In a matter of weeks, Nova has gone from looking like a back-end innings-eater to a legitimate number two or three starter. While the big righty was working in the mid-to-upper nineties, he surrendered five earned runs on four hits and four walks in just two innings of work.
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Cole is continuing to deal with discomfort and inflammation in his right elbow, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.
“A couple years ago, yeah I was driving the ball, but I wasn’t necessarily putting the ball in play enough”, Rodriguez said. That’s the one thing I’ve been fighting for all season, to try to be able to contribute to our ultimate goal.
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Sean Rodriguez runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeanmar Gomez during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, in Philadelphia.
It has been a rough year for Cole, whose 3.88 ERA, 4.25 SIERA, 19.4 percent strikeout rate and 7.1 percent walk rate are all career-worsts. The tension is clearly getting to the manager, who must be feeling the hot breath of the entire city down his neck as his team sits several games below.500 this late in the season. “I just came in this year as a fresh start and kind of went about it with a whole new mind-set”. “He’s been well-rested. We haven’t used him more than three days in a row, maybe two or three times at most”. “There were a few highlights along the way, but it was a struggle”.
Cole recently received clearance to resume pitching after a visit to Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. It needs time, he said.
Stewart, the backup catcher signed through 2017, will have his left knee examined Monday by Dr. James Andrews. The cranky knee caused Stewart trouble all summer.
“[Surgery] might be the only way to go to continue my career”, Stewart said. “We’ve tried to do pretty much everything else to keep me on the field without the surgery”.
The Pirates also shuffled players on the periphery of the roster to add depth. Josh Harrison is done for the season.
The Pirates will counter on the mound with a rookie left-hander named Steven Brault.
The Pirates announced the move prior to a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
Phillies rookie prospect Roman Quinn stole second base with a headfirst slide in the first inning Monday night.
Phillies right-hander Alec Asher allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings.
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After shorter innings from other Pirates pitchers Drew Hutchinson, Ryan Vogelsong and Gerrit Cole (who is out for the season), Nova’s outing was a breath of fresh air. Top it all off with a bullpen that finished with lowest team ERA in 2015 and a top-notch manager in Clint Hurdle, and everything said that the Pirates’ status as one of the premiere teams in the game was renewing proposition for 2016 – until it wasn’t.
