Gonzales' calm demeanor shines through following early adversity

PHILADELPHIA -- Derek Shelton has learned one thing in particular about Marco Gonzales during the early part of his tenure with the Pirates. 

“He’s very chill," Shelton said. "I think that’s the one thing I’ve learned about him in a short period of time, there’s not much that riles him up one way or another. It’s why it’s made him an effective major-league pitcher.” 

Given his "chill" nature, Gonzales didn't waver when he allowed a pair of first-inning runs against the Phillies on Saturday. Instead, the veteran southpaw appeared calm, cool and collected en route to tossing six stellar innings and collecting his second straight quality start in a 4-3 loss at Citizens Bank Park. 

"You know these are professional hitters," Gonzales said. "You know they are going to get you eventually. So if you stay the course, remain calm, even in an environment like this, the ball will go your way. It's really when you let it snowball and mentally let it compound on you, then that's when they can feast. But when you can remain within yourself and it's just a game of executing pitches, then that's what gets you back to your game."

It took just two pitches for Gonzales to make an early mistake against the Phillies' power-hitting leadoff man in Kyle Schwarber. After getting a swinging strike on a four-seam fastball up in the zone, he left a curveball over the plate and Schwarber sent it out for a solo shot that tied the game at 1-1. 

Gonzales surrendered a double to Trea Turner, who later scored on an RBI single by Nick Castellanos to put the Phillies ahead. After that, Gonzales flipped the switch and settled in, allowing three hits and three walks over five scoreless innings. He finished with a season-high five strikeouts and threw 64 of his 90 pitches for strikes. 

"Their entire lineup is really good," Gonzales said. "I think with them, it is a game of momentum. Really can't let them get too many guys on base and let them get rolling. After the first, we were really like, 'Alright, we need to shut down and just hold 'em for our guys to score a couple of runs.' That's what we've got to do."

Fresh off six strong innings against a tough Orioles lineup last weekend, Gonzales switched things up by turning to his changeup more than he has through two starts. He had only thrown it 14.3 % of the time compared to his cutter (30.5%), four-seam fastball (24%) and sinker (22.7%) entering Saturday. But on this day, he nearly matched his fastball (27) usage with 26 changeups. He generated nine whiffs with it, benefitted from two called strikes and picked up five swinging strikeouts via the change. 

"It's always been my best pitch. It's something I lean on heavily. And today, for whatever reason, got a lot of swings and misses on it," said Gonzales, who has used the changeup on a more consistent basis in past years. "I think we set it up well, too. Really pounded the fastball on the inner half and used the cutter well. Just really, really leveraged it really nice."

Acquired in an offseason trade with the Braves, Gonzales has put together three positive performances to start the year. He's gone five-plus innings each time out and has managed to keep opposing offenses to two runs or less. Dating back to May of last season, Gonzales has recorded five straight starts with less than two runs allowed. That's his second longest streak as a starter and his longest since 2022. 

"He continued to be strong," Shelton said. "I thought the best changeups he threw were in the sixth. He kept them at bay. We're talking about a really good lineup. After the first inning, he really settled in and did a really nice job." 

Gonzales admits he never felt the way he's currently feeling last year when he made just 10 starts before ultimately undergoing season-ending surgery to address a nerve issue in his forearm. 

"I think this is, as far as execution-wise and movement on my pitches, this is some of my best execution," Gonzales said. "It's been a lot work that's been put in for a lot of months. Since last year, really. So it doesn't stop. Over the course of my life, I've thrown a ball for 30 years now, and I never stopped defining my craft and trying to be a master at it. That's what I hope to be, for sure."

While Gonzales did his best to keep the Phillies at bay for six innings, the Pirates mustered just five hits despite forcing an early exit for Phillies starter Spencer Turnbull. Four Philadelphia relievers combined to allow just one hit over five scoreless innings. Matt Strahm made a notable contribution with five strikeouts over two innings. 

Like the Phillies, the Pirates did strike early, as a first-inning walk to Bryan Reynolds was followed by an RBI double by Ke'Bryan Hayes. Reynolds reached base four times, walking on three occasions and singling in the seventh. 

Oneil Cruz had the biggest hit of the day for the visitors, going opposite field for this two-run home run off Turnbull that gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead in the fifth: 

The Phillies answered in the seventh against Aroldis Chapman, as a pair of walks were followed by a game-tying single from Alec Bohm. With Jose Hernandez on the mound, Philadelphia loaded the bases on a single by Schwarber, a walk to Turner and an intentional walk to Bohm before Castellanos walked it off with a single off Roansy Contreras in the ninth.