When Chad Kuhl walked the third batter of the second inning Friday night at Marlins Park, putting runners on the corners with one out, Elias Diaz stepped in front of home plate and gave Kuhl an elaborate hand signal. Kuhl's next pitch was a pitchout, and Diaz quickly fired a throw to first to try to pick off the Marlins' Lewis Brinson.
Brinson slid under the tag; however, Diaz's decision prevented the speedy center fielder from attempting to steal second base. One of the Pirates' collective goals — including the pitchers, catchers and infielders — is to make runners think twice about trying to take a large lead like Brinson's and prevent them from taking an extra base.
Pitchers, particularly the young starters who struggled in that facet last season, are mixing their holds on the mound. Francisco Cervelli's new catching stance behind home plate has improved his arm strength. And the middle infielders are communicating with both. After all, the Pirates were among the easiest teams to run on in 2017.
"It’s crazy. It’s part of the game, it’s part of the pitcher’s job," Cervelli explained. "Take care of your runs. Take care of your ERA. Everybody thinks about the guy in scoring position, but if you put a guy on first, they have a chance to score a run. We have to minimize the chances and keep them there."
The Pirates weren't able to do so consistently last season. Their stolen base percentage allowed was the third-highest in the National League, and they ranked 28th in the majors in caught stealings. Opponents stole a base 95 times against the Pirates, which was the fifth-most in the NL.
The problem wasn't limited to one position, either. Cervelli struggled behind the plate last season while still experiencing pain from the broken hamate bone he suffered in 2016, which made it difficult for him to catch pitches low in the zone. He also developed bad habits behind the plate to try to compensate for some of the injuries he dealt with for two seasons.
As a result, he threw out only 20 percent of baserunners, which was well below average among major league catchers, and registered a negative-6 runs above average, a stat by Baseball Info Solutions that measures the number of runs above or below average a catcher was worth based on baserunner kills and baserunner advances.
He also recorded a negative-6 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, which ranked 36th of 41 NL catchers with at least 100 innings played. "Individually, you know what you have to improve," Cervelli said. "Everybody has to do their part. They know. If we can keep guys on first or second base, that’s perfect. It’s not just my job. It’s everybody’s together. I know I have to control the running game."
One reason the Pirates' young starters struggled to contain runners last season was their singular focus on pitching effectively.
Now established and more comfortable on the mound, they're spending more time on the nuances of their position, such as changing the timing of their delivery to make them unpredictable on the mound or mixing their holds to freeze a runner taking a lead. And most important, they're paying attention to the scouting reports detailing the tendencies of each opposing player when on base.
There's a reason why the Reds' Billy Hamilton has 50 stolen bases against the Pirates, which is 19 more than any other team. Gerrit Cole's stolen-base percentage of 11 was among the worst in the majors. Jameson Taillon, for all of his strengths, struggles to contain runners. He had 15 stolen bases against him in 15 attempts last season, but his challenge is unlike any other pitcher on the staff.
"For me, I kind of came to the realization that I’m not going to be the quickest guy," Taillon said. "I have long levers. My delivery isn’t super quick-twitch. I kind of use my levers to get long, but I’ve kind of learned. Let’s take the fastest guys in the league. I know they’re going to steal. They’re going to get their bags against a guy like me, but my goal now is to keep a guy like Billy Hamilton on first base as long as I can to keep a double play in order. If he is on first base for 10 pitches, then I’ve done a good job because I’ve given myself 10 chances to get a double play."
The Pirates want to improve their work at both second and third base, too. Opponents stole third base against them 18 times last season, which ranked second-worst in the NL, and they allowed two steals of home — tied for the worst mark in the majors. So, Clint Hurdle wants starting pitchers to stop ignoring runners on second base.
Jordy Mercer explained how he and Josh Harrison both can contribute to keeping a runner at second, saying: "There's a bunch of different things. Pickoffs, tell the pitcher to change his looks up. Back pick from the catcher and get signs from that. Work our holds. Kind of play with it as much as we can to buy a couple pitches. You want to buy a couple pitches, maybe buy a couple more and then, all of a sudden, the inning is over and he’s still on second base."
That play, of course, can be more tricky. Infielders and the catcher must communicate to the pitcher when a runner is taking a significant lead. Kuhl attempted a pickoff at second in spring training, only for his throw to roll into the outfield, allowing the runner to take third base.
It has yet to yield results, though. The Pirates have allowed six stolen bases in seven attempts this season — which is tied for the fifth-fewest attempts in the majors — and results don't always show up in a box score. Holding a runner on base can be as important as a pickoff or caught stealing, and Hurdle expressed confidence the experience of his young starters, as well as Tyler Glasnow in the bullpen, will help the Pirates do that more often in 2018.
"It all comes, normally, with experience and realizing I have a job to do," he said. "Yes, it’s to throw strikes, and it’s also to be aware of the guys on base and to give my catcher a chance to throw them out if they do run or pay attention, get the signs, have a move that’s competitive to hold him. Normally, when players come up, especially pitchers, it’s about survival. It’s about getting outs. If they don't get outs, they don’t stay. Now, once you get outs, your confidence is in a good place, and now you can add a little bit as you move around."