Pirates Insider: Growth shown by Khristian Curtis important for 2027

As Khristian Curtis stood on the Wrigley Field mound last Friday, there was little he could do to stop the game from spinning. The rookie right-hander was sped up in his delivery and thought process, the Cubs tagging Curtis for six earned runs over three innings as a result.

Fast-forward six days. Back home at PNC Park, Curtis showed important start-to-start growth with how maturely he pitched during the Pirates’ 5-4 victory over the Brewers on Thursday, delivering 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out three and improving to 2-0 during his young career.

“Last week happened,” Curtis said. “The next game is what matters the most, the next opportunity you get. You have to able to rinse it off and have a fresh mind every day. View it as a new opportunity every day to get better.”

It’s hard to tell what the Pirates have in Curtis. He’s a 12th-round pick, but he’s also only the second player from his class to play for the Pirates other than Paul Skenes. Curtis’ college numbers were average, but he was attractive due to physical talent (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) and pure stuff. He had a 1.64 ERA through his first 11 big league innings but has a 5.18 ERA with Triple-A Indianapolis this season.

On Thursday, Curtis looked like a pitcher with some staying power, generating seven whiffs and allowing just two hard-hit balls. He did that by relying a lot on his cutter, which he threw 44% of the time (up from 30% on the season).

“He threw strikes,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of Curtis, who fired 37 of 61 pitches (61%) for strikes, including nine of 14 first-pitch strikes. “The command was really good. I thought the cutter was good in on the lefties.”

This was how Curtis will have to pitch to keep his name in the mix in 2027, as the Pirates figure out what they have in the starting rotation and what can be stashed in the bullpen.

Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler aren’t going anywhere -- though there’s still news coming on Ashcraft. It’s hard to fathom anything other than Mitch Keller pitching for the Pirates in 2027, though obviously the results need to be better. They’d also be wise to add to the group via trade or free agency.

Beyond that? Curtis finds himself auditioning for work, along with Wilber Dotel, Antwone Kelly and others. Whoever can consistently produce over the final nine games, it sure wouldn’t hurt their chances.

To do that, quick adjustments like the ones we saw Thursday will be required.

“It’s the mental game and being able to have a short memory,” Curtis said.

Among other observations from this one:

• The Pirates’ second inning really came out of nowhere. They had 11 men come to the plate and scored all five runs with two outs.

Prior to Thursday, Brewers starter Kyle Harrison had worked 17 scoreless innings with two walks and 29 strikeouts over three career starts against Pittsburgh. But after a normal first, the Pirates exploded.

“I thought we had a really good approach against him [Thursday],” Don Kelly said.

Eight consecutive Pirates reached with two outs. It’s the Pirates’ first such stretch with two outs in any inning since April 28, 2017, at Miami. The rally included three hits, two walks, two hit batters and catcher’s interference.

• Speaking of catchers, this could be another fun area to monitor. On the day Rafael Flores Jr.’s 10-game hitting streak ended -- he hit .421 during it and has eight of his nine homers in 29 games since Aug. 13 -- Henry Davis absolutely drilled a ball for a two-run homer in the eighth.

It went 423 feet at 110.2 mph. The homer also reminded of the changes Davis has been trying to make with activating his right hip.

The Pirates need more than Davis’ .167 average and .568 OPS. Flores has gotten more playing time, and deservedly so, because he’s been hitting. But how does that play the rest of the way?

• James Hoye did not have a good day behind the plate. The Pirates and Brewers combined to go nine for 11 on challenges. Pittsburgh won six of its seven, its most successful challenges in a game this season.

• Promising and frustrating are the two words that come to mind when talking about the Pirates winning the season series (7-6) over the Brewers for the first time since 2018.

With the Pirates on the brink of playoff elimination, reasons for frustration are obvious. But there’s a playoff-caliber team in there -- albeit one that was affected by injuries, a lousy stretch from the bullpen, not enough from $12 million signee Marcell Ozuna and more.

• Speaking of that bullpen, did you know the Pirates have the most wins above replacement (FanGraphs) of any bullpen in baseball since the All-Star break at 4.5?

They’ve given up the fewest homers (12), have the third-most strikeouts (252) and have posted the second-best FIP (3.17). Mason Montgomery has a better ERA (0.73) and the same number of saves as Mason Miller (1.46) during that time.

“When he comes running in, it's a good feeling knowing we've got our guy on the mound,” Konnor Griffin said of Montgomery. “I think everybody's confident that he's our guy to go get three outs and win a game.”

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.