After a strong performance, Domingo German of the Pirates pleads for more starts

At the start of their final series against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced their starting pitchers for the August 22-25 schedule, when the Cincinnati Reds come to PNC Park for four games.

Paul Skenes will take the mound first on Thursday, followed by Bailey Falter on Friday. Jake Woodford is scheduled to pitch on Saturday, and Luis Ortiz will close out the series on Sunday.

Beyond that, a decision has yet to be made.

After throwing 10 strikeouts in five innings during his final rehab outing at Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Jared Jones could be a candidate to start the following game on Monday, August 26 against the Chicago Cubs.

Jones has now completed three rehab assignments with the Indians and is close to returning to the Pirates after a strain in his right latissimus dorsi put him out of action in early July.

It remains to be seen whether the Pirates will reactivate him on Monday.

Mitch Keller, who just pitched a seven-inning shutout against Texas on August 20, will have a five-day break next Monday.

After a solid start on Wednesday in Arlington, another option for the starting lineup has emerged: Domingo German.

German made his first MLB start in over a year on Wednesday, going six innings and allowing zero runs against the Rangers.

The 32-year-old, who spent six seasons with the New York Yankees and pitched the 24th perfect game in MLB history on June 29 of last year while battling multiple off-field issues and suspensions, joined the Pirates as a minor league free agent in March.

He was called up to the Major Leagues on August 9 and made three relief appearances before starting on Wednesday.

Although it was a small sample size, manager Derek Shelton liked what he saw and suggested German could take on additional rotation duties in the near future.

“I think there's a chance he'll be in the starting lineup more often,” Shelton said on SportsNet Pittsburgh's postgame broadcast after the Pirates lost 1-0. “I think we all know we like to have six (starters). We'll have to look at that and see where it is, but I could see him being in the starting lineup more often.”

German spent most of 2024 at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he started 13 times and went 6-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 68 innings.

Since joining the Pirates, he has a 1.50 ERA with eight strikeouts and seven walks in 12 innings.

“It always feels good to come back and show my talent and skills in the big leagues,” German told reporters in Arlington through translator Stephen Morales, a Pirates assistant coach.

“Of course, I've had some tough times. But now it feels good to come back and do my thing.”

German is far from a power pitcher, his four-seam fastball typically tops out at around 91 miles per hour.

But combined with his curveball and changeup, German has what it takes to be effective.

However, the loss of control in a few appearances with the Pirates has been a problem for German so far.

He walked four times on Wednesday, and in his last appearance on August 17, he walked once and struck out two more batters.

“It's the execution of the fastball,” Shelton said. “We've seen that (velocity) increase a little bit compared to where he was in Triple-A, and he can mix and match the changeup.”