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Pirates manager Derek Shelton gets his photo with Twins manager Rocco Baldelli before his first spring game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.
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Derek Shelton is more than ready to antagonize his former boss

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Derek Shelton is more than ready to antagonize his former boss

The first time he saw his team’s 2020 schedule, something stood out to Pirates manager Derek Shelton. After playing his former club, the Minnesota Twins, Aug. 3-4 at Target Field, the season series shifts to PNC Park for a pair of games Aug. 5-6.

If Shelton’s former boss, Twins skipper Rocco Baldelli, does anything to embarrass his old bench coach, Shelton will ultimately get the last laugh.

“He likes to talk about how many pictures he has on his phone,” Shelton said Tuesday night on a Zoom call with local reporters. “But the thing he’s got to remember is I have a lot of pictures on my phone, and I have a lot of friends who still work there. We’ll see.”

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To be fair, Shelton said his response might be tied to what, if anything, Baldelli does. But Shelton said he’s also not afraid to reference an award bestowed upon Baldelli by NBC Sports — the most handsome manager in baseball.

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“I don’t want him to forget that,” Shelton said. “That’s a cool honor. That’s something you should hang on your mantle.”

Baldelli got Shelton during spring training, as they flashed funny pictures of the Pirates manager and played a video on the scoreboard. But chances are things will intensify during the regular season.

As for the rest of the schedule, those on the outside have said it’s a bit of a raw deal for the Pirates. Tough teams to start. Front-loaded off-days. A stretch of 17 in a row.

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Ever the optimist, Shelton said he’s undaunted by what is facing the Pirates.

“I was fine with it,” Shelton said. “I thought our schedule actually worked out. We have 17 in a row, which is not a ton. I saw the other day somebody — I think it’s actually Minnesota — has like 36 of 37, and that’s tough.

“The other fact of the matter is our travel’s all regional, so it’s not like we’re going 17 in a row, and we’re going Seattle, Philly and then back to Milwaukee and then home. ... The regional part of it makes it a little bit easier.”

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Steven Brault said earlier Monday that he could potentially piggyback starts with Chad Kuhl, the two of them combining to potentially go six or seven innings.

When it was his turn to talk, Shelton explained what he liked about possibly using those two together.

“With those two guys specifically, if it was a situation where we did do that with them, it’s a right-hander and a left-hander with their repertoires and how they attack hitters,” Shelton said. “It's an interesting mix for us.”

It also might not be the only one. Although he did not name names, Shelton said they’re talking about other guys in the fifth starter spot as well.

Getting closer

Shelton had his starting eight position players grouped together Monday night at PNC Park, taking live at-bats off Derek Holland and Robbie Erlin. The intent seemed to be seeing live, left-handed pitching.

The Pirates are getting closer to holding intrasquad games, Shelton also said. They thought about doing that Monday, although rain scuttled their plans. Within the next week or so — likely less — the Pirates will start intrasquad games.

Around the horn

Shelton said the testing delay the Pirates experienced in Altoona ended, and that group got its results Monday, allowing for the first full day of on-field work.

The Pirates are also expected to finalize their exhibition games in the coming days. According to a source, the Pirates plan to play the Cleveland Indians for three, although it’s unclear if that arrangement is final. But it certainly does make the most geographical sense.

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published: July 8, 2020, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: July 8, 2020, 11:20 a.m.

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