Smizik: Chacon deserves to stay in rotation
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The expected elevation of Bryan Bullington or John Van Benschoten to a spot in the Pirates' rotation -- thought by many to be imminent -- has been delayed.
Shawn Chacon, who was promoted with less than a strong vote of confidence to the rotation last week and then struggled in his first start, put on a performance last night at PNC Park against the San Diego Padres that figures to keep Bullington and Van Benschoten at Indianapolis for the immediate future.
Chacon was dazzling for seven innings -- allowing no runs and three hits while striking out 10 and walking one.
It wasn't enough. The Padres won, 4-2, in 11 innings as the Pirates' bullpen, living up to its reputation as one of the worst in the National League, blew the lead and then the game.
Closer Salomon Torres, who did the unpardonable by walking the leadoff hitter in the ninth, allowed the Padres to score twice to tie. Josh Sharpless gave up two more runs in the 11th.
"It's a tough game to lose," said manager Jim Tracy. "We were three outs away from winning the series."
But not even the disheartening loss, which dropped the Pirates to seven games under .500, could diminish the superb work of Chacon. Thought to be on a short rope because of who's behind him at Indianapolis, Chacon emphatically stated that he's not going anywhere.
Bullington and Van Benschoten, both former No. 1 draft choices, had been the favorites of many, perhaps even Tracy, to replace Tony Armas. But the decision was made to go with the veteran Chacon over Bullington and Van Benschoten, both in their first full seasons after major surgeries. Tracy never said he preferred one of the minor-leaguers, but he argued strongly in public that he needed Chacon as a setup man in his bullpen.
It figures to be awhile before Chacon returns to relief work.
He opened and closed in utter brilliance and was almost as good in between.
He struck out the side -- all swinging -- on 14 pitches in the first inning.
In the seventh, after allowing a one-out double to Mike Cameron, which put the tying run in scoring position, he struck out the Padres' fifth and sixth hitters, Josh Bard and Kevin Kouzmanoff.
Only in the fourth did the Padres put two men on base. But after a single by Terrmel Sledge and a walk to Adrian Gonzalez, Chacon retired Cameron on a popup and turned Bard's one hopper to the mound into a double play.
After the walk to Gonzalez, he retired eight in a row until Cameron's double in the seventh.
"You couldn't have asked for anything more," said Tracy. "I was waiting for fatigue and I saw no sign of it. He threw great. Just a tremendous job."
It's not that Bullington and Van Benschoten haven't merited promotion. Bullington raised his record to 8-2 and lowered his earned run average to 2.60 last night in a 9-2 win against Buffalo. Van Benschoten is 5-3 with a 2.56 ERA.
For the time being, though, there is no spot in the Pirates' rotation.
Paul Maholm, who is 2-7 with a 5.35 ERA, had been a likely candidate for demotion. But not only did Tracy speak strongly against such a move, Maholm has pitched well in his past two starts. He pitched seven innings in a win against Cincinnati and 72/3 in a loss to the Padres, a game in which he left trailing, 3-0.
A compelling case can be made for sending Zach Duke, who basically has been serving as a batting-practice pitcher for hitters this season, to Indianapolis. Opponents are hitting a robust .354 against him, which is higher than anyone is batting in the National League. Add that opponents batted a league-high .301 against Duke last season and Indianapolis seems like the best place for him to attempt to recapture his once-brilliant future.
But Duke has a track record that suggests that he deserves more time. It's not just the fact he was 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 2005, but it's what he did in the second half of last season. After a terrible first half, Duke's ERA in the second half was 3.65. To put that number in perspective, it was 17th best in the NL, directly in front of the Padres' brilliant Jake Peavy and Arizona's Brandon Webb, the Cy Young Award winner.
This isn't to suggest Duke has a free pass for the remainder of the season, only that he deserves a bit more time.
Chacon has a history of being erratic. He won't continue to pitch as he did last night. But, just as Maholm did with his past two starts, he has secured his spot in the rotation for a significant period.
Such performances put a more positive spin on the team's rotation. But until the bullpen, among the worst in the league, improves, the Pirates will continue to struggle.
First Published June 1, 2007 12:01 am
