Pirates Send Rookie Pitcher Down After Doubleheader
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates got a great outing from a young pitcher, who unfortunately, they demoted back to the minor leagues.
The Pirates announced that they optioned right-handed pitcher Khristian Curtis to Triple-A Indianapolis after their doubleheader vs. the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 18.
Curtis joined the team as the 27th man for the doubleheader, where teams get an extra player for the two games, and heads back down to the minors following its conclusion, as the Pirates had to get back to a 26-man roster.
The Pirates had activated right-handed pitcher Wilber Dotel off the 15-day injured list, so there wasn't any room left on the 26-man roster.
Curtis Makes Pirates History in MLB Debut
The Pirates gave Curtis his MLB debut in the second game of that doubleheader for a bulk relief role.
Curtis excelled against the Guardians, throwing 68 pitches over five scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits and two walks, while posting four strikeouts.
He came in the second inning for the Pirates, after left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery threw a scoreless first inning
He left the game with a 3-0 lead going into the seventh inning, but the Pirates bullpen gave up five unanswered runs combined in the eighth and ninth innings, leading to a 5-3 defeat.
Curtis still made Pirates history with his appearance, marking the longest scoreless relief outing by a Pirates pitcher in his MLB debut since Steve Blass tossed five scoreless innings on May 10, 1964 vs. the Milwaukee Braves.
Only four other Pirates pitchers have thrown five or more scoreless innings in their MLB debut this century.
That includes right-hander Luis Ortiz (5.2 IP) in the second game of a doubleheader vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 13, 2022 at Great American Ball Park, right-hander Max Kranick (5.0 IP), against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 27, 2021. right-hander Nick Kingham (7.0 IP) vs. the Cardinals at PNC Park on April 29, 2018 and left-hander Paul Maholm (8.0 IP) against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Aug. 30, 2005.
What Pirates Bullpen Looks Like Going Forward
The Pirates have one more game vs. the Guardians on July 19 and then finish off their six-game road trip with a three-game series vs. the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, July 20-22.
Pittsburgh currently has five right-handers in Dotel, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Yohan Ramírez and Dennis Santana and three left-handers in Brandon Eisert, Montgomery and Gregory Soto.
It was another poor outing from the bullpen vs. the Guardians, with Eisert originally helping out Ramírez by stranding two runners in the seventh inning, but then giving up three straight singles in the eighth inning and Soto letting two more runs score to make it a 3-3 game, before Santana gave up the walk-off two-run home run in the ninth inning.
The Pirates need better from their bullpen and Curtis showed that he can fill that role if they want to turn to someone else.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.