Clint Hurdle took a look at his extended pitching chart while meeting with the media before Saturday’s game against the Dodgers.

It was a color-coded mashup with individual schedules, notes and cross-outs. He shrugged and gave a resigned, bemused grin.

“At the back end of it, we’ve got (Jordan) Lyles Tuesday,” Hurdle said before a pause as he tried to piece together a scenario of starting pitchers. “Lyles on Tuesday. We’ll give you the rest later. Isn’t that fun?”

Here’s the problem. Hurdle was originally asked which pitchers would start yesterday’s doubleheader against the Reds. It ended up being Nick Kingham in Game 1 and Mitch Keller in Game 2. Kingham went 4 2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs as the Pirates won the opener 8-5. Keller — making his MLB debut — allowed six runs in the first inning then pitched three scoreless in an 8-1 loss.

But, c’mon. Projecting two Monday starters on Saturday? With this Pirates team? This year? How was Hurdle supposed to do that?

Pfft! It was a pitching chart. Not a Ouija board. Short of having one of those in his office or a crystal ball, I’m not sure whether Hurdle can look at his rotation with any degree of confidence from one day to the next given all the injuries.

Heck, in the case of Michael Feliz, even he didn’t know he was going to start Friday’s game until he got to the ballpark.

So trying to get a firm answer from Hurdle 48 hours out about a starter was probably a big ask these days.

However, 72 hours was shockingly easier because the answer was Lyles.

Who would’ve figured that? Coming out of Bradenton, Lyles was the only real question in the rotation. Trevor Williams, Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove and Chris Archer were givens.

Staples. Written in indelible ink.

Unfortunately, Taillon and Williams are on the injured list. Archer spent time on the shelf, too. He’s 1-5 with a 5.75 ERA. And Musgrove’s ERA is up to 4.27 with a 3-5 record.

Lyles has been the most stable, consistent and healthy starter of the bunch. His presence has been a necessary addition to the rotation as the Pirates have attempted to start myriad miscast relievers, call-ups and “openers.” All of them have struggled as the club tries to push its way through this current rash of pitching injuries.

“It’s one of those things that puts a big smile on your face right now, Jordan Lyles’ performance,” Hurdle said, as he literally broke out in a grin talking about Lyles’ next start. “I probably wouldn’t have had that kind of thinking (coming out of spring training) that I do now about Jordan Lyles on Tuesday.”

Lyles has given Hurdle plenty of reasons to smile this season. He entered his start May 23 at 4-1 with a 1.97 ERA. The 28-year-old right-hander then proceeded to shut out the Rockies for five innings before a six-run blow up in the sixth. That bumped his ERA up to 2.81.

But that frame aside, Lyles has been excellent. In seven of his nine starts, he has yielded two runs or less. His has struck out 24 and walked five in his last three starts.

Now that Tuesday is here, Lyles is looking to turn in another solid performance to further earn that confidence from his manager.

“Overall this season, I’ve been happy and pleased with it,” Lyles said. “I still want to run off 20 or more starts like that.”

Lyles, who is in his ninth year in the majors, has never had a season with more than seven wins or an ERA under 4.11. He said there are some very specific reasons for his improvement in 2019.

“Most of my success has been throwing quality strikes up in the zone, close to the body line of hitters,” Lyles explained. “That’s given me more leeway with my breaking balls down in the zone.”

Lyles has credited an effectively elevated fastball for that. He also praises a “cutter-slider” the last few outings that he didn’t have to start the season.

Is the level of success he has enjoyed in 2019 sustainable? Unlikely. Is it essential to maintain for the immediate future until Taillon and Williams return?

Absolutely.

By the end of Tuesday night, let’s see if Hurdle is as confident in saying, “We’ve got Lyles going on Sunday in Milwaukee.”

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