Pirates acquire righty Stratton from Angels

ST. LOUIS -- The Pirates added to their pitching depth on Saturday by acquiring Chris Stratton from the Angels for cash considerations.

Stratton, 28, joined Pittsburgh’s pitching staff at Busch Stadium on Sunday morning. He will serve as a multi-inning reliever and possible spot starter who could work his way into a larger role. The 6-foot-2 righty was 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA, a 2.08 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings in seven appearances, including five starts, for the Angels.

“I’m just ready to pitch. I’ve got kind of a bad taste in my mouth this month,” Stratton said. “Just ready to get the ball rolling here and get some outs.”

Stratton went to work right away in the Pirates’ 10-6 win over the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. After allowing a leadoff double, he pitched a scoreless sixth inning and picked up the win when Pittsburgh rallied for five runs in the seventh inning.

The Angels designated Stratton for assignment on Tuesday. The Pirates officially acquired him before Saturday’s rain-delayed game at Busch Stadium, then activated him on Sunday. To make room on their active roster, the Bucs optioned reliever Dovydas Neverauskas to Triple-A Indianapolis.

“Definitely didn’t get off to the best start that I wanted to,” Stratton said. “Just trying to make some adjustments there early, and some of them didn’t work out. Excited about the opportunity.”

The Pirates made room for Stratton on their 40-man roster by moving reliever Nick Burdi (nerve injury in his biceps) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Stratton will wear uniform No. 46.

After the Angels cut ties with him, Stratton headed home to Tupelo, Miss., to celebrate his son Mack’s third birthday. On Saturday, he received a phone call from an Angels executive with a New York area code. His first thought was that he’d been traded to the Yankees or Mets.

But it was the Pirates, and their roster presented a few familiar faces when he walked into the clubhouse on Sunday morning: Adam Frazier , his college teammate at Mississippi State University, and former Giants teammate Kyle Crick.

Stratton spent his first three seasons in the Majors with the Giants, posting a 4.63 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 48 appearances. His best performance came last Sept. 14, when he pitched a two-hit shutout against the Rockies in San Francisco. The Giants dealt him to the Angels on March 26 for pitcher Williams Jerez.

Stratton does not throw particularly hard, as his four-seam fastball has averaged 90.5 mph this year. But he does possess some interesting traits. His average fastball spin rate ranks in the Majors’ 91st percentile this season. His average curveball spin rate of 3,082 rpm ranks fourth in the Majors this season among pitchers who have thrown at least 25 curveballs. His slider’s average spin rate (2,839 rpm) ranks 22nd in the Majors; for context, Crick’s sweeping slider has the Majors’ highest spin rate at 3,187 rpm.

“He’s had some success. He’s had some challenges,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Pitchability with the fastball. High spin rates with the slider. Some other stuff. … We feel he can help us. He appreciates the opportunity, and we’re looking forward to extending it to him.”

Archer set for start
After throwing a four-inning simulated game at Busch Stadium on Friday afternoon, Chris Archer declared himself ready to start in a Major League game five days later. The Pirates apparently have agreed with his assessment.

Archer is scheduled to rejoin Pittsburgh’s rotation on Wednesday afternoon, the last game of the Pirates’ series against the D-backs at Chase Field. The right-hander has been on the injured list since April 27 due to right thumb inflammation.

With Archer returning, right-hander Trevor Williams will receive at least one extra day of rest before pitching in his hometown of San Diego against the Padres.

Mother’s Day memory
Nick Kingham's mother, Roxane, was on hand along with the rest of his family at PNC Park when Kingham made his nearly perfect Major League debut on April 29, 2018. That special weekend began with Nolan Kingham, Nick’s younger brother, pitching for the University of Texas against West Virginia University about 75 miles south of Pittsburgh and ended with Nick Kingham’s historic debut.

Like many baseball moms, Roxane Kingham played catch with her son -- and held her own just fine, Nick Kingham said -- between trips to practices and games while he was growing up. He smiled as he remembered her signature words of encouragement when he was 10-12 years old.

“She didn’t know much about baseball. She understands more now about how the game works, obviously,” Kingham said. “Whenever I’d pitch when I was little, she would yell from the stands -- loud, and everybody could hear -- ‘Big kicks!’

“She thought that the bigger I kicked up [his leg in his delivery], the better I’d do with that pitch. So she would just yell all the time, if I wasn’t doing too well, ‘Let’s go, Nick! Big kicks!’”

Roxane Kingham doesn’t shout that specific phrase anymore, but she’ll still be supporting her son when he takes the mound to start on Monday night in Phoenix.