ATLANTA -- What does it take to become the MLB hits leader?
To follow Adam Frazier’s path, start at the bathroom sink. Seriously.
Make sure your toothbrush is on the proper side, the toothpaste applied to the proper part of the brush, and so on. Then make sure to be real specific about which leg goes into your pants first. And get very particular about which shower you use, where you tie your shoes and every other minute detail of your day.
If that routine doesn’t lead to any hits, throw it out and find something new.
“I’m pretty superstitious if you can’t tell,” Frazier joked.
Whatever he’s doing, it’s working. And it has worked since the Pirates started playing spring games almost three months ago.
Frazier rapped out four hits for the second time this week and scored the final run of an 6-4 victory in 10 innings against the Braves at Truist Park on Thursday night. Kevin Newman followed Frazier’s fourth hit with a base knock to deliver the game-winning RBI in the 10th inning. The Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak and pushed their record to 18-25 on the season.
“Guys kept playing, man. They got after it,” Derek Shelton said. “That’s a good team over there, and they continued to go. Kudos to them.”
With the effort in his hometown ballpark, the Athens, Georgia, native gained sole possession of the top spot on the MLB hits leaderboard with 58. He’s also fourth in MLB with a .339 batting average, tied for third with 14 doubles and tied for second with three triples. Frazier, like many on the Pirates from the area, had a number of friends and family in attendance Thursday.
“I wouldn’t say it makes it any more special or not. It’s the big leagues every day. It’s fun,” Frazier said. “The phone starts blowing up, everybody happy for you and stuff like that. Just being able to play in front of everybody was pretty cool. It doesn’t get to happen a whole lot. It’s just more fun, really.”
Frazier lost a 12-game hitting streak earlier this month after entering a game late for an injured Phillip Evans, but he’s now hit safely in six in a row and is batting .556 (15-for-27) over that span.
“I’m just trying to simplify things, really. I’ve found some things that work for me, a few cues. Being on time is everything,” Frazier explained.
Although there’s a lot to celebrate within these eye-popping numbers, Frazier’s dominance at the plate hasn’t led to many runs for the Pirates. His run-scoring single in the seventh inning Thursday accounted for just his fourth RBI in May, a month in which he’s batting .362. Frazier has also scored just 10 times despite reaching base 35 times in 18 games this month.
Obviously, that says more about his supporting cast. Newman, before knocking home the automatic runner Ben Gamel for the decisive tally, was hitless in his first four at-bats following Frazier in the order. The Pirates were excellent with runners in scoring position Thursday night, going 6-for-13. But there's been too many missed opportunities the rest of the month. And those chances only exist because of Frazier’s utter dominance at the plate.
The 29-year-old mentioned an adjustment he made with his hands at the start of spring, but really hasn’t deviated much from his messaging while being frequently asked about just what’s working for him since he's emerged as one of the hottest hitters in baseball.
“I don’t try to do too much, stay on top of the baseball. When you’re on time, you see the ball a little longer and you’re able to stay within the zone and not chase pitches as much,” Frazier said. “When you make big league pitchers come into the zone, you have a better chance for success.”
So, how did he figure out a way to remain so committed to a plan that’s so cut and dry? Well, it’s very ritualistic.
“That’s the challenge, to stay within myself and remember what I’m doing and telling y’all the same thing every day. That’s part of it, too,” Frazier joked. “It’s just that: If something’s working, you try to remember what you’re doing and then stay within that.”
MORE FROM THIS GAME
• There are things that Bryan Reynolds does with the bat which prove time and time again that he is most certainly a special hitter. But even with that talent, Reynolds too often has moments where he looks completely befuddled at the plate.
This one has a pretty easy thread to follow. First, the good. It takes both brawn and brains, and a lot of it, for a hitter to shorten their stroke with two strikes and hammer that elevated fastball 420 feet on a rope into the pond just right of dead center field.
But then he’ll take the type of completely unnatural, indecisive and awkward swings that typically end the way his at-bats finished in the first and eighth innings: With a strikeout.
He really just doesn’t see breaking or off-speed pitches very well at all. It’s very noticeable on the eye test, and the numbers don’t paint a much better picture. According to Statcast, Reynolds is hitting .372 against fastballs this season but has just 14 hits and 29 strikeouts in 71 at-bats (.197) against changeups, curves and sliders.
“I think that’s a maturation thing,” Shelton assessed. “The fact that he can hit the fastball is extremely important. Guys get there. Guys learn to hit the breaking balls they should hit.”
