Ask most baseball fans and players, they'll tell you that 3-0 is an automatic take pitch.
It's not always the case for Michael Chavis and the Pirates though, and when he was given the green light Saturday against Aaron Ashby, he got a hold of a sinker down the heart of the plate and let it fly:
That third inning blast gave the Pirates' the lead for good Saturday, propelling them to a 7-4 win over the Brewers at PNC Park.
"It’s a 3-0 green light and he hits a homer to right-center," Derek Shelton said about the homer. "He doesn’t try to get too big. He doesn’t try to come out of his shoes. He stays with his swing. We know how strong he is and how hard he swings but to be able to do that and use that side of the field shows to where his approach has been versus left-handers.”
Attacking left-handers has been the key for Chavis this year. While he's been streaky against right-handers, he's consistently hit southpaws, slashing .291/.333/.547 with six home runs in 93 plate appearances against them.
While good hand splits aren't exactly new for the sport, Chavis struggled against lefties whenever he was with the Red Sox, which was a tenure that was filled with ups and downs. Being able to hit lefties is giving him more stable ground in the majors.
The reason for the change isn't exactly clear, at least not to Chavis. He has talked about how playing everyday has helped his timing and approach. In one-on-one conversations, he's given a lot of credit to mental performance coordinator Andy Bass for helping him process the highs and lows of a season better so he can stay in a good mindset.
"I’m not out there trying to hit more home runs against lefties or nothing like that," Chavis said. "It’s just kinda how it’s showing up, and it’s something I’m definitely thankful for. As I get more at-bats against righties, I’m excited for that to show up as well.”
For Shelton, it comes down to a good approach.
"He’s done a really good job of staying in the gaps off left-handers," Shelton said. "For right-handed hitters, it’s really important. If you try to get too big and get on the pull side, most things from left-handed pitchers are running away from you."
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
Daniel Vogelbach reacts to hitting a two-run single Saturday.
• The Pirates really needed Bryse Wilson to give them some good innings Saturday after taxing their bullpen the night before. He rose to the occasion, going six innings of two-run ball.
Wilson needed it as well, finally earning his first win of the season after bouncing between the majors and minors this season. Aided by double-plays in the second, third and fourth innings, Wilson was able to manage the game and give some much-needed length.
"It is great feeling, kind of like a breath of fresh air," Wilson said. "Weight being taken off my shoulders. I knew it was there. It was good just finding out how to get it and how to use my stuff and execute the way I did."
When the Pirates sent Wilson down to Class AAA Indianapolis, they gave him some areas to focus on, especially the slider. While Wilson relied primarily on the sinker, the Brewers went 1-for-5 with a strikeout against the slider, with the only hit being an infield single from Andrew McCutchen.
"He went down and worked on things we talked to him about, so I give a ton of credit to Bryse," Shelton said. "When you get optioned out, you can take a message and run with it or you can take it and go down there and not work on it. It’s a credit to him."
• Oneil Cruz did something special on both sides of the ball Saturday. One of which is fairly predictable: He absolutely smoked a ball for a home run, leaving the bat at 112.3 mph:
“As soon as he hit it, I was like, ‘Get out of the way. Get out of the way,’ " Shelton said about the fans sitting in right field. "You know? There wasn’t a doubt it was going to get out. It was just making sure no one got hurt in the process.”
That's 0.1 mph off the exit velocity season-high for a Pirates home run this year, topped only by Jack Suwinski's blast last Saturday against the Rays.
The more consequential play came in the second. With runners on second and third and one out, the Pirates brought the infield in against Christian Yelich to try to cut a potential run off at the plate. Yelich tagged a ball that looked destined for the outfield, but Cruz was able to reach out and snag it on the fly before jogging over to third to complete the double-play:
Oneil Cruz doesn’t just hit rockets. He makes plays like this in the field too. pic.twitter.com/z41xkJJZ0J
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) July 2, 2022
“The catch was a hell of a play," Shelton said.
• Rumors of David Bednar's demise were greatly exaggerated. While he did walk Yelich on four pitches to start the ninth, the Pirates' closer put down the heart of the Brewers' order quickly to earn his 12th save of the year.
"I think the other day was kind of an outlier, just knocking the rust off a little bit," Shelton said. "Good to see him bounce back."
• Hey, it was a good bounce back win for the Pirates' after being crushed 19-2 the day before.
"I think it speaks to the character of the staff," Shelton said. "You just have to flush games. We’ve had a couple games where we’ve been beat by a considerable number of runs and the next day we’ve always bounced back."
• The Pirates optioned Aaron Fletcher before the game to Indianapolis to recall Wilson. Additionally, the Pirates traded Anthony Banda, who they designated for assignment earlier this week, to the Blue Jays for cash considerations.
• Before the game, Cam Vieaux, Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington talked about the decision to leave the rookie lefty in for 56 pitches in the eighth inning Friday. Vieaux said he was "happy [Shelton] left him in." Read more here.
• Factoid of the game: Cruz has recorded an RBI in each of his first nine career home games. That's the longest streak in Pirates rookie history, surpassing Delwyn Young who drove in a run in eight consecutive home games from August 6-21, 2009. The last Pirate to pick up an RBI in nine straight home games was Orlando Merced from July 24-Sept. 1, 1996 (10 games at Three Rivers Stadium).
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: OF Ben Gamel (hamstring), 1B Yoshi Tsutsugo (lumbar muscle strain)
• 15-day injured list: RHP Zach Thompson (forearm), LHP Dillon Peters (back)
• 60-day injured list: SS Kevin Newman (groin), OF Jake Marisnick (thumb) OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), OF Greg Allen (hamstring), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow surgery), Roberto Pérez (hamstring, out for season)
• COVID injured list: RHP Duane Underwood Jr.
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Michael Chavis, 1B
4. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
5. Diego Castillo, 2B
6. Bligh Madris, RF
7. Oneil Cruz, SS
8. Tyler Heineman, C
9. Tucupita Marcano, LF
And for Craig Counsell's Crew:
1. Christian Yelich, LF
2. Willy Adames, SS
3. Rowdy Tellez, 1B
4. Andrew McCutchen, DH
5. Kolten Wong, 2B
6. Luis Urías, 3B
7. Victor Caratini, C
8. Jace Peterson, RF
9. Jonathan Davis, CF
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will go for the series win Sunday at 1:35 p.m. Zach Thompson (3-4, 4.47) will be activated off the injured list and take the bump against Brandon Woodruff (6-3, 4.44). I'll have you covered from the ballpark.
THE CONTENT
Visit our team page for everything.
