Gregory Polanco's postgame routine had him still standing at his locker stall in the Pirates' clubhouse more than an hour after the final out Wednesday. Not even an off-day following a 3-2 win over the Reds at PNC Park in this late-summer slog was going to stop him from working late into the night.
"I feel great," Polanco told DKPittsburghSports.com after driving in his 81st run of the season hours earlier. "I want to play every game we have left. No matter what."
Following almost every game, Polanco stretches and works out with Starling Marte before jumping in the cold tub. His extensive recovery program was given to him by the team in the final days of an injury-shortened season last September, and Polanco's stuck with it ever since, through his ugly May and July resurgence.
Polanco, no longer bothered by a troublesome hamstring, has emerged as the run producer for this offense. He leads the team in home runs with a career-high 23 and 81 RBIs, while starting 120 games, including 24 straight. A mention of those accomplishments brought a smile to his face, yet the 26-year-old wants so much more.
"This only means I have to keep going," he continued. "I have to keep this up and get better. It's not over. I have to keep trusting in myself and believing in myself."
That last part, Polanco said, is the most difficult, and it took a village to help him resuscitate his fifth season in the major leagues. Polanco was relegated to the dugout three months ago, mired in a two-month-long slump where he batted .187 with 16 RBIs and 45 strikeouts in 46 games from April 13 through June 12.
That dropped his season average to .202, and he was the odd man out of a four-man outfield that included Austin Meadows. He wasn't sure if an answer was coming, either. David Ortiz called to offer encouragement. So did Robinson Cano, another close friend from the Dominican Republic. Corey Dickerson would stop by his locker for a motivational talk, and David Freese grabbed Polanco by both shoulders one day before delivering a passionate plea.
"They were all there for me," he recalled. "Man, you don't know how much that meant. Freese, he's the one who really woke me up. He said, ‘Man, you have to believe in yourself more than you do because you’ve got a lot of talent.'"
Polanco stuck with the regimen and with his coaches. That's why he was receptive when they all suggested he move a few inches off the plate after watching him struggle with inside pitches. The adjustment sparked his rejuvenation. Polanco's batted .296 with 14 doubles, 15 home runs, 49 RBIs and a .951 OPS in 70 games since June 13.
That's raised his season slash line to .252/.340/.498. He's also on pace for career highs in doubles and OPS, while he's already surpassed his previous high with 61 walks. With the Pirates' entire offense struggling, Polanco's batted .349 over his last 16 games with nine RBIs over his last 12.
"I like what he’s doing, I like the fact he’s becoming a run-producer and he’s owning it," Hurdle said. "He wants to show up, he wants to play every game. He doesn’t want to take left-handers off. He wants at-bats. He wants to be a guy."
That's why Polanco didn't take time off last offseason. Instead, he spend his days flipping tractor tires up and down a skinny hillside in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He followed the plan given to him by the Pirates, which also included a strict diet, and led those workouts, even encouraging Marte to attend.
Polanco was tired of being injured and feared this could be his last chance to stick in the big leagues. After all, he batted only .251 with a .696 OPS in 108 games last season. "I’ve seen a maturity," Kimera Bartee, the Pirates' outfielders coach, said. "He wants to show up for every play. That’s kind of an issue he had. He was young coming up, and he would let one side of the ball affect the other. He’s starting to understand the importance of just being out there and showing up for every play. He impacts us. He has a leadership quality that I don’t know he knew he had in him. It’s not a vocal thing, but he sets an example. He’s looking to set the example instead of being the example."
Polanco isn't trying to lead. That notion didn't cross his mind until Bartee brought it to his attention earlier this season. Instead, Polanco's doing whatever he deems necessary to stay on the field and produce. His ground-ball rate is down six percent from last season, while his fly-ball rate is up 11 percent.
He's also swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone, while showing better balance whenever lunging for a ball out of the zone, as he illustrated in the third inning Wednesday with this RBI single:
Hurdle's began sitting veterans with the Pirates out of contention. However, Polanco's made it clear he wants to play every day. He doesn't want a break after missing 40 games because of three stints on the disabled list last season. He plans to return to that skinny hillside once this season does finally end. The Pirates, now 69-71, are nine games back in the wild-card race, even after completing their first series sweep since July 20-22.
They've lost 22 of their last 38 games, leading management to shift its focus to next season. Yet, Polanco wants to finish what he started at the outset of spring training nearly seven months ago.
"I’m not ready to go home yet," he said. "I wish we could be in the playoff race, but whatever happens. I want to play every game we have left. After what happened last year, I want to play every day now."
1. Taillon leaves men on.
Jameson Taillon's eighth pitch of the night landed on a metal bleacher in left-center. Jose Peraza hit the ball 407 feet for a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and the night didn't get easier for Taillon.
He had at least one runner on base in four of his five innings, stranding eight. Taillon also allowed two hits in the second, fourth and fifth innings. He struck out Homer Bailey to leave two on in the fifth, but his most difficult test came in the fifth, when he loaded the bases by hitting Eugenio Suarez on the elbow with an elevated fastball.
Taillon responded by striking out Scott Schebler with this elevated four-seam fastball to end the inning:
It was the final pitch of Taillon's 28th start this season, and he's now allowed three or fewer runs in 18 straight. The 26-year-old allowed only one run over five innings with eight strikeouts to no walks, and he owns a 2.79 ERA since June 1st. Oh, and the right-hander is 11-1 when receiving three or more runs from his own offense.
And that ability to still make pitches with men on base powerfully illustrates how far he's come over the last calendar year:
"He's got a determination and a focus that's real," Hurdle said. "He's got a great recall about what he wants to do. He's got some history in the league now. ... I think he's leaning on that."
2. Tensions boil again.
Francisco Cervelli walked with Suarez all the way up the first base line to protect Taillon. After all, Suarez was upset after getting hit by that pitch, throwing his bat and equipment before walking slowly up the line. He then jawed at Taillon from first as Ray Searage came out for a mound visit, all while Taillon had to figure out how to strand the bases loaded.
"Yeah, I get it," Taillon said of Suarez's frustration. "That’s why I didn’t say anything back to him."
It didn't stop there. Reds reliever Lucas Sims hit Kevin Newman on the left hand with a pitch in the seventh inning, and Cervelli was hit on the same spot by Sal Romano one inning later. Home plate umpire Lance Barksdale chose not to issue a warning, despite the obvious motive behind Romano's pitch.
"I save my comments for people who can do something about them," Hurdle said when asked about his opinion of the way Barksdale handled the hit-by-pitches. These two teams have history, and the Pirates have frustrated opponents with their propensity to throw inside. Their bullpen leads the National League in hit-by-pitches during the second half.
The Reds retaliated this time, and the Pirates are likely to remember those pitches when they play in Cincinnati for the final three games of the season.
3. Vazquez pitches into and out of trouble.
Felipe Vazquez hadn't allowed a run since the trade deadline until Dilson Herrera doubled to left to cut the Pirates' lead to one run in the ninth:
That followed Curt Casali's single on the first pitch of the inning, a 97-mph fastball, and Herrera hit the second pitch he saw to left. Vazquez's struggles have often occurred when opponents are aggressive early in the count. They are batting .333 with a .975 OPS against Vazquez on the first pitch of an at-bat this season.
He seemed uncomfortable with runners on base this time, too. Though Vazquez back-to-back strikeouts following the double, he walked Peraza and Joey Votto to load the bases by missing with his fastball arm side. He then got Scooter Gennett to hit a grounder back to the mound to end the game.
This was his 30th save of the season and his first earned run allowed in 12 appearances. He's also converted 20 consecutive save opportunities, the longest active streak in the NL.
"He's confident in his abilities, and I think there's not a panic button," Hurdle said. "He said, 'OK, I've got pitches to make. Here's where I'm at right now. It's a one-run game with a runner on second and there's nobody out. What do I have to do?' Well, he hunted the punch out — I think you can tell that."