CINCINNATI -- What do you say about an 11-6 thrashing?
Better yet: What do you say about an 11-6 thrashing when it follows an 8-1 beatdown on the previous night?
You say this:
The term 'embarrassing' can get overused in sports lingo. But this is every drip of that term's meaning. This is how it's used appropriately. The Pirates are being embarrassed. In every conceivable way. #DKPS #Pirates
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) May 29, 2019
Dejan Kovacevic threw that out there in the sixth inning of the Pirates' 11-6 loss to the Reds Tuesday, and it was just as accurate then as it was at the game's conclusion.
Clint Hurdle summed it up well:
"We had a rough night," Hurdle told media postgame. "We'll move on from it... It wasn't close."
Jordan Lyles, the Pirates' best, most consistent starter this year, gave up three hits and three earned runs before being pulled after the fourth inning with "left hamstring discomfort."
Adding salt to the wound, one of those hits he surrendered was a two-run home run against the villainous Derek Dietrich in the fourth. There was no retaliation for Dietrich's showmanship during the Reds' Monday-night win. Lyles pitched him fairly with no malice, and Dietrich crushed one. Then, he did it again in the fifth, this time off Geoff Hartlieb.
...Then, he did it again in the seventh. This is not a drill. This is not a joke. Watch all three two-run shots for yourself (and make sure to stick around for Dietrich showing off his counting skills):
That pretty much sums it up. The guy everyone was talking about, the most hated man on the field, came in and tuned up both the starter and the reliever, and the Pirates could do nothing to shut him up. They couldn't get him out. They couldn't generate any offense of their own to tighten the game.
Plus there were no excessive celebrations from Dietrich, no possible way to complain about his disrespect this time around.
"I think I put it [the controversy] to bed because I just, I go up there and I hit and I think you know what to expect now," Dietrich told reporters on the other side. "I'm just looking to get my best swing off and enjoy it when I'm doing it. That's what we're all about — having fun, doing our jobs and collectively winning ballgames."
That's a good old-fashioned a**-kicking, Lunatics.
Embarrassing, indeed.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
That 11-6 final score is deceiving, as Hurdle noted. But four of the Pirates' runs came on one hit, this grand slam from Kevin Newman in the top of the eighth, and that's always fun to see:
It was Newman's first major-league home run. Not a bad way to get it. The final two runs came on a two-run double from Elias Diaz in a futile ninth-inning charge.
For Newman, though, the moment holds extra-special meaning, as his dad was in town to see it. The Pirates are hosting "Pirates Dads Trip" and several of the players' fathers are invited to watch the games, to hang out in the locker room and to generally just eat and mingle with the team and its staff.
"It was a surreal feeling," Newman was saying after the game. "Definitely glad I was able to share it with my dad here."
As Newman fielded questions from media after the game, his dad stood just a few feet behind, camera up and snapping pictures of it all.
That's a proud dad, as he should be. Stuff like that just never gets old.
THE BAD
Everything besides Newman's hit?
This isn't a cop-out. This isn't an exaggeration. This game can't be distilled down to a singular "bad." It was a mess everywhere.
But losing Lyles for any amount of time would be devastating for this Pirates team. Lyles did finish the fourth inning after a mound visit with Hurdle in which he pleaded his case to stay in the game, but he didn't return for the fifth. Now, he's being evaluated to determine his availability moving forward.
"We'll give it tonight and check it out tomorrow," Lyles was saying after the game. "I don't see it being anything too serious, but we'll figure it out tomorrow and go from there."
As Hurdle was quick to note, however, Lyles isn't a doctor. He's a competitor, and he was never going to willingly exit a game. We should have more on this Wednesday when we meet with head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk before the 12:35 p.m. Game 4.
THE OTHER SIDE
The top of this story represented the other side — because the Reds provided the only action worth reporting. The only thing I'll add: Dietrich needs to own his role as the bad guy. Like, really own it.
I say this as somebody who previously covered mixed martial arts, a sport that values entertainment like few others. The most popular fighters, the people fans most want to watch — Conor McGregor, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey — are/were 100 percent all-in at all times. That's what makes them who they are. They're boisterous and polarizing, can't-miss television each time they step into the cage.
Dietrich can take note. He had plenty more reason to strut tonight, but he didn't. There was a little hitch after the first home run, but it was nothing outrageous. If you want to troll the opposing team, go ahead, but really troll them. He let the Pirates off the hook on that front and missed an opportunity to crank his buzz to deafening levels.
THE DATA
• The Reds' pitchers rang up 11 strikeouts, which is significant, as my friend Tony, a lifelong Cincinnati fan, informed me. When the Reds tally 11 or more strikeouts, fans can exchange their game tickets from a free personal pizza at local-favorite Larosas.
• Newman became the eighth Pirates player to blast a grand slam for his first major-league home run. The last? Josh Bell. Newman also has hit safely in seven consecutive games and in 12 of his past 13. "I'm still not trying to hit home runs," Newman said. "I'm trying to be the best hitter I can be, the best player I can be and, you know, just take the results as they come."
• Bryan Reynolds extended his hitting streak to seven games on his first at-bat of the game, a single in the eighth.
• Hartlieb's line: 2.1 IP, seven hits, seven earned runs, two strikeouts, two home runs conceded to Dietrich.
• If the Pirates lose Wednesday's series finale, they will fall to 26-28 and last place in the NL Central. The Reds, at 27-29 would have a 0.1 percent advantage in the standings.
THE INJURIES
• As mentioned above, Lyles left the game with left hamstring discomfort.
• Reynolds fouled one off right into his ankle but remained in the game and got his single. At first, Joe Musgrove took his place as a pinch runner and he exited the game. No update was offered in the immediate aftermath.
• Adam Frazier didn't play Tuesday after taking a pitch to the foot in Monday night's loss. He was being evaluated and Hurdle sounded optimistic he won't miss any more time. Tomczyk will undoubtedly have more tomorrow.
• Francisco Cervelli, catcher, was placed on the seven-day concussion-injury list Sunday after being hit in the head Saturday by a broken bat.
• Corey Dickerson, outfielder, was moved to the 60-day IL with a strained right shoulder. He is on a rehab assignment with Class AAA Indianapolis and went 1 for 5 with three strikeouts and a run Monday in an 8-3 win against the Columbus Clippers.
• Keone Kela, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation and is on a rehab assignment with the Indians. He allowed three runs on three hits Saturday, throwing 19 pitches (11 strikes) in a start there. He is with the team in Cincinnati, though he has not been officially activated.
• Trevor Williams, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with a right side strain.
• Jameson Taillon, right-hander, is on the 60-day IL with a strained right-forearm flexor tendon.
• Jung Ho Kang, third baseman, is on the 10-day IL with a strained left side. He went 2-for-3 with a home run for the Indianapolis Indians on Monday.
• Chris Stratton, right-hander, is on the 10-day IL with a strained right side.
• Erik Gonzalez, shortstop, is on the 60-day IL with a fractured right clavicle. He's still not doing baseball activities.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, is on the 60-day IL with a broken right hand but now has recurring calf tightness and, additionally, is taking a break from the team on personal leave.
• Nick Burdi, relief pitcher, is on the 60-day IL with right elbow/biceps pain caused by a nerve problem.
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates close out their series against the Reds tomorrow at 12:35 p.m. I'll have all the coverage on that one, starting with the opening of the clubhouse at 10 a.m., a meeting with Tomczyk at 10:30 a.m. and carrying through the game and postgame interviews.
THE COVERAGE
All our expanded baseball coverage, including Indy Watch by Matt Welch, Altoona Watch by Jarrod Prugar, and Mound Visit by Jason Rollison, can be found on our team page.
