Pitchers’ slump seems endless
Even creative lineup can’t offset injury-rooted problems
Think back to when the Pirates left Bradenton, Fla., to break camp and end spring training. Remember when the Pirates were going to win games based on strong starting pitching and the occasional timely hit.
Now that you have that picture in mind, raise your hand if you could’ve envisioned Pirates manager Clint Hurdle on June 4 against the Atlanta Braves doing the following with his lineup:
• Kevin Newman hitting leadoff and playing third base.
• Bryan Reynolds playing left field batting second.
• Melky Cabrera hitting cleanup and playing right field.
• Jose Osuna playing first and hitting sixth.
• Cole Tucker playing shortstop while hitting one spot above second baseman Adam Frazier
• Steven Brault as the starting pitcher.
If you have your hand up and you’re telling the truth, you must have the best stock portfolio in history. Elias Diaz and Starling Marte were the only guys playing and hitting in spots where most would’ve expected them.
When a team sees 22
players spend time on the IL they have to get as creative as the Pirates did in the 12-5 loss against the Braves at PNC Park Tuesday night.
Cabrera hit a two-run home run off Braves starter Max Fried to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Diaz hit a double and Osuna followed with a double to move Diaz to third. Tucker drove in Diaz and Osuna with a double and the Pirates held a 4-1 advantage.
The top of the inning wound up being portentous for the Pirates.
Brault walked leadoff hitter Ronald Acuna and gave up a single to Dansby Swanson. Brault struck out Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson. Bad news, Diaz tried and failed to throw out Acuna stealing third base. The throw by Diaz went down the leftfield line and Acuna easily scored. The error was the first by a Pirate in eight games and 77 innings. It was also the first of three errors, each of which became more costly as they compounded.
Brault walked National League rookie of the month Austin Riley to lead off the second and threw a wild pitch with Ozzie Albies at-bat to move Riley to second. Fried, the pitcher, lined a single to score Riley to make the score 4-2. Brault’s four innings weren’t pretty as he hit Acuna with a pitch, had the wild pitch and walked three on 93 pitches and 50 strikes. Brault did have three timely strikeouts and only gave up two runs. Clay Holmes pitched a clean fifth inning retiring Freeman, Donaldson, and Nick Markakis in order.
Newman committed the second error in the sixth inning on a throw that allowed Riley to reach first. Pinch-hitter and former Pirate Matt Joyce would eventually drive in Riley on a single off Richard Rodriguez. Before you beat up on Rodriguez, he did finish the inning only giving up one run after inheriting two base runners.
The third error would prove the most costly. Reynolds dropped a sure out on a line drive by Markakis. The next batter was Austin Riley and he hit a three run home run off Kyle Crick. Donaldson hit another three-run bomb in the eighth inning to finish the Pirates.