The Pirates’ offense once again failed to get much going, setting the pace for a 7-2 loss to the Brewers Thursday night at PNC Park.
To make matters worse, their cleanup hitter and first baseman is going to be out for a while.
To make it even worse, the status of his backup is up in the air as well.
Before Thursday’s loss, Derek Shelton told reporters that Colin Moran was headed to the injured list. He was day-to-day throughout the last series against the Rockies after being hit in the left wrist with a pitch. After some more imaging was done, they found that his pisiform bone, located near the hamate, was fractured.
No timetable was given, though Shelton did clarify it is the 10-day injured list and not the 60-day.
A few hours later, the Pirates lost their primary backup at the position when Erik Gonzalez was hustling to beat out an infield single. He exited with what the club classified as right side discomfort and gave no update postgame.
“It is a concern,” Shelton said about the first base situation. “It's something we'll probably talk through, we will talk through it… just to see what our next step is.”
That discussion might not take too long or be that hard. At the moment, the Pirates don’t have a natural first baseman on the roster. Phillip Evans has some experience at the position, and Ben Gamel has gotten a couple looks there, including Thursday. Shelton said that if Gamel wasn’t available, it probably would have been Jacob Stallings heading out to first base.
To put it another way the other options are:
A. A hitter in free fall whose slash line has dropped to .202/.289/.312 after a couple torrid weeks to start the year.
B. An outfielder who, when he had been claimed off the waiver wire, was asked if he played any other positions. Gamel joked that he had played two innings at first base. He was playing first base with a borrowed mit from assistant hitting coach Christian Marrero later that night.
C. Moving one of the game’s best defensive catchers away from his natural position.
That isn’t going to fly for however long Moran is out. Even if Gonzalez does avoid an injury list stint himself, a light-hitting utility infielder is barely the best option at first either.
So unless the club really likes John Nogowski -- the only first baseman on the waiver wire -- and his two career hits, a retread from Indianapolis seems most likely. Will Craig, Wilmer Difo, Hunter Owen. A face you have seen before.
That only covers the field, though. There is no easy fix for trying to replace him with the bat.
Despite slumping since coming off the injured list the first time in early June, Moran has been a reliable cleanup hitter. The top three of Adam Frazier, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds is legitimate threat, but that lineup drops off fast after them.
“The function of our lineup, especially at the top four, is much better when we have those guys in those spots,” Shelton said after Wednesday’s loss to the Rockies. “When we don’t, we end up adjusting our order and it disrupts the flow a little bit.”
In the three games since Moran’s injury, the Pirates have batted Gregory Polanco (.631 OPS at the end of that game), Gamel (.619) and Stallings (.707) cleanup.
It’s no coincidence they have only produced four runs over their last four, Moran-less games.
“We've got to keep working hard and try and get better to get out of this lull,” Shelton said.
It’s going to be tougher without their first baseman.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Wil Crowe got touched up in the second inning, allowing a pair of run-scoring extra-base hits, but was effective for most of his 4 2/3 innings. Those were the only two runs he allowed on the night on four hits, three walks and six strikeouts.
While Crowe has generally done his best work with the fastball this season, it was the slider and changeup that carried him through his outing.
"Those guys are swinging it pretty good right now, and their maps and our game plan was to attack them with the fastball when we can, but use to offspeed to get the weak contact, the low damage," Crowe said. "Just trying to keep the ball in the yard and keep the ball in the playing field. The slider and the changeup today were good."
Sam Howard needed just one pitch to clean up the fifth and strand a couple runners for Crowe.
With the score still 2-1 entering the sixth, the Pirates turned to Clay Holmes, who fell back into his June swoon by walking three and not recording an out. Chris Stratton was able to minimize the damage by only allowing a sacrifice fly after inheriting the bases loaded and nobody out, but that would be enough for the Brewers.
"Didn't execute the breaking ball, and that's something that's been a bread and butter for him," Shelton said. "Just didn't have a feel for it tonight. Tried to go back to the fastball and didn't have the feel for that. Kind of uncharacteristic for him."
Richard Rodriguez was tagged for three runs in the ninth as well.
• The offense is having enough trouble just getting runners on base. So when Jackie Bradley Jr. deked out Stallings on a deep fly ball by Gamel in the second. Bradley played it like it would fall in for a hit, but made the grab.
By that point Stallings had already rounded second and couldn't beat Bradley's throw back to first:
Sweet sassy molassy, JBJ.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 1, 2021
This has to be the greatest deke I've ever seen. You? pic.twitter.com/XFgDwwyRVJ
Gamel did get Corbin Burnes on the second go around for a solo shot, his third of the year. Stallings plated the other run in the ninth on a one-out double.
• Some injury news to get through: Jared Oliva is taking Moran's spot on the roster.
Oliva was a surprising omission from the alternate site back in April, with the Pirates opting to send him back to Bradenton, Fla. for what they called offensive skill development.
I asked Shelton pregame where he stands now in terms of that development.
"I think it's something they're working on and continuing to work on," he said. "It’s not one of those things that, automatically is gonna happen. It’s something we're still in the development phase, still working through."
In other outfielder news, Polanco has been battling hip inflammation the past couple days, which is why he hasn't been in the lineup. He is day-to-day.
• Hey, even with all the doom and gloom on offense, Frazier is going to be starting the All-Star Game.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Adam Frazier, 2B
2. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Jacob Stallings, C
5. Ben Gamel, RF
6. Erik Gonzalez, 1B
7. Ka'ai Tom, LF
8. Kevin Newman, SS
9. Wil Crowe, RHP
And for Craig Counsell's Rockies:
1. Kolten Wong, 2B
2. Willy Adames, SS
3. Christian Yelich, LF
4. Omar Narvaez, C
5. Tyrone Taylor, RF
6. Jace Peterson, 3B
7. Keston Hiura, 1B
8. Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
9. Corbin Burnes, RHP
THE SCHEDULE
Round two between the Pirates and Brewers will be Saturday at 7:05 p.m.. JT Brubaker (4-7, 3.82) will try to get back into the win column against Adrian Houser (4-5, 4.16).
IN THE SYSTEM
THE CONTENT
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