Ben Cherington on improved Pirates offense, bullpen struggles, Jared Jones and much more

Ben Cherington has been largely encouraged by the performance thus far of the Pirates offense, a group that ranked fifth in MLB in runs (213) and eighth in OPS (.725) entering Thursday’s games.

The Pirates general manager also knows the team must improve in the bullpen and when facing left-handed starters. While meeting with reporters at PNC Park, Cherington tackled those two topics, along with Jared Jones’ return, Seth Hernandez’s promotion, runway for Marcell Ozuna and more.

Let’s dig in.

Offense and bullpen

Cherington believes the Pirates are more “connected” than last year, essentially having a deeper lineup with hitters capable of generating more runs.

Hard to argue. Same for saying the bullpen must improve.

Overall, Pirates relievers had a 4.14 ERA prior to Thursday, which ranked 17th in MLB. Over the past 14 days, that number has ballooned to 6.68, second-worst in MLB.

It’s been mostly the right side, Cherington said. Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery and Evan Sisk have been solid from the left.

“That’s an area we know needs to improve for us to win at the level we need to,” Cherington said. “Believe in the guys in that group. Believe they’re capable of performing more consistently, better than we’ve seen the last two or three weeks.

“There’s no shortage of effort or accountability. They’re working on things. There’s a plan for all of them. We know to be the team we want to be, we have to get more consistent performance out of the bullpen.”

Cherington said there are usually three options for a bullpen to improve in-season. Number one, those in it simply need to pitch better. Teams can also rely on the development of young arms. The last involves external additions.

There could be a few options at Triple-A. Brandan Bidois is here. Wilber Dotel made a strong impression. Chris Devenski should be back soon. Beau Burrows and Joe La Sorsa have pitched a lot and well. But it’s also no guarantee.

As for adding someone …

“It's pretty early still, but those conversations are happening with teams,” Cherington said. “Not specific to the bullpen, but generally we're having those conversations. So, we'll monitor that also."

The reality is there’s not much the Pirates can do. They’re not going to do anything roster-wise with Dennis Santana or Isaac Mattson. They’ve expressed belief in Justin Lawrence – and manager Don Kelly did again Wednesday night.

If a reliever is any good, it’s also tough to imagine a team would trade him in mid-May. Hence why the Pirates are probably more focused on the first two parts of Cherington’s three-step outline.

What happens with Jones?

Jared Jones will make his next rehab start with Double-A Altoona on Sunday. He’s recovering as well as anyone could expect, both in terms of performance and how he feels. The question becomes what happens when he returns?

Cherington reiterated his previous stance: The Pirates view Jones as a starter long-term. But he was noncommittal on the idea of Jones working some out of the bullpen when he gets back.

“We certainly believe he's a starting pitcher,” Cherington said. “We'll make determinations about exactly who is in what role when he's ready to come back on the team. Certainly very possible he's starting games, but we want to take it an outing at a time with all these guys."

Better on Henry

Cherington was asked to assess the offense out of Henry Davis, who’s hitting just .151 with a .519 OPS. The surface-level production has certainly lacked, Cherington admitted.

At the same time, Davis is in the 74th percentile of average exit velocity (90.9 mph), the 72nd when it comes to whiff rate (20.7%), the 70th with strikeout rate (18.0%) and the 67th when it comes to walks (11.0%).

It probably also bears mention that Davis has a .167 batting average on balls in play (BABIP). The Pirates certainly need more actual production. No argument there. But the look under the hood is interesting and may portend a change.

“I don’t we’ve seen the best of him as a hitter,” Cherington said. “I do think we’re seeing some improvement this year. Hasn’t quite bubbled up into production yet. Still believe there’s more to come.”

The Hernandez bump

Cherington said he expected Hernandez to throw hard. But with high school pitchers, he didn’t know how Hernandez would execute or how consistent he would be.

Obviously that’s been very good, the right-hander going 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA and 50 strikeouts compared to just seven walks in his first six starts (totaling 28 innings) in affiliated ball.

Hernandez has been electric, and he’ll pitch Thursday for the first time at High-A.

Cherington said Pirates director of coaching and player development Michael Chernow recommended the promotion recently, and it was pretty darn easy to support it.

“It’s encouraging how much he’s been in the zone with all of his pitches,” Cherington said. “He’s also been recovering really well. His between-starts routine has been really strong. We’re excited about where he’s at. We’re excited about him getting a taste of High-A.”

Ozuna’s runway

Later in the session, Cherington reiterated the organization’s stance on Marcell Ozuna. Though the designated hitter is batting just .190 with a .582 OPS, there’s been enough other value, specifically off the field, to where the Pirates aren’t compelled to act.

They believe he’s going to improve. They’re comfortable giving Ozuna the runway to do it.

“He’s definitely going to have runway,” Cherington said. “I don’t think it’s a stress point right now because on the days Donnie has decided he’s going to put someone else out there and give him a day, he’s a total pro. There’s no change. He’s part of the team. We are excited he’s a part of the team. Over the course of the season, we believe the numbers will be there.”

Other injuries

Prior to the session with Cherington, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk met with reporters. Among the highlights:

Devenski (undisclosed illness) has resumed all baseball activities and threw a bullpen on Wednesday. Tomczyk said Devenski has a few upcoming appointments but has been “trending in a rather positive way to return.”

It sounds like Jake Mangum (left hamstring) will be back as soon as Saturday, when he’s eligible to come off the 10-day injured list. Tomczyk said Mangum has resumed all baseball activities and will ramp up the volume and intensity of his running in the coming days.

Joey Bart (left foot infection) had a course of IV antibiotics. The Pirates are seeing how Bart’s body responds before making any determinations on a timeline.

Mitch Jebb (fractured left thumb) and Anthony Solometo (labrum in left shoulder) had successful surgeries. The Pirates hope Jebb will resume baseball activities in 10 weeks, while Solometo will require about a year before his full return.

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@post-gazette.com and @JMackey_PGH.