Every time JT Brubaker makes a start for the Pirates, he displays something that’s so valuable for any starting pitcher to learn.
In Milwaukee, he showed how to pitch with intensity. In Minnesota, he proved he could be a studious tactician on the mound. Then in each of his past three starts, including his six innings in Tuesday’s 7-2 victory against the Reds, he’s shown a quality that’s absolutely crucial for a starting pitcher: Stopping the bleeding.
It was further confirmation that Brubaker’s starts are the ones worth circling on the calendar. Not only was he able to play the stopper within his own outing. But he completely neutralized a division rival lineup that had gone into double-digit scoring in each of their past three meetings while outscoring the Pirates, 44-9, in their four previous contests -- all losses for the Pirates.
“Every starter wants to go out there and be the stopper,” Brubaker said. “Really it’s just any given day, an offense can go off, and we’ve been on the short end of that stick, and just to be able to show that they can get out was a big momentum shift.”
Brubaker was charged with just one run over six innings. He yielded five hits and struck out four, but all of the scoring came on one swing. Jesse Winker -- who is top-10 among all MLB hitters in batting average (.374), on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.682), OPS (1.114) and total bases (73) -- launched a 438-foot homer.
But, much like what happened with Tyler O’Neill’s dinger when the Cardinals were in town and Victor Caratini’s blast in San Diego, Brubaker wiped it. Bounced back. And was steady as a rock the rest of the way.
Brubaker brought both hands to his head as he watched the homer bounce into the Allegheny River. If it seemed like he was confused and out of sorts, he wasn’t. Listening to him talk about the mistake pitch that came off the bat at more than 107 mph, you could see his studious nature.
“With that pitch, it was pretty easy,” Brubaker said. “Tried to go front hip, two-seam sinker on him there, and it just ran a little bit more across the plate than it did tonight. And that was just a pitch he swung 3-2 and put it for a ride. Just knowing that it was a mistake pitch, you can put it away and go right back to work.”
Brubaker retired the next seven Reds in order after the homer, and 11 of the next 12 batters to finish his outing. When it comes to stopping the bleeding, opposing batters are 3-for-31 against Brubaker with runners in scoring position this season. The Reds were hitless in just two at-bats with RISP on Tuesday, both after Winker's first-inning double.
This is a lineup that absolutely ambushed Mitch Keller and Co. from the fourth inning through the rest of Monday night’s 14-1 loss. With Keller, the goal is to keep him in the zone as much as possible. But even when he’s able to stay in the zone, he can still miss his spots. And the results look an awful lot like Monday night’s.
For a young pitcher, any lineup with hitters that are capable of punishing mistakes will be tough to navigate. Brubaker was able to counter the Reds’ aggressive approach by pitching to contact with his sinker and keeping hitters off balance with two distinct breaking pitches while continuing to go right after guys and attacking the zone.
“That’s the mental challenge of pitching,” Derek Shelton said. “I think that’s been one of the impressive things about Bru. We’ve challenged him to go after people. We’ve challenged him to trust his stuff, and he has. I think we saw that in the execution. With the Winker thing, right after that, the ability to bounce back, execute pitches not only his fastball; we continue to see signs of growth for JT.”
Brubaker is 3-2 with a 2.58 ERA in seven starts this season. He's made tremendous strides since posting a 4.94 mark in 11 appearances last season -- his first since a forearm strain hindered his 2019 campaign.
A common theme for the younger contributors on this Pirates team will be those make or break moments. Brubaker has done more than show he’s worth the project, he’s also shown he can be a front-of-the-line starter for a major-league team. Now with each start, he's proving he knows how to put it all together.
MORE FROM THIS GAME
• Any offense the Pirates score with this injury-riddled lineup will probably be more than expected. But Adam Frazier, one of the few members of the opening day lineup left standing, has been among the hottest hitters in baseball of late. And on Tuesday, he removed a thorn from his side by lifting his first homer of the season in the eighth inning.
“It feels pretty good,” Frazier said. “It's been a grind trying to drive the ball. Even in BP, I'd hit a good one and I couldn't get it out. I didn't really know what was going on, so it feels really good. Usually, I guess it doesn't take this long but I'll take it.”
The homer did little more than prevent Richard Rodriguez from getting a save opportunity in an almost-decided game, but it was a hopeful sign for a player that’s already batting .378 over a 12-game hitting streak. Frazier leads the National League and ranks fourth in the majors with 43 total hits and is fifth MLB-wide with 11 doubles.
“Just trying to be a tough out and get the hits. I know reaching base is something I've been putting my mind to,” Frazier said. “I guess the hits kind of come with that. But if anything, just keep the on-base streak and go with that, and the hits are a bonus.”
The homer also came against a lefty, and a former big-league closer at that in Sean Doolittle. It was his eighth hit in 32 at-bats against southpaws this season.
Frazier and Bryan Reynolds -- who is ahead of Frazier on the doubles leaderboard with 13, including one in the opening inning Tuesday -- combined to reach base five times in Tuesday’s contest. In the two games against the Reds, which come on the heels of Reynolds’ two-game absence, that duo is 7-for-13 with five walks.
• Phillip Evans finally got a hard-hit ball to fall for an RBI double in the fifth inning. It was his first run-scoring hit since April 28 and only his fourth non-homer RBI of the season. Playing his second consecutive game at first base, Evans had another run-in with an object down the right-field line. Luckily, this time it wasn’t Gregory Polanco, but instead just some netting.
“Keep playing the game hard. That's what you got to do,” Frazier said. “The wall's padded down there, just don't run into it full speed in an awkward position. Protect yourself a little bit."
It’s been tough-sledding for Evans at the plate, but he has gotten and will continue to receive plenty of chances with all the injuries facing their lineup.
• Say what you will about the value of tracking exit velocities, but there’s a noticeable difference when a guy like Kevin Newman actually squares one up. The light-hitting shortstop roped an RBI triple in the fourth inning to put the Pirates ahead for good. The 98.6 mph exit velocity on that liner won’t draw much attention, but it was more than 12 mph harder than his average exit velocity this season. Really, anything that’s not a slow roller on the infield is promising.
• Troy Stokes Jr. notched his first two big-league hits and RBIs in Tuesday's victory. Alex Stumpf has more on that here.
THE ESSENTIALS
Boxscore
Video Highlights
Scoreboard
Standings
Statistics
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
Adam Frazier, 2B
Bryan Reynolds, CF
Phillip Evans, 1B
Jacob Stallings, C
Erik Gonzalez, 3B
Ka'ai Tom, LF
Kevin Newman, SS
Troy Stokes Jr., RF
JT Brubaker, P
And for David Bell's Reds:
Nick Senzel, 2B
Jesse Winker, LF
Nick Castellanos, RF
Mike Moustakas, 1B
Tyler Naquin, CF
Eugenio Suarez, 3B
Tucker Barnhart, C
Kyle Farmer, SS
Jeff Hoffman, P
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates have a quick turnaround with an afternoon final against the Reds on Wednesday. There will be a pair of veteran right-handers on the mound as Trevor Cahill (1-4, 6.75 ERA) takes on Cincinnati's Sonny Gray (0-2, 3.92 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m.
THE CONTENT
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