The Pittsburgh Pirates have one chance to get it right if they want to advance to the National League Division Series.
As reported by ESPN, the team announced Monday that Edinson Volquez will start the Wild Card game Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants in front of what’s sure to be a raucous crowd at PNC Park. But is that the right choice?
As with any situation, there are two sides to every story.
Some fans see Volquez as the man who had the highest earned-run average of any starter in Major League Baseball last year. He posted a 5.71 ERA while pitching most of his games for the San Diego Padres in Petco Park, a cavernous stadium known to favor pitchers.
They also see a man who, in his only previous playoff start, allowed four runs in 1.2 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2010 National League Division Series.
Those old stats are history, although history does have a way of repeating itself.
Fans would be a lot more concerned if Volquez, who signed for $5 million before this season, didn’t put together a spectacular year for the Pirates in 2014.
He leads the team in wins (13), earned run average (3.04) and innings pitched (192.2). That’s not to mention Volquez is currently engaged in a career-best scoreless-innings streak that is up to 18 innings.
That scoreless-innings streak has gone a long way in helping him record a 1.08 ERA in September, a number that is the second-lowest in the National League in September.
Volquez is the third starter on the team behind Francisco Liriano, who won last year’s National League Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Reds, and Gerrit Cole.
However, Cole pitched on Sunday when the National League Central was still up for grabs, and Liriano pitched the day before, giving up three earned runs in five innings.
That means Volquez is the only viable option left who has the traditional five days of rest.
But that doesn’t mean there’s not concern.
Charlie Wilmoth of Bucs Dugout made the case that Volquez’ secondary numbers aren’t nearly as good as his ERA suggests.
That’s not to mention Volquez is walking 3.3 batters per nine innings to go along with his league-high 15 wild pitches and 14 hit-batters.
Wilmoth is of the opinion that the Pirates should have held Cole out of the game Sunday and saved him for Wednesday.
The take here is that starting Cole was the right choice, as the team still had a chance to tie the St. Louis Cardinals for the division title. Things didn’t work out that way, and it’s always easy to second-guess in hindsight.
Tom Singer of MLB.com also agrees with the team's decision to give the ball to Volquez, given his stellar performance in the second half of the season.
Keeping the ball in the park is one element that makes Volquez the Pirates' hottest pitcher, and a logical choice for the first postseason assignment," Singer said. "He has fashioned a 1.78 ERA across his last 12 starts, and has not lost since his first outing following the All-Star Game.
Volquez is the right call, if only for the fact that he’s rested and has pitched brilliantly as of late.
Let’s just hope his brilliant September carries over in to October.
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