Suwinski proving why, even after skipping Class AAA, 'he's ready'

Altoona Curve manager Kieran Mattison was coaching third base, watching Jack Suwinski mid-at-bat when the thought crossed his mind. 

"He’s ready for the big leagues."

"I didn’t verbalize it with nobody," Mattison said in Altoona. "Then on the bus heading to Akron he gets the call and we’re like, ‘Jack’s going to the big leagues.' All right. I told Derek Shelton that the timing’s perfect because he’s locked in in all facets of the game – running the bases, getting good jumps on defense, putting quality at bat after quality at bat."

Suwinski was hitting .353 with three home runs in just 13 games at that point for the Class AA club. While he has not matched those results in the bigs, he has been putting together good at-bats of late, not being overwhelmed by major-league pitching despite skipping Class AAA Indianapolis.

That includes breaking a late scoreless tie against the Dodgers Wednesday with a solo shot to right field, jumpstarting the Pirates' offense to a 5-3 win at PNC Park.

“I don’t think he hit it as flush as other balls, but he got just enough of it," Shelton said.

That's homer No. 2 in Suwinski's major-league career. After his first Monday, he went through the dugout line for high-fives. When he got to the end, he still had his helmet on, clearly wanting to celebrate some more.

The second time around was a little calmer, but...

"It was pretty similar," Suwinski told me postgame. "To me, at least."

With that homer and a double Wednesday, Suwinski is now slashing .238/.304/.429. That may seem modest compared to year's past, but going by wRC+, which weighs what the rest of the league is hitting, he's producing 13% more offense than the average hitter (113 wRC+).

“If you watch him – and this is a kid that came from Double-A – he is very rarely off-balance,” Shelton said Monday. “If you watch the game, you very rarely think, ‘Oh, he’s overmatched’ – because he’s not."

And he's had to earn those results.

“He kind of got thrown into the fire with the arms that he’s seen right away," Daniel Vogelbach said. "He saw Milwaukee seven times. He’s got the Dodgers. He’s got the Padres. There really hasn’t been any easy arms for him, and he doesn’t look overwhelmed. He doesn’t look overmatched.”

He's also been a positive influence on defense, picking up three defensive runs saved, a couple of them coming on this robbed home run Saturday in Cincinnati:

For the early weeks of the season, right field was a fluid position for the Pirates because Greg Allen started the year on the injured list. It wasn't until Suwinski was brought up out of necessity because of a couple COVID-19 scares did the position finally get a regular, with the team wanting to give him some runway to see how he would respond.

As time has gone on, it's gotten better.

“I hadn’t felt too uncomfortable, but I am feeling more and more comfortable," Suwinski said. "I think it comes every at-bat, every day. Listening and watching these other guys work and go about their business.”

Looking at the Pirates' outfield, one can't help but think back to Bryan Reynolds, who was called up out of necessity in April of 2019, before many thought he was ready, and then he played so well that there was simply no way the Pirates could justify optioning him back to the majors.

So, Jack, any chance that could to you?

“I don’t want to look too far ahead, look too far back," he said after a chuckle.

MORE FROM THE GAME:

• Suwinski wasn't the only one to show some pop Wednesday. Josh VanMeter hit a two run shot, and after the Dodgers tied the game at three in the seventh, Vogelbach came back to give the Pirates the lead for good in the home half of the inning. 

With that, the Pirates pulled off a pretty unexpected series win, given that they had lost 16 straight to the Dodgers entering the series and they were coming off a weekend series loss to the last place Reds.

“It’s the big leagues,” Vogelbach said. “Everybody’s getting paid to play the game. There are no easy series. That’s why you play the games. I thought we played well. The ball bounced our way, and we were able to come out with a series win. But that’s all it is, because we have to come back [Thursday] and play good baseball against a really hot Cincinnati team.”

“Taking two out of three from them, we can beat anybody,” VanMeter said. “I think it shows a lot about the resiliency and character of the guys in this room.”

• That seventh inning nearly was the Pirates' undoing. Chris Stratton struggled and allowed a bases clearing double to tie the game before recording an out. Wil Crowe was able to play the fireman, stranding the potential go-ahead run in scoring position.

“I give Crowe a ton of credit,” Shelton said. "That three could have turned to four, five or six.”

That outing came on the heels of a pair of three scoreless frame appearances by Dillon Peters and Max Kranick, who combined to just allow five base runners.

For Peters, it was a bounce back performance after an uncharacteristically bad outing against the Reds Sunday that cost the Pirates the game.

“You gotta be aggressive and stick to the game plan we had,” Peters said. “[Catcher Andrew] Knapp was awesome. You gotta keep them on their heels as much as they’re trying to put us on our heels.”

• VanMeter probably put it best when he said you don't want to have just a one run lead against the Dodgers because they could strike at any time.

But when it's David Bednar on the mound?

“Guy’s a bulldog,” VanMeter said. “... I wish I didn’t have to take my glove out there.”

Three strikeouts and six outs on that save, his fifth on the year. 

• Some injury news to go through:

Roberto Pérez was transferred to the 60-day injured list because of his hamstring injury Saturday in Cincinnati. It's still only being called "significant," with no formal timetable given.

Jake Marisnick damaged the UCL (it's not just in the elbow) in his left thumb and will require surgery. A timetable for return will be determined after the procedure and they get a proper look at the damage. Depending on the extent of the injury, it could be a weeks or months return.

Blake Cederlind (Tommy John surgery) is going to be shut down from throwing for four to five days after experiencing some "more-than-usual" forearm pain. He'll meet with the doctor who did the procedure, Neal ElAttrache.

Quinn Priester (oblique) is throwing flatgrounds at 125 feet. He's taking a bit longer in his rehab because they are diving into his delivery mechanics.

Kevin Newman (groin) should run the bases this week and is nearing a rehab assignment. Duane Underwood Jr. (hamstring) threw an inning for Altoona yesterday with no issues reported. 

THE ESSENTIALS

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

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: SS Kevin Newman (groin), RHP Duane Underwood Jr. (hamstring), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)

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

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Ben Gamel, LF
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
4. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
5. Michael Chavis, 1B
6. Jack Suwinski, RF
7. Diego Castillo, SS
8. Josh VanMeter, 2B
9. Andrew Knapp, C

And for Dave Roberts' Dodgers:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Freddie Freeman, 1B
3. Will Smith, C
4. Max Muncy, 2B
5. Justin Turner, 3B
6. Cody Bellinger, CF
7. Chris Taylor, RF
8. Edwin Ríos, DH
9. Gavin Lux, LF

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates will welcome the Reds to PNC Park for a four game series starting Thursday. JT Brubaker (0-2, 5.68) will face Connor Overton (0-0, 2.53), with first pitch coming at 6:35 p.m. I've got you covered.

THE CONTENT

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