David Freese was surprised when Mets manager Mickey Callaway held up four fingers. With the gesture, Callaway intentionally walked Elias Diaz to load the bases for Freese with no outs in the ninth and the score tied.
"I didn't know what they were thinking," Diaz said, bewildered. "He's been hitting everything."
Freese, one of several veterans reportedly shopped by Neal Huntington prior to the Pirates' 11-game winning streak, dug into the batter's box as Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove readied to step into the on-deck circle as a pinch hitter.
Clint Hurdle, without Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte again, used each of his 11 available position players, and Josh Bell left in the third inning with an injury to his left side. Freese, a former World Series MVP whose future in Pittsburgh is still uncertain with the non-waiver trade deadline three days away, delivered what he hopes isn't his final act of heroism.
The 35-year-old hit a liner to the gap in right-center, driving in his fifth run Friday night at PNC Park to clinch a 5-4 win over the Mets and snap a two-game losing streak. The Pirates, now 54-51, are within three games in the Wild Card race and seven in the Central Division.
"You obviously don’t come through every time, but to be able to do it here ... I don’t know how much longer I’m playing, whether it’s my last year here or whatnot," Freese said. "But I hope it’s not my last year. To have a walkoff in Pittsburgh is pretty neat."
TAP ABOVE FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS, VIDEOIt was Freese's first five-RBI night in six years, and he became the first player in franchise history — since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920 — to produce five, reach base five times and have a walkoff hit in the same game. Freese, a full-time bench player for the first time in his career, went 3 for 3 with two walks.
He hit a two-run homer in the second, a go-ahead two-run single in the fifth and another walkoff hit to add to his storybook career. The remarkable feat occurred when it seemed the Pirates were reeling. Nick Kingham's three-inning start Thursday night left the bullpen taxed, leading them to demote Michael Feliz and promote Alex McRae, despite the right-hander's 1.60 WHIP at Triple-A.
Dickerson, out since suffering a hamstring injury Tuesday in Cleveland, and Marte, hit by a pitch Wednesday afternoon, were unavailable. Bell was removed after running slowly on a groundout in the second inning, forcing Adam Frazier into the game. Ivan Nova, making his 20th start of the season, was pulled after walking both batters he faced in the sixth.
With Edgar Santana needed for multiple innings, Hurdle pulled Frazier in a double-switch, inserting Colin Moran at third, moving Freese to first and Sean Rodriguez into center field. "It just goes to show you everybody had to throw something in," Hurdle said.
With Dickerson out, Jordan Luplow batted leadoff a third consecutive game. Rodriguez started in center and moved to first when Bell left. Francisco Cervelli, out of the lineup after starting his first game off the disabled list Thursday, pinch-hit in the seventh, leaving Hurdle's bench empty besides his pitching staff.
"It’s wild, especially those guys and what they’ve been doing lately," Freese said of playing short-handed. "We just have to step up. These are the dog days, I guess. It’s tough out there, and bodies are dragging a little bit."
Yet, the Pirates, even without their three most-productive players this month, found a way, following the lead of the man who drove in each of their runs. Freese played 141 and 130 games for the Pirates in 2016 and 2017, respectively; however, their acquisition of Moran forced him into a bench role for the first time in his 10-year career.
Freese, though, wasn't sure how to approach his new job. Pinch-hitting was difficult, specifically how to mentally prepare himself to bat at any point in the game. During the offseason, he watched videos on Instagram of hitters across the league to improve against right-handed pitching. After all, he was batting nearly .300 for his career against lefties, compared to .263 against righties.
He found a solution, as Freese is batting .304 with a .893 OPS against right-handers this season. On the other hand, he has batted just .260 with a .651 OPS against lefties.
"I’m honestly just playing," Freese said. "Coming into this year, definitely focused on trying to hit righties better. I think in that sense, hopefully, it saves my career a little bit. Then you turn around and you’re not hitting lefties really well. I think there’s a reason for that, but the last couple days, man, I’m happy the way the swing has felt."
Freese, facing Mets left-handed starter Jason Vargas, cut the Pirates' deficit to one in the second inning when he hit this 3-2 fastball 387 feet for a two-run homer:
Following Luplow's one-out walk in the fifth, Gregory Polanco reached on an infield single and Diaz walked to load the bases for Freese. Facing Mets reliever Seth Lugo, a right-hander, Freese fell behind 0-2 before evening the count and lacing a ball up the middle for a go-ahead two-run single:
"A fantastic night for him," Hurdle said.
Diaz added: "He's red hot right now. This guy, he's fun to watch play. We needed that."
That was redemption for Nova, who allowed a three-run homer to Michael Conforto in the first. But he was pulled in the sixth, and the Mets, now 43-58, tied it in the sixth when Luplow committed a throwing error to home plate with two outs.
The Pirates stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and put a runner on in the seventh and eighth innings before they finished it in the ninth. Josh Harrison and Polanco both singled before Diaz, who went 3 for 3 with two walks, was intentionally walked. Then, on the first pitch from rookie Tim Peterson, Freese added another win to the Pirates' remarkable July resumé:
Freese is batting .347/.458/.528 with two doubles, a triple, three homers and a walk in 28 games since June 11. His .815 OPS this season is higher than that of Bell (.749), Moran (.725), Jordy Mercer (.717), Harrison (.654) and Rodriguez (.612). Luplow, Polanco, Diaz and Freese were each on base at least twice, while eight of their 11 batters reached at least once. The Mets' seven pitches threw a combined 171 pitches, walking eight and allowing 10 hits.
It remains unclear what, if any, moves Huntington makes before the non-waiver deadline Tuesday, but the Pirates, backed by another defining performance by a veteran, are performing like a contender.
"We are in the hunt; that’s what’s cool," Freese said of playing short-handed. "We just have to keep going. I don’t know what they’re going to do with moves that need to be made or whatever, but having three guys down but active is tough. I’m sure something will happen, but we have to keep stepping up."
1. Wise to keep Freese.
Either the Pirates have an attractive trade chip or another fine piece for a run at a playoff spot. Freese seems to have finally become comfortable with his new role as a bench player. A consummate leader, he has mentored Moran and is a fine platoon option, but Freese has shown this month he's still a very capable starter.
A Gold Glove finalist last season, he has batted .287 with six doubles, seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 37 starts this season. He now has homered in consecutive games and has started four of the past five games at third base. Freese is also 11 for 26 with nine RBIs in his past 10 games, batting .369 in 46 at-bats over 17 games this month.
Freese likely will be needed to start at first base if Bell requires time on the disabled list. However, there will be plenty of teams interested in him before and after the non-waiver trade deadline. Aside from his playoff experience, he's a career .290 hitter against left-handed pitching and is an excellent defender, as he showed again with another fine play in the third inning to throw out Ahmed Rosario.
Freese makes just $4.25 million this season and has a club option worth $6 million for next year that includes a $500,000 buyout. With the Pirates not committed to Jose Osuna playing third base, there's no internal option to spell Moran. Also, Sean Rodriguez's only time at the position this season resulted in a costly error against the Cardinals back in May.
If the Pirates are serious about contending, they'll need to keep Freese.
2. Diaz, not Cervelli, should be the starter.
Cervelli has made it clear he wants to continue catching. He shouldn't be the starter anymore, though. As unfair as it may seem, Diaz earned that job over the past two months. The 27-year-old has batted .307 with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 44 starts this season. Throughout the 11-game winning streak, the Pirates' starters credited Diaz's game-calling for their success.
Aside from Cervelli's scary history of concussions, he has batted just .159 with a .631 OPS in 29 games dating back to May 29. It's time for the more productive player to get the bulk of the at-bats. Sure, they should have Cervelli serve as the backup catcher, given his relationship with the staff and unique perspective.
But it's also time for him to get more pregame reps at first, especially with Bell's status now unknown. He shouldn't start there, either, not with Freese hitting like this.
Diaz singled to lead off the second and scored when Freese hit the homer to left. He also singled in the fourth before the Pirates stranded the bases loaded, and his two-out walk in the fifth preceeded Freese's two-run single.
"It's definitely helped playing this much," Diaz said. "When you have action, you learn more. You have the opportunity to make adjustments, to get your timing down. Get better."
3. Dickerson, Marte nearing return.
It appears Dickerson and Marte are nearing a return. Austin Meadows' presence in Triple-A Indianapolis' lineup for both games of a doubleheader Friday made that clear. If either required a stint on the disabled list, Meadows would be recalled, despite Hurdle being pleased with progress made by Luplow and Frazier.
Dickerson went through a full workout before Friday's game and planned to meet with the Pirates' staff to determine his availability. Marte was in line to take batting practice until the Pirates were forced to leave the field early when it began to rain.
Marte didn't rule out playing Friday, but it was obviously not his decision. Dickerson, who has never dealt with a hamstring injury in the past, didn't seem to be in a rush to return.
"We've got weeks of baseball left, not two or three days," Dickerson said. "Not being able to play and help the team is hard. It's tough. But I'd rather be here the majority of the games than do something crazy and miss most of the rest of the season. Try to be smart about it and make the right decisions."
The Pirates cannot afford to continue relying on Luplow and Rodriguez, though. They need their top two outfielders to return. If their absence continues, Meadows must come up.