Pittsburgh Pirates Deserve Benefit Of The Doubt On All Pitching Matters

Sep 16, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher

(50) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Chalk up another win for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ braintrust, asCharlie Mortonheld his own in his return to the starting rotation Tuesday night.

It was just the latest magic move for the Bucs, who have found various ways to get the absolute most out of pitching talent over the past few years.

Start with the likes ofJeff Karstens, whose middling repertoire was refined to make him a surprisingly effective pitcher before his shoulder gave out.Kevin Correiacould be included in this discussion, too, even if he didn’t take part in a winning Pirates team during his time in Pittsburgh.

The magic really started to happen in 2012, when the Bucs pluckedA.J. Burnettfrom the Yankees in a early-spring trade. The fiery right-hander went on to have a career renaissance with the Pirates, playing a huge stabilizing role in the rotation for two seasons.

2013 brought the free-agent arrival ofFrancisco Liriano, who turned in aCy Young-caliber season while the Pirates returned to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. Although Liriano struggled with inconsistency and injuries in the first half of this season, he has been nearly unhittable since the all-star break and figures to get the call in the wild-card game if the Bucs make it that far.

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If you’ve followed this year’s Pirates at all, you know thatEdinson Volquezmay have been the bargain of the offseason when considering how important he’s been to the club’s efforts. The acquisition ofVance Worleyalso deserves a hat tip, even if he sat out Tuesday night in favor of the mending Morton.

I’ve already mentioned seven pitchers and I haven’t even gotten to the bullpen. Add the likes ofJoel Hanrahan,Mark Melancon,Jason GrilliandJohn Holdzkomto the list of hurlers the Pirates have breathed new life into once they donned the black and gold.

It’s uncertain how the credit should be distributed, but we can start by doling it out to general manager Neal Huntington, major-league pitching coachRay Searage, pitching coordinator Jim Benedict and baseball systems chief Dan Fox for the Pirates’ proclivity to find useful arms outside the organization.

Morton has been a big-time feather in the Bucs’ collective cap. Upon his arrival from the Atlanta organization in the 2009 trade that sent outfielderNate McLouthto the Braves, Morton was known as the guy with #ElectricStuff.

He still possesses a live arm, but Morton’s transition from a youngster who leaned on talent alone to a savvy sinkerballer brought significant value to the Pirates. Although the 30-year-old’s health has been a constant concern, Morton’s development of a wicked curveball over the past two seasons only adds to his versatility as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

It might’ve been that curveball that led the Pirates to summon Morton from sports-hernia limbo to challenge the Red Sox on Tuesday. Boston, you see, has struggled with breaking balls all year long, and that continued to be the case as Morton shut them out through five innings at PNC Park.

There was much consternation among Bucco fans when Morton was announced as Tuesday’s starter, but it’s beyond time for the Pirates get the benefit of the doubt on matters of the mound.