Francisco Cervelli stood at home plate, raised both of his index fingers to his cheeks, and yelled for Colin Moran to smile. Moran, who was trotting toward Cervelli, rarely shows emotion on the field. He made an exception this time.
The 25-year-old third baseman had just hit a grand slam in his first home at-bat with the Pirates and most of the announced crowd of 30,186 for the opener at PNC Park was giving him a standing ovation Monday afternoon. Then, he took a curtain call, quickly walking to the top of steps of the dugout and raising his left arm to thank the crowd. Moran's home run — the second of his big-league career — helped the Pirates defeat the Twins, 5-4, bringing a 4-0 start to the season.
It was Moran's first real display of power since joining the Pirates, but those who work alongside the quiet, bearded former first-round pick weren't surprised by what occurred and insist his first heroic moment at his new home ballpark is the first of many to come.
"He works hard," Corey Dickerson told DKPittsburghSports.com. "He’s in the cage all the time. He thinks about hitting all the time. That's definitely an underrated trait. ... Sometimes you want it so bad that you think about it when you’re even at home. You think about it all the time. He has that."
TAP FOR BOXSCORE, STANDINGS, VIDEOAll of that work hadn't translated to much power over the past six weeks. Moran batted .362 in Grapefruit League play this spring, registering 21 hits in 58 at-bats. Only four of those were for extra bases, and he didn't hit a home run.
But Moran showed Lance Lynn, a familiar adversary of the Pirates during his time with the Cardinals, of what he's capable. With the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, Lynn fell behind 3-0 to Moran before getting two called strikes. Then, Lynn elevated a chest-high four-seam fastball over the middle of the plate:
That ball traveled at an exit velocity of 107.8 mph and landed 405 feet away from home plate, clearing the bases to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead and demonstrating one of the traits the Pirates valued about Moran when they acquired him in the five-player trade that sent Gerrit Cole to the Astros.
"He’s done it before," Clint Hurdle said. "He pulled some balls. He got some air under some balls this spring. He just didn’t hit a homer. I’m not going to overcook it. He’s a guy who’s got some leverage in his swing, who can hit some home runs. We feel it will play out here. Today it played out here."
Through three games, Moran only has two hits in 12 at-bats for the Pirates — he doubled in the first game of Sunday's double header against the Tigers — but he's proven capable of hitting for power in the minor leagues. Using a retooled swing, Moran hit 17 home runs in 79 games at Triple-A Fresno last season.
"It’s a big reason why I’m able to set myself up to take some good swings now," Moran said of his swing. "I’m familiar now. I’m more knowledgable. That’s helped. It’s still a battle every day to try to stay consistent and put that to work in the game."
A broken orbital bone and concussion shortened his season, yet he entered the offseason with a better idea of how to succeed at the plate. Still, Moran obsesses over his swing, much like his new teammate, Josh Bell. The two have bonded since reporting to spring training in February. They've hit together every day since, and Bell has even started to use some workouts Moran learned during his time with the Astros' organization.
The two exchange ideas on how to succeed at the plate, particularly how to capitalize on a four-seam fastball like the one Lynn threw to Moran. Quietly, Bell was hoping Moran would get off to a fast start to the season. Although that hasn't necessarily happened, the grand slam was a product of workouts Bell had watched closely in recent weeks.
"He definitely refines what I think about a work day," Bell said. "I see a little bit of his work day in mine. It’s constant short overhand. It’s constant watching video. Setting an approach for the game. Trying not to be beat by fastballs, and that’s something we’re going to work on together this year. You saw right there he didn’t miss his fastball up and he made him pay. It was awesome. I'm happy for him."
The Pirates were among the worst offensive teams in Major League Baseball in several categories, including home runs (29th), runs (668) and OPS (28th). Those statistics were enough of a reason for them to insert Moran in the starting lineup, despite having David Freese, a Gold Glove finalist third baseman who led the team with a .368 on-base percentage last season.
Having a consistent power-hitting threat near the bottom of the order — Moran batted seventh against the Twins — could make life difficult for opposing pitchers. Lynn walked three batters prior to the grand slam and Moran delivered. It was a moment fit for opening day, but it's not one he wished to think about for long.
"It still hasn’t sunk in, I guess," he said. "Baseball is tough to enjoy. Not tough to enjoy, but you try not to dwell on too many moments. You work towards the next one. But it was a good day."
