ST. PETERSBURG -- Diego Castillo's first instinct was to protect the base with the tag. Catcher Tyler Heineman's throw was accurate, and it looked like Randy Arozarena would be out comfortably on the stolen base attempt.
Then Arozarena lifted his left arm to dodge the tag and Castillo made a mistake.
"I was trying to find his body," the shortstop was telling me after.
Arozarena ended up getting his right hand to hit the back corner of the second base bag before Castillo's tag landed on his leg, continuing the inning.
"I watched the replay, and was like, 'oh s---, he got me,' " Castillo said.
"We have to teach all of our young infielders wherever we're at is the bag's not going to move, so we have to make sure we stay with the bag," Derek Shelton said. "The body's going to do a bunch of things, but the bag's going to stay stationary."
That failed tag ended up being the difference in the game, because three pitches later, Ji-Man Choi roped a liner to right field against Anthony Banda...
... Sparking a three-run, two-out rally that propelled the Rays to a 4-2 win over the Pirates Sunday at Tropicana Field.
The first leg of the two series road trip is a sweep, though it almost was one in the other direction.
On Friday, the Pirates lost in extra innings, failing to come through in the 10th with runners on first and third and nobody out with the top of the order up. On Saturday, David Bednar had several chances to close out the Rays in the ninth before allowing a game-winning hit to Isaac Paredes on an 0-2 count with two outs.
"Each night we were in it," Ke'Bryan Hayes was telling me. "We could have won each game... Even though we didn't come away with a win, there were a lot of good takeaways, I thought, from this series against a really good ball club."
"I feel like there were a lot of great things that happened," Hayes continued. "Their bullpen, a lot of them have sub-2 ERAs, and yesterday and the first night, we were able to get to them and get some runs across. Little takeaways like that for the future I think is really important."
Hayes also brought up some good at-bats late, including a Jack Suwinski with two outs in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, as a positive. Suwinski was stranded on a Yu Chang fly out to end the contest.
Close, of course, isn't good enough in baseball. If anything, failing to finish games like these three on a handful of mistakes and missed opportunities only amplifies how this young team is not ready to take that next step yet. But hanging tough with one of the best teams in the American League on the road has to count for something.
"The solace is that's a really good team," Shelton said. "... We have to figure out a way to close those games out, and that's one of the development things for young players."
GETTY
Roansy Contreras pitches in the first inning Sunday against the Rays.
• So why was Banda brought into the game with two outs in the seventh to face Choi? Sure, he had the left-on-left advantage, but Choi hits lefties well, posting a .500 batting average and a 1.145 OPS in 25 plate appearances this season before Sunday.
"Choi has hit left-handers, and we knew that coming in," Shelton said. "We just thought with the way the sinker was running back into Choi that we could get a ground ball. Then we had the throw-out that got overturned, and then we just didn't execute."
• Roansy Contreras flashed his potential Sunday, but also some of his rawness, especially in the second whenever he walked four batters in a 35-pitch frame.
"I think the one thing that Ro needs to take out of this is he can pitch in the zone and get outs," Shelton said. "He doesn't have to go away from bats. This is a really patient club. You have to get them out in the zone. He did not do that in the second inning, giving up a run, but he was able to come back and execute pitches, and I definitely think [it's] a growth moment for him."
Contreras would end up walking five and striking out four over five innings of work, allowing just one run.
"I just come in and do the work, good preparation, continuing to master my pitches," Contreras said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez on what he's working on. "The pitching coaches are really helpful, pouring into me you know and supporting me as much as they can and giving me the information that I need to continue to go back out there and do what I gotta do."
• Hayes made his return to the lineup Sunday after being sidelined for two games with a left shoulder injury after colliding with Cubs catcher Willson Contreras on a head-first dive into home plate.
Before the game, he was asked about the play.
"It was a bang-bang play and the throw kind of short-hopped, so I kind of get it how he had to drop or whatever," Hayes said. "And then, obviously, going in headfirst isn't the smartest thing all the time. So it was just kind of a freak accident. I don't think he was trying to do it on purpose or anything. But, you never know what someone's thinking."
• In injury news, Tucupita Marcano made the trip over to play with the Bradenton Marauders to kick off his rehab assignment from the COVID-19 injured list. He'll head to rejoin the Altoona Curve and continue the assignment on Monday, and Duane Underwood Jr., who is also coming back from COVID, will go to Indianapolis Monday.
On his 93.7 The Fan radio show, general manager Ben Cherington said that Josh VanMeter should be the first back from his rehab assignment, and that Ben Gamel and Yoshi Tsutsugo should be back "sooner rather than later." He also said that the Pirates will make roster decisions based on who they feel their best 13 position players are. That could mean some rookies on the roster will head back to the minors.
• Factoid of the game: The Pirates struck out 38 times this series, including 12 times Sunday and 10 times at the hands of Shane McClanahan. The last time they struck out that many times in one three-game series was August 13-15, 2013 against the Cardinals (39 times).
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: OF Ben Gamel (hamstring), 1B Yoshi Tsutsugo (lumbar muscle strain), Josh VanMeter (finger)
• 15-day injured list: RHP Zach Thompson (forearm), LHP Dillon Peters (back)
• 60-day injured list: SS Kevin Newman (groin), OF Jake Marisnick (thumb) 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, RHP Duane Underwood Jr.
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, DH
3. Michael Chavis, 1B
4. Diego Castillo, SS
5. Bligh Madris, RF
6. Jack Suwinski, CF
7. Yu Chang, 2B
8. Cal Mitchell, RF
9. Tyler Heineman, C
And for Kevin Cash's Rays:
1. Yandy Díaz, 3B
2. Wander Franco, SS
3. Randy Arozarena, LF
4. Ji-Man Choi, DH
5. Harold Ramírez, RF
6. Josh Lowe, CF
7. Isaac Paredes, 1B
8. Francisco Mejía, C
9. Vidal Bruján, 2B
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates are heading to the Nation's capital to start a three-game series with the Nationals. The visitors don't have a starter set up, but Erick Fedde (5-5, 4.46) will go for the home team. Chris Halicke will have you covered.
THE CONTENT
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