CINCINNATI -- The Pirates have used a lot of players this season. 62 to be exact.
There hasn't been an avenue Ben Cherington and the front office haven't exercised to supplement the roster in Pittsburgh. The waiver wire has been a key source for the team, but so has the collection of talent in the farm system. But, the constant shuffling of players can be mentally exhausting for some.
After the Pirates defeated the Reds, 6-1, in the first game of a split doubleheader, Cal Mitchell agreed to speak with a couple of us in the media. Makes sense since he hit a two-run home run in the game, and had a couple of hard-hit balls that found gloves in the field for unfortunate outs.
I had a chance to ask him how he feels he's grown as a player and how he would characterize his season, and he didn't hold back.
Go to the :48 mark and watch Cal speak with conviction:
"Well, battling some of the front office decisions is new," Mitchell said. "Something that I’ve had to adjust to. Getting settled in to whatever team or location that I’m in, I’ve gotten better with that. Not letting that affect performance as much. All anybody ever needs is time. I’m thankful that the Pirates have given me that and I can show what I’ve done this year."
Since being recalled on Sept. 2, Mitchell has gone 11 for 27 and is hitting the ball with much more authority than he has in his previous major-league stints.
"(He's had) aggressive swings," Derek Shelton said. "When we sent him down the last time, one of the things that we messaged to him was, 'Be aggressive.' He's hit all year long at Triple-A. He went down, really took to it and stayed aggressive. I think we're seeing really good aggressive swings where he's getting the ball out front. He hit the homer, but the first two balls, he hit it right on the nose, and [Aristides] Aquino made nice catches on (them). But, just really good aggressive swings out front."
The Pirates first called up Mitchell on May 24. After slashing .193/.227/.325, the Pirates optioned him to Class AAA Indianapolis a month later on June 27. The Pirates recalled him once again on July 15, then optioned him again on Aug. 9. By that point, Mitchell had a slash line of .204/.241/.336 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 44 major-league games.
It's no secret that the gap between AAA and the major leagues might be the largest it's ever been. However, this has been a recurring theme with several younger players in the Pirates organization.
One other example is Bligh Madris, who has been promoted twice and optioned twice this season, and he was just designated for assignment prior to Tuesday's Game 1 victory.
I asked another player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, about dealing with the battle of bouncing back and forth.
"Stuff sucks," he said. "It messes with our heads."
It really takes some guts for Mitchell to speak out the way he did. This isn't a star or even an established veteran speaking out. Mitchell's a young player in the organization, and it's clear the front office hasn't shied away from constantly cycling these players between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.
It's unclear whether Mitchell fits into the Pirates' future. What's very clear is Mitchell's determination to become a better player, no matter the obstacles. And he's taking advantage of the opportunity to close out the season on a high note.
"I do feel like I’m showing what I want to," Mitchell said. "Regardless of what I do, I want to help the team as much as I can win baseball games. I’m happy that I’ve been able to do that so far."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• In addition to Mitchell's homer, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds went deep. It's the second straight game with a homer for Reynolds, but it's also the second straight with three Pirates home runs.
• What might be more impressive than the homers is having five of six RBIs come with two outs. The Pirates have really struggled to produce in clutch situations this season. Reynolds set the tone with a two-out RBI single in the third inning to put the Pirates ahead first. But, doing most of their damage with two outs is a wonderful outcome for a young roster.
"I thought we really did a good job backing the ball up. We didn't try to do too much with two strikes, and with young hitters, sometimes that can happen," Shelton said. "We really executed a plan. That's encouraging to see. Of course, Bryan getting us on the board early, that's helpful."
• Johan Oviedo turned in a wonderful start. He dominated with five shutout innings, only allowing one hit and two walks.
Oviedo really had his slider working throughout the game, thanks in part to some extra work on it during bullpens and flat grounds throughout the past week. Of the 19 swings against his slider, Reds hitters whiffed 10 times. But, what really enhanced Oviedo's outing was his ability to stay ahead of hitters.
"I was happy that I won 1-1 counts and 0-0 counts, try to be in front of the hitter every time," Oviedo said. "Every time I was not, I came with my slider, which was the weapon that I use normally. I was happy with the work we put in."
Oviedo held the Reds without a hit for the first 4 1/3 innings, and he only needed 74 pitches for the five innings of work. He's still not quite ready to touch the 103 pitches he threw in his fist big-league appearance this season when he was a member of the Cardinals, but he's definitely hoping to build off this start.
"Hopefully next time I can go a little bit deeper than that. The mindset is always pitch-by-pitch," Oviedo said. "The plan is by the end of the season to get as far as I can."
• Madris was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Luis Ortiz, as he's the 29th man on the roster for Tuesday's doubleheader. In addition to the Madris DFA, the Pirates optioned Tucupita Marcano to Indianapolis and recalled C/1B Zack Collins. Ortiz is the starter for Tuesday's nightcap, and Collins is batting seventh and playing first base.
• With the win, the Pirates improved to 53-88 on the season, and have guaranteed a split with the Reds in this four-game series. The Pirates need to finish 10-11 in order to avoid another 100-loss season.
THE ESSENTIALS
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 1:
1. Oneil Cruz, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, DH
3. Rodolfo Castro, 2B
4. Jack Suwinski, CF
5. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
6. Ben Gamel, LF
7. Michael Chavis, 1B
8. Cal Mitchell, RF
9. Tyler Heineman, C
And for David Bell's Reds in Game 1:
1. TJ Friedl, LF
2. Jonathan India, 2B
3. Kyle Farmer, 3B
4. Jake Fraley, LF
5. Aristides Aquino, RF
6. Nick Senzel, CF
7. Spencer Steer, 1B
8. Jose Barrero, SS
9. Austin Romine, C
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will go for the doubleheader sweep at 6:40 p.m. Luis Ortiz will make his MLB debut, facing off against righty Fernando Cruz (0-0, 1.93 ERA) I'll have you covered from Cincinnati once again.
THE CONTENT
Visit our team page for everything.