Starting Pitcher Chart – April 23rd, 2024
Daily SP Chart archive
Why do they hate Reynaldo López?? They have pushed this man off a potential 2-step for three straight weeks. Maybe they are simply trying to protect their RP-turned-SP, but I’ve yet to get the hint and instead keep getting fooled into thinking this is the week! They moved him back 2 days this time now, so he’s off his every Tuesday pattern from the first three starts. Thankfully, they didn’t push him out of the Miami series, that would’ve just been cruel.
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Jared Jones twirled another gem. What a phrase… twirled a gem. Anyway, he was chucking rubies — or is it just a single ruby since it’s twirling “a gem” and not multiple “gems”? — at the Brewers, allowing just 1-run in 6 innings with 7 Ks and 25 swinging strikes!! He had 13 with the heater, 11 with slider, and 1 with the changeup. I know there is excitement for Paul Skenes to come up and join Jones, but let’s appreciate Jones while he is shining and being the true frontliner for the Pirates. I didn’t love the innings-instead-of-pitches approach to limiting him last time out, but I understand that they aren’t just going to turn him loose and not at least try to mitigate damage, even though these types of plans haven’t been shown to tangibly improve pitcher health at all.
I don’t even mind a pitch count limit that much, but it just feels wasteful to take him out after 59 pitches and yes it was made markedly worse by the next pitcher losing the game for the Pirates. No shade to Luis L. Ortiz, everyone has tough games, but Jones should’ve gotten at least another inning so Ortiz would’ve had more time to warm up! At least get him to 75 pitches. Let’s not harp on the past, though, and let’s appreciate that the Pirates blessed the baseball viewing public with 91 pitches from the 22-year-old tonight. I really hope they push him a bit this year, especially if they continue to play .500 or better ball. He’s had 123 and 126 innings the last two seasons, it seems like 160 should be more than workable.
Obviously, they know their pitchers better than I ever could, but a 40-50 inning increase doesn’t seem out of pocket after making 26 starts in both 2022 and 2023. Either way, just enjoy Jones while he’s pitching. You landed on a gem if you drafted him or scooped him off waivers so don’t focus on when it might end or the occasional shortened outing/extra day or two of rest, but instead dial in for his outings every fifth (or so) day and watch an impressive young righty pop off with a brilliant fastball-slider combo as he cultivates the curve and change in hopes of a developing a bankable third offering.
