Pirates run into familiar problem with new group of hitters taken in Cincinnati (Pirates)

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Rodolfo Castro loses his helmet swinging at a pitch Sunday.

CINCINNATI -- It was a scene that was all too familiar the last few seasons.

Trailing 3-1 in the top of the eighth against the Reds at Great American Ball Park Sunday, the Pirates were able to get a couple men on base after back-to-back leadoff singles by Rodolfo Castro and Oneil Cruz with the heart of the order due up. It was their best chance at pulling off a comeback and finishing the first leg of their road trip with a winning record.

But they couldn't come through. Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen flew out without plating a run before Carlos Santana bounced out to first to end the inning.

Gone was the Pirates' last best chance, and they would end up losing the game and the opening series by a score of 3-1.

"We faced some pretty good pitching," Derek Shelton said about the bats going quiet for the second day in a row. "The top of the rotation for the Reds is is pretty good, with [Hunter] Greene, [Nick] Lodolo and [Graham] Ashcraft. They have good stuff and they kept us in check. [Saturday], we had some opportunities early but didn't break it open. [Sunday], we had some opportunities late and didn't get a big hit."

Not to downplay the top of the Reds' young rotation -- Ashcraft was particularly good Sunday, striking out six over his seven innings of work -- Shelton's last point is what truly sticks out. The Pirates had opportunities to score and couldn't bring in any runs, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on the afternoon.

"Obviously would have loved to get a win right there," Connor Joe said. "A couple timely hits away from winning the series."

That was a recurring theme a year ago when the Pirates finished last in baseball with a .221 batting average with a runner in scoring position. The year before that, they hit just .220 in those scoring opportunities. For a team that played plenty of games decided by two runs or fewer a year ago, they could have drastically improved their overall record with just a handful of extra hits in those clutch situations.

So it raises the question, does that recent history make losses like Sunday worth reevaluating the approach or execution of what the team is doing in those spots? Well, Shelton isn't ready to overreact.

"It's a different group," Shelton explained. "There's different guys in different situations. We have to continue to look at the approach and what we're doing but different year and so nothing there."

MORE FROM THE GAME

Vince Velasquez seemed to be in control for most of his first start with the Pirates, but paid for a couple of hanging pitches which turned into home runs. First it was a Jason Vosler shot off a second-inning slider, and his final pitch was a fastball to TJ Friedl that cut middle-middle:

"I'm very optimistic with where I need to be," Velasquez said about the outing as a whole. "This is something I can obviously build off of and go from there."

Velasquez pitched 4 2/3 innings of three-run ball, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out three.

"He was able to minimize damage," Shelton said. "He gave up the two home runs. I thought the breaking balls played well, the execution of the fastball was a little inconsistent."

• Not much offense to speak of these last couple days outside of Joe, who picked up a couple hits and stole a base Sunday, while also making a diving catch in left field:

The Pirates have been looking for right-handed help these last couple years, and he's making a good case out of the gate to be one of those guys.

"For me personally, it’s nice to get a couple firsts out of the way," Joe said. "First hit, first stolen base, first RBI. A lot of positives to take away from the series.

• Reynolds is on the board:

Still nothing new to report on that potential contract.

JT Brubaker was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for waiver claim Edwin Uteca.

The news was somewhat expected since elbow injuries often are bad news for a starter, but there's no definitive answer yet for how long Brubaker is going to be out. 

"We knew it was going to be a longer length of time, but we're still kind of finding out information on it," Shelton said. "We should probably have more information on it next week."

Shelton said "right now, it's [Johan] Oviedo's spot," so there is some stability in the rotation. But the Pirates came into this year feeling like they had more pitching depth, and they already need to rely on it.

More on the roster move here.

THE ESSENTIALS

 Boxscore
Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard

THE HIGHLIGHTS

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THE INJURIES

• 15-day injured list: RHP Robert Stephenson (elbow)

60-day injured list: RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Oneil Cruz, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Andrew McCutchen, RF
4. Carlos Santana, 1B
5. Ji_man Choi, DH
6. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
7. Connor Joe, LF
8. Ji Hwan Bae, 2B
9. Austin Hedges, C

And for David Bell's Reds:

1. Jonathan India, 2B
2. TJ Friedl, CF
3. Jake Fraley, LF
4. Tyler Stephenson, C
5. Jason Vosler, 1B
6. Wil Myers, DH
7. Spencer Steer, 3B
8. Will Benson, RF
9. Jose Barrero, SS

THE SCHEDULE

Off to Boston. Oviedo will make his first start of the season against Kutter Crawford. First pitch will be at 7:10 p.m. I'll have you covered from Fenway.

THE MULTIMEDIA

THE CONTENT

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