Bucs Release Bedard
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- Early Tuesday morning the Tribune-Review's Dejan Kovacevic reported, according to an unidentified but reliable team source, that the Pirates have released starting pitcher Erik Bedard. The Pirates have confirmed with an official statement.
The 33-year-old lefty, who signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent last December, has gone 7-14 with a 5.01 ERA in 24 starts, punctuated by a 7-0 loss to the fourth-place Brewers at PNC Park Sunday afternoon. He has a 6.44 ERA in 14 starts since June 1.
In 14 of those 24 starts Bedard failed to make it past the fifth inning.
Bedard had been slated to face Milwaukee again this approaching weekend, at Miller Park this time. This could reopen the door for former starter Kevin Correia, who was visibly upset about being moved to long relief in late July.
On the other hand, it could be the ticket for one of the Pirates' minor-league stars, as all 30 Major League teams will make obligatory roster expansions soon. Coming out of Indianapolis, Jeff Locke looked respectable in the second big-league stint of his career earlier this month, and Kyle McPherson, who made a solid MLB debut last week in San Diego, has put up good numbers since joining the Triple-A Indians.
Some speculate, if Correia takes Bedard's place, that Bryan Morris or Justin Wilson could take his place in the bullpen. In his Major League debut Wilson struck out the side in his only inning of work in a 3-1 loss to the Padres last Monday, while Morris, a 25-year-old righty, has posted a 2.56 bullpen ERA and 1.12 WHIP in Indianapolis through 77 1/3 innings.
Stay tuned to your flagship home of the Bucs, SportsRadio 93.7 The Fan, for the latest.
