Franchise fixtures, rookie firsts, fine ball … part of an uplifting few days

It felt almost like almost everything surrounding Bryan Reynolds in 2022 had been negative. His name kept popping up in trade rumors. He and the Pirates could not agree on a contract before the deadline to file arbitration figures. 

So before the game Thursday, in PNC Park’s press conference room, Reynolds listed some positive things he has going in his baseball life.

And, perhaps most importantly, he had just signed a two-year contract that avoided a potential arbitration case this month.

"It could be going worse,” he said with a smile. 

After the Pirates’ 9-4 win over the Nationals, I caught up with Reynolds to broach the subject again. This time, asking the question from a more team-centered perspective. He got his contract, and so did Ke’Bryan Hayes. Daniel Vogelbach and Cole Tucker joined his success at the plate. A few days after Diego Castillo got his first hit and Miguel Yajure got his first big-league win, Roansy Contreras got his first win by tossing three terrific, scoreless innings.

“I’d definitely call it a great week,” Reynolds said with an even bigger smile than before. “I’m excited about this team.”

Not all weeks are going to be as kind for the 2022 Pittsburgh Pirates, but if this is the goal for the year – playing competitively with young, future contributors getting better at the major-league level, if not excel for spurts – then Reynolds is right.

Definitely a great week.

Here, let’s take a look why:

THE RO’ SHOW

Contreras wasn’t supposed to be in the majors right now. He’s not fully stretched out to start, and the plan was to do that at Class AAA Indianapolis, but pitching injuries made his promotion a necessity at the moment.

He doesn’t look one bit intimidated by those PNC Park lights, or Juan Soto, this author’s humble choice for best hitter on the planet. 

So how does he attack him? Curveball, curveball, curveball, curveball. The fourth was the only one Soto was able to get any wood on, a roller up the first base line that Contreras was even able to make a nifty play on over the foul line.

“An old-school shortstop play,” is how Derek Shelton would describe it. “That was a hell of a play.”

Or if you would prefer something a bit newer-school, how about a slider that dived down just a hair too late for Maikel Franco to hold up:

Contreras would end up pitching three scoreless innings with just a walk and a single against his ledger, striking out five along the way. After showing that his breaking stuff can spin and move in his first appearance of the season Saturday in St. Louis – “I mean, it’s definitely not a question of whether the stuff’s good enough,” is how Vogelbach put it – he proved that he can also get it in the zone.

When he does, he can fan players like Nelson Cruz, 19 years his senior and still a feared power hitter. Or he can hit 98 mph on his final pitch, a fastball up and away for strike three to fan César Hernández.

And for the second time in five days, one of the pitchers the Pirates got in the Jameson Taillon trade was the center of a locker room celebration. The other was Yajure on Sunday.

“It was amazing,” Contreras said through team translator Mike Gonzalez. “I got showered with beer and all kinds of things.”

“[He] goes out there out of the pen and dominates,” starter JT Brubaker said with a bit of shaving cream still on his ear from the debauchery.

Meanwhile, back home, Roansy’s father was able to watch his son excel at what appeared to be a party of his own:

"It feels amazing to be able to know that my family was able to witness that."

There will be more outings like that to come.

HEATING UP AFTER COLD STARTS

It had been a tough first week of the season for Tucker, going hitless in his first 10 trips to the plate, none of which looked particularly good or reminiscent to what he was doing in spring training.

So when he finally did get a hold of one in the third inning Thursday, his first reaction after his follow-through was to point to the bench at hitting coach Andy Haines:

“I was just f—ing excited,” Tucker said, telling me the two have had conversations the past few days about his posture at the plate. “He was like, ‘If you do this, you’ll clip somebody. So go do it.’ And it just showed up.”

Vogelbach was also in a rut early in the year, going 3 for 12 with no extra-base hits and five strikeouts. He changed that on the first at-bat Thursday. After Brubaker spotted the Nationals three runs in the first, Vogelbach immediately got one back, putting it in the Nationals' bullpen.

