Kevin Newman hit two home runs, including a two-run, two-out walkoff, as the Pirates downed the Reds Friday night at PNC Park, 6-5.
Newman's winner was a called shot. Not by him, though. Not even from the field. Instead, in the clubhouse, Clay Holmes leaned over to Steven Brault and told him what was going to happen.
"This game has a funny way of things working out," Holmes was telling me at his locker. "Steve Blass was giving his thank yous, I just looked over and said, 'it wouldn't surprise me if Newman caps this night off with a home run right here.'"
Sure enough:
THIS ONE'S FOR STEVE!
(?SOUND ON)#RaiseIt | #Blass60 pic.twitter.com/CmbKTOAQRd
— Pirates (@Pirates) September 28, 2019
And that was how Blass' final televised broadcast concluded.
"It's pretty magical," Brault said.
There was plenty of reason for Holmes' faith in Newman. For one, that was Newman's fourth walkoff of the season.
"I definitely like being in that situation," Newman said. "I like having those opportunities to come through for the team. I don't change anything in my approach and try to do more. I think I just like the competitiveness that comes with the situation like that."
Since 1920, the furthest back we can safely go, the only other Pirates rookie with that many walkoffs was Al Oliver in 1969.
"They're not easy," Clint Hurdle said of Newman's clutch hits. "Everyone talks about wanting to be the guy. Well, then be the guy, because there's a lot guys that get those opportunities and they're not the guy. He's been the guy."
Second, this is not the same Newman that was playing last September. Perhaps the story line is a bit too worn out now, but Newman did not make a good first impression during his first call-up last year. In the spring, he lost the starting job to Erik Gonzalez.
Now, he is one of the best hitting shortstops in the National League. Actually, he is on the cusp of entering rare company in franchise history. He has recorded an .806 OPS this season. According to the Play Index, the last Pirate shortstop who qualified for a batting title and finished the season with an .800 OPS was Jay Bell in 1993. Before him, it was Arky Vaughan in 1941.
"I worked really hard in the offseason, I worked really hard in spring training and I feel like I'm seeing the benefits from it throughout the year," Newman said.
Third, well, he'd already done this:
That got the Pirates on the board in the fifth, when they were down four runs. It was on a 3-0 pitch, too. Newman had not swung on 3-0 all season.
"Saving it. Saving it all year," Newman quipped.
Well played.
• From the day he was permanently installed into the rotation on May 29 through Sept. 1, Brault recorded a 2.84 ERA over 13 starts. However, he had been rocked in his previous three outings, surrendering 22 runs.
Even though those last three starts wiped out the progress he made statistically, Hurdle talked about his positive body of work.
"It's still not going to take away from the run he had or, I think, the experience he's gained in the rotation with the number of starts he's made," Hurdle said before the game. "We'll deal with the aftermath after he's pitched."
Time to begin sorting through the aftermath. Brault's night was mixed: Four runs on four hits and four walks over five innings pitched, but he struck out a career high 10 batters.
"It seemed like when I walk people, they score," Brault said of his night. "I gave up four walk and I gave up four runs. That seems to be the rule for me. Reduce the walks, reduce the runs."
"I accentuated the things that made me hard to hit," he added later about his double-digit strikeouts. "Being a little bit wild is gonna help a little bit, but also using the fastball up a little bit more, using more four-seamers against righties and using the slider as a strikeout pitch down. It was effective, and that's how I want to be. That's a good place to be going into the offseason."
Brault finished the season with a 5.16 ERA, a 4.77 FIP and 100 strikeouts over 113.1 IP.
• Michael Lorenzen had one of the most unusual games in PNC Park history.
Lorenzen, a pitcher by trade, got the start in center field. After he played six innings in the field, he moved to the mound for the seventh, where he tossed two scoreless frames.
In the top of the eighth, he broke a 4-4 tie with a run scoring single. By doing so, he put himself in line for the win. He then went back to center to play the ninth.
"We've been tracking him from afar, and he's a very gifted guy," Hurdle said.
• Could Brault be the Pirates' version of Lorenzen? The idea of his playing the outfield in 2020 was discussed in Brault's exit interview. When asked about it, the first words out of his mouth were, "Yeah, I would love to."
"I think baseball's moving to a different scene," Brault said. "Everything goes in circles. So there used to be two-way players way back in the day, and then people decided it wouldn't work in major league baseball. I think what you're seeing is that it can, and if you can have somebody that can add value on both sides of the ball, obviously that's nice. I would love to be that guy for this team."
Brault was a two-way player in college at Regis University, where he recorded a .970 OPS with 111 RBI in 552 at-bats.
He singled and laid down a successful bunt in his two trips to the plate Friday. He has a .341 batting average, a home run and a .796 OPS over 48 plate appearances this season and could appear as a pinch-hitter this weekend.
• Back to Newman for a moment: Since 1903, the only Pirate shortstops with an .800 OPS or better in a season are Honus Wagner (10 times), Vaughan (nine times), Glenn Wright (twice), Bell (once) and Dick Bartell (once).
• Nostradamus Holmes struck out two and allowed a hit in a scoreless sixth inning. Richard Rodriguez worked around a walk in the seventh and Yacksel Rios wriggled off the hook in the ninth after he issued two free passes.
Francisco Liriano allowed the run in the eighth, but prevented the damage from getting any worse with two runners on and nobody out.
• Gonzalez Watch: He extended his hitting streak to 11 games and went 2 for 4 with a run scored. He has slashed .353/.382/.451 in 55 plate appearances this September.
And yes, I'm making this Gonzalez Watch rather than Reynolds Watch for this series. Old habits die hard.
• Bryan Reynolds (hamstring) was unavailable again Friday. Colin Moran (hip discomfort) also did not play.
• More Blass stuff tomorrow. Obviously.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE INJURIES
• Chris Archer (shoulder, out for season)
• Gregory Polanco (shoulder, out for season)
• Josh Bell (groin, done for year)
• Staring Marte (wrist, out for season)
• Elias Diaz (knee, out for season)
• Cole Tucker (knee, out for season)
• Lonnie Chisenhall (60-day IL, a tie. From the comments: “I’m planning on coming back, want to come back and I’m just going to leave it at that.” - Rich H. From Twitter: Doesn't like the league-approved helmet. - @thombrazel)
Here’s the most recent full report.
THE SCHEDULE
James Marvel (0-3, 10.22) will try to end his major-league cameo on a positive note Saturday against the Reds' Lucas Sims (2-1, 4.39). First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.. I've got you covered for Blass' day.
THE COVERAGE
All our baseball content, including every installment of Mound Visit by Jason Rollison, can be found on our Pirates page.
