The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted right-handed pitcher Tim Alderson to Indianapolis. They’ve also placed Kyle McPherson on the Triple-A disabled list.
McPherson had a pretty rough outing last night, giving up seven runs in 1.2 innings. It’s unclear what his injury is at the moment, although he’s dealt with shoulder problems in two different instances over the last year.
The Pirates need pitching in Indianapolis over the next two days, which is where Alderson comes in. The Indians have a double-header tonight, and only one of their starters is available on more than three days rest. The starter for the second game has yet to be announced. Tomorrow’s game was supposed to be started by Phil Irwin, but he will be promoted to Pittsburgh to spot-start for Wandy Rodriguez, according to Kristy Robinson.
Alderson will most likely start one of those two games. The only other starting candidates would be Kyle Waldrop and Vin Mazzaro. Mazzaro threw two innings last night, and Waldrop threw 3.1, taking them both out of the picture. The last time Alderson threw was on Tuesday, when he threw 2.1 innings. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts tonight’s game, then takes McPherson’s normal spot in the rotation after that.
The Pirates will need another starter in Indianapolis over the next few days. Irwin was scheduled to go on Sunday. They could shift Andy Oliver and Gerrit Cole up a day to go Sunday and Monday. However, McPherson’s spot would be Tuesday, which would be three days rest for Alderson. An alternative could be having Waldrop and Mazzaro splitting on Tuesday, with Alderson going on four days rest on Wednesday.
UPDATE 2:37 PM: Brooks Brown will be starting the second game tonight for Indianapolis. Tomorrow’s starter is still TBA, with Oliver on Monday, Cole on Tuesday, and Wednesday TBA.
UPDATE 2:52 PM: McPherson is going on the DL due to his right arm, but nothing specific yet.
UPDATE 4:02 PM: David Bromberg has been assigned to Altoona.
