Pirates select Jake Woodford as starter against Cardinals, Kyle Nicolas is placed on the 15-day IL
The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired the contract of right-handed pitcher Jake Woodford from Triple-A Indianapolis so he can start on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
To make room for Woodford on the active roster, right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Sept. 17) with a left oblique abdominal muscle strain, effectively ending his season. Nicolas was 2-2 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 52 2/3 innings in 51 appearances this season.
To free up a spot on the 40-man roster, the Pirates placed right-handed reliever Ben Heller from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Woodford, 27, has a 0-4 record with a 6.95 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in six appearances for the Pirates this season, including four starts, with 14 strikeouts against four walks and a .275 batting average in 22 innings.
In his last appearance for the Pirates, Woodford allowed seven earned runs on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts in a 10-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on August 24.
Woodford has a 3-5 record with a 3.93 ERA in 20 appearances, including 19 starts, in Triple A between Charlotte and Indianapolis this season.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter who covers the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball, and was a sports columnist for 10 years. Reach him at [email protected].
