☛ THREE UP & THREE DOWN
1
Glad to see any early-season concerns over Ke’Bryan Hayes’ defense — OK, error total is probably more accurate — was much ado about nothing. After making seven errors in his first 37 games, Hayes has none in his past 26. He’s also FanGraphs’ MLB leader, regardless of position, in Defensive Runs Saved. Back to normal, indeed.
2
We can talk all day about Oneil Cruz’s immense physical talent. I love his demeanor. He has an edge to him that borders on cocky ... but isn’t because you can see how he is with his teammates and how much they love him. There’s also an “I’ll-showyou” sort of vibe, with Cruz believing he should have been up here all along. 3 While the rookie hitters have been fun, how about Cam Vieaux and Yerry De Los Santos? They’ve been excellent in relief. A 28-year-old lefty, Vieaux has hardly looked overmatched. He has a chance to stick. Meanwhile, De Los Santos, entering Friday night, had allowed just one hit over his previous 21 batters faced (.048 average), striking out 11 in 82⁄ total innings.
3 1 The good news, sorta: The Pirates soon will get a bunch of guys back from injury. The bad news: not sure how eager fans are to see them. Yoshi Tsutsugo, Josh
VanMeter and Kevin Newman are rehabbing with Class AAA Indianapolis. Ben Gamel, too. Jake Marisnick isn’t far off. Playing the kids has worked. Hope the Pirates don’t deviate.
2
First Bryse Wilson, now Jerad Eickhoff. The Pirates have drastically improved their farm system. They have talented young position players, too. However, their major league pitching depth lacks. With Zach Thompson hurt and Wilson and Eickhoff hugely ineffective, the Pirates don’t have many other places to turn.
3
Remember the clamoring for the Pirates to give Mason Martin a chance? Unfortunately, not doing that appears to have been the right move. Martin was 1 for 30 with 19 strikeouts in 36 plate appearances (.033) prior to Wednesday’s game. On the season, Martin is hitting just .202 over 60 games, with 95 strikeouts in 258 plate appearances (36.8%).