Patience is a virtue and on Saturday night that patience was rewarded with an offensive output that saw the Pirates put up more walks than hits on a night where they put up double-digit runs, beating the Nationals at PNC Park, 10-7.
That patience is always a positive to build on, especially when the Pirates were able to capitalize in key moments.
It started with Hoy Park and Yoshi Tsutsugo walks with Colin Moran singling home both to put the Pirates on the board and in the hit column in the third inning.
Tsutsugo would walk to lead off the home half of the fifth inning before Bryan Reynolds stepped to the plate and launched the first pitch he saw from Josiah Gray beyond the seats in right centerfield. It was the second time Reynolds had barreled up Gray, hitting a sharp line drive to center field into the glove of Lane Thomas in the first inning.
Riverwalk Reynolds! pic.twitter.com/QKdQ6QfFFC
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 12, 2021
"The only thing I said to him after his first at bat was you need to hit it softer and find some outfield grass, and he ended up hitting a two-iron into the seats," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after the game.
Coming into Saturday Reynolds had been stringing together at bats where he hit the ball hard, but the results weren't showing up in the box score. Despite the frustration that may cause, Reynolds was locked in to continuing his same approach in hopes it'd finally pay off.
"It’s frustrating. I’ve definitely felt that the past few games," Reynolds said. "But today we snuck a couple. It’s better than hitting it soft and getting out. At least you know you’re on the right track."
Reynolds and the offense were assuredly on the right track in the first half of the game and continued as they got the Washington bullpen and knocked it around late. It was their approach that helped the runs and hard hit balls come to fruition and ended up playing the biggest factor in the game.
"I think it was the difference in the game. I think at one point, we had two hits and we had scored four runs," Shelton said. "I thought our guys did a really good job with their approach. They stayed consistent with it, didn’t give in and because of it, we had a ton of baserunners on base and were able to capitalize on it.”
It was Park who benefitted the most from sticking to the approach as he reached base during all four plate appearances, walking three times with a single and three runs scored. Park had been sent to Triple A Indianapolis following a mid-August swoon that saw his batting average drop from .310 to .197 at one point. It was there he was able to work on and refine his approach and it paid off on this night for the Pirates.
"The last couple days, he’s been really aggressive. I think he made three outs on the first pitch." Shelton said. "Christian (Marrero) and Timmy (McKeithan) had just talked to him about just getting his pitch to hit. He got the hit late but the at bats before that, he was able to work the walks and see the pitches out of the zone I think it was a really important step.”
Having Park get back to the successful plate appearances he had been having initially for the Pirates is a step in the right direction as the end of the season grows near and decisions have to be made regarding the 2022 season.
The consistent hitting approach can and will go along way when executed as the Pirates attempt to finish the 2021 season with even just a sliver of momentum heading into the rest of the season and the off-season.
• For three innings Wil Crowe was pitching rather well outside of elevated pitch count and even held his former organization to zero hits through three innings, the only blemish a walk.
After that though, the wheels fell off in a big way as he allowed three singles in a row before striking out Yadiel Hernandez and Carter Kieboom for two of his six strikeouts of the evening. He couldn't get past Keibert Ruiz though allowing a bases-clearing double that put the Nationals up 3-2 in the fourth. Crowe would get out of the inning, but his day would be complete after four innings.
"I felt good. I was fresh. I felt good out there in the fourth as well," Crowe said.
Crowe did get the better of two of his former teammates something he'd been joking with them about leading up to this matchup.
"I’ve been joking around with Kieboom a little bit," Crowe said. "So it’s good to face those guys, and it’s good to see them and see how they’re doing and everything."
• With Chris Stratton's save -- his third of the season -- that's now eight scoreless innings in a row the reliever has tossed at PNC Park. Stratton's performance has been welcome sign from a bullpen that's been largely inconsistent throughout the season as he's thrown 70.1 innings this season with a 3.71 ERA.
Over the past two seasons, Stratton has thrown 100.1 innings, tops among all major-league relievers.
• Prior to the game, friends and family members of those who were on Flight 93 were honored with a ceremony that featured 200 emergency service personnel for the 20th anniversary of September 11th. The Pirates were able to watch the ceremony from the field.
“I thought it was very inspiring. When you’re on the field with the families of 40 people who are heroes, in my mind, on a day that has changed our world," Shelton said. "To be out there, to be able to see it and to be able to catch the first pitch from the colonel who lost someone (a cousin) on Flight 93 was very touching, it was very inspiring and I think it’s how baseball and life kind of mesh together. It was really special to be part of.”
It was a special night indeed.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Yoshi Tsutsugo, RF
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Colin Moran, 1B
5. Ben Gamel, LF
6. Cole Tucker, SS
7. Michael Pérez, C
8. Hoy Park, 2B
9. Wil Crowe, RHP
And for Dave Martinez's Nationals:
1. Lane Thomas, CF
2. Alcides Escobar, SS
3. Juan Soto, RF
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Yadiel Hernandez, LF
6. Carter Kieboom, 3B
7. Keibert Ruiz, C
8. Luis Garcia, 2B
9. Josh Rogers, LHP
THE SYSTEM
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will try yet again to get that elusive first sweep Sunday afternoon. Bryse Wilson (2-6, 4.60) will take on Patrick Corbin (7-14, 6.14) at 1:05 p.m. I've got you covered from PNC Park again.
THE CONTENT
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