After scoring just 10 runs during their six-game losing streak, the Pirates’ offense broke out of their month-long slump to sweep their doubleheader against the Rockies Saturday, scoring 11 times over 12 innings in the abbreviated games.
While the game was at PNC Park, the Pirates hit like it was at Coors, going deep three times for the second consecutive game day (Friday was rained out) after hitting just nine home runs at PNC Park all year before then.
Bryan Reynolds went deep on Thursday and Saturday, and Gregory Polanco nearly made it two consecutive games for the duo going back-to-back. He homered Thursday, and tripled off the wall Thursday.
Before games where they bat consecutively, Reynolds always tells Polanco that they’re going back-to-back.
“It doesn't have to be homers, but line drives or whatever,” Polanco said. “We're always talking and pushing together. He's got my back, I got his. We always try to [have] everybody do good, so we hold each other accountable."
That’s the plan for the entire offense: Try to string hits together rather than relying on power. It hasn’t happened this month.
Even with the Pirates’ 11-run explosion Saturday, they still have scored the fewest runs in baseball this month, and by a good margin. The Pirates are up to 75 runs in May. The next fewest are the Mariners at 83, or the Diamondbacks at 88 in the senior circuit.
“We’re not putting at-bats together, by and large,” hitting coach Rick Eckstein told me this weekend. “If you go back to that stretch where we had several series in a row where we were doing things [well], we were stringing hits together, putting hits together, running the bases, creating havoc. That’s kind of the nature of our club, and that’s our focus. Trying to build off each at-bat, string at-bats together and put pressure on the defense with our speed and how we run the bases.
“Right now, it’s been elusive for us.”
Symptoms of those offensive troubles were evident, even on a day when they scored 11 times. The offense went just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, lowering their average in those situations to .204, ahead of only the Brewers in those situations. They’re also last in home runs (33) and isolated power (ISO, slugging percentage minus batting average) at .117.
It’s tough to consistently score runs without power or the ability to cash in on scoring situations. So while Adam Frazier or Ka’ai Tom could run into one, like they did in game two Saturday, the latter option seems more plausible.
"Nobody's gonna be a big home-run hitting club here at PNC. Park plays pretty big,” Frazier said. “We just have to stick to driving the ball gap-to-gap. Lately, I think we've gotten some pitches to drive and they cleared the wall. Hopefully we can keep the streak going, or whatever we've got going, and put some good swings on balls and do some damage, because that's a recipe to winning ball games."
If there is good news for the offense, it’s that help does appear to be on the way. Colin Moran and Phillip Evans were supposed to start running Friday, but the rain pushed that back to later this weekend. Both are expected to start their rehab assignments soon.
Ke’Bryan Hayes is on his rehab assignment in Indianapolis, and has been doing this all week:
.@KeBryanHayes is putting on an absolute SHOW this week. 👀💪 pic.twitter.com/5oMH3jzKsy
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) May 30, 2021
He’s eligible to come off the 60-day injured list June 3.
In their absence, the Pirates have turned to rookie Will Craig at first base and utility infielders Erik González and Wilmer Difo at third. There’s also been a rotation of outfielders alongside Reynolds and Polanco. Despite using a short bench all year, the Pirates have used 22 different position players this year.
It’s a challenge for Eckstein to manage those new faces, but one he enjoys.
“You want guys to get exposed to situations and grow,” Eckstein said.
During this slow month of May, Derek Shelton has cited timing problems and a lack of aggressive swings for the Pirates’ offensive woes. On Saturday, at least, those problems weren’t so prevalent.
“We kind of went into attack mode a little bit,” Shelton said after game one Saturday. “That’s good to see.”
How do those issues get addressed and rectified for the rest of the season?
“It all stems back to the preparation,” Eckstein said. “Getting ready to play a game each night… Talking about the information, talking about the plan, talking about putting those at-bats and having that team collective fight.”
