Bryan Reynolds had driven in the Pirates’ only other run via a sacrifice fly in the third. So it was only natural that he brought home the game-winner via a bases-loaded walk Tuesday at PNC Park to beat the Braves, 2-1.
“That’s a win for the whole Pirates organization tonight,” Derek Shelton said.
It took the whole organization to win this one. The winning rally in the ninth was started by Rodolfo Castro, who started the day in Class AA Altoona. He and shortstop Cole Tucker were recalled from the minors earlier Tuesday after Gregory Polanco and Phillip Evans were placed on the injured list.
Shelton said during the pregame Zoom announcing the moves that they were “depth” for a short bench that had been hit by injuries. Both call-ups got a chance to swing, though. Tucker grounded a base hit in the sixth and Castro got a chance to play the hero in the ninth.
After chasing a couple of pitches early to fall behind 1-2, Castro battled Braves lefty Tyler Matzek, and after eight pitches, drew the walk.
“The first pitch was high, then he swung at a ball over his head -- a little anxious -- and then he calmed himself down,” Shelton said. “You watch him throughout the rest of the at-bat, you watch him when he walks and how confident he was.”
After that, the top of the order took it from there. Adam Frazier rolled a base hit through the left side of the infield. Ke’Bryan Hayes drew a walk after falling behind 1-2. Then Reynolds watched four straight high pitches go by to win it.
It was the seventh walk the Pirates drew on the night, four of which came after they had fallen behind either 0-2 or 1-2.
“That’s really important to be able to grind through at-bats, and we did that today,” Shelton said.
Arguably none, besides Reynolds' winner, was more important than Castro’s to start the ninth.
Castro made a cameo with the Pirates back in April. He only got three plate appearances then, but had good conversations about hitting approach with Frazier and Polanco then.
"Those guys, they just want to hit the ball in a specific zone and I try to do the same things, just waiting for my pitch and hit the ball hard," Castro told our Jarrod Prugar last month. "It's those little things that have made a big difference in my game."
Castro used that advice to become one of the Curve’s best hitters; the 22-year-old hit .306, with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs, over 49 games in Class AA.
Even though he has yet to play a game in Indianapolis, Castro showed that he can hang tough in the majors, too.
“He's a really good hitter, switch-hitter at that,” Hayes, who played with Castro at the alternate site last year, said. “He has a big league approach.”
For a team that is going to live or die on the players its farm system produces, that walk-off winner featuring young players at different stages of their development and playing cycles is a glimpse of what might be to come.
“Pretty cool moment for us, organizationally,” Shelton said.
JUSTIN K. ALLER
Bryan Reynolds and Rodolfo Castro get showered after the win.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• For the first time since April 13, 2017, Chad Kuhl tossed six innings without allowing a walk.
The slider was, once again, Kuhl's primary pitch. He threw it 48 times out of his 97 pitches and got a career-high 13 whiffs with it.
While the pitch was moving, it also helped that it was tunneling off high four-seam fastballs.
"When the fastball is in the zone, the slider plays up," Shelton said.
Kuhl has become more reliant on the four-seamer since coming off the injured list, but he leaned on it even more Tuesday because he was still nursing a blister which forced him to exit early his last time out. During his bullpen between starts, Kuhl felt fine throwing the four-seamer, but the two-seamer was giving him troubles, so they opted to stick with the high heaters instead.
"It's just something that we were aware of going into my bullpen, and it got better as the week went on," Kuhl said.
Kuhl struck out a season-high seven batters Tuesday.
It was the fourth time in his last six starts that Kuhl went at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs. One of those other two starts was his blister-shortened outing, but he has been soaking the finger in lime juice to get the new skin to heal. It's a trick that worked last year, as well.
If the blister won't stop him, Kuhl is focusing on trying to keep this stretch of quality starts going.
"I feel like most of my last outings have been quality starts," Kuhl said. "So just trying to think about maintaining the stuff that I'm working on every day. Not letting anything slide through the cracks just because you're doing it well. So just kind of hammering in on the things that me and O [pitching coach Oscar Marin] have been working on and just keep moving forward."
• Richard Rodríguez got the win after tossing a scoreless ninth. While his fastball spin rate has dropped recently -- it averaged 2,399 RPM Tuesday, 160 RPM lower than his season average -- he is still attacking with it and getting results. Of his 15 pitches thrown, 14 were four-seamers, getting all of his outs with that pitch.
• Some minor-league notes to pass along: Roansy Contreras and Oneil Cruz were placed on the seven-day injured list with forearm injuries. We'll have more from the ballpark Wednesday. Contreras will not pitch in the All-Star Futures Game Sunday.
Additionally, the club has signed right-hander Tanner Anderson to a minor-league deal. He will report to Indianapolis. Anderson, 28, pitched 11 1/3 innings with the Pirates in 2018 and spent some time with the Athletics in 2019.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Adam Frazier, 2B
2. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Ben Gamel, LF
5. John Nogowski, 1B
6. Wilmer Difo, SS
7. Michael Pérez, C
8. Jared Oliva, RF
9. Chad Kuhl, RHP
And for Brian Snitker's Braves:
1. Ronald Acuña Jr.,RF
2. Freddie Freeman,1B
3. Ozzie Albies, 2B
4. Austin Riley, 3B
5. Guillermo Heredia, CF
6. Dansby Swanson, SS
7. Orlando Arcia,LF
8. Kevan Smith, C
9. Ian Anderson, RHP
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will try to get that elusive first sweep Wednesday. Wil Crowe (1-5, 6.26) will take on Drew Smyly (6-3, 4.42). First pitch will be at 12:35 p.m. DK will have you covered while I head out to New York.
IN THE SYSTEM
• Mason Martin hit the roller coaster at PNG Field Tuesday as part of his two-homer day. That's four straight games with a homer for him now, giving him 15 dingers on the season:
🚨🚨 @masonmartin7 has homered in 4 straight games 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/KTWhLpNQUz
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 6, 2021
THE CONTENT
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