After rough season debut, Falter bounces back against Orioles

Bailey Falter believes he was beginning to shy away from being the pitcher that ended up getting him to the big leagues in 2021. When he's at his best, he's attacking hitters with his fastball and utilizing his secondary pitches as complementary pieces of his arsenal.

On Saturday, Falter bounced back from a sluggish start in Miami -- one in which he allowed six runs in four innings -- to toss six scoreless in the Pirates' 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Orioles at PNC Park. 

“That was big time, especially after my first start," said Falter, who allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one against a high-powered Orioles lineup. "Got with the pitching coaches, couple of the other guys -- Martin (Perez), Mitch (Keller) -- and talked to them, simplified some things, went out there and attacked some guys and it paid off pretty well.”

Falter's fastball was reliable throughout the outing, as he turned to it 78% of the time with an average velocity of 91.3 mph, an uptick in comparison to his 90.7 mph average. He used his slider 12 times and threw in an occasional curveball and sinker, but none were more effective than his go-to pitch, which he was able to locate and get outs with. 

"Been trying to work on some other stuff instead of coming to to my identity. I personally think my fastball is my best pitch, and all my other stuff is to get you off of it," Falter said. "Fastball location was really (good) today. A lot of first-pitch strikes. Fell behind to maybe a couple hitters. When that happens, you tend to have a really good game.”

Falter, who threw 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes, saw just three base runners reach. He retired the first 10 batters he faced before walking Adley Rutschman to conclude a seven-pitch at-bat in the fourth. Another runner reached on an error in that inning and Falter ended up allowing his first and only hit when miscommunication between Jack Suwinski and Alika Williams allowed a fly ball to drop for a double to begin the sixth. Despite the tough luck, Falter managed to induce a popout, a flyout and a groundout to stay clean through six innings. 

"That's the sharpest we've seen Bailey. He was really good," Derek Shelton said. "As we've talked about, that's a really good team, and he kept 'em off the barrel the entire game. It was an outstanding effort by Bailey.

"I think the location of the fastball is what stood out. He got off the barrel inside to some elite right-handed hitters and was able to keep going with it."

Falter's season began on a rough note against the Marlins last week, as he allowed five first-inning runs. He's admitted that opening innings haven't always treated him well, but on this day, he was able to get out to a strong start by retiring Gunnar Henderson, Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle in order to set the tone. 

And, of course, his fastball was the forefront of it all. 

“After the first inning, Joey came up to me and he was like, ‘Hey, man. You stay right there. Just trust me and we’re gonna ride together,'" Falter said. "So, a lot of heaters today."

Since that first inning in Miami, Falter has looked like a different pitcher, allowing just one run on three hits in nine innings of work. Needless to say, he's pitching with a lot more confidence

"It's huge. First game wasn’t the best, but I needed to come in here and provide for the team," Falter said. "These guys have had my back since Day 1, so it was time for me to go out there and provide for them.”

Falter made up a battery with newly-acquired Joey Bart after the pair were afforded the opportunity to get familiar with one another over the past few days. Falter said Bart caught his last bullpen session and that they were on the same page throughout Saturday's game. 

For Bart, it's been a challenge to get up to speed with all the new pitchers he's having to catch for. The best thing for him was just diving in after being acquired in a trade with the Giants on Tuesday. 

"Talking to him but really digging into the reports, figuring out what he does best and trying to utilize what he does best. Keep it simple. What's he best at? Let's use that," Bart said. "Sometimes you can get in a rabbit hole, think and try to do things, and at the end of the day, it's just a feel thing with the game. You go in there, you feel what you feel, and if he trusts me and follows me, it's either going to be good or bad." 

In the eyes of Bart, Falter's ability to come right at those in Baltimore's lineup was crucial to his success.

"It was really good. Those guys can hit fastballs. They have some good fastball hitters, especially some good elevated fastball hitters in that lineup," Bart said. "We kinda went right at them, which sometimes is kinda off script. You know a lot of those guys in the meat there are really hitting the ball up, and Falter just attacked it and had really good results. It was one of those games where you look up and you don't even realize that he only gave up one hit. He was just cruising along. Obviously it was really good for him. He started off on a good foot and I'm excited to see him next." 

Bart had quite the Pirates debut at the plate, collecting two extra-base hits, including this two-run home run in the second inning: 

Rowdy Tellez joined Bart with a multi-hit performance, as he reached base four times as part of a three-hit effort. He drove in the game's first run with a single in the second. 

The Pirates held a 3-0 lead when Falter exited the game and the Orioles struck for two runs off Ryder Ryan in the seventh before tying it off David Bednar in the ninth. Both teams scored in the 10th, as the Pirates were forced to tie the game at 4-4 on a bases-loaded walk to Edward Olivares. A bases-loaded, nobody-out situation was wasted with a chance to win the game in the 10th, but Oneil Cruz ended up being the hero with this walk-off single in the 11th: