The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting some bad news. The team's pitching rotation is taking another hit, as hurler Bailey Falter is now on the injured list, per ESPN. The pitcher is dealing with triceps tendonitis.
Falter is the latest Pirates pitcher to get knocked out with an injury. Jared Jones was just placed on the injured list, due to a strain. Pittsburgh is trying to battle its way to a .500 record this season, and a spot in the National League Wild Card conversation. It feels like two steps forward, one step back with the injuries that are pestering the Bucs.
Falter lasted only two innings on Saturday, in a game against the New York Mets. He allowed three runs on five hits in his disappointing outing.
“I just obviously wanted to try to stay in the game for as much as possible, just to give the bullpen a little break,” Falter said after the game, per ESPN. “But I noticed a little discomfort in the warmup pitches in the third. Didn't really throw too many strikes. It kind of flared up after that and I kind of just lost feel for [the strike zone].”
The Pirates are bringing in another pitcher to try and get some consistency. The team is recalling Brent Honeywell Jr. from Triple-A Indianapolis, to shore up the rotation. He posted a 4.85 ERA in Indianapolis.
“I want to win,” Honeywell said, per ESPN. “I think we all want to win. I think it's the biggest thing to me. It's a good club, man. I think the main thing is keeping them going where they're at right now. Just kind of move right into being a cog in the machine and help them win.
“I think the biggest thing is guys do come down [to Triple-A], go up. That's just how baseball is. But the biggest thing is it's always good to see guys when they come down, but it's also like, ‘Eh, I wish you were up there.' We talk about it. Winning first, I think that's the biggest thing.”
Pittsburgh needs consistency moving forward
Pittsburgh has flirted with a .500 record for close to two months, but just can't put the wins together to get there. The team has a lot of talent, especially at the top of the rotation. Paul Skenes is dominating in his 10 starts, and Mitch Keller is proving he still has plenty of power in his arm. Reliever Aroldis Chapman has also put together some solid performances, but he's not been making as many appearances as fans hoped.
The team's offense is also inconsistent. The club is 24th in hits in Major League Baseball, per league stats. The team is also 21st in runs batted in, and 18th in home runs. The team needs offense and that should be an area of focus heading into trade deadline talks for the club. The Pirates have work to do to get back into the MLB playoffs. The franchise has made just a handful of postseason appearances after Barry Bonds left the team in 1992.
Pittsburgh plays the Mets again on Sunday. That game is ongoing at time of writing.
Follow Us
Subscribe
