Timely hits from newcomers Ke’Bryan Hayes and Anthony Alford, and some quality pitching performances, helped the Pirates take game two and earn the split of Friday’s doubleheader, beating the Reds, 4-3, at PNC Park.
Cody Ponce, the 29th player who was allowed to be activated for the double header, got things started giving four innings in the spot start. A pair of home runs just left the ballpark, but even so, he limited the damage to three runs allowed on three hits and a walk, striking out four.
But as the 29th man, that means he’s going to almost certainly be the guy heading back to the Altoona training site tomorrow. The same thing happened when he pitched the second game of the double header in St. Louis in August. Looking towards the future, the Pirates have two more double headers remaining on their schedule: Sept. 14 in Cincinnati and Sept. 18 against the Cardinals. It seems safe to assume he’ll get another nod in one of those.
It’s a tough role to have, to be the next man up but waiting from the outside. Still, to pitch in a major-league game, even for a day at a time, is a pretty good deal.
“You can't be upset being the 29th guy,” Ponce said, grinning after jokingly asking a reporter if they would be upset if they only got to play in one major-league game. “... If it’s one day every five days, whatever the doubleheader is, and they need me for the 29th man, I'm happy to do that. You can't be upset no matter what. These guys have got many years on me as well. I've just got to get out there, keep doing what I'm doing, and if it's not this year, then hopefully next year I can earn myself a spot."
Ponce is on a day-by-day basis at the moment, but 2021 can be different. Not just because he has some experience under his belt, but because the Pirates’ rotation, which has been in flux this season, seems destined to have its most significant shake up in years soon.
Let’s flash back to the 2019 opening day rotation. Jameson Taillon led the pack before being sidelined with injury. He eventually underwent Tommy John surgery, the second of his career. While not necessarily a death sentence, few pitchers return as a starter after their second TJ. There hasn’t been any word from the club if he will return as a starter or reliever, and Jamo is the type of guy who has consistently beaten the odds. But right now, you can’t pencil him into the rotation.
Chris Archer underwent surgery in June to relieve symptoms for his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. He is projected to return to full competition for 2021, and the Pirates do hold a club option for that season. The catch is it is for $11 million, a hefty sum for the Pirates in general. Considering he is coming off a major surgery that doesn’t exactly have a good track record, and he is 6-12 with a 4.92 ERA with the Pirates, it seems more than likely the club will instead exercise the buyout.
Joe Musgrove was very nearly dealt to the Blue Jays during the trade deadline. Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl were also subject to trade talks. All three have just two years of team control remaining and should be the subject of trade talks this winter.
At the moment, the only person you can write into that rotation in pen is Mitch Keller. Don’t count on all everyone being shipped off, and you can mix in Steven Brault somewhere, but to put it simply it looks like some spots are opening up.
If you’ve watched the last couple nights, you have seen a couple guys that could be in that 2021 mix.
JT Brubaker has been one of the highlights of the pitching staff this season, recording a 3.96 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 25 innings.
Once strictly a sinker-slider pitcher who focused in the lower half of the zone, Brubaker has evolved as much as anyone on the staff. Not only has he started to mix in a four-seamer, particularly in the upper half, he has relied on a newfound curveball more.
He also is pitching with -- and carrying himself -- with more confidence.
“In spring training 1.0, he looked like he was trying to belong and trying to find his footing,” Derek Shelton said Thursday. “The more starts he gets under his belt, I think he feels like he belongs in the big leagues. That’s a major step for a player. It’s a step of like, “Hey, I really belong here.’ Once you start to execute pitches and get yourself out of jams, you realize you do belong here. I think we're seeing that maturation.”
After a couple starts and making the opening day roster, Brubaker agrees.
“My confidence is there,” Brubaker said Thursday. “I've always felt like it's been there. Just making sure I don't get too big... That's really just where I need to be, that even-keel of confident, let my stuff play and keep it around the zone.”
As for Ponce, Shelton complimented how he went back to attacking hitters after allowing the second home run. Ponce basically just threw whatever catcher JR Murphy said, shaking off only once or twice. But to go back to attacking after a mistake is a sign of a rookie taking a step.
“It's definitely something where you just trust in your stuff,” Ponce said. “If I have one bad pitch, it's just one bad pitch. I've still got to be able to go back to it and keep going. This game is too fun to get upset after one bad pitch and then make it a negative day because of one bad pitch. I can't not have a smile on my face when I'm up here or down there in Altoona. It's just too much fun to step on a step on a baseball field every day."
He might be having a lot more fun at PNC Park in 2021. There is always the chance the Pirates keep some pitchers or acquire them either through trade or free agency, but the signs point to there being some overturn.
There has been a lot of talk from Shelton about players getting opportunities they wouldn’t normally this year. Brubaker and Ponce are getting a few more looks than they might have over the course of a typical season, and are making a claim for more consistent work in 2021.
• Joey Votto doesn't make a lot of mistakes, but he made a pretty bad one in the third inning, whiffing on a soft toss to him, allowing Colin Moran to reach base safely.
On cue, the newest Pirates made the Reds pay. Hayes recorded a two-out hit, and Alford followed by driving one into the gap for a triple, tying the game.
Alford would then give the Pirates the lead by taking home on a wild pitch that didn't really get that far away from catcher Tucker Barnhart:
"You don’t see many guys start, stop and then decide, ‘I’m going,’ and be able to turn it on that fast and be able to get to the plate," Shelton said. "That just shows, too, how athletic he is. It was an unbelievably athletic move. He made a really good read."
• I wanted to point out exactly how far Alford was off the bag there even at his first pause. That's a terrific secondary lead, especially when Murphy had two strikes, meaning Trevor Bauer could potentially be throwing it in the dirt, looking for a chase. That wasn't just speed, but a good piece of base running, too.
• Hayes went 2-for-3 with a triple in game two of the doubleheader and 3-for-5 with a walk overall. All four of the batted balls he put in play were smoked, registering exit velocities of 107.5, 108, 98.5 and 107.6 mph.
Yeah, he looks like he belongs in the majors.
“Each day, I’m kind of settling in more and more, getting more comfortable and just putting together a routine," Hayes said. "I got to go out there and take ground balls today. Each day, I’ll get more and more comfortable, just knowing my routine and going out there getting prepared for every game.”
• The bullpen covered the final three innings after Ponce. Richard Rodriguez got the save, and Sam Howard tossed a clean fifth. Chris Stratton and Nik Turley split the sixth, with Turley getting pinch-hitter Matt Davidson swinging to strand runners on the corners.
• The Pirates were the visitors for this one, making up one of the postponed games from their series in Cincinnati last month.
There weren't any fireworks after the Reds hit a home run.
No seventh-inning stretch for a seven-inning game, either.