For a Pirates’ starting rotation that has been marred by injury and struggle, a newcomer to Pittsburgh has found some success on the mound as of late. 

Andre Jackson, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers back in June, has been a standout starter for the Bucs in a time where they desperately need somebody, anybody to pitch innings for them. 

Jackson hasn’t just eaten innings for Pittsburgh, he’s excelled in them. Wednesday night’s game in Kansas City was the latest in a string of really good performances by Jackson. In 5.2 innings pitched, he allowed just 1 run (a solo shot out of the park), and only gave up 1 other hit. He struck out 7 batters, a new career high, and provided the Pirates with stability as they eventually won 4-1. 

It was the latest in a row of solid performances for Pirates pitching, which is still severely understaffed, having to pitch “bullpen games” just to get by. 

The 27 year old Vali, Arizona native had just 14 games of Major League Baseball experience before he found himself on his way to the Pirates. He had appeared in 7 games for the Dodgers so far in 2023, but none of those games were as a starting pitcher. 

But with the Pirates, Jackson now has an opportunity to showcase his talents in a much bigger role and sample size in Pittsburgh. After being called up in early August, Jackson has appeared in 6 games for the Pirates, 3 of which were starts. 

Jackson’s first 2 games as a Pirate came as a reliever, where in a combined 5.0 innings pitched he completely shut down his opponents. Jackson gave up 0 hits, while striking out 7 in total. 

Since then, Jackson has started 3 games, and essentially started a fourth (pitching from the second inning to the seventh inning). From August 13th until now, Jackson has pitched 19.2 total innings, giving up just 8 hits in that time frame. His opponents have just 8 earned runs against him, landing him a 3.66 ERA during those 4 games. 

Jackson has also struck out 20 batters in those games, as opposed to just 7 walks. 

If he can continue at this kind of pace, Jackson likely slides himself into a starting pitcher role for the rest of the season, especially given Pittsburgh’s current lack of depth at the position. 

Aside from Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo, the Pirates are still a big question mark in terms of who their starters are. Jackson is certainly looking like he can fill in one of those spots in the rotation.

(Featured photo by Charlie Riedel/AP)