Wilson gets pounded, Pirates now 0-13 in chances to sweep

13.

That's now the number of times the Pirates have had this season to sweep opponents and failed to do so. This game, it was the struggles of starting pitcher Bryse Wilson that doomed the Pirates in a 6-2 loss to the Nationals at PNC Park Sunday afternoon.

It was the third straight start Wilson has been knocked around a bi,t and until those starts, Wilson had been largely consistent in going out and getting the job done in each start.

"I think we've seen definite growth in terms of ability to attack the strike zone and ability to execute pitches," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said following the game. "I think today was just one of the days when he really didn't have it."

Wilson gave up a Luis Garcia laser beam into the first row in right-center in the second inning before Wilson squeezed Wilmer Difo home in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game up. Bryan Reynolds would score Kevin Newman on a sac fly in the third.

Then came the fourth.

Wilson would manage to get the first two outs of the inning and then couldn't avoid the barrels of the Nationals' bats. Alex Avila would hit a 105.9 mph rocket into the last row of seats atop the Clemente Wall to tie the game before an Adrian Sanchez double -- 104.8 mph off the bat -- and pitcher Patrick Corbin with a 94.8 mph single set the table for Lane Thomas.

Thomas then sent Wilson's 0-1 offering into the right field seats to give the Nationals a 5-2 lead which would prove to be too much for the Pirates to overcome on this day. 

Of the seven hits the Nationals had against Wilson, all had an exit velocity of 94.8 mph and above. The three homers all left the bat over 100 mph. Those results were largely because of fundamental issues in Wilson's deliveries more than anything. 

'It was inconsistent command throughout the game," Shelton said. "I thought he kind of left his delivery a little bit today and it made not only the fastball, but the slider and the changeup not as effective as we've seen. His stuff played a little bit flat today."

Many of those inconsistencies in his command were the result of poor fundamentals and a battle to overcompensate for the issues they caused. 

"I felt I was drifting a little bit in my mechanics, not quite getting in my backside as well as normal," Wilson said. "I think that led to the velocity being down, the fastball, four-seam, two-seam being flatter."

Anytime the fastball isn't in play and a pitcher has to force it to get it to work or attempt to get it to work it usually ends terribly for him. Wilson is no exception, and the homers being off fastballs in the zone is the dead giveaway here. 

"Usually the four-seam has a little bit more ride than it did today. And usually, that helps it get up in the zone," Wilson said. "It just wasn't good enough in the zone as well today."

At 23 years old, Wilson is the type of pitcher the Pirates need in the middle to back end of the rotation and the end of the season will provide the evaluation they need to see if he is in fact a part of their future plans. 

MORE FROM THE GAME

• One of the few bright spots on this afternoon was the play of Newman. 

Newman's third inning triple set up for the Reynolds' sac fly and the last run of the game for the Pirates, but it was his glove that stole the show with this play in the first inning. And while the effort Newman made to get to the ball and set himself for the throw was impressive, the ability of Colin Moran to adjust his feet accordingly and make the stretch to catch the throw was just as impressive. 

The spectacular defense wasn't lost on Wilson who had one of the best views of the play and many of Newman's plays throughout the latter part of the season. 

"It gives you a lot of confidence as a pitcher knowing that guys can make those kinds of plays on both ends and just very impressive," Wilson said. "The work he's put in to get to where he is defensively and it's fun to watch."

• David Bednar has been unavailable this series due to right side discomfort, according to Shelton, who spoke of the absence following the game. In Bednar's absence, Nick Mears, Chad Kuhl, Shelby Miller and Chasen Shreve could all get chances in the higher leverage situations.

"We have different guys that we will mix and match with depending on availability," Shelton said. 

• More on the bullpen: The bullpen performed well Sunday afternoon allowing only one run over 4 2/3 innings of work. Kyle Keller took over for Wilson in the fifth and struck out one. 

Luis Oviedo took over for the sixth and seventh innings allowing only one run on three hits, inducing a double play and walking two. It wasn't pretty, but Oviedo got the job done before Connor Overton took the ball for the eighth. 

It was Overton's first appearance with the Pirates and he left about as good of an impression as possible with his manager with a shutout inning and recording a strikeout.

"With Overton, I thought it was good. I mean, as advertised," Shelton said. "Change up's (a) very good pitch. We saw him execute the slider and the fastball was in the zone. We knew he was a strike thrower."

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
• Live file
• Scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Kevin Newman, RF
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Colin Moran, 1B
5. Jacob Stallings, C
6. Wilmer Difo, 2B
7. Anthony Alford, LF
8. Ben Gamel, RF
9. Bryse Wilson, 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. Luis Garcia, 2B
7. Alex Avila, C
8. Adrian Sanchez, 3B
9. Patrick Corbin, LHP

THE SYSTEM

• Indianapolis
• Altoona
• Greensboro
• Bradenton

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates will have Monday off before welcoming the Cincinnati Reds to town for three games. DK will have the game Tuesday and I'll be back again for more on Wednesday.

THE CONTENT

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