Pirates pre-game notes: Rotation shuffled

Manager Clint Hurdle announced the Pirates’ rotation going forward today, shedding some light on their plans for the end of the month. 

After Charlie Morton pitches today, the rotation will look like this.

At Dodgers

Friday: Jeff Locke
Saturday: Francisco Liriano
Sunday:  Gerrit Cole

At Rockies

Monday: A.J. Burnett
Tuesday: J.A. Happ
Wednesday: Morton
Thursday: Locke

At Cubs

Friday: Cole
Saturday: Liriano
Sunday: Burnett

The takeaways:

• Liriano will have six days of rest between starts, two more than usual. His 167 innings this year are the second-most in his career, behind the 1912/3 innings in 2010. “This was pretty much a really easy get for both of us,” Hurdle said. “We wanted to give him a little bit of a break, push his start back a few days. He understood completely and I think he feels very good about it. He’s ready to take advantage of it and get back on the mound.” Liriano has a 5.09 ERA since the beginning of August and pitched only 21/3 innings in his most recent outing.
• The Pirates are using all six starters one time through the rotation because of Tuesday’s doubleheader but reverting to a five-man rotation after that -- Cole, Burnett, Happ, Morton, Locke -- while pushing Liriano back. 
• They are lining up their big three of Cole, Liriano and Burnett against the Cubs in Chicago Sept. 25-27.
• Hurdle did not announce the rotation for the Cardinals series, but it is likely that Cole will pitch the series finale Wednesday, Sept. 30, on normal rest. Speaking about Cole earlier this month, Hurdle said, “The target date on the other side is significant because it does put him, if needed, in a position to pitch against the Cubs, the Dodgers, the Cubs, and the Cardinals, and the lineup for the Wild Card game if necessary or the division series.” That would be Cole’s final start of the regular season and put him in line to pitch the Oct. 7 wild-card game on six days’ rest.
• Liriano would be in line to start the Oct. 1 game against the Reds as well as on normal rest for the wild-card game if the Pirates wanted to start him, or have him ready as an alert-five option.

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Hurdle on the Cubs’ five steals Wednesday night: “First of all, we never let it go away, so we talk about it every series. There was a couple situations we just chose not to throw, so it wasn’t all five attempts we were trying to hold people to keep them. A couple times we wanted to maintain position defensively on the diamond, not worry about the throw and take care of the hitter. We’re still trying to find ways to improve.”

Only one of the five runners scored, and Francisco Cervelli did not throw as he tried to frame a called third strike.