One day removed from no-hitter, Pirates still can't get offense going

CHICAGO -- The Pirates were in a similar spot the last time they were in Wrigley Field's visiting clubhouse. A lopsided, shutout loss --this time 9-0 against the Cubs Monday -- was humbling, but when this happened last month, they came back to take the finale and the series.

"I think that's going to be the focus," Michael Chavis said after the loss. "It's just one game. Start 0-0 tomorrow."

The difference between that team and where the Pirates are currently is that group was hitting much better. In fact, it's tough to hit worse than the Pirates have of late.

After being no-hit Sunday but still squeaking out a 1-0 win, Cubs starter Wade Miley worked quickly and efficient. He allowed just one base runner on a fifth inning Chavis single to left in his seven frames of work. The Pirates would get two more seeing-eye ground ball singles in the eighth, their only other base runners of the game.

Since Daniel Vogelbach hit a home run to leadoff the bottom of the fourth inning, the Pirates have mustered only four hits over their last 20 innings at the plate, two of which were infield singles. Chavis' line drive was the one clean hit they have had in that stretch.

"Yesterday we just saw a guy with electric stuff [in Reds rookie Hunter Greene]," Derek Shelton said. "Today we saw a veteran pitcher who works fast and knows how to execute pitches. We got behind, and he did a nice job of that."

When asked what is causing the offense to struggle, Chavis declined to give what he believed to be the answer to the media at the risk of it being exploited further.

'I think we're aware of what we've got going on in here," he said.

As a unit, the Pirates' .655 team OPS is 21st in baseball, and a slumping order could sink the batting average and slugging percentage further. If they want to reverse it, they're going to just keep trucking through the campaign.

"I think a lot of that is just the mental battle," Chavis said. "Obviously it sucks that we got no-hit last game, and we end up winning the ball game. You have to try to find those positives, and luckily we scratched out three hits. We're going to reset it and go tomorrow."

MORE FROM THE GAME

• This one fell off the rails early.

Dillon Peters had his second bad outing of the year, the first of which he was actually hit hard. After not allowing an extra-base hit through his first 10 outings, Willson Contreras immediately pounced on a first-pitch sinker for a double. The Cubs would end up adding three more hits and a walk while plating a pair before Peters was pulled in the first.

"It looked like [the fastball] was actually cutting a little bit tonight," Shelton said. "He threw some changeups that kind of cut also. Because it was up, it was cutting right into their barrel."

Bryse Wilson, who was scheduled to be the hybrid pitcher, was the second man out. He immediately got Andrelton Simmons to bounce one, but it wound up being perfectly placed up the third base line and wound up be a swinging bunt base hit.

After a Rafael Ortega walk, Contreras got another at-bat and put the game out of reach:

"Baseball happened," Wilson said. "The curveball to Contreas, you just got to know that's probably going to ambush it."

Wilson did manage to go 5 1/3 to save the bullpen with only one more unearned run on his ledger.

• Right-hander Tyler Beede tossed a scoreless seventh inning Friday. The waiver claim is already the 40th different player to appear in a game for the Pirates this season. The franchise record is 64, which was set last season.

• Before the game, the Pirates made a swap at catching, claiming Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Blue Jays. Heineman arrived mid-game and even caught Heath Hembree during warmups before the eighth inning.

To make room on the roster, Andrew Knapp was designated for assignment. More on the transaction here.

• Ending a bad game on a happier note, Monday was the first game at Wrigley Field for Chicagoan Jack Suwinski.

 “I [grew up] not too far from here," Suwinski said. "I mean, this one is right down the street from me. I’ve been to plenty of Cubs games. I started coming with my grandma when I was really young and with my family and then obviously [with] friends, my sisters and just on occasions.”

Suwinski went 0-for-3 Monday.

THE ESSENTIALS

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

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: OF Jake Marisnick (thumb), SS Kevin Newman (groin)

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

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Ben Gamel, LF
2. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
5. Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B
6. Michael Chavis, 2B
7. Rodolfo Castro, SS
8. Jack Suwinski, RF
9. Michael Perez, C

And for David Ross' crew:

1. Willson Contreras, C
2. Seiya Suzuki, RF
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Frank Schwindel, 1B
5. Yan Gomes, C
6. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
7. Jonathan Villar, 2B
8. Andrelton Simmons, SS
9. Rafael Ortega, CF

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates and Cubs will play another one under the lights here on the south side of Chicago Tuesday. JT Brubaker (0-3, 5.34) will take on Keegan Thompson (2-0, 1.67), with first pitch coming at 7:40 p.m. Eastern.

THE CONTENT

Visit our team page for everything.