PHILADELPHIA – After Ivan Nova struck out Odubel Herrera with a changeup to end the third inning, the leader of the Pirates' pitching rotation scowled at home-plate umpire Tony Randazzo as he walked toward the third-base dugout at Citizens Bank Park.
Moments earlier, Nova was called for a balk, allowing a runner to move to second base. He proceeded to retire eight consecutive batters, pitching through the sixth inning; however, the Pirates' offense remained cold and George Kontos allowed the go-ahead run in the eighth inning in a 2-1 loss to the Phillies on Friday night.
The start from Nova, from his bold actions following the balk and his relentless pitching on the mound, was the type of performance Clint Hurdle wants his young starters to learn from, but the actions of the 31-year-old starting pitcher have an impact on each of the other 24 players with whom he shares a clubhouse.
"It makes you want to pick him up," Corey Dickerson said of Nova afterward. "Look how well he’s done. He’s a leader, man. He’s not scared to attack any hitter. He’s a guy you can rally around and know he has that confidence. He’ll do whatever he can for the team. When the night is going like it is you want to scrounge something up for him to get him that W."
The Pirates, now 12-8 and only 1/2 game ahead of the Cardinals and Brewers in the Central Division, have lost four of their last five games. Nova, though, nearly lifted them to victory.
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGSNova is relaxed. So relaxed, Cervelli goes out of his way to anger his longtime friend before and during each of his starts. It's Cervelli's opinion such a strategy is needed to get the most out of Nova. But it wasn't needed Friday night.
Nova allowed a one-out single to César Hernández in the third inning, and he was preparing to throw a pitch to Herrera when the balk was called. First, Cervelli had an animated conversation with Randazzo. Then, Cervelli walked out to the mound to talk to Nova, who was already walking toward Lentz at second to plead his case. Lentz told Nova it was because of some movement with his glove on the mound but Nova disagreed.
Once Nova struck out Herrera to end the inning, he wanted Randazzo to know how he felt. "That pissed me off," Nova, not one to show his emotions, said. "It really made me mad." Nova went inside to watch a replay and let both umpires know of his findings before retiring the side in the fifth and sixth inning.
The only run he allowed was in the sixth, when Rhys Hoskins hit a one-hopper to Colin Moran with runners on the corners and one out. Rather than throwing home to try to get the lead runner, Moran tried to convert a double play, but Adam Frazier caught the ball at second and chose not to attempt to throw to first for the third out:
"There’s an argument for a play at home," Hurdle said. "It may be, Joey [Cora] and I were talking, to at least get the throw off at second base since he had nothing to lose; however, there seemed to be a thought that may have been a better play to make or an easier play to get an out on."
Nova then got Aaron Altheer to ground out to end the inning and his outing. Despite not having command of his curveball for most of the game, Nova threw 60 of his 92 pitches for strikes and allowed only five hits, only one for extra bases. He induced nine groundouts, using his changeup to keep the Phillies off his four-seam fastball and sinker.
It was the 19th time in 20 games the Pirates' starting pitchers completed the fifth inning, and it was a typical start from Nova. He didn't walk a batter – his 1.4 walks per nine innings since joining the Pirates in August 2016 is the lowest among starters in the majors during that span — and he limited hard contact.
Nova, 10 pounds lighter than last season, was tasked with becoming the leader of this rotation, which includes four pitchers 26 years or younger. "This winter, along with when he first got here, [we told him]. 'Hey, can you put your foot down, get your thing right and when we get to the point your thing is going pretty good, can you look in the backyard over here to your right shoulder or your left shoulder and see what we've got?' He started doing that right away. Obviously, that opportunity has grown for him, and even this winter it took on a more heightened awareness for him."
Nova regularly checks on the other young starting pitchers to see how they're adjusting to the major leagues. He offers advice, particularly on pitch sequences. He also sits in the dugout during games he's not starting and runs through possible scenarios in his head, telling other starters how to attack a certain hitter.
Through five starts, he has a 1.10 WHIP and opponents are batting only .248 against him — the lowest mark of his nine-year career. Additionally, he's averaging 7.50 strikeouts per nine innings — which would be a career high — and only 1.20 walks.
His composure on the mound and in the clubhouse is also infectious, as every other starting pitcher has spoken about repeatedly. But Dickerson's words after this loss — one where the offense generated only six hits and left nine runners on base — was an endorsement of Nova's place within the leadership hierarchy.
"You’ve got a be a leader in the clubhouse," Nova said. "You have to be able to go out there and pitch like a leader. A lot of times the stuff you don’t have you have to battle through, especially when you have young rotation guys. You have to show them even if you don’t have your best stuff, you have to go out and compete."
