Keeping in mind the early-season sample size, Pittsburgh Pirates starters were just short of dominant through the first five games.
After Jameson Taillon allowed four runs in the opener in Cincinnati, Taillon, Trevor Williams and Jordan Lyles surrendered only one run in 23 innings. Overall, the four starters have a cumulative ERA of 1.55, giving up fewer hits (16) and walks (nine) than innings pitched (29) and striking out 25.
“We’ve talked about this at length, about things being contagious in the game,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “There is a lot of competitive spirit within those small units, the bullpen, the starting pitchers, infield play.
“Our starters, they’ve been bonding for a while. It started not this past spring but spring before, actually growing together. I’d love to see it ride out for a good, long period of time.”
Joe Musgrove, whose first start was delayed when a game in Cincinnati was rained out, started Friday against the Reds at PNC Park.
Any way you can get there
Shortstop Erik Gonzalez recorded his first stolen base with the Pirates in an unconventional way. He strayed slightly out of the base line while running between first and second.
“We showed it to him,” Hurdle said. “It’s not the optimum route. We all know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The irony of it is by taking the disconnected route that he took, it made him safe.
“(The fielder puts) the tag in front of the base, you should be out 99 percent of the time. The one time it didn’t work was that time.”
Gonzalez was called out on the field, but the call was reversed after the Pirates challenged the ruling when someone noticed he eluded the tag.
In three previous seasons, Gonzalez has only four stolen bases.
More playing time than expected
Signed as a minor-league free agent to be a backup if he made it to the majors, JB Shuck made his fifth start of the season Friday when Hurdle decided to rest right fielder Melky Cabrera.
Before Friday, Cabrera had six hits (five singles) in 14 at-bats, and Shuck was 2 for 10 with a team-leading four walks.
No position switch planned
Starling Marte took ground balls at third base before the game, but Hurdle said it was just for practice.
“He doesn’t want to be in the infield come game time for any reason, other than to be a runner,” the manager said.
