Polanco, Marte, Dickerson 'make things happen'

After Gregory Polanco watched the ball land in the seats above the Clemente Wall and took his slow jog around the bases, he hugged Corey Dickerson. Dickerson, the offseason addition to the Pirates' outfield, was among the teammates who challenged and encouraged Polanco.

"Come today thinking you’re going to do something special every time you come here," Dickerson recalled telling Polanco. "By saying that, holding him to that, giving words of encouragement, he knows that something good will happen.”

It happened Monday at PNC Park, with the Pirates beginning what Neal Huntington described as a make-or-break week. Polanco, batting third in a lineup with Dickerson leading off and Starling Marte second, went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer and four RBIs, as the Pirates beat the Nationals, 6-3.

The Pirates, now 42-48 and 11 1/2 games back in the Central Division, must gain ground in the standings this week or Huntington will begin to tear apart the roster. It could be the performance of this outfield that determines how they fare over the next six days and beyond.

"They can make some things happen," Clint Hurdle said. "They sure did tonight coming out of the chute." 

Following Huntington's proclamation to reporters Sunday, Hurdle reshuffled his lineup to begin the series against the Nationals, one of five teams the Pirates must pass in the Wild Card standings. Dickerson had experience batting leadoff, while Marte had gone 9 for 16 with four consecutive multi-hit games and Polanco reached safely in 31 of his previous 65 plate appearances.

They were at the center of the Pirates' hot start to the season. Polanco had a league-leading 15 RBIs when the Pirates won nine of their first 11 games. Marte was batting .308 with a .869 OPS on May 18th when they improved to seven games over. 500. Dickerson, meanwhile, has been their most consistent hitter, slashing .309/.342/.464 with only 42 strikeouts in 304 at-bats.

On the other hand, the club's infield has struggled for much of the season. Josh Bell, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer and Colin Moran have been worth a combined one win above replacement, according to FanGraphs. To compare, Marte has been worth 2.2 wins, which ranks third among National League center fielders.

Hurdle's plan played out brilliantly Monday night, as the three went a combined 5 for 11 with three extra-base hits, five RBIs and two stolen bases. Their effectiveness showed in the first inning when Dickerson singled on a sharp liner to right with two strikes and Marte followed with a bloop double down the left-field line.

Polanco, faced with a 3-2 count against Nationals starter Jefry Rodriguez, singled to center to score both runs for a 2-0 lead. "That’s a good combination," Polanco said of he, Marte and Dickerson atop the order. 

They struck again in the second inning, when Dickerson lined this ball into the gap for an RBI triple following a leadoff walk by Max Moroff:

Following Marte's strikeout, Rodriguez threw a changeup to Polanco on the first pitch. This time, though, the rookie right-hander threw one down the middle at 92 mph:

That traveled 412 feet and had an exit velocity of 104.8 mph, giving the Pirates a 6-1 lead against an opponent that had scored 32 runs in a three-game span last week. Polanco, who reached the Mendoza line on June 16, is batting .308 over his past 19 games, and .293 with 22 RBIs and a .973 OPS in 28 games since moving a few inches further from the plate on June 6.

"That gave me more room," he said. "That’s when I hit the ball well, when I can extend my arms. That allows me to extend my arms more. My legs are strong. Now, I’m confident. … The season is really long. It’s up and down. You have to trust and keep working no matter what. Now I feel like I’m in a really good spot."

He's now batting .236 with a .815 OPS, a team-high 13 home runs and 36 RBIs. Polanco has the fourth-most total bases among National League right fielders, trailing only Nick Markakis, Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper. He also walked in the sixth inning and stole second in the first, which put him in scoring position before Colin Moran's RBI double.

Marte, meanwhile, displayed each of the tools that made him a catalyst for the Pirates during their hot start. In addition to the double, he stole second following a one-out walk in the fourth — he's now tied for the major-league lead with 23 stolen bases — and made this spectacular sliding catch to end the top of the fifth inning:

"That skillset doesn’t come along very often, and I think he’s much more appreciative now than he’s ever been," Hurdle would say afterwards. Aside from David Freese, who started in place of Bell at first, the infield, including Francisco Cervelli, went a combined 1 for 13.

As a result, the Pirates went 4 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. Josh Harrison, among those likely to be traded if this week doesn't go well, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. Meanwhile, Ivan Nova was able to limit damage against one of the NL's more formidable lineups.

He pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, including solo home runs by Harper and Juan Soto, and the bullpen combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless. Felipe Vazquez had two on with one out in the ninth, only to get Mark Reynolds to ground into a double play for Vazquez's 19th save.

The Pirates remain 8 1/2 games back in the Wild Card, and they are only 2 1/2 up on the last-place Reds. They have two more games against the Nationals (45-45), followed by five in four days against the first-place Brewers (54-37). Huntington's mind may already be made up, and while his roster has performed below expectations, his outfield showed for one night what this offense could be capable of.

"We just need to fight," Polanco said. "The Nationals are a good team. Milwaukee is coming. We have to fight again. It’s very important. We have to get everything together. … Whatever happens. We have to give it everything we’ve got this week."

1. The dugouts and bullpens cleared again ... for no reason.

Steven Brault was warming in the bullpen in the sixth inning when he got the call to run to the infield. It wasn't for a pitching change. Both dugouts and bullpens cleared when Cervelli and Nationals right fielder Adam Eaton were standing toe to toe at home plate.

As Cervelli recalled afterwards, Eaton and the Nationals' dugout were arguing with home-plate umpire Gabe Morales over a called strike two on the outer edge. Suddenly, Eaton took issue with Cervelli. "He was fighting with the umpire, but I had nothing to do with that," Cervelli said. "I do my job. I gotta catch pitches and frame pitches. That’s my job. I have nothing to do with the way he was angry."

Cervelli insists he didn't say a word to provoke Eaton, and Nova would not elaborate on what he heard coming from home plate. But it appeared the two nearly came to blows. Morales separated them as both dugouts cleared and relievers came running out of both bullpens.

The situation de-escalated quickly.

"That’s what happens when two veteran guys face each other," Nova said with a smirk.

2. Aggressive on the bases.

Despite Polanco's two-run homer, the Pirates rank 25th in the majors in home runs. This after Huntington and Hurdle expressed optimism the power would come with Polanco, Marte and Cervelli rejuvenated following shortened seasons in 2017. That hasn't materialized, though.

Marte is second on the Pirates with 10, while Cervelli has nine. Plus, neither Moran nor Dickerson have provided much pop, combining for only 14 home runs, and Bell has only five in 304 at-bats. With the power lacking and the offense scuffling, the Pirates have become more aggressive on the bases lately.

They've stolen 10 bases over their past four games, including four apiece on Friday and Sunday. Marte and Polanco each stole a base Monday. Although Marte is now tied for the league lead, the rest of the roster hasn't done much on the bases, despite Hurdle again emphasizing that facet during spring training.

Their stolen base percentage ranks below league average, while they've stolen third only twice — the Brewers lead the majors with 16. Also, the Pirates have been caught trying to steal second the fifth-most times in the NL and have recorded the most outs at third base in the majors this season.

They have capable baserunners, but Dickerson is second on the team with five stolen bases, while Polanco and Austin Meadows both only have four. Taking advantage of catchers such as the Nationals' Matt Wieters is a nice way to put pressure on the pitcher and, in turn, position the offense to rediscover what it's lost.

"We don't have a huge base-stealing group, but we've got some usable speed and can do some things," Hurdle said. "Marte is the guy who usually gets the most. Dickerson is heads-up, he's hunting for a few. ... It's something we've continued to talk about. We're not just gonna shelve it when the opportunities, we think, are in our favor. We're going to take some chances."

3. Dickerson a possible answer to leadoff problem.

The Pirates continue to have a problem in the leadoff spot. Their leadoff hitters this season have combined for a .284 on-base percentage — the league average for leadoff batters is .328 — and Hurdle's experiment with Bell this past weekend didn't go well.

Bell went 2 for 13 in three games and was out of the lineup Monday, as he had appeared in each of the club's 89 games this season. So, Hurdle chose to give Dickerson a shot in the leadoff spot for the first time this season. The result was two runs in the first two innings. The 29-year-old started 57 games in the leadoff spot for the Rays last season, batting .285 with a .858 OPS and 15 home runs with 81 RBIs.

"I’ve done it, mostly all year last year – halfway until I got flip-flopped around," Dickerson said. "It’s a comfortable spot for me. I’ve had success in the past. The first at-bat’s the only leadoff scenario for me. I feel like I play the rest by the situation.”

Harrison is the Pirates' most experienced leadoff hitter, but he's batted only .276 with a .313 OBP there this season. Marte was exceptional in four games atop the lineup last month, but Hurdle has since moved him to second in the order. The Pirates have used 10 different leadoff hitters this season, and offenses rarely succeed without stability at the top.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY