PHILADELPHIA -- Before answering, Tyler Beede let out an audible sigh.
After a successful run as a multi-inning reliever when he came to the Pirates, the right-hander has been trying to make the transition back into the rotation since José Quintana was traded at the deadline. It has not gone smoothly, like Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, where he allowed every run in a 6-0 loss to the Phillies in just three innings of work.
It was the Pirates' seventh straight loss in a row. And while Beede is far from a traditional stopper of extended losing streaks, he had been putting up zeroes until he returned to the rotation. Now 15 innings into his starter experiment, he has allowed 17 runs, 16 of them earned.
"That's something I'm going to have to evaluate and just try to see the difference, because I feel like I was more efficient as a [reliever] going two or three innings than I have been as a starter going three innings," Beede said, just a moment after his sigh.
Beede's day started with allowing a three run double to J.T. Realmuto and effectively ended when Nicholas Castellanos homered in the third for what would be the final run of the game. Sure, the Phillies have a tough lineup, but when the rest of the bullpen was able to cover five scoreless frames, that early deficit looks even worse.
"Today he was too much in the middle of the plate," Derek Shelton said. "You get in the middle of the plate with this club right here, you’re gonna get beat. That’s what happened."
Making the jump from reliever to starter, or even vice versa, can be difficult. Not all innings are created equal, and even if Beede was in that hybrid role in the bullpen where he could go a couple innings, it's not the same as starting off a game and hoping to go at least three or four frames.
Case in point, Chase De Jong had less than flattering results as a starter last year but has been terrific out of the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever. With three scoreless innings Saturday, he lowered his season ERA to 2.01.
"I can’t really put my finger on why i’m having more success out of the bullpen than I did as a starter," De Jong said when I posed him with that question. "I think it does have to do with the fact that I’m not facing the lineup three times every time. Just really being efficient with my best pitches; I have a fastball and two breaking balls. Not having to throw a show-me changeup or something like that just gives me the ability to be more effective, be more efficient, just go right after guys."
Beede hasn't had a noticeable change in his pitch mix or stuff since going back to the rotation, so there is no clear indicator for his recent struggles. De Jong mentioned being able to watch the beginning of games and get a feel for how hitters are attacking plays a different. It could for Beede as well.
But it raises the question of if Beede was doing well in that relief role, why try to put him back in the rotation after he had done well there after making the transition this year?
Circumstance seems to be a big reason why. When asked if Beede is getting these starts more out of giving him an opportunity or because there aren't any other options currently, Shelton pointed to the former while admitting the team is "scrapped" for starting options at the moment. That could change once Johan Oviedo -- one of the players the Pirates got for Quintana -- is stretched out as a starter again, they feel comfortable giving the ball to Miguel Yajure consistently after he hit several rough patches with Class AAA Indianapolis, or if they select the contract of a potential rookie like Cody Bolton or Mike Burrows.
Those might be what's best for not only the team, but also Beede if he continues to struggle as a starter.
"My mentality, at least from what I think, hasn't changed, but I clearly haven't been as efficient that as I need to be there," Beede said. "A lot of things to work on there."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• I don't know how much more needs to, or can, be said about this one that couldn't have been said about the first six in this losing streak, if not the majority of their 79 losses on the year.
Offensive problems? 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Check. Double-digit strikeouts. Check. Only one extra-base hit (a Bligh Madris double). Check.
Base running mistake? Greg Allen was picked off first after singling to put runners on the corners in the second. Check.
Short outing for the starter? You already know that's a check.
And the new trend, digging too deep a hole early? A 6-0 deficit after three innings is more than enough for a check.
"It has been the difference," Shelton said about that last point. "They’ve jumped on us early."
• The bullpen was the only part of this game that went well for the visitors. De Jong went three shutout innings, Eric Stout strike out two in a 1-2-3 seventh and Cam Vieaux struck out the side in a perfect eighth. Cap tips to that trio.
Flush just about everything else in this game.
• Could we see Kevin Newman or Ben Gamel at first base sometime soon? Both took reps on defense there with bench coach Don Kelly during early infield work.
"It's something we're considering," Shelton said pregame. "We want to get them both over there to get a look at them."
Gamel has played 11 career innings at first base in the majors, which is 11 more than Newman has played. Not that it's necessarily a deterrent for a potential experiment.
"He has extreme versatility to him," Shelton said of Newman. "Just getting a chance to look at things differently as we get into September."
• Before the game, the Pirates claimed right-hander Robert Stephenson off waivers and designated infielder Kevin Padlo for assignment. More on those moves here.
Additionally, Rodolfo Castro served his one game suspension for bringing his cell phone onto Chase Field on August 9 Saturday.
• With the loss, the Pirates fall to 47-79 on the season and 8-25 since the All-Star break. Their .373 winning percentage puts them on pace for a 60-102 record. They need to go at least 16-20 down the stretch to avoid a second straight 100-loss season.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 15-day injured list: RHP David Bednar (low back), RHP Colin Holderman (right shoulder soreness), LHP Dillon Peters (left elbow inflammation)
• 60-day injured list: RHP Yerry De Los Santos (lat), OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), RHP Blake Cederlind (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Kevin Newman, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Ben Gamel, DH
4. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
5. Oneil Cruz, SS
6. Bligh Madris, 1B
7. Greg Allen, RF
8. Tucupita Marcano, LF
9. Tyler Heineman, C
And for Rob Thompson's Phillies:
1. Kyle Schwarber, LF
2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
3. Alec Bohm, 3B
4. Bryce Harper, DH
5. J.T. Realmuto, C
6. Nick Castellanos, RF
7. Bryson Stott, SS
8. Jean Segura, 2B
9. Brandon Marsh, CF
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will try to snap this skid Sunday with Roansy Contreras (3-4, 3.86) on the mound. The Phillies will counter with one of their big trade deadline acquisitions, Noah Syndergaard (8-8, 3.77). First pitch will be at 1:35 p.m. I'll have you covered before handing the ball over to DK for the Milwaukee series.
THE CONTENT
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