'Another hard sixth inning' follows another short start

Chad Kuhl pumped his right fist, shouted in celebration and walked toward the dugout. He had just struck out Adam Duvall with a sweeping slider out of the zone, ending the top of the fifth and stranding the bases loaded to keep the Pirates' two-run lead intact.

However, it was the final pitch he threw all night.

One inning later, Dovydas Neverauskas lost that lead. Then, George Kontos allowed a three-run homer in the eighth, and the Reds held on, 7-4, Saturday night at PNC Park, dropping the Pirates' record to 6-2. The pitching, from Kuhl's short start to Kontos' high sinker to Eugenio Suarez, illustrated the top two problems through this hot start.

Starters aren't pitching deep enough, and the bullpen, particularly the middle relievers, have struggled.

"I've said that it would be an interesting concept to watch play out, based on the guys we have," Clint Hurdle said of the bullpen. "When you have young pitchers, some are going to step up and some are going to try to find their way. They need to find their way sooner or later. They want to. We want them to."

The Pirates' rotation is averaging 5.4 innings per start, and Trevor Williams is the only one to pitch through the sixth, accomplishing that in Detroit despite five walks. Jameson Taillon, who has looked the best of any starter, allowed a home run in the sixth Monday before being replaced.

Kuhl allowed two earned runs on five hits, and his strikeout of Duvall was his 98th pitch. He needed at least 20 pitches to get through the first, third and fifth innings, throwing 31 in the latter. The 25-year-old right-hander threw 56 strikes and faced nine three-ball counts. Although Kuhl had seven strikeouts, he walked three batters and hit another.

The Reds (2-5) cut their deficit to two runs with an RBI single by Jesse Winker in the fifth before Kuhl walked a batter and gave up a single to Joey Votto to load the bases. Then, Kuhl struck out Scooter Gennett and Duvall, using a curveball low and inside to get Gennett to swing for the third strike.

Kuhl, using his five-pitch arsenal, produced 21 called strikes and eight swinging strikes, but he was inefficient, forcing Hurdle to turn to his bullpen in the sixth again. "I felt like tonight I just had that one inning where I kind of burned a lot of my bullets," Kuhl said. "Before that it was looking like at least six innings. Avoiding that as much as you can [is the goal.] … That’s on us."

Neverauskas proceeded to allow three hits in the sixth, including a two-run single by Suarez. "That was another hard sixth inning for us," Hurdle said later.

Neverauskas, one of three inexperienced relievers to make the opening day roster, has a 12.27 ERA and 2.45 WHIP in five appearances. Opponents are batting .412 against him. The Pirates' pitching staff has a combined 11.57 ERA in the sixth inning this season, allowing nine runs on 14 hits.

The offense has provided enough run support for the club to have its first 6-1 start in 42 years, but it went quiet against the Reds after the fourth inning. The Reds' pitchers retired 16 batters in a row before Colin Moran's leadoff single in the ninth inning. The Pirates scored two runs in the first on a two-run double by Corey Dickerson and added two in the second on RBIs from Josh Harrison and Adam Frazier.

The Pirates' starting pitchers have received the fourth-highest run support in the majors, but it hasn't helped them avoid inefficient outings and the bullpen hasn't fared much better.

The problem in relief isn't limited to Neverauskas or Edgar Santana.

Kontos, whom the Pirates acquired from the Giants last August, has now allowed a home run in back-to-back outings. Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart singled on a weak ground ball to left against Kontos to lead off the eighth and Billy Hamilton reached first on a slow roller up the third-base line to put runners on the corners.

Kontos then tried to challenge Suarez with a sinker high and inside, only for the Reds' third baseman to do this:

The three-run homer gave the Reds a lead they wouldn't relinquish, and Kontos didn't take the mistake lightly.

"You saw my growing pains today," he said. "It happens to everybody. ... It’s not easy. The anxious excitement. You learn how to handle it over time and you have to go out there. The hardest part is being mentally tough. Knowing your body. Knowing your delivery. Knowing how to execute your pitches, especially when they count, which I didn’t do a good job of today."

In addition to Neverauskas and Kontos, Michael Feliz and Tyler Glasnow pitched one scoreless inning apiece.  The Pirates have used at least four relievers in five of their eight games, needing seven to win in 13 innings against the Tigers on opening day. Their bullpen's combined 1.56 WHIP is the third-highest in the majors.

