All Tyler Anderson could do was watch it fly and hope it went foul.
He put it low. Really low. So low, in fact, that of all the home runs that have been hit since 2008, the pitch-tracking era, this would be the sixth lowest.
But with the unmistakable clang of a ball hitting metal bleachers, Javier Báez hit what would end up being the difference maker in a 4-2 Pirates loss to the Cubs Thursday, spoiling the home opener at PNC Park and the return of fans in the stands.
Yes, it was a changeup that cut a little bit towards the hitter, but...
“The ball damn near bounced and he kept it fair,” Derek Shelton said.
Anderson got Baez with a changeup the pitch before and was looking for a double-play. It didn’t work out.
“It was just one-handed, strong [swing],” Anderson said. “He’s a strong guy.”
It soured his afternoon and saddled him with the loss, though he once again pitched better than his line would indicate. He allowed 10 hits, but only four batted balls were hit hard (an exit velocity of 95 mph or more). With the exception of a solo home run by Kris Bryant in the first and Baez’s golf swing in the sixth, just about everything else was a bloop or bleeder.
“I feel like when that’s happening out there, it’s a sign you’re making some good pitches,” Anderson said. “So you don’t want to shy away from that, even if you’re giving up some hits.”
Only allowing three runs on 10 hits over 5 ⅓ innings -- yes, the Pirates finally had a starter go at least into the sixth, though Anderson remains the only one to pitch more than four innings in an outing -- isn’t too much damage, though. That’s because Anderson didn’t beat himself and actually threw strikes.
That’s been a rarity for this rotation in their first turn through the order, and really, the past year.
Entering play Thursday, Pirates starters had walked the second-most batters (18) and had the worst walk rates, both in terms of walks per nine innings pitched (7 BB/9) or percentage of batters faced (16.2%).
Anderson’s performance will surely take the Pirates out of the basement for now, but it has been a problem that has plagued the Pirates. Last season, it was actually the trifecta. They finished last in walk rates for starters (4.2 BB/9, 11% of all hitters), and handed out the most free passes (133).
It’s not what anyone wants.
“Let them beat us swinging the bat if they're going to beat us,” JT Brubaker said on the mentality pitching coach Oscar Marin is trying to instill. “It's a lot harder to beat somebody if you're gonna have to swing. You're only going to get on three out of 10 times. Free passes is what's going to kill you, and I think we're going to make guys swing the bat."
Brubaker walked four in his first start of the season. Mitch Keller, another pitcher who figures to be part of the rotation for years to come, walked four in his first start of the season too.
So while that BABIP was a little higher than a 3-for-10 rate for Anderson Thursday, without any walks, he was able to minimize the damage.
“For me, that’s always the goal,” Anderson said. “I’m always trying to get out of the game with no walks… I feel the more you can compete and get guys to put balls in play and not give up free bases, the better off you’re going to be.”
Better to be beaten by an outlier of a home run than by walks.
If nothing else, Anderson was efficient. He threw only 78 pitches, so it was a matter of playing the situation, not him running out of gas, that resulted in him being pulled. In the Pirates’ other five games, the starter lasted just three innings twice, four innings and five innings once. That five inning outing was by Anderson in his season debut.
So Anderson is at least providing innings and not giving many handouts. The rest of the rotation needs to follow his lead, because even though there are nine pitchers in the bullpen, they can’t handle this type of workload all season.
They’ll at least get Friday to hit the reset button, trying to put this six-game losing streak to start the season behind them.
“I feel like tomorrow’s off-day will be good for us,” Anderson said. “Give us another day off, we’ll get a reset and then come back to the park on Saturday ready to go and play good baseball.”
MORE FROM THIS GAME
• Tip of the cap to Mark Simon and Sarah Langs of MLB.com for the note on how low the pitch to Báez was: Just 0.86 feet off the ground.
0.86 ft above the ground!
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 8, 2021
Tied for the 6th-lowest HR pitch in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008) https://t.co/HGE81uhdvw
I'm not going to be able to top that for a factoid of the night.
• It took 557 days, but fans finally returned to PNC Park Thursday. The announced crowd was 7,749, which in 2021, counts as a sellout.
Shelton said it was a "very emotional" day for him.
"It was great to be back in this ballpark with fans. I think our fans realize that we're building something here and that it's going to be a journey. I really appreciate their support, not only today but how they've been throughout. It’s outstanding. I cannot tell you personally how much I appreciate how our fans have been."
• As for the actual game, some good baserunning in the fourth resulted in the Pirates' two runs. A straight steal of second for Gregory Polanco turned into an improvised hit-and-run with Jacob Stallings to put runners on the corners. Dustin Fowler followed with a sacrifice fly to right, and Stallings was able to move up to second on the play. He later scored on a two-out single from Adam Frazier.
"Sometimes we only identify the things that go poorly," Shelton said of Stallings. "It was a really head’s-up play."
The Pirates had a chance with the bases loaded in the eighth to tie, but the Cubs turned to Craig Kimbrel, who fanned Fowler and pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo to end the inning, before retiring the top of the order in the ninth to get the save.
“We need contact... That’s where we’ve got to get better," Shelton said. We’ve got to get contact there, make them at least field the ball. Even if we hit into a double play... we’re making something happen. That’s one of the areas we have to hit on.”
• If you're looking for a sign of life from Polanco, he barreled up a couple balls -- one for an opposite field double and one to the wall in center -- and had a multi-hit effort.
During his off-day Tuesday, Polanco worked on his swing, mainly his hands to make sure he wasn't under the ball.
"I'm just trying to keep it simple right now," Polanco said. "Not trying to do too much. Let the hands do the work."
It's been a disappointing couple of years for Polanco, and he started a pivotal 2021campaign just 1-for-17. But he's tried to keep his head up through it all.
"I'm not gonna lie, sometimes at night, it's hard to sleep when you're going through those hard times," Polanco said. "You've got to stay positive."
THE ESSENTIALS
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
Adam Frazier, 2B
Kevin Newman, SS
Bryan Reynolds, LF
Colin Moran, 1B
Phillip Evans, 3B
Gregory Polanco, RF
Jacob Stallings, C
Dustin Fowler, CF
Tyler Anderson, P
And for David Ross' Cubs:
Willson Contreras, C
Kris Bryant, 3B
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Javier Báez, SS
Joc Pederson, LF
Jake Marisnick, CF
Jason Heyward, RF
David Bote, 2B
Jake Arrieta, P
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates and Cubs will take Friday off before returning to action Saturday. Mitch Keller (0-1, 9.00) and Zach Davies (1-0, 3.18) will square off for the second time this season at 6:35 p.m. I'll have you covered from PNC Park.
THE CONTENT
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