The Pirates were snakebit by Major League Baseball's new extra-inning rule in the 11th inning Monday at PNC Park, allowing a run that otherwise would not have scored had there not been a runner on second base to start the inning, capping a late collapse by the bullpen in their 6-5 loss to the Brewers.
As part of the league's health and safety protocols this year, each team starts extra-innings with a runner on second, with the goal being to limit the number of additional innings played. So far, it has been effective, because while there have been a couple games that needed to go to overtime across the league, the Pirate and Brewers were the first teams to need to play an 11th inning this season.
While Dovydas Neverauskas was able to navigate the top of the 10th without allowing the runner to score, he opened the 11th by surrendering a go-ahead double to Eric Sogard on a 2-2 fastball, plating Brock Holt and giving the Brewers their first lead of the game, well after midnight.
Sogard would end up being stranded at third, meaning that in a normal inning, Neverauskas would have escaped unscathed again, but it didn't matter. The damage was already done.
"We did a lot of things well, until the end of the game," Derek Shelton said. "We got ahead in the game, in terms of counts, and we didn't finish guys off, and that caused some issues for us and caused us to get deeper into our bullpen."
The list of things the Pirates did well includes two home runs from Colin Moran -- who kept his tradition of going deep during opening day going, hitting two solo home runs -- and 5.2 scoreless innings from piggyback starters Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl, the later of which was pitching in his first major-league game since June 26, 2018.
Brault went the first two innings before a 1 hour, 42 minute rain delay put the game on hold. He was originally slated to go three innings, but because of the layoff, the Pirates turned to Kuhl early, who struck out four in 3.2 innings of work.
"It’s just really cool to be back out there," Kuhl said. "I’m thankful for everybody who has invested the time in me, the trainers, all the staff, coaches, to get me back to playing today. I can’t thank my family enough for their awesome support through this whole thing. It’s been a long journey. I’m just super thankful to be back."
The Pirates had plenty of shortcomings too, the most blatant being blowing a 5-1 lead in the top of the ninth, with all four runs being charged to Michael Feliz.
In that inning, Sogard walked on 3-2 count, and Feliz hit Keston Hiura with a pitch after getting him to two strikes. He got Christian Yelich to bounce to first baseman Josh Bell with one out, and while Bell took a hard look at second, he ultimately went to the bag instead for the safe out.
That would end up being Feliz's last batter faced. Shelton went to Kyle Crick with two outs, who, again, gave up a two-strike hit to Ryan Braun, who doubled in a pair to tie the game at five.
"He kept getting ahead in counts, and we were just a pitch away a couple times from getting out of it," Shelton said about sticking with Feliz. "Unfortunately, tonight, we didn't execute the put away pitch when we need to."
The Pirates still had a chance to win in the 10th, putting pinch-runner Cole Tucker at second base to start the inning. However, Jarrod Dyson, who had a two-run single in the seventh, was unable to bunt him to third, and Adam Frazier and Kevin Newman both grounded out to end the inning.
In the 11th, Bell bounced out to the right side of the infield, moving Newman, the runner, to third base with one out, but Erik Gonzalez and Bryan Reynolds came up empty.
“I think it’s probably what we expected,” Shelton said about the extra-innings experience. “We got in a situation where we just didn’t execute. We had the right situation that we wanted and we failed to execute.”
The Pirates would end up using six relievers, not counting Kuhl. Nick Burdi was not one of them, with Shelton saying he was unavailable after pitching Sunday in St. Louis.
"Coming off the injuries he has and what he's done, we're going to be careful in terms of his usage going forward," Shelton said.
Left-handed reliever Nik Turley allowed a run in the seventh to tie the game at 1-1, but Moran responded by launching his second home run of the night in the home half of the inning. It reached the Allegheny River on the bounce, marking Moran's first ball to get wet.
The Pirates added three more runs that inning, two on Dyson's bases loaded single and another on a wild pitch by Alex Claudio, extending their lead to 5-1 in the late innings.
That, of course, would not hold.
This marks the third time in the young season the Pirates' bullpen has failed to keep the opponents in check. They allowed two runs and allowed an inherited runner to score in a 5-4 loss against the Cardinals on opening day Friday, and they combined to allow six runs in a 9-1 defeat on Saturday. Shelton has said that he felt the relievers were still ramping up for the season after the short summer camp.
In a 60-game season, each loss is magnified, but Moran says the message stays the same.
“I think now more than ever, it’s just take it game by game,” Moran said. “Try to get on a roll. That’s a really good team over there. They’re stacked. They got a really good lineup, good pitching. We were right there with ‘em. Come back out tomorrow and try to get out there and get a good win.”
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