The Pirates’ offense is ailing.
Corey Dickerson and Gregory Polanco are on the injured list along with Lonnie Chisenhall. That has left the Pirates with such a dearth of corner outfielders that backup corner infielder Colin Moran started in left field Friday night, the first time he appeared in the outfield in a major-league game.
Furthermore, five regulars have batting averages of .227 or less through six games: Erik Gonzalez (.158), Josh Bell (.190), Jung Ho Kang (.200), Francisco Cervelli (.217) and Starling Marte (.227). As a team, the Pirates are hitting .219 and scoring an average of 3.5 runs a game.
Reds right-hander Sonny Gray made the lineup look even more sickly Friday night. After giving up a one-out single to Cervelli in the first inning, Gray retired 16 consecutive batters into the seventh.
Yet the Pirates were able to notch their second 2-0 victory in as many nights over the Reds at PNC Park thanks to some speed, daring and bunting. Not to mention outstanding pitching.
The Pirates scratched out single runs in the seventh and eight innings, while Joe Musgrove pitched seven innings and combined with Keone Kela and Felipe Vazquez on a three-hit shutout that evened the team's record at 3-3.
“It’s always important when you’re not slugging,” Clint Hurdle said of manufacturing runs. “I think one of the good characteristics we’re trying to build here is we can win different ways. With the strength of the pitching, you’ll always be in the game. In the games you don’t hit, you’ve got to find a way to scratch out runs, especially when a guy pitches as effectively as their guy did tonight. We were opportunistic late, as far as putting some men in motion and getting them moving.”
After Marte hit a leadoff single with the game scoreless in the seventh to end Gray’s long streak of batters retired, it appeared the Pirates might have run themselves out of an inning. Following a wild pitch and a ground out, Marte was on third but was thrown out at home for the second out while trying to score on Bell’s ground ball to second base with the infield drawn in.
However, Kang followed with a double to left field and the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Bell scored all the way from first base. Third base coach Joey Cora did not hesitate in waving Bell home.
“Situationally, I thought it’d take two perfect throws to get me out,” Bell said. “In that situation, with the way the game is going, I feel like everyone in the stadium feels he’s going to send me there. Jung Ho put it in the right spot, and I was able to keep my footwork clean.”
It turned out that it was the only run the Pirates needed. However, they manufactured an insurance run in the eighth inning.
JB Shuck led off the inning with a bunt single.
“I just kind of saw the opportunity because the third baseman had kind of moved back a little bit,” said Shuck, who started in right field while Melky Cabrera was rested. “I thought it was a good time to get one down.”
Erik Gonzalez then attempted to bunt Shuck to second and both runners were safe when Shuck beat first baseman Joey Votto’s throw to second. One out later, Adam Frazier doubled home Shuck to make it 2-0.
“It’s huge getting that second run,” Shuck said. “It was a great pitching performance by both guys. Once we got one, it’s great to get another for the bullpen to know it’s not just a one-run lead and everyone has a second to take a deep breath and go do their thing.”
The Pirates’ thing has not been slugging. They have hit just three home runs and their .323 slugging percentage is two points lower than their on-base percentage.
No wonder the Pirates feel they must make every run count.
“It’s been great pitching all-round by everybody these last two games,” Shuck said. “The fact that we have been able to scratch out two runs in each game has made them great wins because you’d hate to waste the type of pitching we’re getting. Everybody is getting behind each other. We’re playing great team baseball. We got a couple of bunts down today, we’re hitting-and-running and our pitchers are doing an unbelievable job of keeping us in games and giving us a chance to win, even when we’re not scoring many runs.”
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
Musgrove was outstanding in his first start of the season, allowing three hits while striking out eight and walking one. He threw 63 of his 88 pitches for strikes and had first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 24 batters he faced.
Originally, Musgrove was scheduled to start last Saturday at Cincinnati, but the game was rained out. He opted to pitch in relief the following day so the rest of the rotation could stay on schedule and worked two scoreless innings against the Reds.
Musgrove’s outing dropped the Pirates rotation’s ERA to 1.25. The starters have given up just five runs in 36 innings.
Of course, the ultra-competitive Musgrove wanted to keep pace with the other four starters.
“It fires me up,” he said. “I think we all feed off each other. We're competing in a sense of wanting to go out and top each other's outings. Everyone is pulling for each other, and this is what we expect of each other every fifth day out there.”
Musgrove mixed his pitches effectively, throwing 28 four-seamers and sliders along with 13 changeups and 12 sinkers.
Kela and Vazquez finished with 1-2-3 innings. Vazquez notched his second save in three opportunities.
THE BAD
The Pirates’ offense struggled again but, in fairness, Gray had a lot to do with that as he was outstanding over 6 2/3 innings. He allowed only one run and three hits while striking out seven and walking none.
That was quite a contrast to his start last Sunday against the Pirates in Cincinnati when he lasted just 2 2/3 innings while walking four and allowing three runs in a 5-0 loss.
“I feel like he was getting calls at the bottom of the zone and working off that,” Bell said. “His curveball was snapping. He was working quick, getting a lot of quick outs and keeping us off the basepaths.”
THE OTHER SIDE
The Reds are off to a nightmarish start under first-year manager David Bell. They lost their sixth straight game to fall to 1-6. They have been shut out in four of their seven games, including each of their last three, and have scored just 11 runs for an average of 1.6 a game.
This is not the start the Reds envisioned following a winter trading spree in which they acquired Gray from the Yankees, right-hander Tanner Roark from the Nationals, and left-hander Alex Wood and outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp from the Dodgers. The hope was to end a string of four straight last-place finishes in the National League Central that included at least 94 losses each season.
"It's always disappointing when you don't win, but there's only one thing to do and that's to focus on staying with it and continuing to work hard, which they all are doing," Bell said.
THE DATA
• Pirates starters have a 0.78 WHIP, allowing 19 hits and nine walks in 36 innings.
• The Pirates’ three shutouts – all against the Reds – lead the major leagues. They were third in the majors with 16 last season behind the Cubs (18) and Indians (17).
• Frazier and Cervelli have reached base in all six games. Frazier is hitting .308/.379/.423 and Cervelli has a .217/.333/.217 line.
• Cabrera leads all active major-league switch-hitters with 1,862 hits and 807 RBIs.
• Gray had been 0-2 with a 7.59 ERA in three career games, including two starts, against the Pirates prior to Friday.
THE INJURIES
• Corey Dickerson, outfielder, has a strained right shoulder and is likely out though the end of April.
• Gregory Polanco, outfielder, is making progress in Florida as he recovers from left shoulder surgery. He's playing seven innings in extended spring training games and is expected back sometime in May.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, out with a broken right hand, has begun gripping activities and simulated throws.
• Kyle Crick, right-handed reliever, was placed on the injured list Friday with right triceps tightness.
• Elias Diaz, catcher, is recovering from a virus and started a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday night at high-A Bradenton, going 0-for-3 with one strikeout. He had Friday off.
• Jose Osuna, first baseman/outfielder, has a strained neck and is participating in all baseball activities except throwing.
• Dovydas Neverauskas, right-handed reliever, is recovering from a strained left oblique and pitched a simulated game Tuesday at extended spring training.
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates and Reds meet in the third game of the series at 1:05 p.m. Saturday at PNC Park. Trevor Williams (1-0, 0.00) will start for the Pirates against Roark (0-0, 6.23). Clubhouse opens to the media at 10 a.m. and the Hurdle daily confab will be at 10:30. I will be on the scene with the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our team page for everything Pirates.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates vs. Reds, PNC Park, April 5, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS