MILWAUKEE -- The evening was as open-and-shut as Phillip Evans' big-league career should be.
It opened with Evans, stunningly, leading off the Pirates' lineup, maybe the saddest sign all summer of what's becoming of this offense.
Behold:
My God. With the social media people including his image and all.
The guy who's slashing .205/.315..305, who hasn't had a solitary hit since the 20th of July, who's had one extra-base hit since the middle of June ... was batting first.
And by the time he'd already gone 0 for 4, he stepped to the plate as the unlikely tying run in the ninth and, with bases loaded, two outs and two strikes, he watched this go by:
My God Part II. Right down the pipe. The bat doesn't budge from the shoulder.
The score, which doesn't matter much, showed the Pirates being beaten by the Brewers, 6-2, last night at the once-and-forever House of Horrors now known as American Family Field.
But the personnel involved, the player choices, the priorities being set by Derek Shelton in presumed concert with those back at 115 Federal ... wow, that matters a ton.
Obligatory disclaimer for anyone who just walked into the room: I love the job Shelton's done to date. I love the improved fundamentals. I love his relentless spirit. And back when he had a few more players than he's got now, I actually loved a few of the results. And the same applies to the approach and general execution of Ben Cherington, Steve Sanders and the front-office staff.
But gentlemen, let's not suddenly get stupid.
And yeah, that's suitable term for putting forth a lineup that's got Evans anywhere on it, let alone leading off, as well as Gregory Polanco, Kevin Newman and, really, any other lingering, leftover vets. Because the cold fact is, the moment Adam Frazier was pulled from the field that afternoon in San Francisco, so it should've been for the plug on most everyone else, as well.
If that comes across as disrespectful, so be it. Newman's batting .214, Polanco .206. They and Evans are all terrific guys, but that production will get almost anyone anywhere booted off the big-league roster. Not playing every night, for crying out loud.
With gusto: This franchise just made multiple trades to acquire 11 players, a few of whom are close to ready or here right now. And this franchise, now but especially into the future, has nothing, nothing, nothing to gain from continuing to trot out players who don't matter over the newcomers.
Let's see Rodolfo Castro every day, infield or outfield, for better or worse. There's no baseball bylaw requiring a stop in Class AAA. If the kid can open his career with his first five hits clearing fences, he's already blown any ceiling anyone should try to affix. Move him around. Find out where he fits best.
Let's see Hoy Park every day, preferably in the infield, where I watched him in warmups here yesterday look more fluid than I'd expected. All this young man had done with the Yankees' Class AAA affiliate this season was slash .327/.475/.567 with 10 home runs and matching walk/strikeout figures of 46. Then, in his first start Sunday at PNC Park, he whacked a double into the right field corner. Then, here, he sat and watched. So we all could see more of Evans, Newman and/or Polanco.
Let's see Tucupita Marcano, the middle infielder who was the headliner in the Frazier trade. I don't care that he's 21. I do care that he was talented and mature enough to break through to the Padres' loaded roster earlier this year.
I get that it's no fun for a manager or, from afar, for a front office to toss aside older players. Shelton, specifically, tasks players like these with leading and, when they do pull off uplifting upsets over the Mets, the Giants, the Phillies, everyone loves what follows.
I asked Shelton yesterday to what extent he has to mitigate sentiment down the stretch, with so many new players to see.
"There is a dynamic there, and we are taking a look," he replied. "We’ve talked numerous times about opportunities and getting guys different opportunities, and we'll continue to do that. With some of the veteran guys, we'll pick spots for when they're going to get days off and and why they're going to get days off. We’re going to get an opportunity to look at our entire roster."
Wow, no. Just no. Pick spots for when the kids can get days off.
GETTY
Bryse Wilson pitches Monday night in Milwaukee.
• I won't go overboard about Bryse Wilson's start, his first with the Pirates since arriving from the Braves in the Richard Rodriguez trade, and that's mostly because his style doesn't lend itself to that.
Wilson pitched five sound innings about one of the majors' toughest lineups, allowing a run, two hits and two walks. He didn't strike anyone out. He didn't overpower anyone. But he did carve up lots of soft contact and splintered lumber by pounding his sinker and change.
"I think the big pitch was the two-seam," Wilson replied when I asked about that. "Obviously, running it in on the right-handers was big, and the changeup in the big situations, the 2-0s, the 2-1s, all the counts I was behind, we were able to make good pitches with the two-seam and the changeup, and I think that's what helped a lot."
No shame in any of that. He's 23, and he brings a diverse arsenal to go with uncommon poise for his age.
Bottom line, as Cherington worded it over the weekend, "He’ll have a chance to be part of that rotation we’re looking to build,” and that'd be worth well more than even a terrific closer.
• Shelton said Wilson made "a really nice first impression," and I can just imagine how many folks wished he'd been allowed to make more of an impression when Shelton pulled him after five innings and 74 pitches. Particularly once Kyle Keller and Nick Mears imploded in Wilson's wake.
