CLEVELAND — Clint Hurdle is savoring the Pirates' unprecedented revival from rock bottom in Los Angeles to rocking one of the best teams in the American League to make history. Hurdle, 102 games into his 15th season as a manager in the major leagues, wanted his coaches and 25 players to do the same.
After all, their rise from 12 1/2 back to bona fide contender in the Central Division has them in rare air. The Pirates achieved their first 11-game winning streak in 22 years Tuesday night with a 9-4 drubbing of the first-place Indians at Progressive Field. Their 14 hits, three of which were home runs, resulted in their seventh straight game of six or more runs, a franchise first since Ralph Kiner’s rookie season in 1946.
Another Cubs loss drew them to within six of first place, and they're only three back in the Wild Card. They've homered in a season-high nine straight and have won 13 of their last 14. Yet, the one number that mattered most was the one Hurdle mentioned to select players: 11.
No team in the 132-year history of the Pirates has won fewer than 85 games when having such a streak. And of their seven teams to reach the World Series, four had a streak this long.
"It doesn’t happen very often, and there’s a reason why it happens when it happens," Hurdle acknowledged. "I think those are the moments you take and appreciate. I was sharing some thoughts, I picked my spots to share thoughts with different guys. I’ve been here eight years, and it’s the first time it’s happened. It happened only one time in Colorado. There you go. For the 15 years I’ve managed it’s happened twice. It doesn’t happen very often."
History supports that statement:
It's the second-longest in the majors this season, and the longest in the National League. Although the Astros have won 12 straight and the Rockies won 21 of 22 under Hurdle on their way to the World Series in 2007, it's unlikely any such streak came under such unusual circumstances.
Following a tumultuous offseason in which they spent zero dollars in free agency, traded away their face of the franchise and their ace pitcher, the Pirates were at nine games over .500 on May 18. They proceeded to lose 31 of their next 45 games, batting only .238 in that span, while struggling either on the mound or in the batter's box.
With the Pirates 12 1/2 back in the Central Division July 8, Neal Huntington offered a public ultimatum: either the Pirates win most of their games in the final week before the All-Star Game, or he would begin to sell off the club's veterans. They've won 13 of 14 games since, winning four consecutive series for the second time this season — including a five-game sweep of the then first-place Brewers — and doing so in authoritative fashion.
Instead of talking about the upcoming non-waiver trade deadline, these players are now talking playoff contention.
“There were a lot of questions about this team going into the season," Joe Musgrove, the latest starter to silence an opposing lineup and a World Series champion with the Astros in 2017, said. "As a team, all you need is confidence in one another. It doesn’t really matter what anyone else says or what the hype is about you. If we believe in one another, we’re capable of this kind of run. I don’t think anyone’s in here hyping up the 11 games. It is definitely a nice accomplishment, but we’re creeping our way back up into the race, and we’ve got a lot of time left so we’re going to try to ride this as long as we can.”
It would also be difficult to find a streak that included such dominance both on the mound and at the plate. Musgrove, the Pirates' starter in the wild come-from-behind extra-inning win over the Brewers before the break, allowed two runs over seven innings with two strikeouts Tuesday night. That lowered his ERA to 3.90, and he's now thrown at least seven innings in three of his last four starts.
The rotation, having lost Gerrit Cole in the offseason and Chad Kuhl last month to a forearm/elbow injury, has a 2.47 ERA over its past 14 starts and ranks second in the NL this month in strikeouts. Musgrove quickly pointed out how much easier it is for any pitcher when an offense is on a tear such as this.
The Pirates have batted .316 as a team during this 11-game streak, hitting 23 home runs and averaging 6.6 runs per game. They hit only 21 runs in all of June and own a plus-39 run differential during the streak. The offense has come quick, too.
Starling Marte extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a two-run homer in the first off Indians starter Shane Beiber, pummeling this fastball 382 feet:
"You see it, we're feeling it out there," Gregory Polanco said. "We're playing really good baseball right now. The best we've played here in a long time." Marte, batting .394 with seven homers, four doubles and 19 RBIs in those 17 games, now owns the longest streak in the NL this season.
The Pirates' first three batters reached safely in the second inning, and Corey Dickerson, who went 2 for 3 and is now batting .481 over his six-game hitting streak, hit a two-run triple off the wall in left-center. Each of the 10 players Hurdle used had at least one hit Tuesday night.
"It’s awesome," Dickerson, who left the game in the fourth inning with a left hamstring injury, said. "It’s really cool to see everybody do something special up there." Marte followed with an RBI single to center to score Dickerson. Polanco fell behind 0-2 to Bieber before working the count full, then he got a fastball he didn't miss for his team-leading 18th home run:
That two-run, 418-foot homer capped a five-run second inning, making it 7-1, Pirates. The announced crowd of 26,414 was mostly silent for the rest of the night. After all, they added two more in the fifth when Josh Bell hit a two-run homer, only his fifth in 101 games, on this first-pitch fastball:
“It’s unbelievable," Bell said. "I’ve never been part of anything like it, especially getting ahead so early and kind of coasting, allowing the starter to throw strikes and keep them on their feet playing defense so much."
The Pirates had only three hits over the final four innings. However, Musgrove's lone mistake after the first inning was a solo home run by Edwin Encarnacion in the fourth. Steven Brault and Edgar Santana allowed one run apiece in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, but Musgrove's effectiveness and yet another statement by the offense made the difference.
The Pirates, now 53-49, will try for a third consecutive series sweep Wednesday afternoon, and the non-waiver trade deadline is only six days away. Players insist they're not even thinking about the streak. But their focus on what's ahead didn't spoil the latest chapter in their storybook run.
"It’s not very often you get to be a part of something like this," Musgrove said.
1. Musgrove solid yet again.
The Pirates won't be adding a starting pitcher at the deadline. Let's get that out of the way. They're high on the current rotation, as well as Brault, Tyler Glasnow and Clay Holmes. That gives them eight arms that could go in the rotation if underperformance or injury strikes.
Musgrove's start will only reaffirm that confidence. The 25-year-old was outstanding, throwing 65 of his 88 pitches for strikes. He rebounded nicely after allowing a leadoff double in the first to Francisco Lindor, limiting the damage to only one run by fielding a sacrifice bunt and getting a pair of groundouts.
Other than the mistake to Encarnacion, Musgrove was efficient, needing only seven pitches to get through the fifth. He didn't have his best stuff, either. The right-hander produced only five swinging strikes and the Indians fouled off 24 pitches; however, he was able to get quick outs as the game went along.
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS, VIDEO“The streak starts with the pitching," Musgrove said. "We’ve got to keep runs off the board in order to win games. The offense giving us seven, eight runs a night is obviously helping, but we’re taking a lot of pride in our ability to go out night after night and put together quality starts. I think everyone’s kind of doing their job right now.”
Of course, pitching with the lead helped. Musgrove was able to take advantage of the Indians' aggressiveness, leaning heavily on his sinker for those quick outs. He held left-handed hitters to a combined 3 for 20, and did not allow a hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
He's thrown seven or more innings in three of his last four starts, and extended to five games the Pirates’ staff’s own streak of consecutive starts of six or more innings. They're 34-17 this season when receiving such a performance. “You see what our team can really do when we get everything banging on all cylinders at the same time," Musgrove said.
2. Polanco not getting enough credit.
Who's the better player right now: Polanco or Bryce Harper? It's a weird conversation to have, right? After all, it seemed like just yesterday half the fan base wanted Polanco to be sent back to Triple-A. Well, Polanco's homer in the second gives him 44 extra-base hits this season, all but one as a right fielder. His 43 at that position rank fourth in the majors behind Mookie Betts, Nicholas Castellanos and Aaron Judge.
Polanco's hit safely in 20 of his last 23 games, going 25 for 87 with eight homers and 22 RBIs in that span. That's raised his season average to .237, with 58 RBIs and a .836 OPS. Meanwhile, Harper, expected to command a record-setting contract on the free-agent market this offseason, is batting .216 with a .836 OPS and 24 home runs to 56 RBIs.
Also, Polanco has fared better defensively, posting negative-6 defensive runs saved compared to negative-10 for Harper. Sure, every team in the league would want Harper long-term. He's a generational talent. But how about some credit for what Polanco has accomplished?
He's still only 26 years old and under contract through 2021, with club options for two more seasons. This is no longer a fluke. Since moving a few inches off the plate June 6, Polanco is batting .284 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs and 17 walks in 39 games. That homer stretched his hitting streak to nine games.
“I can’t imagine any other outfield doing what they’re doing this year," Bell said. "They’re just so dangerous."
3. Incredible display of athleticism.
Lost amid all the home runs and excellent at-bats, the Pirates have been outstanding defensively during this immaculate run. The outfield has been excellent defensively all season, despite Polanco still looking awkward playing right field at PNC Park. Even Colin Moran has looked more comfortable over at third base.
Yet, the defensive highlight of the past two weeks may be Musgrove's incredible stop in the first inning Tuesday night. Following Lindor's leadoff double to right, Michael Brantley bunted down the third-base line, and Musgrove made this athletic play:
"He’s probably our second-best athlete on the club overall, behind Marte," Hurdle said. "There’s nothing he can’t do athletically. That’s a fantastic play in the first inning.”
Failing to field the bunt would put two on with no outs for a middle of the order that includes Encarnacion, who's hit 30 or more home runs in six consecutive seasons.
That's Gold Glove material. Sure, Musgrove has no chance of winning such an award after missing so much time with a shoulder injury, but this displays why he's more than capable of being in the conversation in the future. More important, that athleticism translates when he's actually on the mound.