• As they’ve been for most of the season, the Pirates’ bullpen had one of their best efforts in relief of the rookie Wil Crowe on Thursday.
Richard Rodriguez earned the victory and retired all six batters he faced in the final two innings, while Clay Holmes, David Bednar and Chris Stratton each pitched a scoreless frame.
“Holmes might have been the best he’s been all year. Ball was jumping out of his hand,” Shelton said.
Rodriguez lowered his ERA to 0.47 while Stratton made his seventh consecutive scoreless appearance. He’s yielded five hits and four walks while striking out eight over a nine-inning span.
“They’re incredible. Those guys are nails down there,” Crowe said. “Those guys compete, and they’re really good. We have a good bullpen, and they keep showing it night in and night out.”
• It was so incredibly exciting to see a situation in which the environment matched the intensity of a specific moment of a baseball game.
With a crowd of 21,430 in attendance at Truist Park and the bases loaded for Freddie Freeman in the fourth inning, Crowe was living in a moment that did not exist in 2020. Through half-hearted attempts at the Tomahawk Chop, the crowd swelled with excitement that reached a level that had not been seen in a very long time.
“It was the first time in my career that I had that many fans in that environment,” the rookie said. “The stadium was rocking, it was a good moment. If they were going to beat me, they were going to beat me with my best stuff. I wasn’t going to beat myself. So I wanted to go right after him -- me vs. him -- and that’s what my mindset was.”
Crowe threw a 3-2 changeup in on Freeman’s hands, and the 2020 MVP swung over the offering for the final out.
That was the highlight of another strong outing for the 26-year-old right-hander. He ran into some home run trouble, with all four of his earned runs coming on a three-run shot by William Contreras in the second and a Dansby Swanson blast to start the sixth. Crowe’s ERA increased to 4.91 as he struck out seven over five innings.
“Progress isn't always results-based. Progress is based on how I feel, what I thought I did well and things. And the results might not show that sometimes,” Crowe said. “But, tonight, I wanted to give ourselves a chance to win and that three-run inning was tough. I gave up one pitch -- home run. And from there, it's a grind for me. Give our guys an opportunity to win a ball game and we did that.”
• Remember that “come to Jesus” moment Jacob Stallings believed happened with Rick Eckstein in Minnesota last month? Whatever they’ve tapped into really seems to be working for the 31-year-old.
Shelton mentioned that one of the difference-makers for Stallings in a recent stretch that has him batting .294 since April 25 is that he’s making harder contact. Well, the two-game hiatus hasn’t changed that for Stallings, who drove a 104-mph liner 395 feet into the left field seats to open the scoring Thursday. There also doesn't seem to be any effects of that quad contusion that forced him to leave Sunday's game early and give Shelton a window in which he could try and give Michael Perez some chances in St. Louis.
• There’s still no new information about the severity of Trevor Cahill’s left calf injury. The 33-year-old veteran exited in the second inning of Wednesday night’s loss in St. Louis, and was being evaluated prior to the game Thursday. Shelton offered only that” “He stood and watched the game in the dugout the whole day. That’s it.”
• Another potential rotation option for the Pirates took a step toward returning Thursday. Jose Soriano, the No. 1 overall pick in the Rule 5 draft, pitched three scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing a hit in a rehab appearance with low Class A Bradenton. Soriano is presently on the 60-day injured list. The 22-year-old had Tommy John surgery in Feb. 2020 while a member of the Angels’ organization.
THE ESSENTIALS
Box score
Video Highlights
Scoreboard
Standings
Statistics
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
Adam Frazier, 2B
Kevin Newman, SS
Bryan Reynolds, CF
Jacob Stallings, C
Gregory Polanco, RF
Erik Gonzalez, 3B
Will Craig, 1B
Ben Gamel, LF
Wil Crowe, P
And for Brian Snitker's Braves:
Ronald Acuna Jr., RF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Marcell Ozuna, LF
Ozzie Albies, 2B
Austin Riley, 3B
Dansby Swanson, SS
William Contreras, C
Guillermo Heredia, CF
Drew Smyly, P
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates got off to a good start in Atlanta and will have three more at Truist Park this weekend. It's a battle of the Andersons on Friday night as the veteran lefty Tyler Anderson (3-3, 3.50 ERA) takes his turn in the rotation against the young righty Ian Anderson (3-1, 3.20 ERA). First pitch is again scheduled for 7:20 p.m., and I will be here with you all weekend.
THE CONTENT
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