Tom

Gorzelanny

Gorzelanny wasn’t allowed to go for the shutout after throwing 111 pitches. Josh Sharpless took over in the ninth and retired three of the four batters he faced in thr 6-0 win. Gorzelanny had little trouble throwing his 94-95 mph fastball past Cubs hitters today, and he also showed the best changeup we’ve seen from him to date. He’ll still have days on which his command lets him down, but he’s likely to be worth using in NL-only leagues over the rest of the season.

With Kip Wells coming back at the end of the month, it doesn’t look like Gorzelanny’s opportunity will come before the All-Star break. It’s too bad, because he could be a useful starter for the Pirates and NL-only leaguers right now.

Gorzelanny had his turn in the rotation skipped this week, but he should be able to start next week when his turn comes around again.

Manager Jim Tracy said Gorzelanny is not being shut down and will continue to throw on the side. Victor Santos will start Friday, with Paul Maholm moving up to Gorzelanny’s spot on Thursday. The Pirates would be smart to be very careful with their young left-hander.

Zach Duke will move up and start on normal rest tomorrow. Gorzelanny does have elbow issues in his past, so this is definitely something to watch. “It was a little stiff after the start,” Gorzelanny said. “It’s getting late in the year. It’s the dog days. I’ll take my time and I’ll be fine for Thursday.” If Gorzelanny continues to have problems, he’ll likely be shut down at some point during September.

He gave up just six hits and two runs -- one earned -- in seven innings with five strikeouts and no walks but did not factor into the decision. The rookie southpaw has pitched at least six innings and surrendered two runs or less in each of his last four starts dating back to July 23. Over that time, he’s lowered his ERA from an ugly 9.26 to a fine 3.74.

Gorzelanny claims he doesn’t feel pain in his elbow, but the Pirates are going to be extremely cautious with his young arm.

He’s pitched 16 shutout innings over his last two starts. Gorzelanny will likely move into the Pirates’ rotation pretty soon. He’s 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA in the International League.

Gorzelanny gave up six hits and walked three, so he wasn’t particularly sharp. Still, he gave the Pirates a chance to win, and they scored seven runs after he left to prevail 9-2. Gorzelanny will get the Mets in his next start. It should be OK to use him in NL-only leagues.

Gorzelanny struggled with his control right from the start, walking four, hitting a batter and throwing two wild pitches. He’s better than this, but it’s not certain that he’ll get a chance to show it, as the Pirates could decide to have Victor Santos replace him in the rotation following the break. They’d be better off giving Gorzelanny more of a chance.