"Man, did we need that one.”
It’s hard to argue with Derek Shelton on that. Tyler Anderson provided both quality and quantity Sunday, spinning seven scoreless frames to lead the Pirates to a 2-0 win over the Brewers at PNC Park, snapping their six-game losing streak in the process.
The win takes priority, but don’t downplay the innings. Not just because the bullpen was taxed for 7 1/3 innings the day before, but because they still have one more week to go before the All-Star break and the end of this stretch of 20 games in 20 days.
“I’m just trying to go as many innings to give those guys a break,” Anderson said.
“We needed a clean game like this,” Shelton said. “We needed an executed start like this, and he really did a nice job."
He did it by leaning on the cutter, working not only side to side, but vertically.
“He moved it to different levels of the zone and had the same action on it," Shelton added. "When you have cutter action on ball down and ball up, especially with all the right-handed hitters who were in a row, you can get into a really good rhythm, and he did that.”
It’s all in a day’s work for the southpaw. Anderson is one of just two National League starters who has gone at least five innings in all 16 of his starts this year, the other being Walker Buehler of the Dodgers.
Despite always reaching the inning minimum each time out, Anderson had gone eight straight starts and nearly two months since his last win on May 9. There were a handful of quality starts during the stretch that he came up empty on.
He hadn’t been paying attention to the win-loss column, though.
“I just feel like my job every day is to go out and not pay attention to stats or numbers, and every time you take the ball, just try to give us a chance to win,” Anderson said. “So stay in as long as you can and give us a chance, and sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t. But it’s always better when we win afterwards.”
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Make that seven straight games where the Pirates have failed to score more than two runs. That's not as much of an issue when the staff pitches a shutout, though.
Kevin Newman opened the scoring with a first inning shot to left, snapping a streak of eight straight games without an extra-base hit.
“[It felt] Really good," Newman said. "You know, I’ve been working a lot lately. I wanted to put a good swing on a fastball and pull(ing) the ball hard was definitely a good sign.”
In the sixth, Wilmer Difo added on an insurance run, doubling home Ben Gamel. Difo got the nod at third on a rest day for Ke'Bryan Hayes, but made a Hayes-like play at the hot corner:
Spotted: a diving Difo pic.twitter.com/v2mXGDbKuz
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 4, 2021
Difo rejoined the Pirates Friday after Erik Gonzalez was placed on the injured list, and is a welcome addition to the clubhouse.
"I think we talked about this when he was here before, and even when we sent him out the first time, this kid provides a ton of energy, and having him back in our dugout is nice to see," Shelton said.
• So how nice is it to snap the six-game losing streak?
“It’s big for us," Newman said. "When you’re skidding like that, it’s just one at a time. Today was that one. Hopefully we can come back and build on it and the next day build on that. You can only win one at a time. That’s what we’re trying to do – just be where our feet are and take it one at a time. We got this one, so we’ll come back tomorrow and try to win another one.”
Additionally, the Pirates spoiled the Brewers' 11-game winning streak.
• Before the game, the Pirates optioned Cody Ponce to Class AAA Indianapolis and recalled right-handed reliever Nick Mears.
In other news, Roansy Contreras and Oneil Cruz are going to be checked out by the Pirates medical team after experiencing some forearm discomfort, Bryan Reynolds is an All-Star and the Pirates and Brewers completed a minor-league trade involving Kevin Kramer.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Adam Frazier, 2B
2. Kevin Newman, SS
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Ben Gamel, LF
5. Wilmer Difo, 3B
6. Phillip Evans, 1B
7. Michael Perez, C
8. Jared Oliva, RF
9. Tyler Anderson, LHP
And for Craig Counsell's Brewers:
1. Luis Urias, 2B
2. Tyrone Taylor, LF
3. Willy Adames, SS
4. Avisail Garcia, RF
5. Keston Hiura, 1B
6. Manny Pina, C
7. Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
8. Daniel Robertson, 3B
9. Freddy Peralta, RHP
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will play host to the Braves for their final three-game series before the All-Star break. Chase De Jong (0-3, 5.65) will take on Max Fried (5-4, 4.16) -- who had a walk-off hit for the Braves Sunday -- at 7:05 p.m.
IN THE SYSTEM
THE CONTENT
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