Though the Pirates ended up not pulling off any major moves Tuesday prior to 6:00 p.m.'s trade deadline, it didn't mean the day lacked any anxiety. The Pirates were known sellers, and had already parted ways with Daniel Vogelbach, José Quintana and Chris Stratton in previous days in an effort to build a better club in 2023 and beyond.
"Look, there's clearly a lot of things we have to do better," Ben Cherington said roughly 30 minutes after the passing of the trade deadline. "A lot of areas to get better if we're going to win at the level we need to win at, there's a lot to do. We continue that work."
That work picked up 66 minutes after the trade deadline passed as the Pirates hosted the National League Central-leading Brewers. And in spite of the suspense caused by the trade deadline and the quality of Tuesday night's opponent, the Pirates were victorious, 5-3.
With all of the uncertainty of who stays and who goes put to rest, the Pirates took a necessary step toward the future. Yes, it's only one win. It's only one game of 162. It's barely a blip on the radar.
But, who stepped up in this game? How about Bryse Wilson going toe to toe with the reigning NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes for five-plus innings?
Wilson entered the game carrying a 3.27 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over his past four appearances, and matched Burnes blow for blow as the two kept their opposition off the scoreboard for five innings. Wilson did, however, run into trouble in the sixth as he served up not one, not two, but three solo home runs to give Milwaukee a 3-0 lead.
"I just left three curveballs over the middle of the plate," Wilson said. "That pitch had worked for me all night. I think it was just a lack of execution."
It wasn't the quality start Wilson was looking for, but it paved an opportunity for Bligh Madris and Cal Mitchell to make an impact.
Yes, they went a combined 0-for-5, left five runners on base and both of them failed to drive in Ben Gamel after he led off the second inning with a triple. However, both of them adjusted to Burnes after facing him two times, and refused to expand the strike zone. That led to back-to-back walks with one out in the sixth.
That set up Oneil Cruz to step up to the plate and do this:
Just like that. Right when you think this team is overmatched by a superior opponent, they string together some quality big-league at-bats against an elite arm to tie the game.
But, it didn't stop there. Josh VanMeter drew a walk, stole second base, then scored on an RBI single by Tyler Heineman to give the Pirates the lead.
Heineman got too aggressive and was caught between first and second base while VanMeter scored. Just when it looked like he was going to get nabbed while scampering back to first, Willy Adames threw the ball out of play, which allowed Heineman to advance to third base.
That aggressive baserunning -- and a little bit of luck -- paid off when Victor Caratini allowed Heineman to score on a passed ball, giving the Pirates a 5-3 lead.
But the young guys weren't done. Yerry De Los Santos was brought in as the setup man in the eighth, and blew away the Brewers with a perfect inning.
De Los Santos' stuff was electric. Hunter Renfroe never stood a chance against this 96-mph heater:
And Caratini couldn't do anything against 97 mph painted on the inside corner:
After the De Los Santos Show, Wil Crowe came in to close things out in the ninth. And as the Milwaukee lineup turned over and Christian Yelich's single brought the tying run to the plate, Crowe struck out the side to slam the door.
When we talked with Derek Shelton after the game, he said something that really resonated after this win. Something that puts this whole season and where the Pirates are -- in terms of their rebuild -- in perspective.
"Rookies are going to do things that frustrate you," Shelton said, "and they're going to do things that make you smile."
Anybody who's watched Pirates baseball this season ought to feel every single one of those words. It's been painful. And yes, it's even more painful when older guys who aren't part of this team's future get playing time over the younger players that need at-bats and innings.
But, to see the collection of younger players step up in a game like this, in these circumstances, that's a good first step in the next stage of the rebuild.
"For our young kids, yeah, that's important because today's a stressful day," Shelton said. "There's a lot of people in that room that don't know what's going on. There's a ton of speculation. To be able to go out tonight against that team and do that, I give them a ton of credit. I'm proud of them."
