CHICAGO — In all of Clint Hurdle's years in baseball, he doesn't think he's seen a pitcher accomplish what Jameson Taillon has over his last 21 starts. Taillon has yet to allow more than three runs in any start during that span, one of only two starters to do so this season and the first for the Pirates in 55 years.
That culminated Monday night with seven innings on the mound at Wrigley Field, spoiling the potential Cubs playoff berth by pitching the Pirates to a 5-1 win to open a four-game series. Afterwards, he recalled his legs getting "pretty shaky" before striking out Jason Heyward to escape a sixth-inning jam, and how he barely saw the animals at the zoo one day earlier because people kept recognizing him.
Taillon then deflected some of the credit across the room to the two men who have caught most of those 21 starts: Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz. It was Cervelli who guided the right-hander on this night by diagnosing that Taillon's slider was sharper than his curveball. Cervelli even provided enough run support with his two-run homer in the first inning.
But it's Diaz, the backup, who caught Taillon's bullpens between starts. There are also extensive conversations between the two, even if Cervelli's the one scheduled to be behind the plate. Diaz is the lesser experienced of the best catching tandem in the majors, yet his performance this season, whether he starts or not, could offer as much hope for 2019 as Taillon's brilliant outing or Cervelli's swing in late-September for the Pirates, who improved to 79-76.
"It’s huge," Taillon told DKPittsburghSports.com of his catching duo. "As a pitcher, we have enough to worry about: I have to worry about my mechanics, I have to worry about all my pitches being sharp. The last thing I want to worry about is being robotic out there and what pitches I want to throw. … That takes all the pressure off you. They say, ‘Hey, I’ve got this.’”
Together, the Pirates' catchers lead the majors in wins above replacement (4.9), OPS (.766) and 84 RBIs. Their caught stealing percentage (34) ranks sixth, a remarkable improvement from last season's mark of 23 percent.
Diaz will turn 28 in November and didn't become a regular for the Pirates until this season, though he started 18 of their final 22 games when Cervelli was injured last September. The team chose to decline Chris Stewart's option during the offseason and anointed Diaz the backup catcher months before spring training.
That confidence was rooted in Diaz's improvement as a game-caller, not his production at the plate, including a .223 average in 64 games (23 starts) in 2017. The offense would come, Clint Hurdle said. Still, there was some risk in not adding a proven catcher, given Cervelli's injury history — he had not played more than 101 games in two seasons and would turn 32 in March.
There's been no such drop-off with Diaz behind the plate. In addition to his exemplary work with the pitching staff, he's batted .286 with an .803 OPS, nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 57 starts. Cervelli's twice been placed on the concussion disabled list, limiting him to 101 games with only six left to play.
"It hasn’t just been a backup role for Diaz this year, based on those challenges Francisco's had physically. … It’s been 1A and 1B, that’s kind of the way we’ve looked at it," Hurdle said. "Seeing [Diaz] perform this year, I think there’s a lot of situations that people look at him and say, ‘Wow, we’d like to have him be our starting catcher.' I don’t think there’s any doubt now that he’d be ready to accept that assignment, that role and that responsibility if it came to him."
Cervelli, the Pirates' highest-paid player next season at $11.5 million, is entering the final season of his contract, and his future at the position was in doubt two months ago when he had a recurrence of post-concussion symptoms. He began taking ground balls at first base to lessen his workload behind the plate, however, he's returned to everyday catching duties.
Neal Huntington has made it clear in recent weeks they still view Cervelli as part of their future. After all, he's experienced a career renaissance this season. His 12 home runs and 55 RBIs are both career highs. An offseason dedicated to strengthening his lower body and improving flexibility has helped him both behind the plate and in the batter's box, as he powerfully illustrated with this swing that drove a ball that landed out of the park on Waveland Avenue, an estimated 411 feet:
Cervelli beamed at his locker stall when asked about his health, but he made it clear he's not complacent, having already structured his offseason workouts to help him improve behind the plate. His smile became wider when asked about that trust Taillon cited above.
"That means a lot. I was talking to this clown here about that," Cervelli said jokingly, nodding towards Diaz, who had just used his iPhone to take video of his fellow catcher's interview with reporters. "The way they trust everything we put in there is amazing. The key is being on the same page, so the game goes faster — faster and fluid. We’ve been working so hard. Those guys are amazing. I love my pitchers."
Like Cervelli, Diaz is also unsatisfied. Once a recipient of Baseball America's "Captain's Catcher" award, given to the best catcher in the minors, Diaz has committed eight throwing errors, mostly by rifling balls into the outfield.
Between catching his pitchers' bullpens, reviewing scouting reports, consulting with his staff and learning from Cervelli, Diaz makes time to work daily with Heberto Andrade, the team's bullpen coach. That's where Diaz has sharpened his blocking, pitch framing, and throws. Anything to make himself a more complete catcher.
"He’s come a long way," Andrade said. "He’s grown so much compared to where he was last year. The thing with him is because he has a good arm, but his footwork and transfer was a little bit long. It’s like when you pull an arrow and it’s too long. What we did was try to minimize that movement, to stay close with himself to create distance, direction and good balance. ... Everybody in the organization knows he’s got a good arm, but it was inaccurate."
Diaz's first full major league season will end in less than one week, however, he hopes to be playing baseball again sooner rather than later.
Diaz has asked the Pirates for permission to play for Bravos de Margarita in the Venezuelan Winter League, a team managed by former major league catcher Henry Blanco, who was instrumental in Jose Osuna's transition to third base last offseason. Diaz hopes to use that time to prepare himself for 2019.
"I’m happy about myself and what I’ve been doing well," Diaz said. "All the work I’ve put in. But there’s more to get done. I’m just trying to get better. I need to get better. I have to do that next year to help my team win a championship. That’s what everybody here wants."
1. Taillon does it again.
Taillon silenced what could be the best offense in the National League. His only mistake, a 3-1 fastball over the middle, was hit 437 feet to center by Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels for a solo home run in the third inning. Otherwise, he held Chicago to four hits, all singles, and worked around three walks. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth and used his slider to strikeout Heyward in the sixth, stranding runners on the corners. Taillon explained the emotions pitching in front of 34,570 fans during that specific at-bat and how his slider was so effective:
"It might be one of the best runs I’ve seen a starting pitcher have in my coaching experience, maybe playing experience," Hurdle added.
Taillon went into greater detail and was proud of being on the mound for the famous seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley. This was his 14th win and lowered his ERA to 3.16 over 31 starts, 185 innings. He has a 2.63 ERA over his last 21 starts and a 2.16 ERA in the second half. Unlike his previous start against the Royals, when he leaned on his curveball, Taillon turned to his slider against the Cubs.
The pitch produced 11 total strikes, including seven foul balls. He didn't add that pitch until May, and it's helped him emerge as the ace of this staff. Although Trevor Williams gained more notoriety for his 1.00 ERA in the second half, Taillon's emerged as the pitcher the Pirates hoped he would be when they drafted him second overall in 2010.
"The phrase 'midseason form' is real," he said. "When you have 20, 30 starts your body’s just been repeating what it’s doing all year, and I think that’s kind of where I’m at."
In addition to Cervelli's home run, Jose Osuna had an RBI double and Pablo Reyes drove in two runs, including a solo home run in the ninth. Richard Rodriguez and Felipe Vazquez each pitched a scoreless inning to secure the win.
2. Dickerson has a Gold Glove résumé.
Corey Dickerson has a legitimate chance to win a Gold Glove. Remember, even the most experienced scouts thought he had little chance being successful playing that position at PNC Park. After all, he cost his teams a total of negative-8 runs over his previous five seasons. Upon acquiring Dickerson, Huntington and Hurdle both expressed confidence in the veteran's ability to be a capable defender there, citing their scouts' recent observations of his improved athleticism.
Dickerson's saved an NL-best 14 runs this season, per FanGraphs, and leads the league's left fielders with 9 outs above average, a range-based metric that accounts for the number of plays made and the difficulty of them. He demonstrated his value again Monday by making a sliding catch to rob Daniel Murphy of possible extra bases in the third inning.
3. Frazier shows improvement on defense.
The one-hopper gave Adam Frazier more trouble than anyone in the Pirates' dugout would have liked. It skipped off his glove and gave Javy Baez, an MVP candidate and the Cubs' No. 3 hitter, a leadoff infield single. Taillon then walked Anthony Rizzo before Frazier redeemed himself with one of his finest defensive plays of the season.
Frazier corralled a grounder hit up the middle by Kyle Schwarber, ran to touch second base for the first out and rifled a throw across his body to first base to convert a double play:
Though Taillon would walk the next hitter, the Pirates escaped the inning unscathed, largely because of an infield defense that's been a weakness for the past two seasons.
With Starling Marte out because of a calf injury, Hurdle chose to start Jordan Luplow in center since he wants Frazier to stick at second base. It's no secret that Frazier's fared well when given the chance to play one position.
"The double play was the biggest play we made on defense all night," Hurdle said. "That was a big play, nice timing. Some nice leadership from Frazier to make the play, get the throw off. Our guys throw it out there every night. Some nights it’s cleaner than others."