Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman rounds third after hitting a two-run home run Monday. For more abaout he Pirates’ 6-3 win against the Detroit Tigers, see
After six frustrating days in Chicago, which featured a half-dozen losses — three by a single run — the Pirates finally did enough right to win a baseball game instead of seemingly inventing ways to lose.
As the Pirates cruised past the Detroit Tigers, 6-3, Monday on Labor Day at PNC Park, they enjoyed some exemplary defense, a quality start from Bryse Wilson, timely hitting and another dominant performance by David Bednar.
It was a smooth and wellplayed baseball game, a reason for the Pirates to finally smile again.
“That,” manager Derek Shelton said, “was really good in all facets.”
Trailing by a run entering the seventh inning, the Pirates pushed four across to grab a lead they would not relinquish. Furthermore, the key hit in the rally came in a situation that has befuddled the Pirates for much of the season.
Ke’Bryan Hayes stepped to the plate with the Pirates hitting an MLB-low .189 with the bases loaded but drove a fastball from righthander Kyle Funkhouser the other way to score a pair.
It was the third hit of the afternoon for the Pirates third baseman, who has found some quick comfort by hitting leadoff for the past couple of games.
Hayes has also fared well against the American League throughout his career. In 13 career interleague games, Hayes is now hitting .404 (19 for 47) with 10 RBIs.
“We’re a young team,” Hayes said. “We’re all still learning. We’ve had a whole bunch of moving pieces this year. We’re trying to battle and come in every single day with a clean slate.”
If the Pirates converting with the bases loaded wasn’t crazy enough, Yoshi Tsutsugo upped the ante by getting a couple of hits that weren’t doubles or homers — not that anyone was complaining.
Entering the game, Tsutsugo had 12 hits, 11 for extra bases. Five of his past seven hits had been homers.
But after a single in the first, Tsutsugo gave the Pirates some breathing room by driving a Funkhouser fastball to right with two outs in the seventh, scoring two more.
“I told him, ‘It’s OK to hit singles if you have a couple guys on,’ ” Shelton joked.
The lead held thanks to a redemptive performance from the Pirates bullpen, a group that struggled in Chicago, as Chasen Shreve, Chris Stratton and Bednar put up three zeroes.
Bednar was especially good, striking out the side and continuing to show improvement with his curveball. Starting with his outing June 18, Bednar has a 0.85 ERA, second lowest in MLB among pitchers who’ve logged at least 30 innings.
“Playing behind him with the game on the line is a good feeling,” Kevin Newman said. “We’re ready when he comes in.”
That feeling is certainly echoed by Bednar, especially given how well the Pirates played on defense Monday.
Hayes was his usual stellar self. Newman tracked back on a ball in the outfield, pulling off a play that he said he practices often with infield coach Joey Cora. Jacob Stallings caught a strong game, handled a swinging bunt and caught a popup. Even Stratton got into the mix on a play off the mound.
Defense has been a funky part of the Pirates’ game this season. They’ve actually been one of the better fielding clubs in MLB, especially since May 9, but it’s tough for people to believe because some of their mistakes have been colossally bad.
In a spot where the Pirates really needed something to go their way, the defense became the metronomic part of this one, the driver of a win that helped them improve to 9-9 in interleague play this season.
“We won that game because of how well we played defensively,” Shelton said.
It wasn’t the biggest part of this one, even though it was a quality start, but the Pirates should be encouraged by how well Wilson pitched. He went six and allowed three earned runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Wilson picked up 10 whiffs, got plenty of weak contact and actually earned enough of Shelton’s trust to face the Tigers a third time through. It didn’t go terribly well, with Wilson walking one, missing with a pitch to Niko Goodrum that resulted in a two-run double and ceding three runs.
However, it also came at the tail end of an outing that was mostly strong for Wilson, who retired 11 in a row at one point and continues to show that he might deserve a spot in the 2022 rotation.
“I was very confident,” Wilson said. “I knew how I wanted to attack the hitters. Missed a couple spots, but overall I think the attack plan was good. … It means a lot that he allowed me to get that opportunity.”
Added Shelton, “He made two bad pitches. … Other than that, I thought he was really good.”