PITTSBURGH — There was no announcement or grand proclamation, but as of about two weeks ago, Josh Bell has been the Pirates everyday, all-day first baseman.
Bell, who had been frequently defensively substituted for at the beginning of his career, has played all nine innings in each of his last six starts, and they haven’t all been blowouts, either. He remained in the game through close victories against Miami and Colorado, and Friday night against Chicago as the Pirates took a one-run lead into the ninth.
If you missed the memo about Bell being an all-nine guy, don’t fell bad. Bell himself wasn’t aware of it, either.
“Clint mentioned something after the first (close) game (I finished), and I didn’t even realize,” Bell said. “You’re playing so much and you win and you lose. It’s awesome to see that all the work in the offseason and spring training has paid off.”
Still, Bell isn’t taking his extra playing time for granted. He was one of the first players on the field Saturday afternoon, taking extra grounders and working on his throws to second base.
“I’m not going to stop working over there, no matter how cow comfortable I feel,” Bell said. “(Infield coach Joey Cora) is out there teaching me every day. I’ve only been playing this position for three years. I’m playing against guys that have been doing it since they were 12. I’m just trying to catch up every day.”
Manager Clint Hurdle acknowledged that John Jaso and Jose Osuna remain slightly better defenders, but with the current makeup of the bench, they have been the first options as pinch hitters, meaning they aren’t available to be used as a defensive substitute.
“We’ve taken those training wheels off and pushed him out there,” Hurdle added. “He’s worked hard on his defense.”
TWO IS GREATER THAN ONE
Friday night, Hurdle said that he intended for Felipe Rivero to pitch to Jason Heyward in the ninth inning, but a long at-bat by Addison Russell kept him from doing so.
Since the Pirates reshuffled their bullpen roles, Rivero has thrown four times. Twice, he went more than one inning and Friday he was intended to. I asked Clint Hurdle about how the extra time sitting and warming back up can take it’s toll on a relief pitcher in addition to the extra innings.
Hurdle said the first factor they consider is how many pitches the pitcher threw in the first inning. In Rivero’s four-out saves, he made his first out in less than 10 pitches, giving him a short “up” — that’s what the pitchers call times on the mound. Flipped the other way, the math isn’t the same, as Rivero’s 20-pitch first inning was a red flag for Hurdle.
“It’s a much heavier workload when you throw 20 in one and then go back out there for a second as a opposed to throwing six in one and then going out there for the next inning,” Hurdle said. “We’ve counted pitches since I’ve been here. … We weigh the leverage situations. We have a model here that we follow, as well.”
Hurdle also acknowledged that on the whole, the team is pushing things when it comes to Rivero’s usage. Rivero is tied for second in the National League with 35 appearances and is on pace to throw in 82 games this year. His career high is 75.
Hurdle felt strongly about the sense of responsibility he has to not just win games, but protect his players while doing so.
“With his workload, where he is right now, he’s in an area where we’re pushing him,” Hurdle said. “Most people aren’t tied to his arm. Most people really don’t care. They just want a save. If we push him and break him, then where do you go? That’s real and that happens. This is a pretty gifted, pretty skilled guy that you’d like to pay attention to how you’re using him, when you’re pushing him and when you’re giving him time to rest and recover.”
Hurdle also said that the most Rivero can throw without ruling himself out for the next day is about 25 pitches, meaning he was close to that redline on Friday night.
NOTES
The Pirates still have four catchers in the house and all four worked out before the game on Saturday. Chris Stewart said he “wants to play” but remains on the disabled list for the time being. … Josh Harrison has the day off at second base, with Hurdle citing his recent workload and his career numbers against Chicago starter Jake Arrieta.
