With a depleted bullpen, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton turned to new reliever Thomas Hatch in the fifth inning Thursday with a plan that was more of a request: Give us whatever you have.

The 28-year-old right-hander responded by tossing four scoreless innings against an Atlanta Braves lineup featuring seven All-Stars and the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year, striking out two and allowing only two hits in the 7-5 win at PNC Park.

“Honestly, going into it, I thought if he gave us two, we’d be OK,” said Shelton, who sent pitching coach Oscar Marin to check in with Hatch. “He got through the third and then Oscar went down to talk to him and was able to give us the fourth. In the fourth, what I think was important was he was really efficient. He went right after guys.”

4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 42 pitches

84.9 MPH changeup, 1842 RPM, 34 IVB, 5 IHB pic.twitter.com/HbwRXtIVM6

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) August 11, 2023

As Pirates debuts go, Hatch’s was pretty impressive. The circumstances made it even more special. Only six days earlier, he had been designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays. With righty Dauri Moreta on the injured list, the Pirates claimed Hatch on waivers Sunday. Four days later, he faced 13 Braves batters and held them to a pair of singles.

“It’s nice to have the team show confidence in me to put me in a situation like that,” Hatch said. “I just tried to stay within myself, not do too much and the product was good.”

Forgive Hatch for his unassuming nature. A 2016 third-round pick out of Oklahoma State by the Chicago Cubs, he had been traded to the Blue Jays at the deadline in 2019 and viewed the new start as “fresh air.” So he was excited about another new start with a different team.

Over four seasons with Toronto, Hatch was 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, starting in four of his 27 appearances. Where his role with the Blue Jays was rather predictable, Hatch was excited by the open-ended possibilities with the Pirates.

“For the most part I think it’s bulk relief,” Hatch said Tuesday. “I’ll see what they have for me, but for the most part that’s what I know.”

After the Braves battered left-hander Bailey Falter for four runs on eight hits and two walks in the first three innings, the Pirates rallied with a three-run third to make it a one-run game.

Hatch relieved Falter in the fifth, giving up a single to the first batter he faced, Travis d’Arnaud. Hatch then went to work by relying on his cutter — which he says is more of a slider — to set up his 95-mph sinker and 85-mph changeup to keep the Braves off-balance. Hatch struck out Marcell Ozuna and got Orlando Arcia, who had homered and walked in his first two at-bats, to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the frame.

“He did a good job mixing in the fastball and the breaking ball,” Shelton said, “but I think the cutter is was what kind of stood out.”

Hatch also got some help from his teammates. Jack Suwinski made a spectacular sprint to catch Ronald Acuna Jr.’s line drive to end the sixth. After Austin Riley singled in the seventh, rookie right fielder Henry Davis snared a Matt Olson line drive to prevent an extra-base hit and, possibly, a run. In the eighth, rookie shortstop Alika Williams ranged to his left to snag Ozuna’s grounder, then threw across his body to first.

“I was pounding the zone, staying efficient,” said Hatch, who threw 30 of his 42 pitches for strikes, generating 13 called strikes and swings and misses. “Defense played very well behind me, made some very good plays. Kept the pitch count low and was able to save the bullpen a little bit.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)