The Pittsburgh Pirates had to make a quick bullpen adjustment before their next matchup with the San Diego Padres, and the move came down to availability.
Pittsburgh recalled right-hander Noah Murdock from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of the Aug. 25 game at Petco Park, while rookie right-hander Khristian Curtis was optioned back to Indianapolis to clear space on the 26-man roster.
The need was pretty clear. Six pitchers combined to cover six innings in the Pirates’ 3-2, 12-inning win over the Padres in the series opener on Aug. 24, and then three more bullpen arms handled eight innings in the 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series finale at Dodger Stadium on Aug.
- Across those two games, Pittsburgh used all nine pitchers available, and Curtis had just thrown the final three scoreless innings against the Dodgers, which would have left him unavailable again for the next day.
Murdock is expected to be part of the mix after starter Paul Skenes, though the team is still unsure how deep Skenes will be able to go while he works through a slump.
This is Murdock’s fourth stint with the Pirates. He served as the 27th man for two doubleheaders without getting into either game, then returned again on July 29 and logged three scoreless innings across two appearances.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen now includes right-handers Lake Bachar, Camilo Doval, Carmen Mlodzisnki, Murdock, Yohan Ramírez, Luke Weaver and Kirby Yates, along with left-handers Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto.
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