Now two games into a stretch of 20 consecutive days without a night off, the Pirates' offense seems to be figuring itself out.
"I think we, as a team, just trying to make sure we're doing what we need to score runs," said Colin Moran in a one-on-one interview on the field at PNC Park on Tuesday.
The Pirates started to see some of what can be produced by that formidable top of the order after their most successful five-game stretch at the plate this season, during which they scored 27 runs and won three of the five games. But, even among the success, there was still something missing.
Moran went hitless in four at-bats during Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox in the finale interleague game at PNC Park this season. Ke'Bryan Hayes had a pair of run-scoring hits, but Chase De Jong was burned by a Yasmani Grandal two-run double in the fifth, and the Pirates dipped back down to 26-46 this season.
It's been a difficult stretch at the plate for Moran since tweaked his back running the bases in Milwaukee. Moran has just two hits in 17 at-bats (.118) since a brief hiatus to let the back issue sort itself out. This of course comes after he was out for a month with a groin strain and limited to two at-bats in a three-game span after being hit on the hand with a pitch against the Dodgers two weeks ago.
The Pirates offense did tap into something against some very good pitchers in the five games against Cleveland and the White Sox. But, of course, that effort was led by the continued success of Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds, who combined to go 15 for 39 (.385) with nine total RBIs and eight runs scored.
But the Pirates are obviously going to need more big bats to step up. Especially in this grueling stretch leading into the All-Star break. Hayes did just that Wednesday after a mini-slump in which he had one hit in 10 previous at-bats leading into his first RBI opportunity in the third inning.
"I've just been getting pitched pretty tough, getting pitched corner to corner and haven't found any luck with some holes, but I was able to today," Hayes said after the game.
If those three can get going, the pressure will fall to the next man in the order: Moran.
The 28-year-old first baseman was the team leader in just about every power category by the time he went on the IL with the groin injury in early May, which occurred almost in its entirety while Hayes was out with a wrist injury. It would obviously be an uplifting development for that offense if all four names at the top of the order can get back to full strength.
Moran said he was working to learn his body, attempting new stretches to different areas and figuring out how to avoid further injury. And he also explained that everything feels fine when he's actually out on the field and ready to go in a game. But even if it's not a physical thing, the hiatus seems to have messed with his timing a bit.
"He's in a little bit of a tough stretch. It looks like he's a little bit in between. I think that has to do a little bit with timing," Derek Shelton said. "I think it's something that happens to hitters, but to say his is attributed to his back, I don't know that. It is something that happens to hitters, but we need to get him back on the fastball because it looks like he's a little bit in between."
The Pirates will have few opportunities to hide Moran if it is a physical issue. So, if it can be ruled out, that's obviously a big first step. But there is something a little strange about his timing.
The whiff was from Wednesday, and the double from a game on May 4 in San Diego, just five days before he went down with the groin injury. He's a little off trying to catch up to Dylan Cease's 97-mph fastball, which wasn't the only time he'd missed like that in that specific first-inning at-bat, which resulted in him being fooled and taking a wave on a breaking ball on the outside edge of the strike zone.
In the double, he played to his strengths at the early part of the season, which was going to the opposite field. Moran had so much success hitting the ball to the left side that three of his four homers this season went to the left of dead center. On the double, you can see he didn't start to get tall or fly out with his front side too soon, which might be what messed with his timing on Wednesday's strikeout.
At this point, it's a short enough slump that it's difficult to even call it a slump. That's what happened with Hayes, and he seems to have snuffed that out nicely. If Moran and the Pirates can figure this thing out before it gets out of hand, the Pirates might finally be able to see how good that group at the top of the order can be.
"We have confidence in everybody going up there at the plate," Moran said. "Whoever's one through nine that day, making sure that whatever the situation presents we're trying to get a job done every time."
With 18 games over the next 18 days, this could be very important for the Pirates.
MORE FROM THIS GAME
• Even when considering that the surgery to repair his dislocated shoulder wasn't that long ago, it's still absolutely fair to criticize Polanco's right-field defense this season. He's taken ill-conceived routes that have turned singles to doubles or doubles to triples, and team's have been unafraid to take the extra base on anything hit to right field.
But that's what makes a good day stand out.
Polanco gave the Pirates everything they needed in right field Wednesday afternoon. He made a tough catch on a Yoan Moncada fly ball that sent him crashing into the short gate just below the "Bowser Blasts" sign to secure the final out of the second inning.
As illustrated above, he played a line drive off the wall in righty to hold the speedy Tim Anderson to a single in the first. And later that inning, Grandal, after he tore the Pirates' hearts out with a go-ahead, two-run double, chose not to test Polanco's arm on a single to right by Brian Goodwin.
