Soria will join Hughes, Watson in set-up role
CINCINNATI — At 3:52 p.m. Friday, eight minutes before the non-waiver trade deadline, reliever Joakim Soria, perhaps the Pirates’ top deadline acquisition, strolled into the visitors clubhouse at Great American Ball Park, luggage in tow.
Soria, a former Detroit Tigers closer acquired Thursday for minor league shortstop JaCoby Jones, circled the room meeting his new teammates and settled into a locker between fellow relievers Tony Watson and Arquimedes Caminero. Soria was in a similar, unsettled spot a year ago when he was shipped from the Texas Rangers to the Tigers.
“It’s kind of like spring training,” Soria explained after being fitted for a crisp, new No. 38 uniform. “You recognize faces because some of these guys have been playing for a while. I know some of them. But in the baseball family, this is normal for us.
“I’m coming to a great team. You can see from the outside they’ve got great chemistry.”
Mark Melancon will remain the closer, manager Clint Hurdle revealed Friday, and Soria will give Hurdle another late-inning option to go with righthander Jared Hughes and Watson, a left-hander, in a loaded bullpen. Soria had a 2.85 ERA and 23 saves in 43 appearances this season for the Tigers.
Hurdle got a call in the Pirates’ 15-5 loss Thursday night and learned the Pirates had closed a deal to land Soria. Later, he called Soria “a real good acquire.”
“I've seen him for a lot of years,” Hurdle said of Soria, who has a 2.61 career ERA in eight seasons pitching for the Kansas City Royals, Rangers and Tigers. “He’s going to make the back end of our bullpen, which has been strong, even stronger.”
Soria said he wasn’t expecting to be traded, but he wasn’t surprised by it, either. The Tigers announced themselves as sellers Wednesday and moved Soria, left-hander David Price and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes before the deadline.
Of his his first experience in the National League, Soria smiled and replied, “Different league, same baseball.”
Guerra sent down
Right-hander Deolis Guerra was designated for assignment to make room for Soria. Guerra, who made his major league debut June 27 after a decade in the minors, allowed six runs in 1⅓ innings Thursday. Guerra’s first stint in the big leagues started well, as he allowed just one run over his first 10 innings, spanning five outings. But he gave up runs in his past three appearances, and in four of his past five — posting a 14.85 ERA and .472 opponent batting average in that stretch.
Buried treasure
Outfielder Gorkys Hernandez was sent outright to Class AAA Indianapolis. … Third baseman Dan Gamache was promoted to Indianapolis. A sixth-round pick in 2011, Gamache had a .335 average in 74 games for Class AA Altoona. … Second baseman Erich Weiss was promoted from Class A Bradenton to Altoona.