Pirates notebook: Rookie Bryan Reynolds proves his worth

Bryan Reynolds’ major league debut didn’t draw as much fanfare as teammate Cole Tucker’s, a former first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But he quickly has shown his worth.

“One of them is like chasing a roadrunner,” manager Clint Hurdle said of Tucker. “The other guy is the sheepdog who shows up every day and just punches the ticket.”

In his first two games, Reynolds went 4 for 6 including a double Sunday that was nearly a game-winner. His two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth drive to right reached the wall, but Jung Ho Kang was thrown out at the plate in a 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Hurdle said he’s impressed with the way Reynolds has “gotten his swing off on both sides of the plate against some good pitching.”

“That had to be a little bit of a gas for him to play against the team that drafted him,” Hurdle said.

Reynolds, a second-round pick of the Giants in 2016, was acquired in the trade for Andrew McCutchen. The center fielder went 1 for 2 in his debut Saturday and 3 for 4 on Sunday.

“I love getting hits,” Reynolds said Sunday. “I’ll take three of them. Today, I was able to settle in and be more comfortable than (Saturday). Not completely comfortable because it’s still the second day and all.”

Newman slotted for work in OF

Injured shortstop Kevin Newman packed his bags for a rehab assignment in Indianapolis, where he will play more than infield as his cut finger heals. The team plans to shift him around the field to get his bat in the lineup while limiting his throws.

Newman joined the 10-day injured list April 11.

“We’re going to move him around,” Hurdle said. “We’re going to move him around in the outfield. Either he’s going to play center or left the first day. The one he doesn’t play he’ll play the next day. His third day will be a big workout day at shortstop — throwing, pivots, turns, everything. Then he will play shortstop Friday, shortstop Saturday and then we’ll reassess.”

How much is too much?

Players and fans sat through a 3-hour, 8-minute rain delay Saturday night at PNC Park without seeing any more baseball than had been played before the tarp came out.

The game was called after five innings when officials determined the rain wasn’t likely to stop in a reasonable amount of time. The Pirates benefited because their bullpen wasn’t asked to protect the 3-1 victory against the Giants over four innings.

Hurdle wondered if it was reasonable to play baseball after so much rain has hit the field.

“I thought there might be room for discussion moving forward,” Hurdle said Sunday. “Should there be a cap on time when players are taken off the field? When do we put them in peril to take them back out?”

The Pirates had a three-hour rain delay in Atlanta in 2017 when 200 fans remained in SunTrust Park for the finish of a 6-5 Braves victory. That delay started in the top of the seventh inning and didn’t end until 12:51 a.m. The game ended slightly before 2 a.m., 6 hours, 15 minutes after it started.

Hurdle doesn’t mind waiting as much as he fears the potential for putting players at risk on a wet field.

“I know the drainage systems are nice. They’re good,” he said. “However, (three) hours of rain on a field. What does that do to the outfielders?”

Brault optioned to Indy

Left-handed pitcher Steven Brault was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Gregory Polanco on the active roster. Hurdle said Brault will work as a starter in Indianapolis.