DENVER -- Derek Shelton didn't allow himself to surrender to the good vibes from the Pirates' first offensive onslaught of the series against the Rockies. It was the second inning Monday, the bullpen was taxed and even a comfortable lead is far from comfortable in the friendly confides of Coors Field.
That was different, albeit for just a bit, Wednesday after the Pirates clobbered the Rockies at Coors Field, 14-3, for the second time in the three-game series sweep.
"That was a fun three-game series," Shelton said. "It was a good road trip."
If a sweep wasn't enough, the 33 runs scored were the Pirates' most in a three-game series since 2000, July 28-30 against the Padres, and the most on the road since 1975, Sept. 15-17 against the Cubs. Factor in generally good results throughout most of the early part of the year, and the Pirates -- one of the most anemic offenses a year ago that ranked near the bottom of Major League Baseball in any stat that matters -- are tied for the most runs scored (99) in the National League.
Coors Field is unquestionably the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the league, but the Pirates had shown offensive improvement well before this series. A year ago, they hit .222 as a team. Wednesday's lineup had five players hitting over .300 (Bryan Reynolds .303, Andrew McCutchen .310, Connor Joe .340, Rodolfo Castro .319 and Jason Delay .313). The team strikeout percentage has dropped from 25.3% to 19.9%, and their hard-hit percentage has risen from 37.3% to 43.8%. In both cases, they are top five in baseball.
This was a year dedicated to getting better as a team, and so far the Pirates are accomplishing that. How is it happening?
"Well," Shelton said, "I think there's three things that actually come into mind ..."
1. 'YOU ADD VETERAN PLAYERS'
It's hard to overstate what McCutchen and Carlos Santana have added to this clubhouse. A common thread among players in the second half of last season and this spring training was that, once the trade deadline passed, there weren't any veteran voices. It was a group of mostly young players trying to figure out what it means to be a big-leaguer without many examples of guys to emulate.
But when they see someone like the 37-year-old Santana bust it down the line to beat the double play and scrap out another run Monday, it resonates. Same goes for McCutchen, who spent plenty of this road trip just hanging around with young players, just to talk. When he returns to the field, he shows why he's still a No. 3 hitter, flashing the power with a 442-foot homer Wednesday.
442 ft later 💣 pic.twitter.com/qtIq6YVGpv
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 19, 2023
"The best modeling is peer modeling," Shelton said. "And we're seeing it with our veteran guys. And it was why it was really important for us to add those guys into our group."
Perhaps the most visible -- or audible -- way the team shows its admiration of McCutchen is that, when the music starts blasting after a win, 'Hot' by Young Thug is often one of the first songs blared through the speakers, followed by 'Big Shot' by Gunna and 'Bop' by DaBaby batting high in that musical batting order. McCutchen doesn't have the aux cord, but you better believe it's his vibe, and that his own walkup song, 'Broke Boys' by Drake, is in the mix.
McCutchen was brought on to be that much-needed veteran leader, a role he, admittedly, does not exactly relish.
"But I also understand the impact that I bring to a club," McCutchen said. "It’s not something that I’m like jumping out of bed being so prepared and ready to do. I’m just a guy who really loves to go out and play the game. I also understand my experience and my time being around, what I’m capable of being able to do for the ball club. If I need to speak up or whatever I need to do, I do it. We have a good group of guys who do that as well. It’s all about meshing, staying together and holding each other accountable."
And when there is that accountability and results, there comes confidence.
"Guys are vibing, they’re feeling good with the way things are going," McCutchen said. "You’re gonna get some confidence and a confidence boost from that. Again, I’m one of the guys who have been around long enough to say that’s good and all, but in the words of Kobe, 'The job’s not finished.' We got a lot of work to do. We have to continue doing the small things right. That’s what we’re gonna keep doing."
2. "THE YOUNG KIDS ARE STARTING TO PROGRESS"
The Pirates' dugout has been a happening place this year. Players wield a cutlass after they homer. Watching in-game, there are far more smiles than the previous year.
It definitely helps liven the mood when you look at that scoreboard and there are double-digit hits and runs.
"It feels so good," Castro said via interpreter Stephen Morales. "It's something that we would like to do every day, because we know if that happens, it means we're doing pretty good. We're winning games."
