Is the worst over? Cherington says Pirates 'much closer to better days'

ST. LOUIS -- There was no 100th loss Sunday at Busch Stadium.

Instead, the Pirates dug themselves out of an early hole, rallied against a pitcher -- Adam Wainwright -- who has been a bully for more than a decade and avoided the sweep against the Cardinals, winning by a score of 7-5.

“That’s why I’m really proud of this group," Derek Shelton said. "That first inning was not pretty. We did some things that we need to clean up. But a day like this, all the ceremonial stuff. We get down 3-0, a young group, we could go away, and we didn’t. We came right back. Had good at-bats, made things happen, we ran the bases well. So really proud of our young group because I think this is a definite growing moment.”

It was an admirable outing from a team that could have rolled over for a 100th loss. It also doesn't distract from the fact that three years into the Ben Cherington-Shelton era, the team is amid its worst three-year stretch since 1952-54, the only other period where they either lost 100 games or had a winning percentage that would translate to 100+ losses over a full season.

Some level of this was to be expected during a rebuild, a word that was seldom used in 2020 and 2021, but the results speak for themselves. After losing 101 games last season, 2022 should have been where the Pirates took a step forward in the win-loss department. Instead, they could potentially finish with fewer wins.

It hasn't been the year many hoped for, though there is a collection of young players in place who could be part of a competitive team. Is the worst of the rebuild at least behind them now?

"I believe we are much closer to better days than we have been before," Cherington said on his 93.7 The Fan radio show before the game when posed with that exact question.

After the game, I asked the same question to David Bednar.

“I hope so," the closer said. "That’s kind of the goal. There’s definitely a different feel than last year because I think there’s some younger pieces and different guys getting reps here. Continue to grow this offseason… I think there’s a lot more reason to be excited for the future. There’s a lot of talent here and a lot of talent coming up.”

If you're hoping for a series of changes this winter, they probably aren't coming. Cherington gave votes of confidence to the baseball operations and major-league coaching staff -- there could still be some mixup or addition for the latter. Player wise, Cherington said he is "very confident a large group of our 13 position players that break from Bradenton next spring are already in the organization." That terminology leaves the door open for prospects as well.

But that doesn't exactly give the impression that 2023 is set to be a giant leap forward. Some more stability and giving more reps to young players does help and could by itself improve the talent pool and win total. But will it be enough to break out of one of the worst stretches in the history of the franchise?

It's why the final Ben Cherington Show ended with perhaps the more pertinent question: What can you say to fans on the fence about coming back to the ballpark.

"Believe me when I say it, the losses, are just as painful -- more painful, whatever you want to say -- for us as it is for anybody," Cherington said. "And it motivates us. We have to get better because we don't want to experience that no more than the fans don't want to experience it. But I think there's an opportunity to jump on board now for a ride that has a chance to be really fun in the coming years. Players are out there today who are going to be a part of that. Being a part of seeing that journey that they're going through, from young player to established to guys who are winning games in October is just a fun part of being a fan, in my opinion."

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and Albert Pujols all walk off together in the fifth inning.

• Shelton was right. That first inning was not pretty.

After the Pirates were retired in just five pitches in the top of the inning, the Cardinals piled on three runs against Roansy Contreras when first baseman Ben Gamel misplayed a bouncer and left fielder Jack Suwinski lost a ball in the sun.

Despite digging a hole early, Gamel tied the game up in the top of the second with a three run homer, and Suwinski gave the Pirates the lead and chased Wainwright with a flare to center to make it 6-5 in the fifth:

In the process, Wainwright took the loss to the Pirates at his home park for the first time since June 29, 2012.

“We had a really good approach," Shelton said about their success against Wainwright. "We did a nice job with the breaking ball, which we have not done in the past and we made him execute pitches. We made him work, and that’s a challenge for a young group of players, but I thought they did a really nice job sticking to the game plan.”

• That Suwinski single is the last pitch of the legendary Wainwright-Yadier Molina battery. The duo, and Albert Pujols, were all taken out together in their final regular season home game.

Incredibly cool moment for three people Pirates fans know a bit too well. Pujols even hit No. 702 to boot Sunday.

• Roansy Contreras' final start of the season wasn't his strongest, partially because of the defense behind him, but he got through his three innings before being told to hit the showers this season.

A 3.79 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 95 major-league innings is a solid enough showing for a 22-year-old rookie, but what was most important to him was that he made it through the whole season.

“Through the ups and downs, I was able to finish the season healthy,” Contreras said via interpreter Stephen Morales. “Just learning from all the different games and different situations will help me for next year.”

• Factoid of the game: I have to embed the tweet for this one.

• The Pirates staved off a 100-loss season for at least one more day. They are now 60-99. If they sweep the final series, they will avoid that second straight 100-loss season.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: 1B Zack Collins (non-COVID illness)

• 15-day injured list: RHP JT Brubaker (right arm inflammation), RHP Wil Crowe (right forearm inflammation) LHP Eric Stout (low back discomfort)

• 60-day injured list: Yerry De Los Santos (lat), OF Canaan Smith-Njigba (wrist), RHP Colin Holderman (right shoulder), RHP Blake Cederlind (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Oneil Cruz, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Miguel Andújar, DH
4. Jack Suwinski, LF
5. Rodolfo Castro, 3B
6. Cal Mitchell, RF
7. Ben Gamel, 1B
8. Tyler Heineman, C
9. Ji Hwan Bae, 2B

And for Oliver Marmol's Cardinals:

1. Brendan Donovan, 3B
2. Alec Burleson, RF
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Nolan Arenado, DH
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Corey Dickerson, LF
7. Dylan Carlson, CF
8. Paul DeJong, SS
9. Tommy Edman, 2B

THE SCHEDULE

Back to Pittsburgh for one last series. Mitch Keller (5-12, 3.92) will try to end his year on a high note. The Cardinals have not yet announced a starter, though Marmol told St. Louis reporters after the game that both Jose Quintana and Miles Mikolas pitch, with one of them starting. I'll have you covered from PNC Park.

THE CONTENT

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