CINCINNATI -- The Jacob Stallings gold glove campaigning is going to need to go on hiatus. The Pirates’ backstop was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list Monday, guaranteeing he will miss at least half of the remainder of the season.
Michael Pérez took over at catcher in his interim and watched as Pirates pitchers allowed four home runs in a 9-5 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park Monday.
Stallings started experiencing concussion symptoms this past series against the Marlins, where he caught a backswing to the head on Friday and a foul ball off the mask Sunday.
“We started talking about it today, the fact that he was having some dizziness and having some headaches moving his head side to side,” Derek Shelton said after the game. “That was the decision. We’ve got to be safe with something like that.”
For a team that has already used a record 33 different pitchers (36 if you want to count the position players), Stallings has been as reliable as anyone on the roster this season. Not just because he's been the primary No. 5 hitter and is the Gold Glove front runner, but because he's been so reliable.
“I think if there's one constant, it's been Jacob Stallings,” Shelton said during the Cubs series earlier this month.
Now, that constant force is on the shelf, and at a time where there are plenty of open spots and questions on the pitching staff.
To replace Stallings on the active roster, the Pirates selected the contract of Taylor Davis, a journeyman depth catcher. To make room on the 40-man, Bryse Wilson was transferred to the 60-day injured list after his hamstring injury was more significant than they initially believed Saturday. He was moving around better Monday, Shelton said, but that’s not enough.
Add Wilson to the list of starters on the injured list, including Steven Brault, JT Brubaker, Chase De Jong and Trevor Cahill. Considering there have not been any discussions yet about making Chad Kuhl a starter again, the Pirates are down a whole rotation and change worth of pitchers, and there are still 12 games to go.
So bring up the minor-league pitchers to cross the season’s finish line. Even more fresh faces in this year where the Pirates have already used a record amount of players.
That in itself will create a new batch of challenges.
“It hurts us a little bit just because Jake knows everybody, but Mikey’s done a nice job behind the plate,” Shelton said. “With some of these guys that are here now, Davis has caught so he has that ability to execute game plans. He has some awareness of those guys.”
They’ll need it. Most of the active pitchers left are either auditioning for a future job with the organization or getting an early taste of the majors. In both cases, a stable hand behind the dish is essential.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• The Pirates are now 0-8 at Great American Ballpark this year, even after jumping out to a quick 5-0 advantage in the third inning. That included back-to-back homers from Yoshi Tsutsugo and Bryan Reynolds in the first and RBIs from both again in the third.
The Pirates would record just two more hits the rest of the night: An Anthony Alford base hit, which was shortly erased by being caught stealing, and a Ben Gamel ninth inning double.
"Their bullpen pitched well against us," Shelton said. "I thought we did a nice job against [starter Vladimir] Guitierrez — we came out, swung the bats and stayed right with our approach — and then their bullpen executed pitches and we couldn't get anything going."
On the flip side, Joey Votto led the way for the Reds' comeback, going deep twice. The first came off Dillon Peters in the third to make it a one-run game, and then he tied it up in the fifth off Cody Ponce.
Peters lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. Almost all of that damage came in the third inning.
"I just wasn't able to follow through on my pitches and I left some balls up and over the middle of the plate," Peters said. "I'm better than that, and they punished me for it."
Eugenio Suárez followed Votto's shot with a homer himself that bounced off the top of the left field wall and over to take the lead for good. Kyle Keller and Enyel De Los Santos would combine to allow the final three runs over the final two innings.
So much for that early 5-0 lead.
“I never feel safe in this ballpark – especially with this lineup, with their ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, no lead is safe," Shelton said. "We did a nice job jumping out front. To their point, we didn’t execute pitches. When you don’t execute pitches against this lineup, they can score runs in a hurry.”
• The Pirates really should re-sign Tsutusgo this offseason. I still have some reservations about him consistently hitting the fastball, but he has an outstanding 1.044 OPS and eight home runs over his first 95 plate appearances with the Pirates. If the league will still throw him breaking and offspeed stuff, then the fastball issue takes care of itself.
"He's a pitcher's nightmare, whether that's a lefty or a righty," Peters said. "He's always a threat for the ball to leave the yard."
I don't see any way he makes more than the 2-year, $12 million deal he signed to come stateside with the Rays. If they can get him for one year for $5-7 million, it's an absolute no-brainer.
• You can't judge a book by its cover or a pitcher by their win-loss record, but Ponce is now 0-5 in the majors. That comes with a 6.89 ERA and fairly mediocre stats in the minors.
He was averaging 94.6 mph on his fastball and showed some good cutters and sliders, but the inconsistency has been plaguing him. The Pirates have been slowly nudging him into a bullpen role, and his days as a starter might be drawing to a close. If he is primarily a reliever, those pitches need to be tighter.
• This game was delayed an hour and 25 minutes due to a rain delay. There is rain in the forecast all week in Cincinnati, so there will probably be more soggy baseball this series.
• Before the game, Class AAA Indianapolis announced the eight players who were being promoted from Class AA Altoona: Oneil Cruz, Roansy Contreras, Rodolfo Castro, Mason Martin, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Cal Mitchell, Yerry De Los Santos and Osvaldo Bido.
The corresponding roster moves have not been announced, but per a source, John Nogowski and Ka'ai Tom were both released. Both players were scheduled to be minor-league free agents at the end of the year.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Cole Tucker, SS
2. Yoshi Tsutsugo, RF
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Colin Moran, 1B
5. Ben Gamel, LF
6. Kevin Newman, 2B
7. Michael Pérez, C
8. Hoy Park, 3B
9. Dillon Peters, LHP
And for David Bell's Reds:
1. Jonathan India, 2B
2. Kyle Farmer, SS
3. Nick Castellanos, RF
4. Joey Votto, 1B
5. Eugenio Suárez, 3B
6. Jose Barrero, CF
7. Delino DeShields, LF
8. Tucker Barnhart, C
9. Vladimir Gutierrez, RHP
THE SYSTEM
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates and Reds will meet again Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. Mitch Keller (4-11, 6.14) will take on Tyler Mahle (12-5, 3.59). I'll, of course, be there for it.
THE CONTENT
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