What did the Pittsburgh Pirates see out of Chad Kuhl’s first major league start?
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chad Kuhl made his major league debut last night against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the best pitcher on the planet, Clayton Kershaw.
On paper it shaped up like a David-and-Goliath mismatch, but Kuhl came through and delivered a performance he will likely never forget. In the end, he went five innings, allowed three earned runs, struck out five, walked four and earned the win.
Kuhl was shaky out of the gate, throwing hard at 96-97 mph, but struggling with his control. He only threw four-seam fastballs and sliders in the first inning, sticking with what got him to the big leagues. Chase Utley was the first batter that Kuhl faced and on the second pitch of the game, Kuhl served up one of those four-seamers right down the middle. Fortunately, Utley lined it right at David Freese for the first out. After struggling to throw strikes to the second batter, Corey Seager, he got him to ground out. Then he gave up a hit and two walks to load the bases before Yasiel Puig grounded out to end the inning. He seemed nervous in the first inning, which is understandable for any player making their first big league start.
Kuhl probably went through a week’s worth of adrenaline in that one inning. When it was over, he threw 20 pitches – only seven for strikes – but he escaped without allowing a run.
The second inning went much better against the bottom of the Dodger’s order. Kuhl struck out two and went three-up, three-down. His velocity was a tick lower, which probably helped him control the movement on his fastball better. In the third, Kuhl’s command was the best of the night, but he gave up consecutive hits to Seager and Dodgers third baseman, Justin Turner. Turner’s was a two-run homer than barely cleared the left field wall. Kuhl bounced back the next inning with another three-up, three-down effort that included two more strikeouts. He gave up another run in the fifth before being lifted after only 77 pitches. He most likely could have pitched another inning, but Pirate manager Clint Hurdle probably wanted to make sure Kuhl left the game with a positive feeling and the lead. The Pirates bullpen took it from there to secure the 4-3 win for Kuhl.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]After the first inning, Kuhl’s four-seam fastball was his knockout pitch. [/perfectpullquote]After the first inning, Kuhl’s four-seam fastball was his knockout pitch. He ran it away from left-handed batters and was able to catch the bottom of the zone multiple times. He struck out the Dodger’s catcher Yasmani Grandal, three times with the pitch. His slider was also effective against the Dodger’s hitters. He used it to strike out Yasiel Puig to end to third inning, prompting Puig to throw his helmet in disgust. He only threw one change-up the entire night. If he had to go six or seven innings, and work through the lineup again, then he would have likely needed the change-up to be working. However, tonight he was able to neutralize the Dodgers offense with just his four seam fastball and his slider.
On the negative side, Kuhl had a very tough time throwing inside against left handed hitters. He walked Joc Pederson twice, throwing only two strikes during his first two at bats. He also struggled to throw strikes to Corey Seager, another lefty. Like many pitchers, Kuhl may have issues throwing strikes on the inside part of the zone against left handed hitters who crowd the plate. This will be something to watch in future starts.
Kuhl also contributed offensively with an eight pitch at bat that wore out Kershaw and probably contributed to the next two batters (Adam Frazier and David Freese) driving in four runs between them. He had a nice sacrifice bunt in the 4th and what turned out to be a game winning tag at home after a passed ball almost allowed Justin Turner to score from third. Chad Kuhl definitely came to play in his first major league outing.
One fan at the game had a sign “Kershaw isn’t Kuhl” which perfectly summed up the night.
No one is going to confuse Chad Kuhl for Clayton Kershaw anytime soon, but on this night, Kuhl ruled.
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