The Pirates have lost 11 of their last 12 games, the most recent being Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Giants. But this wasn't even one of those games that permitted you to mentally check out in the first hour. The Pirates did just enough to drag you along for nearly four hours, only to lose yet again.
Ever since the remarkable sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles -- which feels like a lifetime ago -- the only win the Pirates have mustered was a 6-4 victory in St. Louis on Wednesday. And, in order to secure that win, Bryan Reynolds had to do his best 2021 impression and David Bednar had to record an eight-out save.
Bednar has actually been so good that if the Pirates get to the seventh inning with a lead, Derek Shelton isn't afraid to throw his soon-to-be All-Star in there for yet another multi-inning save.
They just couldn't get there Saturday.
Unlike Friday's abysmal offensive output, the lineup breathed some life into the 26,041 fans at PNC Park. Diego Castillo was the catalyst for the offense, giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead with this three-run homer in the third inning:
José Quintana did enough to set himself up for the victory, leaving with one out and a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning. Since Bednar hadn't pitched since Wednesday, all the bullpen might have needed to do is get to the seventh inning once again. So when Shelton went to the bullpen, he brought out the second-most trusted arm at his disposal, Wil Crowe.
However, Crowe struggled to find the strike zone. His outing began with a single by Thairo Estrada. Then Crowe walked Brandon Belt and allowed an RBI single by Brandon Crawford that tied the game. After a visit from Oscar Marin, Crowe walked Curt Casali to load the bases, then allowed the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Mike Yastrzemski.
"He’s been really good for us," Shelton said of Crowe. "He just didn’t command the ball today."
Crowe wasn't the only one. With the Pirates trailing heading to the seventh, Shelton called on Chris Stratton, who continued his recent struggles. He walked the first two batters he faced, then gave up an RBI double by Luis González that gave the Giants a 6-4 lead.
After Anthony Banda righted the ship with 1 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and Daniel Vogelbach brought the Pirates within a run with a solo homer in the eighth, Heath Hembree walked three batters in the ninth inning -- one of them intentionally to set up a force at second base -- and the Giants added another run on a Crawford RBI double.
Shelton didn't mince words regarding the free passes issued by the bullpen.
"I think they were a huge factor. They were probably the determining factor in the game, the fact that you have a veteran club that is really good," Shelton said. "They make you command the ball on the plate. We did not command the ball on the plate. They stayed with their approach. I think that’s what you see out of good, veteran hitters. It’s why they’re in the position they are, and it’s why they won 100-plus games last year."
You can chalk it up as yet another lesson to be learned, but every single one of these pitchers know issuing walks is asking for trouble.
"That's definitely not our MO as a team," Stratton said. "[Walks] will always come back and get you. It always seems like a walk ends up scoring. ... I just think we're a better team than that."
• In 11 outings from May 14 through June 8, Stratton allowed only two earned runs over 12 1/3 innings. In three appearances since then, he's allowed seven earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. I asked Derek Shelton about what might be happening with Stratton. Again, he did not mince his words:
"I don’t think the execution of the fastball or breaking ball has been sharp at all. Stating the obvious there a little bit. He’s a guy who relies on being able to execute pitches. The last few outings he has not executed pitches. Because of it he has ended up giving up runs and walks, which you can’t give up free bases."
• Prior to the bullpen blowing Saturday's game, Castillo emerged as the would-be hero for the Pirates. In addition to the three-run homer, Castillo helped the Pirates answer the Giants in the first inning with a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 1-1, giving him four RBIs on the night.
Prior to Saturday night's loss, Castillo was slashing .192/.238/.288 and had a 50 OPS+. Even so, Castillo tried to maintain a positive mindset, believing a moment like this would come around.
“It’s not easy. It’s just baseball," Castillo said. "Things are going to happen. I think you have to keep coming every single day, believe in yourself and trust in the process. Sometimes you’re not going to be too good, but I know the good things are going to come.”
• Quintana doubled down on the notion that beating this Giants lineup is a difficult endeavor. The 33-year-old veteran battled through 5 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits with two walks, five strikeouts and two home runs. The main problem Quintana had was a pitch count that accelerated up to a total of 97 by the time Shelton went to the bullpen.
“They are patient. They don’t chase too much off the plate," Quintana said. "They have more swing and miss in the zone. ... They took a lot of pitches and pushed me to work more.”
• Liover Peguero made his major-league debut Saturday, and it was one worth remembering. It wasn't flashy, but the 21-year-old shortstop recorded his first major-league hit, going 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
That first hit sure looked like a major-league hit too, taking a pitch on the outside corner and shooting it the other way. It almost looked he knew what he was doing:
"I was really excited to see my dream come true," Peguero said. "It was a very amazing thing to experience. I was nervous at first when I got the news, but thank goodness I had a good time over there. I feel like I handled it pretty well."
The walk he earned came in a critical moment that loaded the bases with the Pirates down by one run in the eighth inning.
"The at-bat in the eighth was a major league at-bat," Shelton said. "To draw a walk there and lay off some pitches, saw the slider; he kept coming to the slider. Really good at-bat."
It's still unknown how long Peguero will be in Pittsburgh. If Oneil Cruz makes his way here during this homestand, Peguero's first big-league stint might be short-lived. Either way, Peguero is not letting any moment go to waste.
"I think it’s going to be a long way, but it’s so amazing and so important right now having a first time for everything," Peguero said. "I think we’re going to have a lot of good times."
• With Peguero's debut in the books, the Pirates have now had 11 major-league debuts in the first 64 games of a season for the first time since 1952. That '52 team, which featured rookies such as Dick Groat and Ron Kline, finished the season with 112 losses.
So, this season could be worse ... right?
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: OF Ben Gamel (hamstring), OF Jake Marisnick (thumb), 1B Yoshi Tsutsugo (lumbar muscle strain), Josh VanMeter (finger)
• 60-day injured list: SS Kevin Newman (groin), OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), OF Greg Allen (hamstring), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow surgery), Roberto Pérez (hamstring, out for season)
• COVID injured list: INF/OF Tucupita Marcano
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Michael Chavis, DH
4. Diego Castillo, 2B
5. Jack Suwinski, LF
6. Yu Chang, 1B
7. Cal Mitchell, RF
8. Liover Peguero, SS
9. Tyler Heineman, C
And for Gabe Kapler's Giants:
1. Austin Slater, CF
2. Wilmer Flores, 1B
3. Darin Ruf, RF
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Luis González, LF
6. Thairo Estrada, 2B
7. Austin Wynns, DH
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Curt Casali, C
THE SCHEDULE
Same two teams Sunday at 1:35 p.m., as the Pirates try to avoid the sweep. Mitch Keller (2-5, 5.07) and Alex Cobb (3-2, 5.73) are on the mound. I'll have you covered once again.
THE CONTENT
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