At the very least, the next time Ben Cherington steps in it by speaking of the Pirates' "progress," he'll have something tangible to cite.
A single stinking game.
That was, of course, the 5-3 pyrrhic victory over the packed-up-for-the-playoffs Cardinals before 15,319 Albert Pujols souvenir chasers on this Wednesday night at PNC Park, one in which a bunch of soft singles and a bigger bunch of rubber-armed relievers stitched together a 62nd success amid 100 failures for the now-closed 2022 season.
So yeah, it's 101 losses to 100.
Call 1-800-BUY-BUCS to reserve good seats for 2023, everyone.
But hurry because, at this one-less-loss-a-year pace, the club's bound to be a World Series lock within ... um, another 33 years. I'm basing that on needing to win 95 in the regular season to be seen as a bona fide contender but, really, bluntly, I'm basing it on nothing. Since next to nothing we've seen to date about this management team suggests there's urgency to accelerate any aspect of all this "progress," aside from advancing new ways to address the subject with hollow kick-the-can platitudes.
I asked Derek Shelton after the game how far away he thinks his team might be:
"That's a good question," he'd reply my way, and that alone raised an antenna because it's not something he typically says. "I think we’re closer. To say how far away we are right now, I think it’s going to matter on what we do into the offseason."
The other antenna went up. Because, I dare say, that's actually the right answer in this scenario.
I then clarified that I was referring only to players already within the organization.
"I think we’re in good shape," he continued. "From the first of August on, let's look at these young kids and the way they're doing it, it says that we've put a process in place and it's really starting to show."
Hm. Depends on the perspective, I guess. The team went 22-38, which is several rungs down on the awesomeness ladder.
But, to Shelton's specific context, some of the younger players did, in fact, improve. Chief among them, without question, was Oneil Cruz, whose surge began Aug. 27, from which point he'd bat .286 with six home runs, seven doubles, three triples and 23 RBIs. He'd become more judicious at the plate, even working five walks over his final five games, and that allowed him to drive more pitches that deserved to be driven. Throw in decent runs for Jack Suwinski, Rodolfo Castro, Roansy Contreras and late arrivals Johan Oviedo and Luis Ortiz, and Shelton's assessment feels fair.
Heck, I'll take it further.
"It's a good team," Yerry De Los Santos, the flamethrowing rookie who finished on the shelf but also emerged as a leader of the Latin American contingent, was telling me after this game. "You'll see. There's a lot of talent here and a lot of heart."
"I like what we have, and I like what we're going to have even more," Bryan Reynolds was telling me. "You look at these starters who came up late in the season, throwing 100 and all that ... that's a game-changer."
He might be right. They both might.
Sign a big-time first baseman out of free agency. Add a middle-of-the-rotation starter via the same avenue to fit within Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker, Contreras, Oviedo and possibly Ortiz. Bring back Roberto Perez as a stopgap catcher -- which I'm told they will -- to buy time for Endy Rodriguez and/or Henry Davis. Then find a few middle-relief arms to support De Los Santos and David Bednar. As I see it, that'll amount to significant improvement well before any Altoona cavalry's needed.
Don't believe it?
OK, go around the everyday-eight horn and plant Castro at second, Cruz at short, Ke'Bryan Hayes at third, