The Pirates will begin the 2021 season on Thursday, as they hit the road to face the Chicago Cubs at 2 p.m.
Chad Kuhl is scheduled to pitch for Pittsburgh, while Kyle Hendricks takes the mound for Chicago. For the remainder of the series, Derek Shelton said on Wednesday that Tyler Anderson will pitch in Saturday’s contest and Mitch Keller rounds out the series on Sunday.
Kuhl finished a competitive Spring Training with a 2-1 record in four starts, tallying eight strikeouts and allowing just three earned runs. With this performance, Kuhl said Shelton and Steven Brault knew he would be tabbed for the inaugural game.
Kuhl has been a part of the Pirates’ major league roster since 2016, however, he has yet to pitch a full season due to a history of injuries. While he anticipated a comeback in 2020, he said that 2021 will be the year of his comeback.
Looking ahead to Opening Day, he said that he doesn’t think there’s a limit on how long he’ll go and that he’s ready to pitch until Shelton takes the ball from him.
The Pirates have not finalized their roster yet, as there is still a debate on who will take the final slot in the bullpen. That decision will be announced Thursday morning. In addition, while there is no full lineup, Adam Frazier is reported to lead-off and start at second base, while Kevin Newman gets the nod at shortstop.
First pitch is at 2:20 p.m., and you can hear all of the action beginning at 1:55 p.m. on WCCS AM 1160 and 101.1 FM.