1. Taillon showing he's a potential ace.
This was one of the top performances I've seen from a Pirates pitcher at PNC Park in quite a while, despite its short length. Jameson Taillon threw only 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, including a solo home run to Brian Dozier in the sixth inning. But he matched a career-high with nine strikeouts and allowed only two hits through five.
His four-seam and two-seam fastballs were electric, averaging 96.9 and 96.1 mph, respectively. Additionally, his curveball was exceptional, and he even successfully utilized his changeup. Taillon threw 61 of his 91 pitches for strikes, building on what was an impressive spring:
It wasn't his most efficient outing — Taillon retired only three batters on three pitches or less — but his start was the best by a Pirates pitcher thus far.
"He went after people, and he was very aggressive," Hurdle said. "It was a solid start."
2. Dickerson’s weakness showing early.
Dickerson is one of the worst fastball hitters in MLB. That’s no secret. His 172 whiffs against four-seam fastball last season led the major leagues, and his 35.6 percent whiff-per-swing rate was the worst of any pitch type in baseball.
He’s blamed fatigue for his terrible second half with the Rays last season , but his regression coincided with opponents beginning to pepper him with more four-seam fastballs. He had a wRC+ of 139 in the first half — well above the league average — and only 80 in the second half. That trend has continued early this season. Dickerson is 1 for 13 in three games, and his only hit was on a changeup. This isn’t a new trend, either. Dickerson had the seventh-most whiffs against four-seamers in 2016.
Lynn attacked that weakness in the third, throwing three consecutive four-seamers to strikeout Dickerson. It’s a real flaw and one that will need to be addressed if Dickerson is to come close to replacing the production lost with Andrew McCutchen’s departure.
“I’ve hit a lot of balls to people where I’ve gotten robbed two or three times,” Dickerson said. "At this point of the year it’s tough when you’re trying to get reads and even when I swing at a pitch maybe I didn’t want to I’m putting it in play and not fouling those pitches off. I’m putting it in play, but nothing is falling yet. I’m not really worried about it.”
3. Polanco more calm at the plate.
Gregory Polanco is clearly more athletic, which has translated to improved bat speed. The swing will always be a bit long. Bat speed is what matters, and that showed in the first inning with his double off Lynn. Polanco pulled a sinker on the outer half into the gap in right-center, scoring Josh Harrison for the early lead 1-0 in the first inning:
What's equally impressive is the plate discipline he's shown so far. He walked four times, one of which was intentional, against the Twins and now has six walks in four games this season. Polanco, who went 2 for 2 on Monday, is batting .385/.579/.846 with three doubles, one home run and a team-high six RBIs.
“Right now he’s seeing the ball real well,” Hurdle said. “Sometimes when your up there it’s a ball coming out of a guy’s hand. Sometimes you’re gearing up and you want to hit more than you want to walk. Right now he seems to be holding his ground pretty well, getting good looks. … Again, it’s four games. We’ll see where it takes itself.”
4. Get bullpen help already.
Again, stop worrying about Felipe Rivero. It’s the guys pitching before the eighth inning that are a real concern, as evidenced by the latest blunder in middle relief. Edgar Santana threw only 13 pitches, allowing a pair of doubles. Then, Josh Smoker, the 29-year-old short on major-league experience, again allowed a hard-hit double on his first pitch to turn a four-run cushion into only a one-run advantage.
Michael Feliz didn’t allow a run in the seventh, but he had two walks and a balk.
Neal Huntington chose to gamble on inexperienced arms, but this a weakness that needs to be addressed. Rivero and George Kontos, who earned his first career save Monday with Rivero unavailable, are a formidable pairing.
The rest is a below-average bullpen that will squander leads. And while this offense has potential, it can’t be asked to score 22 runs in a three-game series like it did in Detroit. The Pirates' bullpen has allowed 17 hits with 12 walks with a 6.00 ERA in 18 innings through four games.
“The bullpen is going to be interesting,” Hurdle said. “It’s going to be fun. We’re going to cut some teeth. There are going to be some days when guys continue to grow and develop. … We need some guys to nail down some roles in the bullpen to get the ball to Felipe.”
Sound familiar?
5. This didn't feel like an opening day.
The opening day ceremonies were beautiful — from members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performing the national anthem to ElRoy Face throwing out the first pitch on his 90th birthday — but there weren't close to 30,186 fans in attendance. It didn't help matters that it was cold and on a Monday following the holiday weekend, but it was a reminder of what we'll likely see until this team proves to the fan base it can actually compete in the National League.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates vs. Twins, PNC Park, April 2, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS