ST. LOUIS — Ivan Nova's murmur was barely audible in the empty visitors clubhouse at Busch Stadium, though the leader of the pitching staff had little to say about the result Tuesday night.
"It's just one of those days," Nova lamented after he was tagged for two towering two-run homers and lasted only 3 1/3 innings in the Pirates' 5-2 loss to the Cardinals. His unpredictable offense continued a month-long slump by grounding into three rally-killing double plays, causing them to fall to 8 1/2 games back in the wild-card race.
Their fall from contention began shortly after the non-waiver trade deadline and now includes 12 losses in their last 16 games. All along, Clint Hurdle and the front office have been taking a long look at one player who could help the Pirates in 2019. Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, acquired from the Rays on Aug. 6, went 0 for 3 Wednesday. However, he's already won over his teammates with his effortless defense and is hoping this late-summer audition is enough to convince his new bosses to bring him back.
"I just want to be somewhere that I’m wanted and that wants me to play," Hechavarria, a free agent this winter, told DKPittsburghSports.com through team interpreter Mike Gonzalez. "Obviously I’m going to be a free agent at the end of the season. That’s going to be a variable. Hopefully they want me in return. If not, that’s out of my control. Right now, I’d love to come back. This is all definitely an opportunity for me to evaluate. This is definitely where I just want to play."
Though Hurdle hasn't conceded defeat, he and Neal Huntington are already evaluating for next season. Adam Frazier started at second base over Josh Harrison again Tuesday night, despite Hurdle saying Harrison's hamstring is "good to go." Frazier's batted .337 with 17 RBIs in 27 games since being recalled from Triple-A on July 27 while showing improvement on defense.
Jon Heyman of Fancred reported Harrison cleared revocable waivers Tuesday, which means the 31-year-old can be traded before the end of the month. That's unlikely given his lingering hamstring injury, but he's still a longshot since the Pirates can either exercise his 2019 club option for $10.5 million or buy him out for $1 million.
Jordy Mercer, meanwhile, is also a free agent this winter after making $6.75 million in his final season of arbitration and is on the disabled list with a left calf strain. Rather than starting Kevin Newman in Mercer's absence, Hurdle has put Hechavarria in the lineup for 11 of the last 12 games. After all, Hechavarria can address one of the Pirates' glaring weaknesses.
The Pirates, now 64-68, rank 25th in the majors in defensive runs saved with negative-39, while Mercer ranks 20th among qualified shortstops in the statistic. For context, the Brewers' defense has saved 91 runs this season. Hechavarria, 29 and a two-time Gold Glove finalist, is regarded as one of the better defensive shortstops in the majors.
He's saved three runs this season and his 9 defensive runs saved with the Marlins in 2015 ranked third among National League shortstops. Colin Moran, a first-round draft pick of the Marlins in 2013, beamed when describing his time watching Hechavarria on the back fields of Miami's spring training complex more than four years ago.
"I was thinking, ‘Man, this can't be how every pro shortstop is, because it’s unbelievable," Moran, who started next to Hechavarria Tuesday, recalled. "Obviously he’s so smooth over there. He’s super-smooth. It's so impressive to watch him."
Steven Brault had a different vantage point Wednesday night. The left-hander was sitting in the Pirates' bullpen when Hechavarria snagged this grounder from Yadier Molina and started an inning-ending double play in the third:
"You don't see guys make a play like that often," Brault said. "It's really hard to do. The ball was moving slow, so he had to fire it over fast. He makes it look easy." That's the product of more than two decades of work. Hechavarria has been a shortstop since he was a child playing on dirt fields in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
It was his defense that earned him a professional contract at 17 years old with his hometown team in Cuba's National Series, and he signed with the Blue Jays three years later. He made his big-league debut in 2012 and was among the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB.com. That's around the time the Pirates played against him in spring training, which Mercer recalled shortly after Hechavarria was acquired this month.
"I just know he’s one of the best defenders I’ve seen,” Mercer said. Hechavarria wants to be known as so much more, though. He hasn’t driven in more than 40 runs since 2015 and his career-high OPS is .695, but the right-handed hitter has shown signs of progress after a disappointing season for the Rays in 2017.
Hechavarria's chasing fewer pitches out of the zone and is making contact more often in the zone. His whiff rate and ground ball ratio have dropped significantly. It hasn't translated to success yet. He's batting .233 with four doubles, one home run and a .672 OPS in 15 games since the trade. Those numbers will need to improve for the Pirates to want him to return. After all, Hechavarria made $5.9 million this season and will likely command more on the open market. Newman, meanwhile, will make the minimum and has shown potential at the plate.
Hechavarria's defense has always been his strength. His offense, on the other hand, continues to evolve.
"Always," Hechavarria said loudly, followed by a laugh and a long pause. "Ever since I was young, ever since I played in Cuba, I’ve always been recognized for my defense, especially when you compare to Cuba to over here. ... Obviously my greatest strength is my defense, but I feel like my offense has come a long way."
Newman, a first-round pick in 2015, batted .302 with 30 doubles, 28 stolen bases and 35 RBIs for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He's also viewed as capable, much like Mercer was earlier in his career, and wouldn't benefit from another season in the minors. Hechavarria, though, would give the Pirates what they've lacked in Huntington's tenure: an elite defensive shortstop.
He can help a pitching staff that's posted the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors since the All-Star break, while serving as a possible stopgap until Newman or Cole Tucker, their first-round pick in 2014, is ready for a full-time role in the majors. Hechavarria, though, has provided some pop since arriving. He homered against the Giants in San Francisco on Aug. 10, five of his 10 hits for the Pirates have been for extra bases and he's batting .347 against lefties this season.
"I think the biggest challenge for me is I’ve tried to overdo it in the past," he said. "You’re grateful for the opportunity of a team picking you up and you want to try to give them the best you have. You want to give them the max. Sometimes you just overdo it and you can lose yourself. I’m trying to maintain my focus. I want to show them I’m here to win."
1. Nova hit hard. Flaherty? Not so much.
Nova wasn't fooling the Cardinals. He had a 2.41 ERA over his previous three starts while relying on his two-seam fastball at the bottom and top of the strike zone. His latest opponent was ready for both. Jose Martinez, the Cardinals' battering ram of a right fielder, turned on this inside fastball six inches off the plate:
"He had to roll his sleeves up and go to work," Hurdle said.
That landed 402 feet from home plate for a 2-0 lead and more important, throttled Nova's game plan. Nova's had success in the second half by pumping first-pitch strikes at a rate of 61.4 percent, compared to 56.5 percent over his first 18 starts. Martinez's approach on that first-inning bomb led Nova to try to pitch him outside in the fourth inning. After falling behind 2-0, Nova threw an inside fastball that Martinez hit for a leadoff single.
This happened four pitches later:
That's a 436-foot two-run homer by Tyler O'Neill, a rookie outfielder with only 20 starts this season. Nova had already thrown 26 pitches in the fourth when Hurdle exited the dugout to remove him from the game. The bases were loaded after Nova walked Jack Flaherty, the Cardinals' staring pitcher, and Matt Carpenter, an MVP candidate, was preparing to step into the batter's box.
"The couple of indicators you keep an eye on with Nova is guys retired on three pitches or less," Hurdle said. "There were only three on the evening. First-pitch strikes was eight of 18. The two-run homers were problematic."
There was also this:
That's five balls in play with an exit velocity of 96 mph or higher through four innings, while the Pirates' hitters had only one. Brault got Carpenter to ground out to Hechavarria to end the fourth, and the lefty struck out six over 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Kyle Crick allowed one run on two hits and a hit-by-pitch in the eighth.
It didn't matter, though. As illustrated above, the Pirates were again fooled by Flaherty, a rookie. They had only four hits against him, three of which came in the fifth inning. Colin Moran singled up the middle to score Josh Bell, who doubled with two outs after Corey Dickerson grounded into a double play. Flaherty had five strikeouts and no walks.
The Pirates scored another run in the eighth when Hechavarria grounded into a double play, but they stranded two on base and ended the game with yet another double play by Dickerson. Frazier and Gregory Polanco went a combined 0 for 8, while Dickerson's in an 0-for-18 slump.
"We were showing some signs of getting some things going and double plays kicked us three times," Hurdle said.
2. Simple formula.
It all comes back to drafting, signing and developing amateur talent. The Cardinals have overhauled their roster this season because of injuries and underperformance. Neither Michael Wacha nor Adam Wainwright is healthy. Their opening day starter, Carlos Martinez, is now in the bullpen. Also, their entire outfield from opening day — Marcell Ozuna, Tommy Pham and Dexter Fowler — didn't play in this game.
Still, the Cardinals are the hottest team in the majors with 20 wins this month. They're 74-58 and in sole possession of the first wild-card spot. Harrison Bader, a third-round pick from 2015, has emerged as one of the top defensive outfielders in baseball, which prompted them to trade Pham at the non-waiver deadline. Flaherty, drafted 34th overall in 2014, ranks fourth in National League in strikeouts since the All-Star break. Shortstop Paul DeJong, who has a team-high 16 RBIs in August, was a fourth-round pick in 2015.
The Cardinals' 40-man roster is comprised of 16 former draft picks and five players acquired via international free agency. Only six were free-agent signings, while they acquired O'Neill, Wainwright, John Gant and Jedd Gyorko in trades. The Pirates, on the other hand, drafted only two pitchers on their 25-man roster, while Edgar Santana is the only one signed as an international free agent.
They've had to build their team through the trade market, acquiring Brault, Felipe Vazquez, Keone Kela, Kyle Crick, Chris Archer and Joe Musgrove. Remember, there's nothing in Triple-A besides Mitch Keller, who's unlikely to reach the majors until at least late next season.
3. Bell's regression on defense.
Despite Bell's inexperience, he accounted for six defensive runs saved last season, according to FanGraphs. That was the fourth-best mark among NL first basemen, trailing Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt and Anthony Rizzo. For whatever reason, Bell has regressed in his second full season.
He entered Tuesday with negative-9 defensive runs saved, which is tied for the worst mark among qualified first basemen in the majors. That number will likely decrease after his latest mishap, a failed diving attempt on a ground ball to lead off the bottom of the first. Bell did an awkward belly flop on the infield dirt to prevent the ball from reaching outfield grass; however, he was unable to trap it cleanly in his glove, which allowed Carpenter to reach on an infield single.
Carpenter scored two batters later on Martinez's 410-foot two-run homer into the Pirates' bullpen in left field. Those struggles aren't for a lack of hard work. Bell has a rigorous infield regimen before batting practice each day, and he continues to work with Kevin Young. In addition to his ugly throws, Bell's often looked unathletic when fielding his position, which doesn't bode well.