ANOTHER VICTORY FOR THE PIRATES
With the goofy Pittsburgh weather finally getting nice again, the Pirates’ 9-2 victory over the Marlins on Friday at PNC Park produced plenty of temperature-related themes.
Mitch Keller’s up-and-down season continued, as the right-hander left after just two innings because he “got overheated and didn’t feel well.” Pittsburgh’s offense, meanwhile, was once as cold as a popsicle, but it has turned up the heat since the return of Ke’Bryan Hayes two nights ago.
With Keller out early, the Pirates bats and bullpen did the heavy lifting, delivering seven scoreless innings and a seasonhigh in runs during one of the few laughers of the 2021 season.
“As a team, we have to pick [Keller] up,” Hayes said. “We didn’t really know what was going on or whatever. We just had to pick him up and try to put together good at-bats. The bullpen had to pick him up [Friday].”
Two games into his return, the Pirates’ terrific third baseman smacked a two-run homer to get things going in the bottom of the first inning and finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Overall the Pirates went 6 for 10 with runners in scoring position, capitalizing on opportunities all night against a Marlins team that now has lost seven in a row.
“When you get a guy who we had penciled in to hit second back, it kinda changes and lengthens us out,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “The first two nights of Key being back, I think we’ve seen that.”
With Colin Moran and Phillip Evans on rehabilitation assignments and set to return soon, it was encouraging to see what the top of the Pirates order did against Miami, going 8 for 19 and driving in all nine runs. When he’s back, Moran will return to the cleanup spot, bumping Gregory Polanco and Jacob Stallings back.
A 1- 2- 3 that features Adam Frazier, Hayes and Bryan Reynolds … well, it’s certainly not terrible.
“What they’re doing is pretty special,” Hayes said of Frazier and Reynolds, who are having terrific seasons. “To be right there in the middle of it is fun. We’re all trying to put together good at-bats, draw walks, foul pitches off and put good swings on the ball.”
After Keller left, Duane Underwood Jr., Chasen Shreve and Chris Stratton combined to finish the game. A former starter, Stratton tackled the final 3⅔ innings while retiring all 11 men he faced, two via strikeout, on just 42 pitches.
“As a unit, we have that identity that once the game is handed to us, we’re going to do everything that we can to keep it right where it’s at,” Stratton said.
The magic of Hayes was on full display early, as he connected on an elevated slider from Marlins starter Cody Poteet, the ball landing a few feet shy of the shrubbery in center field.
Not bad for a guy who just returned from a twomonth absence because of a left wrist strain on Thursday night. In the first game of this series, Hayes went 2 for 4 with a triple and made a couple of sparkling plays in the field.
The lead didn’t last long, however, as Keller followed an efficient, scoreless first by walking the bases loaded in the second. Second baseman Jose Devers ripped a hanging curveball inside the first-base bag for a tworun double.
Granted there were extenuating circumstances, but Friday followed the same every-other trajectory for Keller.
In the five starts where he’s struggled, Keller has worked just 19 innings, pitching to a 13.26 ERA with 18 walks, 17 strikeouts and five home runs allowed. In the other five, the righthander has gone 25⅔ innings with a 1.75 ERA, 8 walks, 31 strikeouts and 1 home run allowed.
“Just didn’t feel like he could continue,” Shelton said of Keller. “Just made the decision after taking a look at him in the second. Didn’t look good, so got him out.
“We will hydrate him and probably just re-evaluate him [Saturday].”
Perhaps most emblematic of the Pirates’ struggles with runners on base, Gregory Polanco entered Friday’s game just 3 for 34 with runners in scoring position (.088) this season, producing 14 strikeouts and no extrabase hits.
Nevertheless, his sharp single to center in the third scored Frazier and helped the Pirates cash in on a key opportunity.
Frazier’s single in the fourth inning made it a 4-2 game before the Pirates erupted for five runs in the sixth.
The second baseman — who leads MLB in hits (74) and doubles (19) — slapped a single the other way to score one before Hayes pulled a fastball into left field, between shortstop and third base, for another.
Reynolds smoked a double into right (107.8 mph exit velocity) to make it a 7-2 game, and Stallings followed with his single, pulling another inside pitch to score a pair.
“One through nine [Friday], we all had it going,” Frazier said. “It was a fun night. Show up again [Saturday] and see if we can do it again.”
Around the horn
Dating to 2012, the Pirates are 18-8 against the Marlins at PNC Park. … Frazier is hitting .349 at home this season, while Stallings has 17 of his 22 RBIs here. … Stratton has been scored upon just once in his past 11 appearances (17⅔ innings).