MILWAUKEE — It took Francisco Cervelli only seven pitches Sunday afternoon to determine Chad Kuhl didn't have command of his fastball. So, Cervelli signaled for Kuhl to throw a curveball. Then, when that was called for a strike, Cervelli called for a changeup. That, too, was called a strike.
Cervelli kept calling for Kuhl to throw changeups, breaking balls and sinkers against the Brewers. Kuhl, making his seventh start of the season for the Pirates, never regained command of his four-seam fastball; however, he attacked hitters with his breaking pitches in a way neither Cervelli nor Clint Hurdle had seen before.
Kuhl allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, as the Pirates earned their major-league leading sixth shutout of the season with a 9-0 win over the Brewers at Miller Park. The 25-year-old right-hander's best start of the season helped clinch another series win, and he did it by showing his limitless potential.
"This is one of the guys that has four major-league pitches, and I’m talking about really good major-league pitches," Cervelli said afterwards. "I’m not talking about average. This guy’s stuff is one of the best I’ve ever seen."
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS, VIDEO"Stuff" hasn't been Kuhl's issue over the past year. He evolved from a ground-ball pitcher who relied on a sinker to a hard thrower with four swing-and-miss pitches. His sinker is now averaging 98 mph, complementing a 97-mph four-seamer, 84-mph curveball, 92-mph changeup and a 90-mph slider.
Yet, he was allowing 10.6 hits per nine innings entering Sunday. He was throwing only 61 percent of his pitches for strikes, while his strikeout rate dropped from last season and he was throwing fewer first-pitch strikes. Kuhl had a 5.01 ERA and 1.48 WHIP, and the Pirates had won three of his six starts.
He allowed six runs, four of which were earned, in 4 2/3 innings Tuesday against the Nationals, which led Kuhl to spend time taking a closer look at his mechanics. He noticed he was dipping his front shoulder, resulting in him missing with his sinker and four-seamer. The mechanical flaw was also causing both pitches to be flat chest-high.
So, he spent this week trying to keep his shoulder up. It didn't do much for his fastball command, but the change did help him locate his other pitches against the Brewers. Although Kuhl threw a first-pitch strike to only three of 23 batters, he was able to battle back into counts because of his other pitches.
"His secondary pitch command today was as good as I’ve ever seen it," Hurdle said. "His fastball had probably the most finish we’ve seen this season with pure velocity."
Kuhl threw 61 of his 108 pitches for strikes, producing eight swinging strikes and 22 called strikes. Ryan Braun worked the count full in the first inning, only to swing and miss at a changeup for strike three:
Kuhl faced the minimum through four innings, striking out Christian Yelich with a sinker high and inside in the fourth, followed by a called third strike on Braun with a curveball low in the zone. He allowed a single to Domingo Santana in the first inning; however, he got Eric Sogard to ground into a double play.
Kuhl wouldn't call it his best outing because of the shoddy fastball command, but he did express optimism that he finally threw his changeup effectively after he threw only 40, including just seven to right-handed batters, prior to Sunday. He threw 17 against the Brewers, as well as 15 sliders and 13 curveballs.
"The better games, the fastball command was really there," Kuhl said. "I think having the changeup, when I throw it well, I have to nail my checkpoints in my delivery. Being able to throw that got me back. It was a two-fer. If I missed one [Cervelli would] call a changeup and I’d get back on and nail it, then the heater would come back. I think being able to execute the off-speed in hitters’ counts was the biggest thing."
The Brewers, now 20-15, stranded a runner in the fifth after a one-out walk. Kuhl then got through the sixth with only 10 pitches and pitched a clean seventh to finish the start, striking out Santana with a 3-2 changeup.
"The special part today was he was attacking with every pitch," Cervelli said. "He threw ball one and he’d come back with the other one. If it’s not a curveball, it’s a slider. If it’s not a slider, it’s a changeup, and he was able to repeat the changeup three in a row, four in a row."
Richard Rodriguez then struck out six over the final two innings to close out the win. The Pirates, now 19-16 and two games behind the first-place Cardinals, had 13 hits, including five with runners in scoring position. Adam Frazier, Jordy Mercer and Josh Bell each hit solo home runs. Corey Dickerson went 3 for 5 with two RBIs.
The Pirates have now won each of their four series against division opponents, and this performance came at an opportune time for Kuhl. Competition is intensifying in the rotation with Nick Kingham pitching well and Joe Musgrove expected to return before the end of the month.
Kuhl staked his claim for one of those spots. Consistency, though, has remained elusive since he made his major league debut in June 2016.
"The last outing wasn’t what we wanted," Hurdle said. "This outing is a whole new recipe and it’s effective, there’s power there. ... That’s a very good team here in this ballpark. We’ll see what opportunities present themselves. It’s a very good step forward for him."
1. That's an important series win.
The Brewers are a playoff contender, despite their dreadful pitching performance Sunday. The additions of Lorenzo Cain and Yelich complement a dynamic middle of the order, although Eric Thames is currently on the disabled list. It's a flawed roster, particularly in the middle infield, but the Pirates' series win here was impressive, and they still showed some fight in a loss Saturday.
The Pirates won for the just the fourth time in their last 11 games against the Brewers and for just the third time in their last 10 games at Miller Park.
The offense scored 18 runs during the three games and again made it difficult for the starting pitcher. Chase Anderson was pulled after throwing 95 pitches in 5 1/3 innings. He and reliever Jacob Barnes, a right-hander with a 1.65 ERA, threw a combined 42 pitches in the sixth inning.
Frazier hit a home run on the second pitch of the game, and the Pirates added a second run in the first by executing a hit-and-run when Dickerson doubled to left-center, allowing Bell to score from first. Mercer's solo home run — his first since Sept. 11, 2017 — came in the second on a two-seamer low in the zone.
The Pirates then scored four on six hits in the sixth with Dickerson, Colin Moran and Mercer each driving in one run. Additionally, the defense played well behind both Kuhl and Rodriguez. Even Kuhl reached on a bunt single in the sixth.
"We had it all going today," Mercer said. "Everything. It was really cool to see. That might be one of the most complete games we've played this year all the way through. It shows what kind of talent we have and what we're capable of. We just have to continue to be consistent that way."
2. Marte is the catalyst for this offense.
Despite Gregory Polanco and Bell scuffling, the Pirates' offense remains one of the best in the National League. Marte has been the catalyst. He homered in the first two games of this series, including his two-run inside-the-park hit in Friday's win, and he's now batting .279/.349/.471 with five home runs, a team-high 24 runs and 16 RBIs in 35 games.
He's also walked 15 times after walking 20 times in 77 games last season, averaging a career-high four pitches per plate appearance. Marte has swung at seven percent fewer pitches outside the zone and has faced nine percent fewer first-pitch strikes. His two-run homer in the eighth Saturday was a quick snapshot of his growth, as he stayed behind an outside four-seamer from hard-throwing lefty Josh Hader to spray the ball to right field.
He had a similar hit against the Brewers on Sunday, too. Marte got ahead of the count 3-1 before Anderson made the count even with a called strike that appeared to be outside the zone. Marte, seeing that home-plate umpire Marvin Hudson was giving Anderson the outside corner, then swung at a curveball at the exact same spot, spraying the ball down the right-field line:
He reached third base for a leadoff triple and scored two batters later when Dickerson singled on a sharp liner to center field. Marte had five RBIs with three runs in the series, and Hurdle explained what has impressed him the most about Marte's hot start to the season.
"In Marte's case, the maturity in the box, I believe, is growing," Hurdle said. "The game awareness is getting better. His understanding of what they're trying to do to him now has become real, versus seeing the ball and trying to react to it. He's understanding pitching plans a little bit, how they're attacking him. The importance of maintaining his best swing. He talked about it last night after the game, how important it is for him to stay inside the ball. He understands what that means and how that works."
3. The week ahead gives the Pirates options with the rotation and bench.
The Pirates took a team bus to Chicago Sunday night and will have Monday off before beginning a two-game series against the White Sox. They'll then have Thursday off before playing the Giants at home this weekend. Hurdle has yet to map out his rotation beyond the series in Chicago because the off days complicate matters.
After all, it wouldn't benefit Kuhl or Ivan Nova to wait six days for their next scheduled start. Nova will make that clear when asked by Hurdle or Ray Searage. It's possible Kuhl could have been at risk of losing his spot, but this likely earned him another turn in the rotation.
Kingham is likely the odd man out. At least for now. The Pirates could use another bench bat this week. With two days off, they have three long relievers in their bullpen — Tyler Glasnow, Steven Brault and Rodriguez — and their two most reliable starters are pitching against the White Sox. It's time for Jose Osuna to take a spot on the bench.
Osuna, who started in right field for Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, could provide the Pirates with an option to spell Polanco in right or as a designated hitter with a day game Wednesday. Osuna is batting .359/.409/.628 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and 12 doubles in 23 games and was named the International League Player of the Month for April.
He was recalled as the 26th man for a doubleheader against the Tigers on April 25 and hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat.
