainstays who have been with the team all season will be part of that group as the Pirates try to eat innings and save their bullpen. As of right now, Chad Kuhl, Wil Crowe, and JT Brubaker are the only guys who can say their spots are locked into the six-man. The final three positions will be a battle between Mitch Keller, Steven Brault, Cody Ponce, Max Kranick, and Bryse Wilson. All but Wilson have had shots with the Pira...

After a slow start to the season, and an injury that forced him to miss a month, there were questions on Chad Kuhl's trade value. With his recent resurgence, we look at whether or not the right-hander will still be a Pirate after the July 30th Trade Deadline. Last season, one of the Pittsburgh Pirates who was drawing a lot of trade interest was starting pitcher Chad Kuhl. In his return from Tommy John surgery, the right-hander was looking strong posting a 2.52 ERA prior to the August 31st trade deadline. Reportedly, the Toronto Blue Jays had a lot of interest in the then 28-year-old's services, but they were unwilling to give up their top catching prospect Alejandro Kirk in the deal. So, Kuhl remained a Pirate and earned the right to be the Opening Day starter in 2021. However, it was a struggle for Kuhl early on, as he couldn't command his pitches and even ended up on the IL. It looked as though all his trade value was lost and that he would not be garnering as...

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 ...

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates scored their third win in a row and their second straight win over the Atlanta Braves. However, it was the start by Chad Kuhl that put the Pirates in a position to succeed as he turned in his best start of the season. When you look at highlights from last night's 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves, the walk-off will dominate the highlights. Bryan Reynolds stepped in with no outs and the bases loaded and was able to work the walk-off walk to give the Pirates a 2-1 win. Maybe you will see Rodolfo Castro's leadoff walk or Reynold's sacrifice fly, but one thing you won't see is the real key to victory for the Pirates. It came way before the drama of the ninth inning when Chad Kuhl took the mound at the start of the game. Kuhl was nearly flawless going 6.0 innings of one-run ball while striking out a season-high seven batters. It has been a part of a string of starts where the right-hander has gotten back on track and shown why he w...

The Pittsburgh Pirates head back home as they bring their 10-game losing streak with them to PNC Park. They welcome in the Cleveland Indians for a three-game series as they look to then things around. To say things haven't been going the Pittsburgh Pirates' way as of late would be an understatement. They have currently lost 10-games in a row and just endured their third straight sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals. Their offense has been struggling, scoring four runs or less in all 10 of those games, marking the first time since 1968 that the Pirates lost 10-straight games and scored four runs or less in each of those games. They have dropped to a season-low 21 games under .500 and their inexperience has started to show. However, there are some positive signs like Hayes's hitting, Newman's defense, and Frazier's consistency to get on base. After an off-day on Thursday, the Pirates are looking to hit the reset button when they return to the fri...

With the impromptu off-day, the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation is about to get jumbled up. Between returning injured players and needing off days, the rotation is about to get a shake-up moving forward. With the Pittsburgh Pirates on a six-game losing streak, they were looking for a new start as they were set to begin a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. However, Mother Nature made sure that wouldn't happen as rain ended up postponing the series opener a day. With all that has gone on recently, it is probably just what the Pirates needed as they try to hit the reset button and start a new. Normally, doubleheaders can really mess up a starting rotation, but in the Pirates case, Saturday's games may actually help the rotation. With injuries to two of the five states and pitchers from Triple-A succeeding in the Big Leagues, it is another chance for more players able to get opportunities at the Big League level. The Sunday starter for the...

As it sits right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates have yet to name a starter for the opener of a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Today, we look at the Pirates options and who gets the call for that series opener at PNC Park. The injury bug has not been too kind to the Pittsburgh Pirates both on the offensive and pitching side of the ball. In total, the Pirates have 10 different players on either the 10-day or 60-day IL, and it is beginning to expose some of the inexperience on this team. As a result, the Pirates have dropped to 18-28 and just came off a series where they were outscored 37-8 by the Atlanta Braves. However, one injury that the Pirates have yet to address is the one that saw Trevor Cahill exit after just two innings in his last start. He has been placed on the 10-day Injured List and the subsequent move was that Kyle Crick was activated from his 10-day IL stint. The move still leaves Pittsburgh with only four starters and a hole in the rotation ...

Yesterday, Pirates fans watched again as Chad Kuhl struggled with command through the first inning, allowing two more runs. Today, we look at a new role that would get Rule 5 pick, Luis Oviedo, more consistency and might help Chad Kuhl in the long run. It is now the third time through the Pirate's starting rotation, and Pirates fans watched as Chad Kuhl once again struggled through the first inning. It took him 37 pitches to get through the first inning and he gave up two runs to put the Pirates in a hole. The Padres could have made it much worse, loading the bases before a Luis Campusano groundout ended up ending the inning. Kuhl gave up a leadoff home run for the second consecutive start and just couldn't find his cool in the inning, no pun intended. He would give up just two more runs, one earned over his final three innings of work before being pulled after the fourth inning. He threw 92 pitches altogether on the day, with over 40% of those coming in the first i...

Now that the Pirates are two times through their starting rotation, there is some measurable growth that all five starters have shown. This success is looking to drive the rotation as they try and lead this young Pirates team into the future. 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 performanc...

Last night's game put a damper on things early on as the Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 at Great American Ball Park. The Pirates are now 1-4 through their first five games, but it is not quite time to hit the panic button. After watching last night's game against the Cincinnati Reds, things look like they are completely falling off the rails before the train gets going. It started with Ke'Bryan Hayes heading to the Injured List on Saturday, and just snowballed to the Pirate's 14-1 loss last night. The Pirates are now 1-4 through their first five games of the season, and social media has been erupting with talk of the Pirates never winning a game again. However, with a young group like the Pirates have, you are going to take your lumps throughout the season. However, it is not time to hit the panic button on this team yet as the young guys are still learning and adjusting to life in the Major Leagues. Even in last night's downright dr...

It is finally here! The Pittsburgh Pirates open the 2021 season against the Chicago Cubs this afternoon at Wrigley Field. The new season brings new opportunities and a chance for the young Bucs to shatter the expectations of critics around the league. Spring Training is over, and Opening Day is here once again! Gone is the shortened 60-game season as we get a full summer of baseball featuring 162 games over six months of action. The Pittsburgh Pirates kick off the 2021 schedule by taking on the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. While Pirates fans are excited for the action, not many other people around the league are. Expectations are very low for this year's team with Vegas setting the over-under of their win-loss percentage at an alarming 58.5. Coming off a year where they had the worst record in Major League Baseball at 19-41, no one has the Pirates as being a Cinderella story or even a sleeper team to surprise this season. However, don't tell that to this young gro...

We are just three days away from Opening Day 2021, and Manager Derek Shelton has yet to name his Opening Day starter. Today, we look at who may get the ball when the Pirates head to Chicago for Opening Day on April 1st. It is an honor that has been bestowed on pitchers year after year. The Opening Day starter is a big role as they are the ones to get the ball rolling and set the tone for the rest of the season. A great start can get a pitching staff going and give a team momentum going into the year. However, a slip-up could lead to the team being behind the eight ball and having to play catch up throughout the season. However, here we are on March 29th, just three days before Opening Day, and Manager Derek Shelton has yet to announce his Opening Day starter. Nobody on the Pirate's current roster has ever been named an Opening Day starter, but the Pirates are looking for someone to step up and get this young team some momentum. Last season, it was Joe Musgrove who got t...