Shelton explained that the target all along for Wilson was to achieve 75 pitches, based on his usage in the Atlanta system leading up to the trade. He'd been used by the Braves as a Game 2 doubleheader starter July 26 and was limited to three innings and 54 pitches. Before that, he hadn't pitched in 12 days since an extended five-inning relief appearance in Class AAA.
"This is where we wanted him to be," Shelton said of the pitch count.
There's not a thing wrong with this, by the way. It's 2021. This is how baseball goes. And all 30 teams do it the same way. Only in Pittsburgh does anyone think it's a Pittsburgh issue.
• The front office's prevailing thinking on Bryan Reynolds' outfield skills had been that he's a Gold Glover in left and eminently capable in center.
Well ...
That's four games in a row with an exceptional play. He's very good out there. And if going by Statcast's excellent Outs Above Average leaderboard for center fielders, he's second-best at his position in the majors, behind the Royals' Michael Taylor.
I asked Shelton if Reynolds might've changed some minds internally on this, too.
"I think so, yeah," Shelton answered. "He continues to play well out there. He continues to make plays. He's worked very hard to get better reads and jumps, and I think he just continues to prove to us that he's a very good major-league center fielder."
• Every time Reynolds or Ke'Bryan Hayes fares well, the invariable outcry online is for the Pirates to sign one or both to long-term contracts. Never mind that the team already holds Reynolds' rights for four more years, Hayes' for six more years.
Take this to the bank: If/when Reynolds or Hayes gets signed to such a contract -- and they're hardly without precedent for this team over the past decade -- it'll take no more than a minute or two for everyone to realize that contracts mean nothing in the context of trades. Either could be traded at any time.
The comfort everyone seems to seek on this broader subject won't ever be found. That's what I'm saying.
• Polanco went 2 for 4, but his malaise on an Eduardo Escobar shot into the right field corner in the third inning resulted in an RBI alleged triple that accounted for the only damage off Wilson.
That stuff's tired. So are the lame throws. So are all the baserunners advancing at will on anything out his way.
• Understand, please, I'm not advocating the eradication of all athletes 30 or older. There's real value to having the right ones around, provided they contribute on and off the field.
Fine examples are being set by Ben Gamel, 29, and John Nogowski, 28. They're hitting, they're playing with passion in the field, they're hitting, they've been visibly involved in team events, they're hitting and, oh, yeah, by the way, they're hitting.
The intangibles are nice.
As Gamel told me before batting practice yesterday, "You know, we definitely lost some big clubhouse pieces, and that's part of the game. But it's doing the little stuff. Cheering each other on from the dugout. Doing it loud enough for the guy in the box to hear you. That's what we need to do, all of us. Get it back to that."
But the tangibles are that much nicer.
• Awesome to see Steven Brault bouncing about the place, laughing, joking and, of course, occasionally singing. He'd been expected to be a strength of the rotation, only to have the lat injury delay his season opener to ... tomorrow. He'll pitch the series finale, Shelton revealed yesterday.
I poked Brault about the day in Denver he once threw 70 straight fastballs to open a game, asking if we might see the sequel.
"Sixty-nine!" he barked back.
Oh. Nice.
"Nice!"
• The Pirates, now 40-66, need to go 23-33 the rest of the way to avoid 100 losses. That's ... ambitious.
• Chad Kuhl went on the COVID list just before the game. So did the Brewers' closer, Josh Hader. So, for that matter, did Jerome Bettis.
And each time it happens, it merits yet another headline. Even though, by every account, all concerned were vaccinated. Even though the chance of developing serious symptoms -- never mind the worst -- is infinitesimal among vaccinated individuals.
I get why the attention follows the cases of well-known people. These are the times. But that doesn't make the headline correspond to the scope of the actual story, which is that the vaccines are succeeding a superlative rate and, because of that, contracting COVID as a vaccinated individual doesn't mean anywhere near as much as with a non-vaccinated individual.
That said, here's wishing all of those gentlemen well and wishing that the recent vaccination uptick keeps right on upticking:
Sunday just in: +816K doses reported administered over yesterdays total, including 517K newly vaccinated. Since the week of July 5, there has been a steady increase in the number of people who are getting vaccinated in the US.
— Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) August 1, 2021
Ideally, all of this becomes a non-story.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Phillip Evans, LF
2. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. John Nogowski, 1B
5. Jacob Stallings, C
6. Gregory Polanco, RF
7. Rodolfo Castro, 2B
8. Kevin Newman, SS
9. Bryse Wilson, RHP
And for Craig Counsell's Brewers:
1. Kolten Wong, 2B
2. Willy Adames, SS
3. Omar Narváez, C
4. Eduardo Escobar, 3B
5. Avisail Garcia, RF
6. Rowdy Tellez, 1B
7. Tyrone Taylor, LF
8. Lorenzo Cain, CF
9. Eric Lauer, LHP
THE SCHEDULE
Two more with the Crew here, beginning with Max Kranick (1-2, 7.31) taking on Adrian Houser (7-5, 3.69) Tuesday, 8:10 p.m. Eastern.
IN THE SYSTEM
THE CONTENT
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