Bubba Chandler Takes the Mound Against Jacob deGrom and Nobody's Talking About the Rookie's .183 Opponent Batting Average

The Pittsburgh Pirates are rolling into Arlington on Thursday with some serious momentum, and they're sending their rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to the rubber game against the Texas Rangers. This is the matchup that has Pirates fans on edge: a kid in his first full MLB season going up against Jacob deGrom, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who knows exactly how to dissect a lineup.

Here's what makes this interesting. Chandler is not your typical overwhelmed rookie. In his last outing against Tampa Bay last Friday, he picked up the W on a 5-1 complete effort, giving up just one run on three hits with three strikeouts across six innings. His ERA sits at 3.15 through four starts, and opponents are hitting just .183 off him this season. That's elite-level stuff for a guy still figuring out how to navigate 162 games.

Learning On The Fly

Pirates manager Don Kelly is leaning into the reality that Chandler needs room to grow. "I want Bubba to be Bubba and sometimes that means him showing emotion," Kelly said. "I think it's a fine line for him to learn what that is and how he can control that as he goes through a start."

Kelly knows what it takes to survive in the majors. During his nine-year career as a utility player, he played behind Verlander and absorbed how the greats adjust mid-game. "When he would lose his fastball command, it was the curveball he would go to and re-establish his release point," Kelly explained. "That helped him get his fastball back in the zone. Sometimes throughout a start, if you are feeling off, there may be something you can do. Sometimes that's with a pitch, sometimes that's with a slide step to speed yourself up to get back in the zone."

deGrom Brings The Resume

On the other side, deGrom (1-0, 2.29 ERA) is exactly what you'd expect from a two-time Cy Young winner. In nine career starts against the Pirates, he's 3-3 with a 2.45 ERA and 69 strikeouts. Last Friday against Seattle, he didn't factor into the decision but was clean through four scoreless innings, racking up 88 pitches while giving up four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts in the Rangers' 5-0 win.

The Pirates scraped together an 8-4 victory Wednesday behind Oneil Cruz's monster three-run home run off the top of the right field foul pole in the ninth inning. Now Chandler gets his first career look at Texas. This is his moment to prove the rookie hype is real.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.