The Pirates essentially solved one of their starting pitcher mysteries on Thursday. By re-assigning right-handed starter Nick Kingham from Triple-A Indianapolis to Double-A Altoona, the club will let Kingham start on Monday and stay on a five-day rotation.
Indianapolis is off on Monday, which necessitated the move, and getting Kingham set up to pitch on Monday is important, because five days later, the Pirates will need a fifth starter in the majors for the first time in two turns through the rotation.
So while there hasn’t been an official announcement from the club, it’s pretty safe to assume that Kingham will start Saturday against the San Diego Padres.