PITTSBURGH – The Pirates have placed Cory Luebke on the 15-day disabled list with right hamstring tightness, and have recalled Rob Scahill prior to today’s game.
Luebke dealt with a hamstring issue during Spring Training, but was able to return and ended up winning a spot on the team, thanks to a fastball that was hitting 94 MPH and a slider that was at 86. He showed some promise in his debut this year, with that stuff showing up, but some control problems. He struggled in his first inning on Tuesday, giving up a home run and a walk, but got through the second inning of work with just a single. The control problems showed up last night, as he walked three in the ninth inning, giving up two runs and getting just two outs.
It’s hard to say how much the hamstring issues impacted him, especially this week. His stuff gives him a lot of potential value as the second lefty in the bullpen, but that doesn’t work if his walk rate (5 BB in 3.1 IP) is as high as it is right now.
Scahill was actually in line to be called up last night instead of A.J. Schugel, but was on paternity leave. The Pirates called up Schugel instead, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief. Scahill can hit upper 90s with his fastball, and can pitch multiple innings in relief. With the bullpen getting a lot of usage the last two days, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him used in the next few days, if needed.
