CINCINNATI – It is easy to second-guess a manager, never more than on opening day when it seems the entire world is watching. So, there was surely some second-guessing when Clint Hurdle decided to let Jameson Taillon bat for himself to lead off the seventh inning Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Yet, it was tough to really quibble with the decision. The Pirates were leading the Reds by a run and Taillon had cruised through six on just 75 pitches, showing no signs of weakening.
Regardless, it backfired.
Taillon didn't retire any of the three batters he faced, after which pinch-hitter Derek Dietrich hit a three-run home run off Richard Rodriguez that snapped a tie and pushed the Reds to a 5-3 victory.
“There was no reluctance to push him back out there,” Hurdle said of Taillon. “We gave him the opportunity, to go and it didn’t work out.”
Jose Peraza started the Reds’ rally with a leadoff home run to left-center on the first pitch, jumping on a hanging slider, to tie the game. It wasn't surprising that he'd have success against Taillon. He'd singled in the second inning and scored the game’s first run on a Jose Iglesias double and is 14-for-27 with two home runs in his career against Taillon.
“I think maybe I’m the only guy that he sees tipping (pitches) or something or maybe he has x-ray vision through to my glove to see my grip and know what I’m throwing,” Taillon said. “He’s on everything I throw. Even when I make good pitches to him, he’s all over them. I’m going to have to take a look at what he’s doing to me, go back to the drawing board and see if we can come up with something different against him.”
Taillon then walked Tucker Barnhart on five pitches. Iglesias followed with a bouncer down the third-base line just beyond the reach of Jung Ho Kang for a double with Barnhart stopping at third. Francisco Cervelli vehemently argued that the ball should have been called foul.
That was it for Taillon, as Hurdle called on Rodriguez.
“I’m pretty good at getting right-handed hitters to put the ball on the ground,” Taillon said of facing Iglesias. “It was a foot away from where it needed to be, but I can’t control where it goes once it leaves my hand. If the ball is a foot the other way, we’re probably talking about an entirely different game.”
Rodriguez was brought into a tough spot with the score tied 2-2, runners on second and third and none out. However, Hurdle and Taillon both had full confidence that the right-hander could get out of the jam.
Instead, the left-handed hitting Dietrich drove a 2-1 fastball right over the heart of the plate into the stands in right-center field in his first plate appearance with the Reds. The three-run homer put the Reds ahead 5-2 and the deficit was too big to overcome.
“I like the matchup right there with Richie,” Taillon said. “He dominated lefties last season. His numbers were insane.”
Indeed, Rodriguez held left-handed hitters to a .155/.233/.207 line in 2018 with one home run in 130 plate appearances. However, as they say, all stats revert to zero on opening day.
“He did it multiple times last year, got us out of jams,” Hurdle said. “We set him up in spring training for these situations. We don’t do it on the big field that you see, it’s (simulated games) on the back fields in minor-league camp. It just didn’t work out today. It’s that simple.”
Dietrich was signed as a free agent over the winter after being non-tendered by the Marlins. The utility player is the grandson of the late Steve Demeter, who was a coach, instructor and scout with the Pirates.
"I was prepared for that pitch," Dietrich said. "After playing in the role I've played for a few seasons, preparation is key. Knowing your opponents is just as important as knowing yourself and knowing what to expect from pitchers. You don't always get what you're looking for, but I'm glad that I did today."
Taillon’s final line ended up looking just so-so as he was charged with four runs in six-plus innings while taking the loss. He gave up six hits, struck out four and walked two while throwing 60 of 83 pitches for strikes.
“I thought, overall, it was a very professional outing,” Hurdle said.
Despite losing in his first career opening-day start, Taillon was happy about the way he pitched.
“There’s a lot of good to come out of it,” Taillon said. “A couple of bad pitches made the difference, but it was a lot of fun to go out there to throw the ceremonial first pitch of the season for the boys. It was a great experience.”
