Frank Coonelly stood in front of a group of a few hundred fans back in January at PiratesFest and said the Pirates’ goal this season – and every season, for that matter -- is to win the World Series.
He said it with a straight face. I was there. I saw it.
The Pirates just spent the weekend playing a team that has been to the last two World Series. They found out just how far they must go before getting to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1979.
The Dodgers outclassed the Pirates in every department in all three games of the series, finishing off the sweep Sunday with an 11-7 victory at PNC Park that was not as close as the four-run margin might suggest.
The Dodgers won the three games by a combined score of 28-11. They swept the season series 6-0, having also taken three from the Pirates a month ago in Los Angeles, and beaten the Pirates 10 straight going back to 2017. The Pirates are 2-18 against the Dodgers in the last 20 meetings.
“They are a deep team with a lot of good hitters up and down the lineup,” Bryan Reynolds said. “They are very impressive.”
Reynolds might be a rookie, but his succinct assessment of the Dodgers was on target, as Clint Hurdle can attest.
“They can beat you so many ways,” he said. “Power. Speed. Right. Left. Then you look at the guys who aren’t playing and everyone on their bench is a dangerous hitter, too.”
At 35-18, the Dodgers seem well on their way to a seventh consecutive National League West title. It would not be surprising to see them win another NL pennant and perhaps finally win their first world championship since 1988.
The Pirates, meanwhile, dropped to .500 at 25-25 by going 1-5 on a homestand in which they also lost two of three to the Rockies and were outscored 48-28.
One can make the case that the Pirates cannot compete with a big-market team like the Dodgers. And the Dodgers’ payroll at the beginning of the season was $196 million, compared to $74 million for the Pirates.
However, it does not take a payroll just shy of $200 million to at least have some competent pitchers in reserve when injuries strike. The Pirates’ lack of pitching depth – hampered in large part by Bob Nutting annually handing Neal Huntington one of the slimmest budgets in baseball – showed throughout the series, and especially Sunday.
The Pirates were still very much in the game after Adam Frazier’s solo home run in the fifth inning drew them within 4-3:
Hurdle decided to try to avoid using his top relievers with four innings still remaining, hoping others could keep the game close.
“It didn’t work out,” the manager said.
It certainly did not.
Hurdle called on Montana DuRapau to start the sixth inning and that was a disaster. The Dodgers sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run inning to turn a nail biter into a 10-3 game.
Joc Pederson started the big inning with a home run.
All the runs were charged to DuRapau, though two were unearned because of an error by Frazier on Matt Beaty’s ground ball. Dovydas Neverauskas relieved DuRapau with the bases loaded and allowed all three runners to score, hitting his first batter then yielding a sacrifice fly to Alex Verdugo and a single to Joc Pederson.
The Pirates scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to get within striking distance at 10-6. However, Clay Holmes came in and gave up a run in the eighth to kill the momentum.
To almost anyone’s way of thinking, the trio of DuRapau, Neverauskas and Holmes has no business being in the major leagues. However, the fact that they are wearing Pirates’ uniforms is a function of a wave of injuries that have two starters and three relievers on the IL.
Injuries or not, a team that fancies itself as having World Series aspirations was routed by a team that has a very real chance to win it all.
Before next year’s PiratesFest, Coonelly and the Pirates’ brass might want to revisit this weekend before mentioning the World Series.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
As Hurdle said after the game, “you try to hunt the positive.”
It was difficult but he found one in Frazier hitting his third home run of the season, a 413-foot drive to center field. The Pirates entrusted the starting second baseman’s job to Frazier over the winter and the former utility player has batted just .250/.302/.368 in 46 games as the leadoff hitter.
Frazier went 2-for-5 and Hurdle hopes the homer helps awaken Frazier’s bat.
“When you hit a ball out to center field here, you’ve put a good swing on the ball,” Hurdle said.
THE BAD
Chris Archer (1-5) lost his fifth straight start as he allowed four runs and six hits in five innings with six walks and four strikeouts. The walks played a large role in pushing Archer’s pitch count to 105, just 61 of which were strikes.
Pitch inefficiency has led to Archer working into the sixth inning just twice in eight starts this season and six times in 18 outings since being acquired last July 31 from the Rays in a trade that shipped rising stars Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows to Tampa Bay.
“I think he’s working to get outs and his fastball command has been just off enough to extend counts,” Hurdle said.
Archer knows he needs to command the heater better. He remains optimistic that he is close to turning things around.
“You have to have trust and faith in your hard work that over course of 30 starts that things level out,” Archer said.
THE OTHER SIDE
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to give third baseman Justin Turner the day off Saturday.
The move paid off Sunday as Turner went 5 for 5 with a walk. It was his first career five-hit game.
"He just does so many things to help us win the ballgame," Roberts said. "I thought he was recharged. His legs were under him today."
THE DATA
• Josh Bell started each of the first 50 games of this season as the cleanup hitter. The last Pirates player to have that long of a streak to begin a season was Bobby Bonilla with 59 in 1991.
• Jose Osuna became the 41st different player to appear for the Pirates through the first 50 games. He was recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis before the game and grounded out as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning.
• Colin Moran went 3-for-4 and is 16 for 40 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
• Sunday marked the end of a stretch of 13 straight games against NL West teams. The Pirates are 7-16 against that division this season.
• The Pirates play their next eight games against fellow NL Central teams and are 9-6 inside the division.
THE INJURIES
• Francisco Cervelli, catcher, was placed on the 7-day concussion-injury list Sunday after being hit in the head Saturday with a broken bat.
• Corey Dickerson, outfielder, is on the 10-day IL with a strained right shoulder. He is on a rehab assignment with Class AAA Indianapolis.
• Keone Kela, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. He is on a rehab assignment with Indianapolis.
• Trevor Williams, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with a right side strain.
• Jameson Taillon, right-hander, is on the 60-day IL with a strained right forearm flexor tendon.
• Jung Ho Kang, third baseman, is on the 10-day IL with a strained left side.
• Chris Stratton, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with a strained right side.
• Erik Gonzalez, shortstop, is on the 60-day IL with a fractured right clavicle. He's still not doing baseball activities.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, is on the 60-day IL with a broken right hand but now has recurring calf tightness and, additionally, is tfrom the team on a personal leave.
• Nick Burdi, relief pitcher, is on the 60-day IL with right elbow/biceps pain caused by a nerve problem.
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates play a day-night doubleheader Monday against the Reds at Cincinnati, making up a game that was rained out March 30. In the first game at 1:10 p.m., Nick Kingham (1-1, 8.76) will return to the rotation to face Luis Castillo (5-1, 2.38). Mitch Keller will be recalled from Indianapolis to make his major-league debut by starting the second game at 7:10 p.m., pitching against Sonny Gray (1-4, 3.78).
It will mark the first time the Pirates will play a Memorial Day doubleheader since 1976. Hunter Homistek will be in the Queen City for the twinbill and the entire four-game series.
THE COVERAGE
All our expanded baseball coverage, including Indy Watch by Matt Welch, Altoona Watch by Jarrod Prugar, and Mound Visit by Jason Rollison, can be found on our team page.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates vs. Dodgers, PNC Park, May 26, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS