PITTSBURGH — Perhaps one thing Roansy Contreras had been working on with Triple-A Indianapolis was learning how to survive without having all of his weapons working, a necessary skill for consistent success at this level.
While the Pirates have been secretive on the talented 22-year-old’s development, refusing to divulge details on target points over his past five-plus weeks in the minors, Contreras made his first MLB start since July 7 against the Red Sox on Wednesday and added to the winding narrative of his rookie season.
Clearly without his best stuff, the right-hander’s fastball sailing around the zone at times, Contreras did enough to keep the Pirates in the game. Although they suffered an 8-3 loss to the Red Sox at PNC Park, the bigger takeaway was the work of Contreras, who tied his career-high in innings pitched with six.