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
Corey Dickerson grounded out to second base with the bases loaded to the end the game. Clint Hurdle called it “an epic at-bat” and with good reason.
Dickerson made David Hernandez throw 12 pitches. Dickerson fell behind in the count 1-2, fouled a pitch off, took a ball and then fouled off six more pitches before finally being retired.
“I felt I had a lot of pitches to put in play, but I fouled them back,” Dickerson said. “I was trying to stay really focused. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted.”
In the eighth inning, Dickerson hit the Pirates’ first home run of the season. The solo leadoff shot off closer Raisel Iglesias cut the Reds’ lead to 5-3.
Dickerson hit 13 home runs last season after belting 27 for the Rays in 2017.
“Getting that first one out of the way is always a weight off you,” Dickerson said. “I’m glad I got it early.”
In the field, Dickerson had the haul in four line drives.
THE BAD
Josh Bell had a rough opener.
He went 1-for-4 but struck out twice, getting fooled both times on changeups from starter Luis Castillo.
Bell also kicked a ground ball by Joey Votto for an error with one out in the third inning. Yusiel Puig followed with a grounder to Bell, who stepped on first then threw to second base to try to get a reverse double play.
However, Votto stopped midway to second. He then scampered safely back to first when Bell failed to return to the bag in time to catch a relay throw from Erik Gonzalez.
Bell’s defensive lapses have been well-documented throughout his time in the major leagues and it had to be disheartening to the Pirates to see them occur again on opening day. Bell puts in plenty of work in trying to improve his fielding, but it doesn’t seem to be helping.
THE OTHER SIDE
The Reds were winners in David Bell’s debut as manager, though he almost cost his team the game with questionable bullpen management.
Bell brought in Iglesias to begin the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead but had to call on Amir Garrett and Hernandez to get the final two outs in the ninth. Iglesias tired after throwing 34 pitches, walking two of the first three batters in the ninth inning with the Reds still on top 5-3.
The left-hander Garrett then struck out Adam Frazier, who represented what would have been the go-ahead run. Hernandez came on and walked Pablo Reyes to load the bases before getting Dickerson for the final out.
Opening day is always a big deal in Cincinnati and was even more so Thursday as this marks the 150th anniversary of the franchise being the original professional baseball team.
Bell grew up in Cincinnati and played for the Reds as did his grandfather (Gus) and father (Buddy).
“You like to try and tell yourself that it's just one game, but it's not,” Bell said. “It's special to the city. It's a big day.”
THE DATA
• The Pirates have a 71-62 record on opening day, including 55-47 on the road.
• The Pirates have faced the Reds 30 times in an opener, going 19-11.
• The Pirates had been 4-0 in regular-season games played in March.
• The Pirates had just 11 holdovers from last year’s opening day roster.
• The average age of the opening roster was 28.2, compared to 27.5 last season.
THE INJURIES
• Starling Marte, center fielder, was a late scratch with a migraine headache but is expected to play Saturday when the Pirates return to action following an off day.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, sustained a fractured right index finger when hit by a pitch Monday night in a game against the Astros in Houston. He will be reevaluated late next week and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
• Elias Diaz, catcher, is recovering from a virus. He could return by mid-April.
• Chad Kuhl, right-hander, is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season.
• Jordan Lyles, right-hander, has right side discomfort and is expected to return sometime next week.
• Dovydas Neverauskas, right-hander, has a right oblique strain and is out indefinitely.
• Jose Osuna, first baseman/outfielder, has lower neck discomfort and is out indefinitely.
• Gregory Polanco, right fielder, rehabbing from left shoulder surgery, is likely to return in May.
• Edgar Santana, right-hander, is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season.
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates are off today. The second game of this series is Saturday, 2:10 p.m., Trevor Williams (14-10, 3.11 in 2018) vs. Sonny Gray (11-9, 4.90). 'll have your coverage.
THE COVERAGE
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MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates at Reds, Cincinnati, March 28, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS