Pirates Notebook: Armas out, but no replacement yet
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Tony Armas is heading to the Pirates' bullpen, as expected, but manager Jim Tracy will wait a week or so to name a replacement at fifth starter.
The No. 1 reason: He is plenty reluctant to move Shawn Chacon out of the highly effective long-relief role he has filled.
"You look at the wonderful job Shawn Chacon has done for us thus far in a number of different roles in the bullpen ... if you pull him out and put him in the rotation, do you have someone available that will be able to step in and offer the same type of quality work?" Tracy said.
Management will skip the fifth starter's spot Monday, an off day, but that pitcher must be named for the game next Saturday in Cincinnati.
That buys time, perhaps, for several scenarios to play themselves out:
If Matt Capps' four-game suspension for hitting the Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder is upheld -- his appeal is on hold indefinitely -- Chacon would be used in his place in late relief. If not, more options are open.
Marty McLeary, hit hard in three relief outings since his promotion from Class AAA Indianapolis, could establish himself as a candidate for fifth starter.
John Van Benschoten and Bryan Bullington, who have pitched well for Indianapolis until their most recent starts, could rediscover top form and win promotions.
And, of course, Chacon, the most obvious choice, could be taken on merit.
He has a 2.84 ERA in 15 appearances despite being used in a variety of situations, and his five scoreless innings Thursday carried the team to victory against the Florida Marlins.
Maybe just as important, Chacon is one of the few pitchers on the staff getting swings and misses on a regular basis, and the Pirates' rotation undoubtedly could use more of that trait.
"There's a lot of stuff on the plate that you have to sort out," Tracy said. "I'm not steering you away from fact that Shawn Chacon is a candidate. He definitely is. But there are a lot of variables that have to be considered."
Figuring out Armas
Armas, 0-3 with a National League-high 8.46 ERA, likely will be out of commission until Tuesday because of the three innings he pitched Thursday.
In the interim, he will have side sessions and video sessions with pitching coach Jim Colborn, as the team, convinced Armas has no health issues, tries to figure out what is wrong with its $3 million free-agent signee.
"He needs a different environment in order to be able to work out some of the things that we feel are necessary to get him back on track," Tracy said. "When you look at number of pitches he's thrown and the fact it's very difficult, once he gets two strikes, to put a hitter away, you see a lot of balls getting fouled off, a lot of 8-, 9-, 10-pitch at-bats."
Yesterday, Colborn and Armas looked at video of his early days with the Montreal Expos, when he was considered one of the league's brightest pitching prospects.
Wilson's shoulder hurting
Shortstop Jack Wilson was held out of the lineup last night because of a sprained right shoulder, the result of falling hard on that arm while catching a popup Thursday. Wilson can hit and field, but he is having difficulty throwing. He is listed as day to day.
His place was taken by Jose Castillo, a surprise on two fronts: One, Castillo was playing the position for the third time in his career, the first since 2004. Two, Don Kelly is the primary backup there. But, with the Pirates facing left-hander Doug Davis and Castillo taking an 11-for-32 roll into the game, Tracy went with the right-handed bat.
Tracy also offered continuing praise for Castillo's defense after losing 20 pounds in the offseason.
"I tip my cap to him for that," Tracy said. "He has the range, has the arm, has the first-step quickness, has all the intangibles. He could be pretty special."
Buried treasure
Third baseman Jose Bautista rejoined the lineup after missing four starts to a sprained left ankle.
The rest of the starters will be moved up a day for the three-game set next week in St. Louis: Zach Duke will pitch Tuesday, Ian Snell Wednesday and Tom Gorzelanny Thursday. Paul Maholm will pitch Friday in Cincinnati.
Second baseman Freddy Sanchez was back right away after being struck on the left elbow by an errant throw Thursday.
INDIANAPOLIS (24-16) lost at Syracuse, 7-5. LHP Michael Tejera (1-0, 6.11) allowed three runs and six hits in five innings. 3B Nick Green (.333) went 3 for 4 with a double. SS Brian Bixler (.355) went 1 for 4 with a double, an RBI and three strikeouts.
ALTOONA (19-18) lost to Bowie, 3-1. LHP Josh Shortslef (0-5, 3.52) allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings. 3B Neil Walker (.279) went 1 for 3 with a walk. CF Andrew McCutchen (.178) went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
LYNCHBURG (15-21) lost at Winston-Salem, 11-6. RHP Blair Johnson (1-3, 6.21) allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings. LF James Boone (.302) went 2 for 5 with an RBI.
HICKORY (15-23) lost at Augusta, 5-4. RHP Henry Cabrera (2-3, 5.64) allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings. RF Jonel Pacheco (.275) went 2 for 4 with a double.
First Published May 18, 2007 11:31 pm
