Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Injuries an issue for Pirates' bullpen, Skenes has 'splinker' and more

The most troubling sign for the Pittsburgh Pirates wasn’t that right-handed reliever Dauri Moreta surrendered a three-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles.

It was that after Moreta spiked a slider in the dirt, he clutched his right elbow. And his next pitch, a full-count fastball, was clocked at 89.9 mph. That’s not just off by a tick but down 5.3 mph from his four-seamer average last season.

The Pirates sent assistant trainer Tony Leo to check on Moreta, then removed him from the game. After the 5-2 loss, Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters that Moreta was “a little tender.”

That could be bad news for a bullpen that promises to be a strength for the Pirates this season. Moreta thrived in the fireman role last season, going 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, averaging 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 55 appearances.

Shelton also volunteered that the Pirates are monitoring two-time All-Star closer David Bednar, who is dealing with right lat tightness and has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game.

The Pirates have Jose Hernandez and Aroldis Chapman as ready replacements if Moreta and Bednar’s injuries are longer term, but both are left-handers, so that would take them away as complements to the righties and reduce the bullpen depth.

Here are some impressions from nearly three weeks of covering the Pirates at spring training in Bradenton, Fla.:

Paul Skenes hit 102 mph twice (on the scoreboard gun) in a scoreless first inning. Here's another battle of No. 1 overall picks, with Adley Rutschman taking 101 mph for a ball & then driving 99 mph to the warning track in RF. pic.twitter.com/WEMV8SgQpb

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) February 29, 2024

1. Bringing heat

The Pirates used a pair of right-handed flamethrowers in Luis Ortiz and Paul Skenes against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday in Port Charlotte. And Skenes didn’t disappoint, topping triple digits four times. But Amed Rosario took one for a ride, getting the first hit off Skenes with a solo home run in the fourth inning of the Pirates’ 7-3 win.

Something else to follow: When Skenes made his spring training debut Thursday against the Orioles, he threw four of his five pitches: four-seam fastball, slider, curveball and changeup.

With a pair of two-pitch at-bats and only throwing 10 pitches in one inning, Skenes didn’t use his fifth pitch, a cross between a splitter and a sinker. It’s a pitch catcher Henry Davis described as “gross.”

“I think it’s called a ‘splinker,’ but I don’t know if we’re going with that,” Davis said. “It’s a good pitch. It’ll be on Pitching Ninja.”

As for the 102 mph heater, Davis said Skenes has some deception that requires a greater degree of difficulty to catch.

“He does a really good job of changing his holds so it’s not just the stuff, but he’s really pitching,” Davis said. “It’s not just the same — set, one Mississippi, pitch. It changes every time, so just being early is more challenging with runners on base. But if it’s challenging for me, it’s challenging for hitters.”

ANOTHER ONE for Jared Triolo... Wow https://t.co/TciF6fnoHT pic.twitter.com/NXy2weywCa

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) March 1, 2024

2. Big Tree

The biggest competition is for the starting job at second base, and Jared Triolo appears to be the front-runner.

Triolo came into camp with a good chance of making the Opening Day roster, thanks to a strong September that saw him slash .350/.458/.567 with seven doubles, two home runs and five RBIs over his final 18 games.

Not only does Triolo have a great glove, but he proved he can play every infield position by making his first start at shortstop Sunday. And he’s batting .308 with a .972 OPS and two homers in Grapefruit League play.

“I was just standing out there in left thinking, ‘Man, he’s a good player,’ ” Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds said of Triolo’s play at second base Friday. “He plays defense well, throws it well, hits it well. He’s just a really good player.”

Where Triolo’s versatility might make him the perfect fit to be a super utility player, he also has earned a shot to be the starter. Triolo’s a natural third baseman who figures to give Ke’Bryan Hayes a day off and also can play first base.

And it’s possible the Pirates will use multiple players at second base, with Ji Hwan Bae getting as much time in center field and Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero capable of playing short.

Still not over these two Termarr Johnson swings. Couldn't be on two more different pitches.

1. 0-0 count: left on left slider at the bottom of the zone
2. 0-2 count: 96 mph fastball at the top of the zone pic.twitter.com/xrcCXpqbbN

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) February 27, 2024

3. Focus on future

Whoever wins the starting job at second base might be merely a stopgap anyway.

One of the most impressive players in camp is Termarr Johnson, the 2022 No. 4 overall pick. At 19, Johnson also is the youngest player with the Pirates — he doesn’t turn 20 until June 11 — but is performing well beyond his years.

Johnson went deep twice against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh and ninth innings Feb. 26 to become the first teenager to homer twice in a spring training game since Carlos Correa in 2014.

Johnson didn’t do it against minor-league pitchers. He did it against veteran major leaguers, sending Yimi Garcia’s 0-2 fastball 392 feet to right-center and Genesis Cabrera’s 87.5 mph cutter 402 feet to center.

Most impressive is how he did it: After swing-and-misses on Garcia’s first two pitches, four-seamers high and outside, Johnson crushed a 95.8 mph four-seamer at the top of the zone.

That type of adjustment is uncommon for a young hitter and had a pair of talent evaluators suggest that while Johnson is likely to start the season at Double-A Altoona he could be playing for the Pirates by September.

In the second meeting of No. 1 overall picks, Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (2019) takes Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (2023) deep to right before Edward Olivares makes a nice catch at the warning track. pic.twitter.com/yb5K68nVDX

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 29, 2024

4. Ready in right

One of the competitions that isn’t shaping up so far is in right field, where two candidates haven’t played yet.

Shelton said Joshua Palacios is dealing with a lower-leg injury, whereas Andrew McCutchen is being handled carefully after recovering from a partially torn left Achilles last September.

Both could return this week.

“Cutch is going to go when Cutch is ready to go,” Shelton said. “Even if he came in, and he was healthy — I mean, he’s 37 years old — we would kind of gauge it back.”

The player who has taken advantage of their absence is Edward Olivares, a 27-year-old right-handed hitter who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in a mid-December trade and avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.35 million contract.

Olivares is batting only .125 (2 for 16) in six Grapefruit League games, but one of those hits was a two-run triple against the Minnesota Twins that showed his speed and gap power.

He also made a pair of impressive catches running toward the wall, including one at the warning track that saved an extra-base hit by Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman against Skenes.

That sound off Henry Davis's bat. ???????? pic.twitter.com/MGbj5ElYh1

— MLB (@MLB) March 2, 2024

5. Don’t doubt Davis

I’ve never bought into the talk that Davis could start the season at Triple-A Indianapolis to give him a chance to be an everyday catcher, and the Pirates have remained steadfast that they view the 2022 No. 1 overall pick as a backstop after he played primarily in right field in the majors last season.

Where Yasmani Grandal has one roster spot locked up at catcher, Davis appears to be in the lead for the other. That could come at the expense of Jason Delay, who has minor-league options available. While Davis is focused on improving as a catcher, he’s keeping his options open.

“I’m a baseball player. The bat’s my carrying tool, and I can impact the game the most with that but I do also feel like I bring more to the table,” Davis told TribLive. “I’m just trying to help the team in whatever way I can, but whatever the team needs from me, that’s what I have to be ready to do so keeping myself in that position where things change. We’ve got a pretty talented team, so whatever they need from me.”

Asked if he’s willing to play right field or serve as designated hitter, Davis was diplomatic.

“I’m not sure,” Davis said. “I’m 100% in on what they’ve told me. I’m also 100% in on that that could change at any time. Being able to do whatever they need of me and being a good soldier is important.”