Lyles' early exit troubling news for Bucs' rotation

CINCINNATI -- The Pirates’ dire pitching situation became even more troubling on Tuesday, when right-hander Jordan Lyles left his outing against the Reds early with left hamstring discomfort.

The Bucs’ 11-6 loss to the Reds was a mere footnote to a much more serious issue surrounding Pittsburgh's pitching staff, which has had to find new and innovative ways to connect the dots without the luxury of a full, healthy arsenal of arms.

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Lyles said after the game that he was confident the injury wasn’t “anything serious.” But any true assessments will take place on Wednesday and beyond, when the Pirates have a firmer handle on the extent of the injury.

“We'll figure out more as the night passes, and we see him tomorrow,” manager Clint Hurdle said.

Lyles experienced the discomfort while facing Tucker Barnhart with one out in that fourth inning. He flinched after his follow-through, prompting manager Hurdle and athletic trainer Bryan Housand to go to the mound to check on him.

Lyles, who threw a couple of warmup pitches as a test, did not want to come out of the game and convincingly argued his point with Hurdle. He finished the inning, striking out Barnhart and coaxing a ground ball from Jose Peraza. But the pitcher did not return in the fifth, which he said was his call.

“It flared up a little bit. We were able to get out of the inning,” Lyles said. “I decided to shut it down before I came back out in the fifth.”

“He just loves to compete,” Hurdle said. “He was disappointed. The way some of the other things happened, he didn't want to walk off in the middle of an inning. He was able to finish the inning. I think we made a good decision just to get him out and move on.”

If Lyles has to miss significant time, it could be a big blow for a rotation lacking in depth, partly because of injuries. Key starters Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams have been sidelined for much of the season, and Lyles was doing his part to anchor the starting staff, pitching to a 3.09 ERA over 10 starts.

Now the Bucs could be without their only starting pitcher who has pitched well this month. Lyles had a 3.20 ERA in May before allowing three runs in four innings Tuesday, raising it to 3.68.

“We have to play on,” Hurdle said. “I said before, you don't compare and you don't wonder why. You deal with what's going on, and it's times like these where the leadership in the clubhouse, the leadership on the staff, it shows up. You continue to encourage, you continue to coach, you continue to work. Nothing's going to stop, nobody's going to feel sorry for you and you've got to play.”

While he was struggling through his own injury issue Tuesday, Lyles wasn’t thinking about how his absence might affect the team if this does turn into a longer-term problem. But clearly, he understands how little wiggle room Pittsburgh's pitching staff has these days.

“There's a lot of guys -- not just pitchers, position players, too,” he said. “We have the injury bug so far this year. But every team has injury problems and issues. We’re just having a little bit more than normal.”

Lyles was replaced by rookie Geoff Hartlieb, who allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings, including two two-run homers by Pirate killer Derek Dietrich, who hit three homers on the night.

Newman goes yard
The Pirates were down 10-0 when Kevin Newman took Lucas Sims deep for his first career home run, but the large scoring deficit did nothing to squelch the enthusiasm in the Bucs' dugout.

The players erupted when the ball, which traveled a projected 390 to center, left the ballpark, and who can blame them? Newman's first Major League home run was also a grand slam.

"That's kind of the clubhouse chemistry," Newman said. "We're all celebrating one another and the success that each other has. To get that first one and to see them respond like that was pretty special.”

The celebration extended to the stands, where Newman's dad, John, celebrated the home run with high fives with the other Pirates dads. He was also caught on camera enthusiastically waving to his son as he crossed home plate, though the younger Newman said he didn't actually see his pops.

John Newman is one of many Bucs fathers who have accompanied the team on its annual "Dads Trip."

"When I got back in, some of the guys were saying they looked up because they knew where he was, and they saw he was stoked and going crazy," Kevin Newman said. "I kind of looked up, but I didn't make eye contact. He was pretty happy."