He would go on to record a double and two more base knocks, the second four-hit game of his career. 

“Some nights you get pitches to hit, some nights you don’t get pitches to hit,” Vogelbach said. “I got some pitches to hit and was able to put some good swings on it.”

It’s also a quick reaffirmation that Vogelbach has the tools that could work at the top of the lineup.

RICH GUYS

This one is perhaps the most important for the long-term outlook of the club.

Hayes is the owner of the largest contract in franchise history. That news broke last Thursday and the formal announcement was made Tuesday. Reynolds could one day break it, but for now, the two are locked into a two-year deal that avoids arbitration.

"It’s good to put it to bed," Reynolds said before the game. "Now, we really focus on the season."

No more talk about contracts or trade rumors for a while. Just baseball with the two guys that the team is banking will become the leaders of the clubhouse. And while Ben Cherington said that those contracts were not meant to be a message to the clubhouse that they are, in fact, leaders, both are taking on that role more. Having them secured only bolsters that.

“To keep him here, that does a lot for us,” Hayes said. “Offensively, defensively, and he’s a great clubhouse guy as well. He’s kind of like me. He’s not too rah-rah. He just kind of goes about his business each and every day and wants to do good, wants to see his teammates do good.”

“We’ve got a bunch of good players that are already here,” Reynolds said. “We’ve got a bunch of good young guys in the minor leagues. I really think we’ve got the bones to be a good, competitive team. The fact that I get to be part of that for at least the next four years is great.”

And oh yeah, Reynolds homered Thursday. Add that to the list.

JUSTIN BERL / GETTY

Daniel Vogelbach’s welcomed in the dugout after his leadoff home run Thursday night at PNC Park.

• I go into much more detail about the Reynolds two-year contract here.

• Brubaker bounced back from that first inning to put up three zeroes from the second to fourth, before ultimately being pulled in the fifth after recording an out before walking Josh Bell. Anthony Banda would allow him to score, charging Brubaker with a fourth run.

"It was just a little bit of being uncomfortable, too quick on my front side, yanking pitches," Brubaker explained afterward. "Towards the end, it clicked [and I] settled in. Then in the second I made sure I was staying focused on making sure I was on my back side and not being too quick on my front side."

• Factoid of the game: Brubaker did give Soto fits all night, striking him out looking twice. He is one of just four pitchers to ever do that to him in a game, joining Jameson Taillon (May 7, 2021), Noah Syndergaard (May 14, 2019) and Aaron Nola (August 28, 2018).

"A guy like Soto, you need all your pitches to be working to keep him off balance," Brubaker said. "He's a good hitter, ready to hit the fastball. Getting settled in and being able to use all my pitches to him was definitely an advantage."

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: OF Anthony Alford (hand), LHP Sam Howard (back), RHP Duane Underwood (hamstring), RHP Max Kranick (forearm), RHP Luis Oviedo (ankle). Underwood threw before the game and told me his hamstring was feeling much better. Sounds like it will be a short stint on the IL. Zach Thompson (shoulder) also said he is feeling better after getting hit by a comebacker.

• 60-day injured list: OF Greg Allen (hamstring), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow surgery)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
2. Brian Reynolds, CF
3. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
4. Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B
5. Ben Gamel, LF
6. Kevin Newman, SS
7. Cole Tucker, 2B
8. Roberto Pérez, C
9. Hoy Park, RF

And for Davey Martinez's Nationals:

1. César Hernández, 2B
2. Juan Soto, RF
3. Nelson Cruz, DH
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Keibert Ruiz, C
6. Yadiel Hernandez, LF
7. Maikel Franco, 3B
8. Alcides Escobar, SS
9. Dee Strange-Gordon, CF

THE SCHEDULE

Mitch Keller (0-1, 9.00) will get his second start Friday against Erick Fedde (0-0, 3.60). First pitch will come your way at 6:35 p.m. I've got you covered at the ballpark for Jackie Robinson Day.

THE CONTENT

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