Last season, Hurdle and Neal Huntington said there needed to be patience with the young starting rotation as it experienced growing pains in the major leagues. Now, those three young starters are still struggling to pitch deep into games, and it's putting stress on young middle relievers such as Neverauskas who are tasked with holding on to a lead.

"It’s a growing process for those guys, and you’re always learning," Kontos said. "I learned today."

1. Running into outs has to stop.

The Pirates can't expect to score 14 runs a game, as Hurdle reminded reporters following their win Friday night. There will be nights such as this when a starting pitcher finds a way to keep the offense quiet. Sal Romano gave up four runs in the first two innings, followed by three scoreless innings. Then, the Reds' bullpen allowed only one hit over the final four innings.

Moran's single to lead off the ninth was wasted, though. Moran, likely the Pirates' slowest position player, was caught trying to steal second base. Hurdle did not elaborate on what occurred, but he pointed the blame at himself and his coaching staff.

"It’s just bad coaching on our part," he said. "There was miscommunication. That should never happen. Never happen."

The Pirates have been more aggressive on the base paths, particularly veterans such as Harrison, Dickerson and Francisco Cervelli. But there have been a number of errors resulting from either a lack of concentration — Starling Marte forgot how many outs there were Thursday night — or poor fundamentals.

2. Give Glasnow a look in the sixth.

Hurdle has used Glasnow when the Pirates are either leading by more than three runs or trailing by at least two runs late in the game. The plan is to put Glasnow in low-leverage situations to help him become comfortable throwing out of the bullpen. He's had to learn a new routine, and the job requires a different mentality than starting once every five days.

Glasnow spent most of the spring starting games, so the experience is new to him. The right-hander is still struggling to get ahead of hitters — he threw seven strikes, seven balls against the Reds — but he's allowed only one run in six innings in relief, striking out eight and walking five. It's worth giving him a look in the sixth inning.

After all, Neverauskas' cutter still lacks bite and Josh Smoker has allowed a first-pitch double in two of his four outings. Glasnow's four-seam fastball reached 97.8 mph against the Reds, and he struck out Duvall with a curveball out of the zone in the ninth inning. Opponents are batting only .155 against him.

"The velocity was there," Hurdle said of Glasnow. "It’s becoming a more conditioned role for him, which we’re going to need. We’re going to need him to be the best he can be out there for us and see where he can take it."

3. Mercer's trending upward against right-handers.

Mercer was a liability against right-handed pitchers early in his career, and it shows with a career slash line of .246/.305/.362. The average isn't terrible, but he didn't get on base often enough and wasn't much of a run producer. Part of that challenge was learning how to bat eighth, as I wrote last month.

His approach against right-handers has improved, as his average against them has increased in each of the past three seasons. He batted .257/.329/.407 against righties in 2017 and the trend has continued through eight games. Mercer went 2 for 4 against the Reds on Saturday and is now batting .364 against right-handers this season.

Mercer has six hits in 11 at-bats since missing Wednesday's game with a right finger injury.

4. The first example of how important a bench can be.

Gregory Polanco was scratched two hours after he fouled a ball off his right foot Friday night and is considered day-to-day. Last season, such a decision would have thrust someone like John Jaso or Danny Ortiz into the starting lineup. Now, the Pirates' roster is built to handle such a short-term injury.

Hurdle replaced Polanco with Frazier and although it stung to take the hottest hitter in Major League Baseball out of the lineup, Frazier is more than capable of handling both the position and Polanco's spot in the order. After all, Frazier batted .278/.371/.426 in 62 plate appearances batting second last season.

Fans are already calling for Frazier to see the field more often, but there's value in keeping him on the bench.

5. Don't overanalyze Frazier's defense.

Frazier made an ugly defensive play in the third inning by taking an awkward angle on a ball that dropped under his glove and rolled by him, allowing Suarez to reach second on a one-out double. Then, Frazier caught a line drive from Votto and his throw home was well off the mark, allowing Winker to score to trim the deficit to three runs.

Frazier's arm strength is what it is; however, he's a much better defender than what he showed on Suarez's double. His outs above average in the outfield was tied for 40th in Major League Baseball last season. It's been difficult for Frazier to stay sharp defensively over the past week because weather has prevented the team from taking as much fielding practice before games, and he spent most of his time at second base in spring training.

"I feel good offensively," he said Friday. "It’s just a little bit more difficult defensively, getting those reps in BP. With the weather the way it’s been, it’s tough to get that in. You just try to do what you can."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY