This is quickly becoming the baseball version of buying a Porsche 911 and fitting it with bald tires.
The Pirates have built their hopes of contending on what could potentially be an outstanding pitching staff. Thus, it would stand to reason the Pirates would want to complement the staff with a solid defense.
Instead, three games into the season, the fielding is already bringing back memories of last year’s Iron Glove-caliber defense when the Pirates finished 28th among the 30 major-league teams in defensive efficiency.
Granted, three games in a small sample size in a 162-game season. However, there are disturbing signs.
Many of them came Monday when the Pirates kicked away the home opener at PNC Park, blowing a 4-0 lead after six innings and losing 6-5 in 11 innings to the Cardinals.
After Kolten Wong hit a two-run home run off Richard Rodriguez in the seventh inning that drew the Cardinals within 4-2, Harrison Bader singled and third baseman Colin Moran then booted a potential double-play grounder by Tyler O’Neill.
That helped lead the Cardinals adding one more run in the inning when Paul Goldschmidt drew a bases-loaded walk from Keone Kela with none out. To Kela’s credit, he bounced back to escape the jam without allowing any more runs to score.
Yet …
“If I make the play, we probably win the game,” Moran said.
At least, the third baseman didn’t bobble that assessment.
The Cardinals tied it at 4-4 in the eighth on an RBI double by O’Neill off Nick Burdi. Moran then got a measure of redemption when he put the Pirates back in front with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning.
Then the Cardinals drew even again in the ninth on Jose Martinez’s pinch-hit double off Felipe Vazquez. Though the run was earned, the inning started on an ominous note when Erik Gonzalez could not handle Goldschmidt’s ground ball up the middle.
That carried on the reputation Gonzalez developed during the previous three seasons as a utility infielder with the Indians – he can make the spectacular play then just as easily mess up a routine play.
The biggest defensive miscue, though, came in the 11th when the Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs against Steven Brault. Clint Hurdle called on Nick Kingham to face Yairo Munoz.
Kingham’s 1-1 pitch got past Cervelli for a passed ball. Kingham confirmed that the duo got crossed up on the pitch. Kingham threw a fastball and Cervelli was expecting a slider:
Miscommunication can happen at any point of a game, even with the score tied in extra innings. However, a veteran catcher must be able to block any pitch in that situation and Cervelli failed to do so.
The miscue put the Cardinals up 6-5. Moments later, Starling Marte grounded into a game-ending double play and what seemed like a sure win wound up going in the loss column as the Pirates fell to 1-2.
Hurdle talked about the Pirates giving “too many free 90s” to the Cardinals. When asked what the Pirates could do to fix that problem, he gave a short answer.
“We just spent six weeks working on defense,” Hurdle said, referring to spring training. “We just have to go out and get it done. We’ll keep working on it.”
Moran had a horrible spring in the field, part of the reason he lost the starting third baseman’s job to Jung Ho Kang after being the regular at that position last year as a rookie. When Moran was asked what he could do to make the defense better, he also gave a succinct answer.
“Make a play,” he said. “Just go out and make a play.”
Josh Bell made a fielding error on opening day and his defense never seems to get any better despite all the work he puts in on it. Already, the Pirates have had errors from their first baseman, third baseman and shortstop. Second baseman Adam Frazier also could have been charged with an error in the opener when he fell trying to field a grounder.
Again, it’s instructive to note that the Pirates have played 1.9 percent on their schedule.
But as Chris Archer, who pitched five scoreless innings Monday, said, “we’re the type of team that has little margin for error.”
The defense is already making that margin even slimmer. The alarming part is the Pirates don’t appear to have the personnel to markedly improve their fielding.
That’s an unsettling thought for a team that thinks it can contend.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
Archer gave the Pirates an excellent chance to win before the defense and bullpen blew the game.
He allowed just two hits in his five innings while striking out eight. However, he needed 99 pitches to get 15 outs as he walked three batters and hit another with a pitch.
“He was fun to watch,” Hurdle said. “Obviously, he was into it. The adrenaline was flowing but it’s always flowing with him.”
Archer showed plenty of emotion, pumping his fist after each of his strikeouts and skipping off the mound at the end of each inning. He admitted to "feeding off" the announced sellout crowd of 37,336.
Archer's first start of 2019 is an encouraging sign for the Pirates. Acquired from the Rays last July 31 in a trade, the two-time All-Star finished the 2018 season on a good note by going 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in his last five starts after having a a 1-2 record and 6.45 ERA in his first five outings following the trade.
"I feel good about the way I pitched, but I've got to be a little more efficient with my pitches and get a little deeper into the game," Archer said.
THE BAD
Rodriguez has gotten off to a horrible start to the season, allowing home runs in each of his first two appearances.
The home run he served up to Wong got the Cardinals' comeback started. On opening day last Thursday, he gave up the game-winning three-run homer by the Reds' Derek Dietrich.
The gopherball wasn't a problem for Rodriguez as a rookie last season as he surrendered just five in 69 1/3 innings. The Pirates have high hopes for him after he posted a 2.47 ERA in 63 games in 2018 while striking out 88 in 69 1/3 innings.
However, it's easy to wonder if Rodriguez's rookie season might have been a fluke. He is 29 years old and has spent all or parts of nine seasons in the minor leagues.
THE OTHER SIDE
The loss was a frustrating one for the Pirates. However, it was a good win for the Cardinals, who had started the season by losing three of four games to the defending National League Central champion Brewers at Milwaukee.
"That's a good ballclub over there," Hurdle said of the Cardinals. "They are always going to battle."
And battle the Cardinals did, as they wiped out the late-inning deficit.
"You knew you had to just keep your head down and keep going," Wong said. "This was either going to be a game where they kept going or we were going to get them back. We were confident in ourselves. We knew they weren't too far ahead."
THE DATA
• Time of game was four hours, 53 minutes as the teams combined to use 16 pitchers, including nine by the Pirates. There were 16 walks and four hit batters.
• The Pirates fell to 17-14 against the Cardinals in home openers.
• The Pirates had won each of their last five home openers.
• Archer has made 161 starts since 2014. The only major-league pitcher with more is the Nationals' Max Scherzer, who has 165.
• Wong has three home runs in five games this season after hitting nine in 127 games last year.
THE INJURIES
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, sustained a fractured right hand when hit by a pitch Monday night in an exhibition game against the Astros in Houston. He will be reevaluated late next week and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
• Elias Diaz, catcher, is recovering from a virus. He could return by mid-April.
• Jordan Lyles, right-hander, has right side discomfort and is expected to return sometime next week.
• Dovydas Neverauskas, right-hander, has a right oblique strain and is out indefinitely.
• Jose Osuna, first baseman/outfielder, has lower neck discomfort and is out indefinitely.
• Gregory Polanco, right fielder, rehabbing from left shoulder surgery, is likely to return in May.
THE SCHEDULE
After having tomorrow off, the Pirates and Cardinals complete the series at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday with Jameson Taillon (0-1, 6.00) pitching against Miles Mikolas (0-1, 9.00). DK and Hunter Homistek will have all the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
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MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates vs. Cardinals, PNC Park, April 1, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS