RHP Johan Oviedo to make Pirates debut in start against Blue Jays on Friday night
Johan Oviedo, the 24-year-old right-handed pitcher acquired from St. Louis in the Jose Quintana trade, will make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut when he starts Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Pirates announced the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Oviedo will start Friday, right-hander Roansy Contreras on Saturday and right-hander JT Brubaker on Sunday. Brubaker returned Wednesday from paternity leave after the birth of his first child, a baby boy.
The Pirates recalled Oviedo and outfielder Cal Mitchell from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, when MLB active rosters expanded to 28 players.
Oviedo was 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA, 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 1/3 innings over 14 games for the Cardinals this season. In 13 relief appearances, he was 2-0 with a 2.6 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
After being acquired, Oviedo was sent to Indianapolis to stretch out as a starter. In 11 1/3 innings over five appearances, including four starts, he posted a 0.79 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 13 strikeouts and three walks as opponents batted .195 against him.
Mitchell, 23, batted .204 with six doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs in 23 games with the Pirates before being optioned Aug. 9, when Rodolfo Castro was recalled. Mitchell slashed .375/.438/.688 with four doubles, two triples, four home runs and 14 RBIs in 17 games at Indianapolis last month.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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