After big night from Cruz and Contreras, duo promises 'we have a lot more to offer'

Oneil Cruz's third rip of the day was his hardest struck, leaving the bat at 117.7 mph. It's an exit velocity that only seven other hitters across baseball had reached all season. For Cruz, it was just his third extremely hard hit ball, hit and RBI of the night.

On the pitching side, Roansy Contreras was shutting down the first place Cardinals' offense, flashing what Derek Shelton said was the best curveball they'd seen from him. While he was pulled in the sixth after allowing three base runners in that frame, he had only let three Cardinals reach base safely in the first five innings, setting himself up for the win.

Contreras would end up getting that win, thanks in large part to Cruz leading the offense in an 8-2 Pirates victory at PNC Park Friday. Any win is welcome for this club as it's nearing the end of a long season, but one where Contreras and Cruz -- two of the main faces of this rebuild -- lead the way? That means even more.

"We had a lot of contributions from our young kids but especially those two guys, who we feel are going to be a big part of what we’re doing not only throughout the last 25 games but also into the multiple years coming forward," Derek Shelton said. "It’s a really important sign. It’s a thing our fans can jump onboard and really embrace.” 

After extended stretches of them waiting in the minors this year, the two are here to stay and showing they belong up here. 

Cruz is the owner of a six game hitting streak, rattling off four multi-hit performances during it. After a prolonged cold spell, the rookie has heated up of late, and over the last 15 games, he's hitting .322 with four home runs, three doubles, three triples and 13 RBIs. It's the first time he's gone on an extended tear in the majors, and as a result, his season OPS has climbed to an above league-average .730. 

"From the moment that we see him go up to the box, we know something bigs going to happen. We're expecting something big to happen," Contreras said about Cruz through team interpreter Mike Gonzalez.

Cruz has that potential to do something incredible each time up, like in the bottom of the fifth. With the count 1-1, Cruz watched a Miles Mikolas sinker go by for a strike. The Cardinal right-hander thought he could get another one by him, but Cruz was ready for it the second go around:

"He backs the ball up a little bit and doesn’t overswing, and I think that’s important growth for a young hitter,” Shelton said.

Another sign is that Cruz is swinging at better pitches. He may have struck out twice on Friday, but the approach was better. Cruz did not chase a pitch out of his strike zone and he made contact on all of his swings. He's been chasing and whiffing a lot less lately, playing a large part in his hot streak at the plate. He credits that to pitch identification drills he's been doing with the machines.

"Right now, I’ve just really got to tip my hat to that," Cruz said, also via Gonzalez. "The machine work has really given me a lot of results."

And for all that was made about Cruz's slump and low batting average, he is now the owner of a .457 slugging percentage. The last two Pirate shortstops with at least as many plate appearances as him to record a higher SLG in a full season were 2004 Jack Wilson (.459 in a Silver Slugger winning campaign) and Arky Vaughan in 1937. It's extremely rare air.

For Contreras, the right-hander was down a tick on his fastball, but relied on his two breaking pitches, which certainly moved all night. Perhaps a bit much, at times:

Contreras has spin, and after relying mainly on his slider earlier as a major-league starter, the curveball has been working itself in more, giving him a potential third pitch.

"My curveball felt incredible," Contreras said. "It's been feeling good, but I've also been able to implement my slider and that's just been able to compliment my curveball as well. The curve is a pitch that I want to continue to amplify. It's a pitch that I feel really good with and I want to continue to master."

And with that three pitch mix, he was able to quiet one of the most dangerous lineups in the National League that features a pair of MVP candidates in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado batting back-to-back.That's been par for the course for the rookie lately, as the rookie has faced the Braves, Phillies and Blue Jays in his three starts prior to this one. That is quite possibly four playoff teams this year.

In those four starts, he allowed four earned runs over 23 1/3 innings. That's a 1.54 ERA against some of the best talent in baseball. This Pirates team is in last place for a reason, but once every five days, they're getting a start that puts them on even ground with those playoff teams.

"For a young pitcher like this, a 22-year-old kid to continue to be able to execute and maneuver through lineups like this, I think that’s really important,” Shelton said.

And just like Contreras did with him, Cruz is more than happy to talk up his locker neighbor.

"The fans should get ready – they’re going to see a really good show from Roansy," Cruz said. "I’m just really proud of him."

The two have been playing together since Altoona last season. Their major-league debuts last year came in consecutive days. People are going to be looking at them not just as players, but as symbols of this rebuild.

This is clearly a young Pirates team, one that has plenty of players who could potentially be part of a winning team. The rebuild extends beyond just two players,

But when you look at what those two players can do? Well, Contreras thinks Friday is just a taste of what the future could be.

"When it comes to Oneil and [me]," Contreras said, "I know that we have a lot more to offer. So I'm excited for the fans, I'm excited for the city because I know we have a lot more to offer for everyone."

• Not to sound like I'm raining on the parade after an 8-2 win, but the Pirates got away with plenty of miscues Friday. Jason Delay made a pair of errors, including dropping a first inning pop up and letting a third strike get away from him. Michael Chavis stumbled and failed to give a good feed to Contreras covering first.

Whatever this was:

Usually, those miscues would haunt a team playing the Cardinals, but the Pirates racked up 15 hits and Manny Bañuelos and Chase De Jong pitched out of the jams they inherited in the six and seventh innings, respectively. Mix in some late insurance from a Michael Chavis two-run triple and a 3-for-3 night for Cal Mitchell, and the Pirates were able to simply out-hit their issues.

"It’s really cool when you see the young kids have big games like that, especially against a team that’s leading our division,” Shelton said.

• Contreras walked onto the mound in the first to "Mueve Mami," the entrance music José Quintana used when he was a Pirate. Quintana was incredibly well-respected in the Pirates' clubhouse and was a mentor to Contreras in particular.

"I was more than glad to be able to honor him in that way," Contreras said. "Quintana was a great teammate, someone that really mentored us a lot, poured a lot into us. It was a great way to show our gratitude on behalf of us, the pitching staff, just the team overall. I'm just glad it put a smile on his face when I looked over there."

• The Pirates paid tribute to the Crawfords Friday, breaking out the retro jerseys of the former Negro League team.

"This is one of my favorite nights of the year, that we're able to highlight the history of the Negro Leagues," Shelton said.

• Some injury news from director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk: 

Dillon Peters (back) began a rehab assignment with Class AA Altoona, where he tossed a 1-2-3 inning on 11 pitches.

David Bednar (back) will throw a live batting practice Saturday. The next step will be considerations for a rehab assignment.

Canaan Smith-Njigba (wrist) has resumed light baseball activities. He should have a full offseason and head into spring training fully healthy.

Mike Burrows is currently on the Class AAA injured list with right shoulder inflammation. He had a minor "hiccup" earlier in the season with it, so they opted to take some time off when it turned its head again. A return this season has not been ruled out yet.

• Rule changes are coming to the majors next year, with shifts being banned and a pitch clock being implemented. The clock will be 15 seconds when there's no runner on base, and 20 seconds if there is a base runner. Teams will have to have two infielders on both sides of second base and on the dirt.

"I think we all thought over the last month or so that these were coming," Shelton said. "The shifting one seems pretty straightforward in terms of two guys on each side, two guys with their feet on the dirt. The pitch clock one, probably as we get into it, more information, we'll get a better understanding of it."

I took an in-depth look at the pitch clock in my most recent Mound Visit, and Chris Halicke and I discuss the subject further in the podcast linked below

• With the win, the Pirates are now 51-86 on the year and 12-32 since the All-Star break. Their .372 winning percentage puts them on pace for a 60-102 record. They need to go at least 12-13 down the stretch to avoid their second straight 100-loss season.

THE ESSENTIALS

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

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 15-day injured list: RHP David Bednar (back), LHP Dillon Peters (left elbow)

• 60-day injured list: RHP Yerry De Los Santos (lat), OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), RHP Colin Holderman (right shoulder), RHP Blake Cederlind (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card for game two:

1. Oneil Cruz, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Rodolfo Castro, 2B
4. Ben Gamel, DH
5. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
6. Jack Suwinski, LF
7. Michael Chavis, 1B
8. Cal Mitchell, RF
9. Jason Delay, C

And for Oliver Marmol's Cardinals:

1. Brendan Donovan, 2B
2. Tommy Edman, SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Corey Dickerson, LF
6. Tyler O'Neill, CF
7. Alec Burleson, DH
8. Andrew Knizner, C
9. Lars Nootbaar, RF

THE SCHEDULE

It's going to be a busy day on the North Shore Saturday between game two of this series and Pitt playing next door. JT Brubaker (3-11, 4.35) will take on Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.15), with first pitch coming at 7:35 p.m. I'll have you covered.

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