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P2Daily: Who is Getting the Innings Now?

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I’ve been following how the Pittsburgh Pirates have been using their pitchers this year, mostly focusing on their usage of long-relievers and openers.

Part of that approach was due to the shortened Spring Training, and the need to stretch out starters during the season. The bullpen was needed for more innings early, in a temporary situation.

Not all of the early usage was temporary. The Pirates now have their starters stretched out, but are still using openers and long-relievers. While looking at the numbers yesterday, I noticed a key split in how the Pirates had used their pitchers the first three weeks of the season, compared to the last three,

Below is a breakdown of that split, and the significant innings changes that have taken place as the season has continued.

5+ Innings

1st 3 Weeks: N/A

Last 3 Weeks: Jose Quintana (5.75 IP), JT Brubaker (5)

Analysis: This demonstrates the part where the Pirates were limiting starter innings. The first three weeks didn’t see many starters going 5+ innings, with the long-relievers picking up extra work. The Pirates have stretched their starters out more recently. Jose Quintana was signed to eat innings, and is doing that. JT Brubaker has also emerged in that role. Both have an FIP in the 4.6-4.7 range, so the Pirates will need more than innings going forward.

4-4.99 Innings

1st 3 Weeks: Jose Quintana (4.67), Mitch Keller (4.33)

Last 3 Weeks: Mitch Keller (4.92), Zach Thompson (4.08)

Analysis: Keller has also increased his innings lately, though he’s not quite above the five inning average per game. Zach Thompson has stepped up a bit recently, consistently going more than four innings.

3-3.99 Innings

1st 3 Weeks: JT Brubaker (3.83), Bryse Wilson (3.78), Zach Thompson (3.33)

Last 3 Weeks: Bryse Wilson (3.44)

Analysis: This is the part where we start to really see the changes from starters getting stretched out. It’s also where we see that Bryse Wilson is falling behind the rest of the group. Wilson had a solid outing pitching in relief, but hasn’t carried that over to the rotation. With Roansy Contreras on the way, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Wilson eventually moved to that long-relief role.

2-2.99 Innings

1st 3 Weeks: Roansy Contreras (2.56), Wil Crowe (2.22), Miguel Yajure (2.08), Dillon Peters (2.07), Chase De Jong (2.00)

Last 3 Weeks: Max Kranick (2.5)

Analysis: Again, we’re seeing the reduction of multi-inning relievers here, though really this is just the amount of guys who consistently pitched more than two innings. The long-relief aspect is still in effect, just with some changes that I’ll note below. The key thing here is that the Pirates have only had one pitcher average 2-3 innings the last few weeks, and Max Kranick was a replacement from Indianapolis. I could see Wilson moving down to this tier when Contreras arrives, while Contreras should go up to the 5+ inning tier, hopefully.

1-1.99 Innings

1st 3 Weeks: Aaron Fletcher (1.22), David Bednar (1.14)

Last 3 Weeks: Dillon Peters (1.87), Chase De Jong (1.87), David Bednar (1.25), Wil Crowe (1.10), Miguel Yajure (1.0)

Analysis: The Pirates are still using Dillon Peters as a multi-inning guy, giving him work as an opener. Chase De Jong has also gotten multiple innings. The biggest change here is Wil Crowe going from a 2-3 inning pitcher the first few weeks to a 1+ inning guy the last few weeks. I could see him emerging this year as the second-best leverage reliever behind Bednar. Crowe’s role has been the most significant change this year.

0-0.99 Innings

1st 3 Weeks: Anthony Banda (0.87), Chris Stratton (0.81), Heath Hembree (0.79)

Last 3 Weeks: Chris Stratton (0.96), Heath Hembree (0.81), Anthony Banda (0.75), Aaron Fletcher (0.67)

Analysis: This group has late-game, single-inning relievers like Stratton and Hembree, who are having massively different results this year. It also includes more situational guys like Anthony Banda and Aaron Fletcher, who consistently go about two outs per appearance.

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Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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