Castro has been a vital player ever since Oneil Cruz fractured his ankle last week, keeping the Pirates' exceptional shortstop out for an estimated four months. Castro's filled in at Cruz's position, and also at the plate, showing that he, too, can hit those gargantuan, Cruz-ian home runs:
3-run BLAST for Castro! 💥 pic.twitter.com/LuhSHWJCpB
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 19, 2023
A year ago, Castro was chasing out of the zone often, made plenty of errors (and not just in the field) and was demoted because he did not hustle hard enough. He's learned from that, and the player the Pirates have this year has been exactly what they need.
"It definitely helps having a little bit of experience under my belt," Castro said. "Putting things together, working with the team for a second year. It's just a product of hard work, not just by me, but the whole group."
It extends beyond Castro. Jack Suwinski started the year rough, but rather than spiral into a weeks-long slump like he did last summer, he rebounded and won the game for them Tuesday with a couple homers. Cruz showed growth as a hitter and a fielder before the injury. Ji Hwan Bae has become one of the team's more exciting young players due to his speed and athleticism in center field. Growing pains were expected and can still happen, but they are less frequent.
"I'm proud of the hard work," Castro said. "Not just by us the players, but the whole staff too, putting together workouts, stuff like that. It's a group effort just to be where we're at right now."
3. THE HITTING COACH
"I know this from doing it," Shelton said, referring to Andy Haines. "When you're in your second year as a hitting coach, you have more comfort in terms of your conversations, you have more ability to have firmer conversations at times. And with Andy being here for the second year, I think he's done a good job of really picking his spots of when he's adding and subtracting things."
Haines was not a popular man in Pittsburgh a year ago. He had the faith of the front office, coaching staff and players, but a year of floundering and record strikeout numbers had people calling for his head. The team did not consider it, feeling he did not get his fair chance. They wanted him to have a full year, a full offseason, first. And in that offseason, Haines had plenty of private hitting sessions with Reynolds and many other hitters. Part of the reason why Joe has been so effective at the start of the season is because of individualized work Haines in person with him this winter.
If you pass Haines in the hall or the tunnels during the day and give a friendly, "How you doing?" the answer is usually, "Ask me tonight," after the game is done and he knows how his hitters did. But even catching him in the visitor's clubhouse after the second 14-run onslaught in three days, there's still a hint of being reservedness.
"There's an old saying," Haines was telling me. "Hitting coach can have a good day, but it's hard to have a great day because there's usually someone you're thinking about. No matter how good the outcome, there's someone you're thinking about."
Now in his second year, now with veteran players in place and young players taking a step, he has a better group of hitters to coach. It's something he knew would happen whenever he took the job. This wasn't going to be easy. A lot of this was going to be development based, and the growing pains can easily get ugly.
"Sometimes the painful part is the time it takes," Haines said. "We certainly don't think we're where we want to be. It's still early. We still want to push as hard as we can."
That group is pushing forward even without Cruz and Ji-Man Choi for a couple months each. The Pirates wanted those veteran guys to fill up the middle of the lineup so the young players can be the second-half instead. It's a deeper unit, one that can produce 14 runs on just two homers.
And one that can start a season 12-7 after losing 100 games the past two years.
"It's not one guy," Haines said. "We're a unit, man. We're a team. That's what a team is. Guys feel a responsibility to each other. It's not one guy, it's everyone."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: 1B Ji-Man Choi (Achilles)
• 15-day injured list: RHP Chase De Jong (lumbar spine), Rob Zastryzny (elbow)
• 60-day injured list: RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Connor Joe, 1B
4. Carlos Santana, DH
5. Jack Suwinski, CF
6. Canaan Smith-Njigba, RF
7. Ji Hwan Bae, SS
8. Tucupita Marcano, 2B
9. Austin Hedges, C
And for Bud Black's Rockies:
1. Jurickson Profar, LF
2. Kris Bryant, RF
3. Charlie Blackmon, DH
4. CJ Cron, 1B
5. Ryan McMahon, 3B
6. Elias Díaz, C
7. Yonathan Daza, CF
8. Alan Trejo, 2B
9. Ezequiel Tovar, SS
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates are heading back home to play host to the Reds. The series starts Thursday whenever Roansy Contreras takes on Luke Weaver. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. DK and Chris Halicke will have you covered.
THE MULTIMEDIA
THE CONTENT
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