DENVER -- Jameson Taillon made a big splash in his Major League debut Wednesday, lasting six innings in a quality start that featured three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three in a game the Pirates lost to the Mets in extra innings.
Taillon's glory will last longer than his first stint in the Majors lasted. The right-hander was called up before Wednesday's start and was optioned back to Triple-A Indianapolis before Thursday's one-game road trip to Colorado.
"The man came up and gave us a nice effort, a nice outing, it's a great story," manager Clint Hurdle said Thursday. "This kid's poured into everything he's done. It's been a great fight back."
Taillon, 24, was drafted by the Pirates with the second overall pick in 2010, and he is the Bucs' No. 4 prospect per MLBPipeline.com. His big league break came after nearly two years spent recovering from Tommy John surgery and a hernia. Taillon has had a strong spring in Indy, going 4-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 10 starts.

"At this particular point in time, he's not able to pitch for another three days," Hurdle explained. "[Juan] Nicasio threw the day before, and he's not available to pitch for another three days. We don't need to be carrying another pitcher on our roster that can't pitch. We're a little short as it is, so we called up [Kyle] Lobstein, who we've used in multiple-innings roles."
Lobstein returns for this third stint with the Pirates this year, having gone 2-0 with a 4.79 ERA in 10 previous appearances spanning 20 2/3 innings. He's walked 10 and struck out 14.
Lobstein began the season with Pittsburgh and has pitched at least two innings in eight of his 10 MLB games this season. His last appearance with Indianapolis came Sunday in a starting role for Game 2 of a doubleheader. He allowed two runs in three innings of work.
Coors Field is known to challenge the depth in the 'pen, and the makeup game in Colorado sandwiched between an extra-innings loss to the Mets and a weekend home series against the Cardinals prompted a need to bolster the resources in the bullpen.
"I know for sure we've got Kyle Lobstein available," Hurdle said of his relief corps for the one-day cross-country trip. "We've got [A.J.] Shugel available, and we've got [Cory] Luebke available. We're going to let [Neftali] Feliz and [Mark] Melancon run around the outfield and throw it around and see if they're good to go as well.
"So we're short. And it's a day game in Colorado. For those of us who have seen a couple of those here, sometimes those can make you make a few moves."