Oviedo will be monitored more as Pirates navigate homestretch rotation

NEW YORK -- Wednesday at Citi Field was far from Johan Oviedo's best showing, both in terms of results and stuff.

When looking at the scope of the Pirates' future, it's the latter that matters more than an 8-3 loss to the Mets on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field.

Oviedo was pulled before getting an out in the fifth, finishing the rubber match of the series with four earned runs on his ledger with five hits and five walks, while striking out only three. He consistently missed to his arm side, and things started to go sideways on this DJ Stewart home run in the second. They didn't get much better from there:

Oviedo was pulled after just 78 pitches. Performance wise, the decision made sense, but it was also pre-meditated. Oviedo has now thrown 140 1/3 innings, while his career high as a pro is 146 1/3 innings back when he was a prospect in the Cardinals' farm system. He's going to pass this number but the Pirates don't want to shut him down.

But the usually hard-throwing right-hander didn't have his normal heat Wednesday. Entering the game, Oviedo averaged 96.1 mph on his four-seam fastball. On Wednesday, it was just 94.2 mph, dipping as low as 90.8 mph.

While this was the lowest average fastball velo for him this year, this trend of decreasing speed has been going on for weeks now:

"He's entering a territory of innings that he's never been near," Derek Shelton said. "When you have that, you see the fact that you're going to see trends like that. So it's something that we are monitoring closely."

"Other than that, every year, when you put together the innings with the minor leagues, I always been throwing 120 innings," Oviedo said. "So, it's nothing new for me."

Oviedo confirmed postgame that even if he's already blown by his innings total from last year (117 1/3), the arm still feels good. And lower speed doesn't necessarily mean bad results will come. These last two outings have been iffy for him, but the three before that were gems, allowing just two runs over 20 frames. There's still reason for optimism for the final month and a half of the 2023 season.

"We still got a chance to actually feel better and get stronger, finish stronger," Oviedo said. "I want to keep myself healthy and definitely have good results for the last several weeks that are still left."

With that said, it's wise to monitor him very closely down the stretch. Oviedo went into spring training not knowing what his role would be, and had it not been for JT Brubaker's injury, he could have started in the minors or the bullpen. Given how he's pitched this year, he should go into 2024 feeling confident that he has a rotation spot out of the gate.

Building up innings and getting more experience is important, which is why he should keep pitching. But in terms of what he has to prove? He's already shown a lot.

The only hurdle is starting rotation depth is a luxury the Pirates don't currently have. In fact, at the moment, their rotation is arguably down to just three true starters: Oviedo, Mitch Keller and newcomer Bailey Falter.

Their rotation options at the moment are, in a word, limited. Quinn Priester was optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis Tuesday and can't return until a 15-day stint is completed, barring a major-league injury. It doesn't sound like there is much of a rush to get him back up to the majors right now after being hit hard in his six big-league outings.

"We still really feel like he's part of our future, Shelton said Tuesday. "He's part of our long-term success over here. We've just got to get some things tuned up a little bit."

So if he is off the table for the time, the Pirates' options appear to be:

• Osvaldo Bido, who was recently recalled as a reliever and made two appearances out of the bullpen, is set to start again Sunday. Shelton suggested Tuesday that he may not be leaned on for "full-scale starts," and that options like openers could be in play with him. 

• Luis Ortiz and Roansy Contreras still wait in the minor leagues. Ortiz recently returned to Indianapolis after becoming a dad, and tossed five innings of one-run ball on Saturday. As previously stated, his demotion to the minors wasn't entirely results based, but a return to the majors is the hope. Reading the tea leaves, this could potentially happen sooner rather than later.

Contreras has made a couple of three inning starts for Indianapolis, including one Tuesday where his fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range. The Pirates still view him as a starter long-term, but when it comes to 2023, it's not been finalized if he will be able to give full-scale starts the rest of the way. It's going to come down to his build up.

• Max Kranick is on a rehab assignment currently and a September return has always been his goal this year. He's got a chance of achieving that, but he's going to need a couple more turns in the minors at the very least first.

• Then you've got the prospects. Jared Jones is the No. 74 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, but I've heard from league sources that they are surprised he is already in Class AAA and could have used a few more reps with Class AA Altoona. The Pirates feel differently, but he has a 5.44 ERA over his first nine games and doesn't need to be added to the 40 man roster this winter yet. Hardly a slam dunk addition. Kyle Nicolas will be Rule 5 eligible if not added by this offseason's deadline, but his ERA in Indianapolis has ballooned to 8.42. Lefty Jackson Wolf came over in the Rich Hill/Ji-Man Choi trade and is already on the roster, but has never pitched in AAA despite making one spot start for the Padres in the majors.

All of this is to say that the Pirates don't have many clear-cut options at the moment outside of bullpen games -- which will drain the team quickly -- and Ortiz, with perhaps Contreras in the mix as well. But for a lot of these young arms who are setting new personal records in innings pitched, shorter outings, limited pitch counts and more in-depth monitoring are likely going to be themes down the stretch. There's going to be a line between monitored innings and just needing to cover innings.

And as it regards to Oviedo, he is planning on being a part of that homestretch mix.

"It's definitely a long season, so just got to bounce back," Oviedo said.

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THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: 2B Ji Hwan Bae (ankle)

• 15-day injured list: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (elbow), RHP Dauri Moreta (lower back)

• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), INF Tucupita Marcano (knee), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Andrew McCutchen, DH
4. Jack Suwinski, CF
5. Connor Joe, RF
6. Endy Rodríguez, C
7. Liover Peguero, 2B
8. Alfonso Rivas, 1B
9. Alika Wiliams, SS

And for Buck Showalter's Mets:

1. Brandon Nimmo, LF
2. Francisco Lindor, SS
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Jeff McNeil, 2B
5. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
6. DJ Stewart, RF
7. Omar Navarez, C
8. Rafael Ortega, CF
9. Jonathan Araúz, 3B

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates have a travel day Thursday before starting a weekend series with the Twins Friday. Andre Jackson (0-0, 5.47) will get the ball first against  Pablo López (8-6, 3.66) in game one, with first pitch coming at 8:10 p.m. Central Time. I'll have you covered.

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