Bucs pitchers racking up strikeouts

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

There was a time in James McDonald’s career when the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander would get two strikes on a batter and get cute.

Rather than stay on the attack, McDonald tried to paint corners. It led to long at-bats and short outings.

In spring training, pitching coach Ray Searage decided it was time for a chat.

“I said ‘Dude, you’ve got to get a little bit more pitch efficient, get the hitter out in four pitches, induce contact with three pitches or less,”’ Searage said.

The goal was to make McDonald more efficient, not turn him into strikeout pitcher.

It’s happening anyway.

McDonald (2-1) has 25 strikeouts over his last three starts for the Pirates, who open a 3-game series tonight against Washington.

McDonald insists his preference would be to induce opponents to make contact early and rely on his defense but allows “if I need a strikeout, I can go get one.”

So can his teammates.

A month into the season Pittsburgh is 14th in the majors in strikeouts per nine innings (7.4). The Pirates were 28th in the same category a year ago.

While the addition of veterans Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett certainly helps — Bedard is in the top 15 in baseball in strikeouts (37) — so is the maturation of McDonald.

G.M. Neal Huntington praised McDonald for embracing the mindset of pitching to contact rather than thinking strikeout.

“There’s a distinct difference between trying to get the strikeout from pitch one, trying to make the perfect pitch and more often than not you get yourself in trouble because you’re 2-0 instead of 0-2 and not trusting your stuff and letting it play,” Huntington said.

It’s something that’s permeated the staff, thanks in part to the quick rapport the pitchers have built with catcher Rod Barajas, who signed as a free agent last winter.

“I’ve spent a lot of time around the guys, around the coaches, picking everyone’s brain,” Barajas said. “Going into the season I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what they liked to do, what they could do and they couldn’t do. Once the season started, just look at the results. Things seem to be going smoothly.”