MILWAUKEE -- It’s only a little more than two weeks into the season, but a pattern is beginning to form for the Pirates that will give fans a reason to tune out early.
It could just be a flavor of the week, but there have been a few instances where the first inning has given the Pirates’ starting pitching more trouble than the team could handle. Even when sometimes it’s just pure dumb bad luck.
Such was the case for Trevor Cahill in Saturday night’s 7-1 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field. Milwaukee jumped out to an early lead against Cahill with five runs on six singles in the opening inning. The first four of that group of knocks did not exceed 87.1 mph in exit velocity, and the boxscore looked much worse than how Cahill might have pitched.
“When you’re out there, it doesn’t really matter. They could have all been solo homers,” Cahill said. “You’re trying to compete and not let them reach base. I try and execute a pitch, and whatever happens is the result of that. The results weren’t good, so you try and re-evaluate, change things up a little bit.”
Cahill managed to settle in a bit after back-to-back extra-base hits to start the second but the damage was done with the team down, 7-0. He lasted four innings and was charged with six of the seven runs scored against him on eight hits and a walk. The 33-year-old struck out five but saw his ERA shoot up to 9.69.
Following tonight’s rough beginning, the Pirates’ group of five starters, each of whom has made three starts so far this season, have a collective 12.60 ERA in first innings. That figure includes JT Brubaker’s three scoreless opening frames, and the one run Tyler Anderson has allowed in those situations. Between just Cahill, Mitch Keller and Chad Kuhl, the group has a 20.00 ERA in nine innings.
“I don’t know how you combat that. It makes it tough when I feel like every single outing the leadoff guy seems to reach base, and you’re out of the stretch right away,” Cahill said. “You’re in some trouble, so it makes it tough. It takes a lot out of you. It would be nice to have a clean inning.”
There were things that Cahill mentioned could maybe be done differently, like pretending to face a hitter, in the bullpen before the game to get better locked in. It’s a difficult task, even for a veteran to figure out and one less experienced guys like Kuhl or Keller will also have to deal with.
Even when it comes to the idea Cahill spitballed in the postgame, he also cautioned that although something with his four different pitches may be working in the bullpen, it might not be there when it’s time to get on the mound in the game.
“Every single time you go out there, my stuff moves different, comes out different,” Cahill said. “The first inning, especially for me, you’re always trying to figure out what my stuff’s doing, the movement and whatnot.”
The sample sizes here are obviously very small. Out of the 18 first-inning runs allowed by that trio, 11 were scored in their most recent starts this week. Things aren’t out of hand yet. But it was a recent theme and obviously the type of issue that’s worth nipping in the bud.
“That’s kind of what the big leagues is. If you don’t have it, you have to just find a way,” Cahill said.
During those three starts this week, the Pirates were able to overcome the deficit once but couldn’t come back in the two most recent instances. The club chased Cy Young award winner Blake Snell from the first inning after Kuhl put them in a 2-0 hole during Tuesday night’s win. But they could not overcome Keller’s four-run deficit after the opening frame Thursday.
The burden that the ugly first inning places on the lineup and bullpen is nearly impossible to carry. But there’s not much in the world that actually does seem to faze Bryan Reynolds. So, this most recent issue doesn’t so much as get him lukewarm under the collar.
“That’s just how the game’s going to go,” Reynolds said. “If they score in the first inning, it’s just something you’ve got to deal with. ... But we will be fine.”
MORE FROM THIS GAME
• Brett Anderson stifled the Pirates’ lineup to the tune of 13 groundouts and three strikeouts over seven innings. Reynolds and Adam Frazier each had two of the Pirates’ six singles against the Brewers’ left-hander. Reynolds said he saw a heavy dose of Anderson’s two-seamer and changeup, but he was also able to mix in the slider in the right spots to keep the Pirates off balance.
“[Anderson] kept the ball down. That's what he does really effectively,” Derek Shelton said. “If you want to call it a minor victory for us was the fact that we busted our ass on every ball.”
Frazier’s two hits against the lefty tonight give him three in 10 at-bats against southpaws this year.
• Beginning during Friday night’s victory, Reynolds caught a stretch in which he reached base safely in six consecutive plate appearances.
“Really consistent bat, hitting the ball all over the field,” Shelton said. “Controlling the zone and hitting the ball hard.”
Reynolds is batting .298/.365/.404 with eight runs scored and five RBIs and has an eight-game on-base streak.
• Sean Poppen struck out a pair over two scoreless innings in his debut for the Pirates in relief of Cahill. Poppen was added to the roster from the taxi squad ahead of Friday’s game once Michael Feliz hit the injured list with a cracked fingernail on his right middle finger. Clay Holmes also chipped in a couple scoreless innings to finish the game, striking out two.
THE ESSENTIALS
Box score
Video Highlights
Scoreboard
Standings
Statistics
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
Kevin Newman, SS
Phillip Evans,RF
Bryan Reynolds, LF
Colin Moran, 1B
Jacob Stallings, C
Erik Gonzalez, 3B
Adam Frazier, 2B
Anthony Alford, CF
JT Brubaker, P
And for Craig Counsell's Brewers:
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Keston Hiura, 1B
Travis Shaw, 3B
Avisail Garcia, RF
Omar Narvaez, C
Billy McKinney, LF
Luis Urias, SS
Jace Peterson, C
Brett Anderson, P
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates play the rubber match of the series with the Brewers on Sunday,. Chad Kuhl (0-1, 6.75 ERA) makes his first start since his career-worst seven-walk performance against the Padres. He'll face right-hander Freddy Peralta (2-0, 0.68 ERA) with first pitch scheduled for 2:10 p.m.
THE CONTENT
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