Give Jordan Lyles credit for being honest.
A lot of professional athletes would have put on the macho act and lied, saying they had shrugged off an awful performance. However, Lyles admitted Friday night that as he walked to the bullpen to warm up, he was still thinking back to five days earlier when he got just two outs before being removed in the midst of a seven-run first inning by the Cubs in Chicago.
“Mentally, it’s as tough as it gets,” Lyles said when I asked him if it was difficult to put such an ugly loss behind him. “I don’t think I ever had one as bad as that one. It’s tough to turn the corner, turn the page and get ready for the next one. The fifth day couldn’t come quick enough, so I would get another chance to pitch.
“Luckily, I was able to put it behind me. I’ll be honest, I was still thinking about that start coming into today.”
Lyles was able to bounce back in a big way, allowing only one run in 5 2/3 innings in a game the Pirates eventually lost 6-1 to the Phillies in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park. The right-hander scattered seven hits, struck out seven and walked only one. The lone run came on rookie Adam Haseley’s leadoff homer in the fifth inning. You can read more about the game here.
Lyles talked more about his outing:
It was a key outing for Lyles on two fronts.
For one, he was in danger of losing his spot in the rotation after compiling a combined 10.13 ERA in his previous seven starts. Two, he might have salvaged some value with the trade deadline coming up July 31. If the Pirates go into sell mode – it seems likely after losing six of their first seven games coming out of the All-Star break – they will look to flip Lyles for at least a middling prospect.
However, it was also an important start for Lyles just to keep his own sanity. He went from being one of the biggest surprises in baseball during the first two months of the season, when he had a 1.98 ERA through eight starts, to the verge of being demoted to the bullpen.
Lyles credited Elias Diaz with calling a good game. Diaz felt Lyles had become too predictable by throwing mainly high fastballs and curveballs in recent outings. This time, Lyles threw more sinkers and sprinkled in some sliders and changeups.
The change in pitch sequencing worked at a time when the Pirates and Lyles needed something good to happen.
• The biggest disappointment of the second half of the season has been the Pirates going from 2 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Cubs to 7 1/2 back in the span of a week.
The second biggest disappointment has been Adam Frazier’s hitting. He has gone from the hottest hitter in the major leagues heading into the All-Star break to one of the coldest coming out of it.
Frazier was 0 for 4 on Friday night and is 3 for 21 (.143) in the second half. He went 18 for 30 (.600) before the All-Star break, winning NL Player of the Week honors.
The Pirates took a calculated gamble when they handed Frazier the starting second baseman’s job before spring training began. He had spent the first three seasons of his career in a utility role.
It’s been a mixed bag as Frazier is hitting .278/.330/.402 with four home runs in 88 games.
• It appears Keone Kela is on course to return to the active roster next week, following a lengthy stay on the injured list.
Out since May 6 with right shoulder inflammation, Kela is on a rehab assignment with Class AAA Indianapolis. Scouts were raving about the right-handed reliever Thursday night after he struck out all three batters he faced in an International League game against Syracuse, the Mets’ top farm-club.
The rest of the season will be an important time for Kela, who is eligible for salary arbitration after this season before becoming eligible for free agency following the 2020 season. If Kela doesn’t pitch well, then there is a good chance the Pirates will not tender him a contract in the offseason and allow him to become a free agent — rather than go to an arbitration hearing.
Kela is making $3.18 million this season.
• The Phillies are making their lone visit to Pittsburgh sans Andrew McCutchen. He sustained a season-ending knee injury in early June after signing a three-year, $50-million contract as a free agent in December.
“Immensely, both on the field and off the field” a Phillies’ person said when I asked how much McCutchen was missed.
It’s not surprising that McCutchen emerged as a leader in Philadelphia very quickly. His new teammates were raving about him just a week into spring training.
McCutchen hit .256/.378/.457 with 10 home runs in 59 games. The Phillies were 33-27 when he got hurt and have gone 17-23 since.
Just throw up RBI(s) when Harper comes up to bat w/ runners in scoring position!
— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) July 20, 2019
• This isn’t a Pirates-related item, I know, but it is related to baseball and it is about someone who is very near and dear to me.
Longtime baseball writer Jayson Stark will receive the Spink Award on Saturday in a ceremony at Cooperstown, N.Y. as part of the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend. Stark currently works for The Athletic and had long stints with the Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN.
It is safe to say no baseball writer has ever had more fun than Stark, digging up an endless supply of fun facts and humorous anecdotes. We should all have such a good time in our jobs.
On a personal note, I owe Stark a debt of gratitude. He has been a big supporter of mine ever since I was a young baseball writer at the Beaver County Times. I will never be able to thank him enough for the encouragement he has provided over the years.
