CHICAGO — Jordy Mercer saw Colin Moran smile this time, but he didn't need to see the grin to know how the Pirates' stoic, bearded third baseman reacted after his latest contribution to his new team.
"He hit my hand pretty hard too, when he gave me a high-five, so I knew he was pretty pumped up," Mercer, the club's longest-tenured player, said with a smile at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Moran, acquired from the Astros this offseason in the Gerrit Cole trade, had just hit a two-run go-ahead homer in the ninth inning to help the Pirates erase an earlier four-run deficit to the White Sox, and they held on for a 6-5 win Wednesday afternoon to complete another series sweep.
It was the Pirates' second come-from-behind win in as many days, and they're 21-16 with a roster that was scrutinized following a tumultuous offseason. Now, with Andrew McCutchen returning to Pittsburgh for a three-game series this weekend, Pirates veterans and their manager were candid with how additions such as Moran have helped them prove doubters wrong over the past six weeks.
"We’ve got each other's backs," Mercer said. "We created that chemistry in spring training, and we have nothing to lose. Everybody picked us to be last and tank and not be good. We just go out, have fun and play. If you have nothing to lose, it’s a good feeling to just go out and play."
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS, VIDEOThe Pirates, now 1/2 game back of the first-place Cardinals, have been asked about both Cole and McCutchen in recent weeks, and they've offered overwhelming praise for the accomplishments of both in their new cities.
Cole has five double-digit strikeout games in eight starts for the Astros, and the impending arrival of McCutchen has been a topic of discussion since he was dealt to the Giants in a three-player trade that yielded a relief pitcher and a minor-league outfielder.
Following the trades, the Pirates were one of three teams accused by the players’ union of not trying to win, and Scott Boras, the agent for both Cole and Josh Bell, publicly accused the team of tanking. Even one of their longest-tenured players, Josh Harrison, requested a trade once McCutchen was dealt in January.
It also resulted in David Freese's indictment of the Pirates' clubhouse culture; however, players have since spoken of wanting to surprise in 2018. Veterans have expressed confidence in young players. Clint Hurdle told reporters at the start of spring training that the Pirates still had a strong core in place, led by Mercer, Harrison, Bell, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and a young pitching staff.
"I think some of them are," Hurdle said when asked if players have a chip on their shoulders. "It’s been brought to our attention. It’s questions that are going to get asked when you trade arguably your best pitcher and your best player, and that’s what can be so great about society. We’re hypersensitive and hyperreactive. A lot of people have everything figured out. Truthfully, none of us have anything figured out, and I think that’s what’s really cool about our guys is we just, ‘OK, what’s next?’ We have some good young players, we have some young men who have stepped up."
Perhaps none have been asked to fill a bigger role than Moran. The 25-year-old had only 16 games of major-league experience prior to this season, and he was named the starting third baseman before spring training, despite the presence of Freese, a former World Series MVP and a Gold Glove finalist last season.
The Pirates hoped the power he showed in Triple-A last season — 18 home runs in 79 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League — would translate to the major leagues. He was given a low-leverage spot in the order at seventh, and he's provided the team with a source of power they lacked last season.
It was illustrated brilliantly in the ninth inning. Marte led off the inning with a single and Bell followed with a single of his own to put runners on the corners with no outs. Bell then advanced to second when Corey Dickerson, whom the Pirates acquired for Daniel Hudson and a minor-league shortstop, grounded out to third.
Elias Diaz, named the Pirates' backup catcher once Chris Stewart departed this offseason, sliced a two-seam fastball. It landed to the left of the chalk in deep right field and bounced over the wall to score two runs, cutting the deficit to one:
Moran, who entered the day ranked third among all National League rookies in batting average and RBIs, stepped in next and watched a four-seam fastball land in the dirt for ball one. He then made Nate Jones pay for throwing a hanging slider over the middle, hitting his third home run of the season:
Moran has a .283 average and .803 OPS with 19 RBIs — the fourth-most on the team — and is making believers out of some who weren't sure what he could bring to this lineup.
"I feel like he was a big unknown to me," Mercer said. "Nobody knew what he was going to be like with a full season under his belt. Yeah, he had some numbers in September and some Triple-A numbers, but a full season, new team, the way he goes about his business. It’s so calm, cool, collected. … It’s awesome to see what he’s doing."
Bell, a close friend of Moran's, wasn't shy when asked if it's especially nice to see Moran produce when everyone continues to ask the Pirates about players who are no longer on the team.
"Heck, yeah," Bell said, grinning. "Heck, yeah. He’s a huge bat. Really locking in in clutch situations. … For him to close it out and really be the exclamation point on the win is huge."
In addition to Moran, the Pirates are receiving contributions from two others acquired for Cole and McCutchen. Kyle Crick, the right-handed reliever acquired from the Giants, has a 3.24 ERA with 13 strikeouts to four walks in 8 1/3 innings, and Michael Feliz has 20 strikeouts in 15 innings.
Hurdle wants his players to remain realistic. It's only six weeks into the season and there is much to improve on, as Trevor Williams showed against the White Sox, who now have nine wins and 25 losses. Williams, arguably the Pirates' most consistent starter this season, allowed a pair of two-run homers and lasted only five innings. Their rotation has allowed the fourth-highest opponent batting average in the NL.
The offense, meanwhile, managed only two solo home runs in 7 1/3 innings against White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez, and Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez gave up one run in the eighth inning to make it a three-run deficit. The Pirates also had to overcome a four-run deficit after the first inning on Tuesday.
Yet, Hurdle again spoke glowingly of his lineup, and his bullpen, including Steven Brault, who pitched two scoreless innings, and Felipe Vázquez, who retired the side in order in the ninth. Mercer and Polanco started the comeback with solo home runs in the sixth inning, and the Pirates scored the four deciding runs after only 10 pitches in the ninth inning. The Pirates have one of the top offenses in baseball and have an 10-3 record against teams in their division.
They packed their belongings in preparation for a return to Pittsburgh and an off-day followed by an unusual night at the ballpark Friday. McCutchen will receive a standing ovation after a video is displayed on the scoreboard to celebrate his role in the renaissance of the franchise before trotting out to right field at PNC Park wearing black and orange.
Meanwhile, his former teammates, and those brought in to replace his production, will continue their mission without him.
"I really believe they’re out to do something special," Hurdle said of his players. "They believe they’re capable of doing something special and significant and that’s all that matters."
1. Weird start for Williams.
Don't be alarmed by Williams allowing the home runs. He's now allowed four in his last two starts, but both against the White Sox were aided by a steady wind blowing out to left field. The 26-year-old still has a 3.13 ERA — the best among Pirates starters — and pitched through the sixth inning in five of his first six starts.
The more troubling trend is his pitch efficiency. He was pulled after throwing 64 of his 92 pitches for strikes through five innings, and he retired the side in order only once. Williams walked two and struck out three, but he has 20 walks to 29 strikeouts this season. The right-hander doesn't really have swing-and-miss pitches, yet he also can't be relying on ground-ball outs after putting men on base.
He got away with it during his first start when he walked five batters against the Tigers and again on April 22 by walking five in six innings against the Phillies. Better teams will capitalize.
Hurdle didn't seem concerned at all, though. He was actually pleased with how Williams managed to limit the White Sox to only four runs.
"The home run has become a challenge for him lately and sometimes pitchers go through stretches," Hurdle said. "You throw balls in certain situations and you expect them to get hit. They get popped up. He doesn’t back off. He doesn’t back down. I think at the end of the day he had two walks and three strikeouts. The slider didn’t play probably as much as he liked it to. He just finds a way to get things done."
Williams' shorter start did come at an opportune time for the Pirates. Their bullpen is well-rested and the team has off days bookending the weekend series against the Giants.
2. Rodriguez scuffling early.
Sean Rodriguez is now batting .145/.266/.309 after going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts against the White Sox. The 33-year-old is just 30 for 187 (.160) since returning from shoulder surgery on July 17 last season. He's made contact with the barrel of his bat only 5.9 percent of the time — he did so at an 11.4 percent clip in 2016 — and his weighted on-base average is considered "poor" by FanGraphs' standards.
The Pirates took a gamble when they re-acquired Rodriguez last August. After all, he had played in only 15 games after undergoing shoulder surgery seven months earlier. He was batting .162/.326/.351 at the time and was under contract through 2018 at $5.75 million.
The initial plan was for Rodriguez to be a possible replacement for Jung Ho Kang at third base, but he had started only 54 games there in his career and the Pirates had Freese under contract. Then, they acquired Moran.
The hope was that a full "baseball offseason" would allow Rodriguez to return to his 2016 form, but he's struggled since the start of the season. Rodriguez has been an above-average defender, particularly at second base, and he is a passionate leader in the clubhouse. But with Kang possibly returning, the Pirates are going to be in a roster crunch at some point.
It's far too early to give up on Rodriguez, but his struggles should at least be monitored in the coming weeks.
3. Heads-up play by Mercer.
Williams' start would have been worse if it weren't for an impressive play by Mercer at shortstop in the third inning. With the Pirates trailing 2-0, Jose Abreu hit a two-out double down the first-base line. Then, Nick Delmonico laced a ball deep in the hole between Mercer and Moran.
The wind caused the ball to bounce in front of Mercer and he backhanded it. With Abreu rounding third, Mercer threw home to Diaz, who tagged Abreu for the third and final out. Although Mercer is worth negative-2 defensive runs saved, he's proven to be a capable defender at shortstop.
"I don’t know if it was the turning point but it was a big out, definitely," Mercer said. "Any time you can track down a run it’s big. I just knew the wind was going to hold [the ball] up. The wind was playing games with us all day, it seemed like out there. He got jammed. Nobody is over there and we were shifting. … I knew if I just had a good throw we would have plenty of time."