YOUNG STEELERS LBs IMPRESS COACH
Young players lead comeback in dramatic ninth
douses Kevin Newman after Newman singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Pirates’ 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
The thought had been rolling around in Joe Musgrove’s head for a few weeks now. Somebody, Musgrove told himself over and over, should say something. With the Pirates out of contention and young guys now getting opportunities, it should be time to start changing the Pirates clubhouse culture.
So before the Pirates series earlier this week against the Los Angeles Angels, Musgrove addressed his teammates, talking about how the club handled winning games and discussing a few things he would like to see change.
“It got to the point where I felt like it was the right time to do it,” Musgrove said. “It’s the truth, man. We’re all going to be in here for the next couple years together. We don’t want to wait until spring training or until the season starts next year to try and start building this energy and this momentum. We feel like we need to go out on a strong note, regardless of the standings.”
The Pirates’ 3- 2 victory against the Chicago Cubs Friday night at PNC Park was not directly related to Musgrove’s comments, although he certainly put his right arm where his mouth was, pitching into the eighth inning and tying his career-high with nine strikeouts.
But it does provide interesting context around the way the Pirates, who began the Friday 20 games under .500 and 13½ out of first place, scratched and clawed to get back in this thing. And with whom they did it.
After falling behind in the eighth inning when Felipe Vazquez, of all people, blew a lead, the Pirates (51-70) surged back behind a few of their promising young players, including three rookies.
Kevin Newman got the big hit, a two-out single that was his third walk-off hit of the year. Bryan Reynolds started the ninth-inning rally with an infield single, and Cole Tucker walked to load the bases, tying the score at 2-2.
As PNC Park rocked, Tucker said he even thought back to the 2013 wild-card game, imagining Johnny Cueto on the mound.
“I was thinking, ‘We’re going to do this again. This won’t be the last time that we do this,’ ” Tucker said. “All these young guys and all this talent that we have, we’ll play in that atmosphere again, and it’ll feel really good when we do.
“Nights like [Friday] will give us an advantage going into it.”
That is why what Musgrove said mattered. Not because the Pirates picked up Vazquez, which was big. He gave up a tworun triple in the eighth before inducing a double play.
Where Musgrove has sought to improve the Pirates clubhouse culture and how they do things has to do with how much they enjoy wins and perhaps a little bit about enjoying the actual game. Also coming together as a team, focusing on building something special instead of dwelling on the negative.
“It’s easy for guys when they’re in first place or they’re in the hunt to fight and battle and play hard,” Musgrove said. “When you’re in last place and you’re 15-plus games out of contention, it’s easy to cash it in. These are game reps. These are live reps at the big-league level that you don’t get anywhere else. This is the best time for us to go out there and try new things.
“The last couple days we’ve tried to change the chemistry in here and the culture in the clubhouse a little bit and celebrate our wins a little bit more.”
From a logistical standpoint, the Pirates have started to name a player of the game, and that guy picks the next one. Musgrove — who along with Newman took top honors Friday — would like to award some sort of helmet or tangible prize, although they “haven’t found the right piece.”
Musgrove also has struggled recently to find the right way of attacking hitters, but that took a sizable turn for the better against a team he’s used to shutting down. In six career starts against the Cubs, Musgrove now has a 1.47 ERA.
He came into his Friday start having struggled of late with the long ball, allowing 10 homers in his past seven starts and seven in his past four.
But the type of pitching problems that ultimately burned Musgrove in those outings — missed locations, pitches up, should-be fly balls that sailed over the fence — were almost non-existent against the Cubs. The reason: Better command of all his pitches.
“Throwing as many pitches as I throw, it’s hard to keep them all sharp,” Musgrove said. “Some nights, the stars align and you’re able to execute every pitch. That’s kind of how I felt [Friday].”
Musgrove wasn’t alone, as the stars aligned in the ninth. Second-year man Colin Moran drove in the first run, then walked in the ninth. Tucker and Newman made Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler throw 16 pitches, refusing to go away.
Afterward, exactly as Musgrove promised, there was plenty to savor and an upbeat clubhouse.