PITTSBURGH — With the stitches out of his right hand, Francisco Cervelli took the opportunity to get some catching drills done at PNC Park Saturday afternoon, just two weeks after he had surgery to remove the broken hook of his hamate bone.
He’s not yet swinging a bat, but it’s an encouraging sign that he feels comfortable catching just a day after having his stitches removed.
“He’s excited,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “When he’s excited, I’m excited.”
Hurdle also feels confident about the long-term prognosis for Cervelli, citing some of his past experiences with hamate injuries.
“I’ve had some minor-league players that have had hamate injuries and they were problematic and I had some big-league players that had them and never had [an issue] again,” he said.
Of course, the thing that a hamate injury usually affects is power, and Cervelli hasn’t been hitting with much power this season anyway. He has a just a .036 ISO, by far the lowest mark of his career.
IN THE PEN
Juan Nicasio has yet to make his first appearance since returning from the restricted list and being placed in the bullpen, but he seems like he’s ready to go.
“It’s not anything new to me,” Nicasio said through an interpreter. “I’ve been in the bullpen before. … Wherever I can go that helps the team, that’s where I want to be.”
That attitude extends to his role in the bullpen, as well, which doesn’t seem to be totally defined yet. Hurdle said Friday he was looking for a “long” situation to use Nicasio in, but Nicasio’s bullpen experience last season was usually as a one or two inning pitcher.
“If they need me to pitch one inning or two innings or three innings, whatever it is, I’m ready and I’m willing,” he said. “It’s a part of the game and I’m willing to give the best that I can.”
POLANCO NOT READY YET
Gregory Polanco will miss his second game with a leg injury. Hurdle said Polanco volunteered to play on Friday night, and he thought that he could have hit, but wasn’t comfortable with Polanco running the bases.
“He said he was available [Friday],” Hurdle said. “I’m of the mindset that I’ll listen more to him if he says he’s available [Saturday]. We’ll run him through [batting practice] and see if he can hit.”
Matt Joyce will again start in right field.
NO ACE
With Gerrit Cole missing at least one more start, Hurdle was asked if not having his best pitcher in the rotation for an extended period of time can have a cumulative effect on the rest of the rotation and the bullpen.
“I think that can happen,” Hurdle said. “We’ve had a little bit of that going on and it hasn’t just been because of Cole’s absence. It’s just that we’ve been challenged in getting the innings that we’d like out of our starters.”
Specifically with Cole, Hurdle said that knowing a pitcher like him is taking is turn the next day can change the way he manages the bullpen.
“If I know, he’s got a good chance to go seven and I only need a couple of guys tomorrow, I can do a little bit more the day before,” Hurdle said.
Cole continues to throw off flat ground before games and the team is hoping to have him on a mound soon and a timeframe for his return shortly thereafter.
LOCKED IN?
Jeff Locke will take the hill for the Pirates. He’s coming off a 6.2 inning shutout performance on Monday against the San Francisco Giants. It was the third scoreless appearance of the season for Locke, and he was able to carry some of that good mojo forward both of the previous times.
After giving up no runs on five hits in six innings April 25, he allowed three runs on four hits in seven innings the next time out. Then, he followed up his first career complete-game shutout May 30 with another seven inning, three run outing.