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
Colin Holderman pitching in his Pirates debut Tuesday night.
• About that Cruz homer ...
Listen, we know this guy is capable of things that nearly nobody else in the world can do. To be able to reach out on a pitch that far off the plate, keep it to the middle of the field and hit it 408 feet, that is something truly special.
"No. 1, I think you have to have long arms to get there," Shelton explained. "But No. 2, you have to have the ability to stay within your body. And what I mean by within your body, you have to stay stable over your legs to be able to extend out, because even if he has long arms and he gets over there, usually you roll over there. But the ability to stay through that I think is the most impressive thing."
This is why the hype is so high on this guy.
• Colin Holderman, who was acquired in the Vogelbach trade, made his Pirates debut Tuesday night. He relieved Wilson after the three Milwaukee homers in the sixth, and got out of the inning without allowing any more damage. Holderman went back out for the seventh and got the first out right way, but ran into a bit of trouble when Yelich singled and Adames doubled to put runners on second and third, threatening the Pirates' lead.
Shelton called on Manny Bañuelos, who came in immediately plunked Mike Brosseau to load the bases. However, Bañuelos got Andrew McCutchen to fly out to shallow center, thanks to a nice basket catch by Bryan Reynolds. Then, he struck out Pedro Severino to strand the bases loaded.
All in all, Holderman logged an inning, but two hits and a walk were not exactly what he wanted. Even so, Holderman says he is happy to be in Pittsburgh as part of what the Pirates are building.
"They're going in the right direction, young with a lot of talent," Holderman said. "I can tell the culture is, 'Hey, we're going to get there and we're going to win.' I could tell that right away."
• Crowe got the ball in the ninth inning because David Bednar's back is bothering him once again. Last time around, Shelton played the issue down and that Bednar only needed a few days to recover. This time, it's not so optimistic.
"I think we'll probably make that determination over the next day or two," Shelton said of a possible stint on the Injured List. "Just to see where he's at and see how see how he responds."
Based off the tone that accompanied that quote, I'd be surprised if Bednar isn't on the IL before the heads to Baltimore on Friday.
• Speaking of Reynolds and Bednar, those two players were the most valuable trade pieces the Pirates had, and they decided not to part with them. With Reynolds' club control nearing its end by the time the Pirates can actually become competitive (through 2025), and considering how expensive he could be by that time, it does mean something because there was definitely a market for both players.
"There's a lot of speculation out there all the time," Shelton said. "And when you have players like that, people are going to inquire on them, and then you're going to hear speculation. But, it's important that they're still here."
• With Quintana shipped off to St. Louis, the Pirates will need rotation help. I asked Shelton pregame how Roansy Contreras was progressing with his buildup. Needless to say, it sure doesn't sound like he's on the verge of a call up back to Pittsburgh.
"He's only at a few innings," Shelton said. "We need to get him built up to at least five or six before he's able to come back. One of the things that we had to monitor is where his innings are compared to last year, and then coming off the year before that. So the buildup is still in process."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: OF Jake Marisnick (great toe)
• 60-day injured list: OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Kevin Newman, 2B
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
4. Ben Gamel, LF
5. Bligh Madris, DH
6. Cal Mitchell, RF
7. Oneil Cruz, SS
8. Josh VanMeter, 1B
9. Tyler Heineman, C
And for Craig Counsell's Brewers:
1. Christian Yelich, LF
2. Willy Adames, SS
3. Rowdy Tellez, 1B
4. Andrew McCutchen, DH
5. Kolten Wong, 2B
6. Hunter Renfroe, RF
7. Luis Urías, 3B
8. Victor Caratini, C
9. Tyrone Taylor, CF
THE SCHEDULE
Same two teams tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. Tyler Beede (1-1, 3.12) will face off against righty Freddy Peralta (3-2, 4.42). Alex Stumpf will have you covered.
THE CONTENT
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