1. A bit of bad luck for the offense.
As Dickerson stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp chirped at him, "Try not to hit the ball so hard." Josh Bell had just smacked a screaming line drive to center during the previous at-bat, only for Herrera to make a diving catch.
Dickerson, only two games removed from an 11-game hitting streak, laughed and settled in to the batter's box with the score tied. Three pitches later, he struck a ball that went directly to third baseman Maikel Franco for an out. Therein lies the Pirates' problem the past nine games.
They're often making hard contact directly at opposing players. With Starling Marte on first with two outs in the fifth inning, Bell's well-struck line drive heading toward right field was robbed with a diving catch by first baseman Carlos Santana. The 14 mph winds blowing toward home plate cost Dickerson a possible grand slam in the third inning.
The Pirates have experienced similar issues during the past eight games, aside from Jake Arrieta's 10 strikeouts and seven shutout innings on Thursday. Both weather or tough luck had a hand in them batting .210 with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks, leaving 45 runners on base, since leaving Wrigley Field last Thursday.
Bell and Dickerson went a combined 0 for 7 against the Phillies. Frazier, batting leadoff in place of Josh Harrison, went 0 for 5. The Pirates' only extra-base hits were doubles by Moran and Polanco, both of whom were stranded. The Pirates went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, stranding the bases loaded in the third on Dickerson's fly out to right.
The offense experienced similar issues last year, and it seemed to snowball at times, but Dickerson said a few frustrating games haven't negatively impacted the team.
"You’re going to get frustrated, but you have to stay in the right frame of mind and stay positive," he said. "We never feel a down vibe. I think the last couple of days have been, ‘I can’t believe it.’ That’s kind of frustrating, of course. It’s a game. We're human beings. We really care about winning and when things don’t go our way it stinks. We have to be professionals and believe in one another. You have to stay positive."
2. Kontos' struggles a matter of command.
With the score tied 1-1, Kontos threw a cutter right down the middle to Hernández, who doubled to right field to lead off the eighth inning. Two batters later, with a full count, Kontos left a backdoor slider too high in the zone for Herrera, a left-handed hitter, and it was hit down the right-field line for an RBI triple, giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
Left-handers were batting only .222 against Kontos this season; however, it was the third time in his last six outings he's allowed at least one run. The 32-year-old has a 5.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in nine innings this season. Opponents are batting .314 with a .940 OPS against him.
He was named the club's setup man at the beginning of spring training, but Kontos must sharpen his command if he's to hold onto that job. His best pitch, the cutter, moves at only 88 mph, so he must locate the ball around the zone to keep hitters guessing. Mistakes such as this simply can't happen:
"I feel pretty good," Kontos said. "Physically I feel good. Still tinkering with a few things delivery-wise. Once I think we can get a sweat loosening up, things tend to fall into place a little bit. For me, I don’t blow fastballs by guys so what I do is execute my pitches the way that I can and most of the time do, and I try not to create too much. I mix it up. I throw to locations and that’s what’s gotten me to this point and made me successful."
Kontos escaped giving up a second run because the Pirates converted a rare 1-3-4-2-5-8-7 double play, which began with a pickoff by Kontos and ended with a tag by Dickerson at third to get Hoskins. The Pirates do have a possible replacement if Kontos continues to falter. Michael Feliz, the 24-year-old right-hander acquired in the Gerrit Cole trade, has a 1.36 WHIP and has pitched 7 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings after allowing three earned runs without recording an out in the season opener at Detroit.
Hurdle said Kontos' struggles were the result of one bad pitch and the fact he hadn't pitched in five days, but Feliz's ascent makes you wonder how long the Pirates can wait for Kontos to sharpen.
3. Some progress from Polanco amid slump.
Although Hurdle was firm in his belief that a long swing was at the root of Gregory Polanco's slump, the Pirates' right fielder told DKPittsburghSports.com Thursday in Philadelphia he was unsure what led to his 3-for-39 slump.
However, it appears he might have found an answer. Polanco, using his short swing, went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk Friday night. He had walked only three times over the previous nine games and his only two extra-base hits were his two solo home runs against the Cubs last Thursday at Wrigley Field.
Polanco had been swinging at more pitches outside the zone and opposing pitchers were ahead in the count more often, but he seemed to rediscover his approach against the Phillies. The problem, though, is Polanco will have to continue to use that same swing and approach. He's fallen into bad habits with his swing throughout his career — which isn't unusual for a 6-foot-5 athlete — but achieving a greater understanding on how to maintain a short swing will be key for him to be a consistent threat in the two-hole.