Pirates in need of a top-flight starter
Three thoughts on the Pirates:
1. Top-flight starter needed
No one questions A.J. Burnett’s heart when he says he will pitch again this season.
The Pirates’ 38-year-old right-hander is determined to overcome the strained flexor tendon in his elbow that has sidelined him since July 31.
However, if the Pirates are serious about trying to win a World Series, they need to add insurance in the event Burnett doesn’t make it back.
One of the biggest reasons why the Pirates looked like they had a legitimate chance to get to the World Series for the first time since 1979 before Burnett was inured was because he gave them three pitchers capable of shutting teams down in the postseason with right-hander Gerrit Cole and left-hander Francisco Liriano.
Now they are down to two. So, it’s time to make a trade for a top-flight starter, thought he task is more difficult now that it is August and players must pass through waivers in order to be dealt.
Two targets should be the Chicago White Sox’s Jeff Samardzija and Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma, two right-handers who should be had at a low acquisition cost since they can become free agents at the season.
Samardzija, 30, was 8-6 with a 4.35 ERA in 22 starts going into the weekend, but has a 2.25 ERA in 84 career innings at PNC Park.
Iwakuma, 34, has been limited to 10 starts because of injuries and is 3-2 with a 4.41 ERA, but was a combined 38-20 with a 3.07 ERA in 91 games with the previous three seasons.
2. Open wide
It is patently unfair to judge a pitcher off one start but it was painful to watch left-hander J.A. Happ’s 4 1/3-inning outing against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night in his first start for the Pirates since being acquired from the Mariners in a trade.
Kind of akin to oral surgery, which is reason enough for owner Bob Nutting to keep the wallet open and allow general manager Neal Huntington to keep scouring the trade market for more starting pitching.
3. Mr. Tough Luck
Right-hander Wilfredo Boscan was called up three times from Class AAA Indianapolis this season, but is still waiting to make his major league debut.
On Friday, Boscan found out he was being dropped from the 40-man roster to make room for reliever Deolis Guerra, who was returned to the organization after Major League Baseball voided a waiver claim by the Cleveland Indians because the rookie was found to have a knee injury.
Being a ballplayer isn’t always such a charmed life.