Sure, this is what's supposed to happen. This is a guy just doing his job. But when it's been this tough of a year (he's third from the bottom among all major-league right fielders with -4 defensive runs saved), days like this are noticeable. And something off of which a struggling player can build.
• After the Pirates were once again burned by a hit that was allowed during a situation in which the skipper could have taken a different route from a personnel standpoint, Shelton was more open about his choice to stick with De Jong to face Grandal in the fifth.
"We didn't know what they would do with [Jake] Lamb, with [Andrew] Vaughn, with [Yermin] Mercedes on the bench. And then with [the switch-hitting] Grandal, on which side we wanted him on the plate," Shelton said. "Throughout that at-bat, he worked him well, and then the last pitch, we got to go strike-to-ball instead of strike-to-strike, and we left a ball over the middle of the plate and they capitalized on it."
The double chased De Jong from the game and boosted his ERA to an uncomfortable 4.94. He was charged with all four Chicago runs on seven hits and a pair of walks, but he did match his career-high with six strikeouts.
"I think what's gotten us in trouble early was, I didn't really have a great tempo working. I made a good adjustment, kind of stepped on the gas a little bit more," De Jong said. "Threw a lot of swing and miss pitches today. ... Just trying to build off of that. Executing those pitches earlier in counts. Not having so many deep counts and be able to kind of manage my pitch count a little bit better to cover more innings and give our team a chance to win."
There's nobody breathing down De Jong's neck for a spot in the rotation right now with Trevor Cahill still dealing with a calf injury and Mitch Keller figuring some things out in the minors. So De Jong will probably get a few more chances.
• Beyond all the recently backfired decisions pertaining to the bullpen to pitching staff management, another curious aspect has been the wide gaps between appearances for guys like Duane Underwood Jr..
The veteran right-hander has mostly been used for multiple innings, often in an early-game emergency-like scenario. But as Shelton insists on keeping bullpen roles undefined, there shouldn't be limits to a relievers deployment based on game situation, not counting individual matchups.
But it's very unlikely that it's been eight days since the Pirates found a favorable matchup for Underwood. That's hold long it had been since his last appearance before he chucked two hitless innings Wednesday, which was highlighted by this strikeout of Jose Abreu.
Duane Underwood Jr., Filthy 81mph Curveball...and Flying Sword. ⚔️🚁 pic.twitter.com/Nqcsr6cn2v
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 23, 2021
Yeah, Underwood had the curveball working. Both as an out pitch, and a pretty effective setup, as seen in this sequence here to whiff Anderson in the sixth:
When that fastball-curve combo has been working, Underwood has been truly effective for the Pirates. Couple that with his ability to go multiple innings, and he may be a tempting trade chip for a pitching-starved contender, of which there are many.
Just don't expect anyone in return that even the best prospect prognosticators are too familiar with.
THE ESSENTIALS
Boxscore
Scoreboard
Standings
Statistics
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
Adam Frazier, 2B
Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
Bryan Reynolds, CF
Colin Moran, 1B
Gregory Polanco, RF
Ben Gamel, LF
Kevin Newman, SS
Michael Perez, C
Chase De Jong, P
And for Tony La Russa's White Sox:
Tim Anderson, SS
Yoan Moncada, 3B
Jose Abreu, 1B
Jake Lamb, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Brian Goodwin, CF
Leury Garcia, 2B
Luis Gonzalez, LF
Dylan Cease, P
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates hit the road for a seven-game trip through St. Louis and Denver this weekend. Chad Kuhl will get the trip started against Carlos Martinez on Thursday night with first pitch scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Eastern. Alex Stumpf will be with you on the road in St. Louis, and Dejan Kovacevic will be representing the site at the Rockies series.
IN THE SYSTEM
• The Pirates promoted one of their best left-handed pitching prospects, Omar Cruz, to Class AA Altoona. Cruz was part of the Joe Musgrove trade and went 3-3 with a 3.45 ERA in Greensboro this season. Cruz is the Pirates' highest-ranking left-handed pitching prospect. He gets by with command of a low-90's fastball, an average changeup and a curve with good vertical break. Cruz punched out 38 batters in seven starts, which was the most among lefties in the system. The 22-year-old takes the roster spot of Osvaldo Bido, who is pitching for his native Dominican Republic in an Olympic qualifier and will be away from Altoona.
• Affiliate scores
• Indianapolis
• Altoona
• Greensboro
• Bradenton
THE CONTENT
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