BALTIMORE -- After two games of sporadic hits that manufactured inconsistent run production, the Pirates broke through in a big way Sunday afternoon. The lineup put up nine hits in an 8-1 trampling of the Orioles at Camden Yards, avoiding a three-game sweep.
However, it didn't look like Pittsburgh was going to do any such thing early on. In fact, the first 13 hitters were retired as Spenser Watkins mowed through the Pirates' lineup.
"To be honest, I think he was moving the ball pretty well," Greg Allen said. "He kept us on our toes that first time through the lineup."
It looked like a sputtering offense -- like the one we witnessed Friday and Saturday -- was going to be a welcomed sight just to avoid the embarrassment of a shutout or worse.
Then, after Oneil Cruz struck out swinging to start the fifth, it took just one bounce to go the Pirates' way. Then the dam broke:
Four straight hits, all from guys you want to see hitting the ball -- Michael Chavis, Bligh Madris, Greg Allen, Cal Mitchell. Then, after Allen took third base on a wild pitch, José Godoy added a third run in the inning on an RBI fielder's choice.
After 13 straight retired to start the game, it only took five batters to turn the game on its head. As much as a home run can be deflating to a pitcher, nickel-and-diming him to death can do far worse damage.
The Pirates really paid attention to what Watkins was doing with his cutter. After the first time through the order, right-handed hitters like Chavis noticed Watkins trying to go front-door with the cutter, and left-handed hitters made the adjustment to try and get out in front of it.
"Even though we didn’t square balls up," Derek Shelton explained, "we were able to get ‘em through the infield and be able to adjust our approach a little bit."
A game like Sunday's is a great template for how to grow as a Major League Baseball player. Make adjustments and try not to do too much. In an era of baseball where players can be bogged down with an overload of information, simplifying or making subtle tweaks to the approach could pay big dividends.
It won't always bear fruit. It is baseball, after all. There will be times you don't get the bounces. In another setting, Chavis could have hit that hopper to a Gold Glove third baseman instead of a natural second baseman like Rougned Odor, thwarting that streak of four hits.
But, games like this can instill some confidence in young players trying to learn the little nuances and cat-and-mouse games at the major-league level. As Shelton said postgame, "we created our own opportunities."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• The offense wasn't done after the fifth inning. After Chavis added to the 3-1 lead with an RBI single in the sixth, the offense put the game out of reach in the seventh.
Allen walked to lead off the inning, then Mitchell moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Jason Delay struck out swinging, Kevin Newman hit a two-out broken bat single that bounced off a diving Jorge Mateo, who threw it home to try and nab Allen breaking for the plate. The throw beat him there, but ...
Robinson Chirinos was set up in front of the plate the whole time, which is why the powers that be called him for blocking the plate, giving the Pirates their fifth run of the game.
As MLB said in a written statement, "The catcher's initial setup completely in foul territory was illegal and he maintained that position without possession of the ball."
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn't see it that way.
"For me, this is common sense. This was a common sense play,” Hyde said. “Throw's from the left-field line, and the throw beats him by 7 feet, so I don't know, as a catcher, what you're supposed to do. … There was a lot of things going on there."
"The new rule is so ambiguous of what the rule is and how it is," Shelton said. "This one was a clear one. Robby just got caught square in the middle of the plate."
However, we've seen MLB be inconsistent at best with enforcing this rule.
"If that one wouldn’t have gone our way," Shelton laughed, "who knows."
• The offense poured it on right after the Newman RBI single. Bryan Reynolds drove him in with an RBI single of his own. Then, Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a hard line drive. Only this one left the yard:
• A great way to create opportunity in baseball is to be efficient, and the Pirates did that in bulk Sunday. Bryse Wilson led the charge as he was incredibly efficient, needing only 69 pitches to twice go through the Orioles' lineup and cover five-plus innings.
He matched Watkins blow for blow as both pitchers were perfect through the first two innings, and the only blemish on his line was a line-drive wall-scraper in the third inning from Mateo that ended the streak of perfection from both sides, giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
That was only one of four hits allowed by Wilson, and he didn't walk any batters. Over his latest six starts, including Sunday, Wilson has a 3.34 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Wilson spoke after the game about how adding the sinker has really helped him turn around his season, and how it's given him more confidence to attack the strike zone.
"It's a pitch that's just as hard as a four-seam fastball, but it moves a lot more," Wilson said. "I think what that allows us to do is get quick outs. It's a fastball that you're able to throw behind in counts and hitter's counts. It's allowing us to get through five, six, seven innings consistently without having to throw 100 or 105 pitches."
• Efficiency goes a long way out of the bullpen as well. After a shaky five innings Saturday night, the bullpen locked down the Orioles' lineup. After Wilson allowed a leadoff single by Chirinos in the sixth, Eric Stout bounced back from a rough inning one night prior and retired the next three hitters -- the top of the Orioles' lineup.
Then, Colin Holderman came in and needed only eight pitches to retire three straight in the seventh and worked around a two-out walk and error by Cruz to keep Baltimore off the board in the eighth. Yerry De Los Santos dominated the ninth inning, overmatching Ramón Urías, Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle.
• Godoy made his first start as a Pirate, recorded his first RBI as a Pirate, but was removed from Sunday’s game in the middle of the sixth inning due to general body cramping/heat illness. He is currently being examined by the club’s medical staff. He is day-to-day.
"He’s fine," Shelton said. "I think we got him an IV. He just cramped up, but he’s OK."
If he's not OK, there's a good chance the Pirates will need to use their eighth catcher this season.
• During Sunday's game, the Pirates announced three roster moves. INF Kevin Padlo was claimed off waivers from Seattle and subsequently optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis. OF Jake Marisnick was released from 40-man roster. Finally, C Taylor Davis cleared waivers, was assigned to Indianapolis and added to taxi squad.
Padlo was a fifth-round pick by the Rockies in the 2014 MLB Draft. The corner infielder has a .143/.211/.200 slash line with no homers and three RBIs in 38 big-league plate appearances with the Rays, Giants and Mariners. He's played 60 games at San Francisco's and Seattle's Class AAA levels this season, slashing a combined .245/.327/.455 with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: C Tyler Heineman (right groin strain)
• 15-day injured list: RHP David Bednar (low back), LHP Dillon Peters (left elbow inflammation)
• 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. Oneil Cruz, SS
5. Michael Chavis, 1B
6. Bligh Madris, RF
7. Greg Allen, LF
8. Cal Mitchell, DH
9. José Godoy, C
And for Brandon Hyde's Orioles:
1. Cedric Mullins, CF
2. Adley Rutschman, DH
3. Terrin Vavra, 2B
4. Anthony Santander, RF
5. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
6. Rougned Odor, 3B
7. Jorge Mateo, SS
8. Brett Phillips, LF
9. Robinson Chirinos, C
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates travel to Arizona to begin a four-game series with the Diamondbacks on Monday. Tyler Beede (1-1, 3.89) gets the start for the Pirates, facing off against Zac Gallen (6-2, 3.31). I'm heading back to Pittsburgh for more Steelers training camp coverage, so Alex Stumpf will have you covered from the desert.
THE CONTENT
Visit our team page for everything.
