It was only natural that Kevin Newman was disappointed during the final days of spring training. The rookie lost to Erik Gonzalez in the competition to be the Pirates’ starting shortstop.
However, Newman estimates that he moped for just about 24 hours. Then reality set in and he knew it was time to move on.
“I was still fighting for a spot on the team, so I couldn’t dwell on it and feel sorry for myself. I was trying to make the team,” Newman was telling me Saturday at PNC Park. “Ultimately, the job went to Erik. He’s a great dude and an unreal shortstop. I just shifted my focus to making the team. What else was I going to do?”
Newman made the opening day roster as a utility infielder. While his chances to be a hero are limited, he made a difference Saturday in doubling home the winning run in the 10th inning to rally the Pirates over the Reds, 6-5. The Pirates have won the first three games of the four-game series to move over .500 for the first time in the young season at 4-3.
After Josh Bell struck out to start the 10th, Francisco Cervelli – the last position player remaining on Clint Hurdle’s lineup card – had a pinch-hit single.
Newman then lined a first-pitch sinker to deep left-center field as Cervelli scored all the way from first base, looking like anything but a 33-year-old catcher.
It was the first walkoff hit for Newman in the major leagues. Of course, he has just 20 hits in a career that began last August.
“I put a good swing on it, and it worked out,” Newman said. “Right after I hit it, I’m thinking that’s a line drive in the gap, let’s see what happens, here we go. That was amazing. That’s what you dream about when you’re a little kid. Then you get here, and you come through and your teammates are all running out on the field and acting like little kids. It just brings you back to why you fell in love with the game when you were a kid.”
Newman’s teammates were so excited that they came storming out of the dugout while Cervelli was still halfway between third base and home plate.
“Everybody gets excited when a young kid like Newman gets the big hit,” Cervelli said. “You have to celebrate every win, but a hit like that is extra special. We were all happy for him.”
Newman said he could not recall having a walk-off at any level of professional baseball since the Pirates selected him in the first round of the 2015 amateur draft from the University of Arizona. However, he did remember having a straight steal in the bottom of the ninth inning in college to win a game.
“(The pitcher) was slow to the plate and I had a big lead, so it was let’s go,” Newman said with a smile. “I’m running down the third base line yelling at the batter “don’t swing” and, fortunately, he didn’t swing.”
While this game-winner wasn’t quite that exciting, it was close enough on a day when Newman got a start at second while Adam Frazier got his first day off on the young season. Newman went 2-for-4, including hitting a single in the second. Later in the inning, he was thrown out at home by pitcher Tanner Roark when trying to score on Trevor Williams’ safety squeeze.
However, Newman atoned for that mistake in the 10th in his second start of the season. He spelled Gonzalez in the series opener Thursday night and went 0-for-3 in the Pirates’ 2-0 win. However, Newman did break a scoreless tie in the seventh when he drove in a run on a ground out.
“To get in there and make a difference, that’s all I try to do when I get to play,” Newman said. “It feels good to play a part in a couple of wins.”
Newman has not given up on the idea of being an everyday player, though.
He might get a chance to be the starting shortstop at some point in the season if Gonzalez shows he isn’t up to the task after spending three seasons as a backup infielder with the Indians. Gonzalez is hitting just .136/.208/.227 in his first 22 at-bats.
“I come to work every day to try to get better in all aspects of my game, to get to the point where one day I’m an everyday guy,” Newman told me after most of the clubhouse had emptied. “What they need me to do right now is exactly what I’ll do. That’s part of being a good teammate. But I want to play every day. Everybody wants to play. I’m no different.”
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
Josh Bell has been hitting the ball hard since opening day.
The switch-hitting first baseman stung the ball again Saturday, and this time he was rewarded. Bell hit an RBI double in the first inning to open the scoring, doubled again in the third then hit a solo home run to center field in the fifth off Roark that drew the Pirates within 4-3.
The exit velocities on the three hits were 90.4 mph, 104.8 mph and 108.0 mph
“I knew when the first double fell in that maybe it was finally going to be my day,” Bell said with a smile. “I’ve just been trying to hit the ball hard. That’s my focus. If you hit the ball hard, good things will eventually happen.”
Bell entered the day hitting .190/.190/.217. He ended it with a .269/.333/.462 line.
THE BAD
Bad might be a little harsh to describe Williams’ start but it was subpar compared to the standard he has set since the middle of last season.
The right-hander gave up four runs (three earned) and seven hits in six innings. He struck out three, did not walk a batter and served up a two-run home run to Kyle Farmer during a three-run third inning.
The Reds had four hits in the third. That is one more than the three they managed off Williams last Sunday when he pitched six shutout innings against them in a win at Cincinnati.
Williams also gave up a run in the fourth but held the Reds scoreless in his final two innings. That kept the deficit at 4-2, manageable enough for the Pirates to overcome.
“It was the third time through the lineup and we kind of synced off what we did in the first two at-bats,” Williams said of his strong finish. “I know they faced five different starters in between the last time I face them, but it’s tough to game plan in this situation because you don’t want to go with the same game plan. You want to test the waters a little to see what else works.”
THE OTHER SIDE
The Reds lost their seventh straight game since beating the Pirates in the opener a week ago Thursday in Cincinnati. They scored five runs after being shut out in their previous three games and broke their streak of 30 consecutive scoreless innings in the third. Still, it was not enough to keep them from dropping from 1-7.
Rookie manager David Bell tried to find a bright spot, though.
"We've been struggling to get the wins and we need to do that for sure," he said. "But at the same time, I think scoring five runs after not scoring for a few days was big. I think we can build on that."
THE DATA
• Jason Martin got his first major-league hit in his first plate appearance, singling off Roark to begin the bottom of the first inning and came around to score the Pirates first run on Bell's double. The 23-year-old outfielder was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday. He started in left field Saturday and was 1-for-2 with a walk.
• The Pirates rotation's ERA rose to 1.71 from 1.25 following Williams' outing. However, the starters have still allowed just eight earned runs in 42 innings so far this season.
• Williams had pitched 19 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings at PNC Park, dating to last season, until the streak ended in the third inning.
• The Pirates have won 13 of their last 15 games against the Reds at home.
• Farmer's home run was the first of his career, coming in his 64th game.
THE INJURIES
• Corey Dickerson, outfielder, has a strained right shoulder and is likely out though the end of April.
• Gregory Polanco, outfielder, is recovering from left shoulder surgery and will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow with high-A Bradenton.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, out with a broken right hand, has started gripping activities and simulated throws.
• Kyle Crick, right-handed reliever, was placed on the injured list with right triceps tightness and could return as soon as next weekend.
• Elias Diaz, catcher, is recovering from a virus and is on a rehab assignment at high-A Bradenton. In two games, he is 2-for-5 with two doubles, two walks and a strikeout.
• Jose Osuna, first baseman/outfielder, has a strained neck and is participating in all baseball activities except throwing at extended spring training.
• Dovydas Neverauskas, right-handed reliever, is recovering from a strained left oblique and will begin a rehab assignment with Bradenton tomorrow.
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates and Reds meet in the the finale of the four-game series at 1:35 Sunday. Chris Archer (0-0, 0.00) will start against Anthony DeSclafani (0-0, 1.80). DK, Hunter Homistek and Matt Sunday will provide the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our team page for everything Pirates.
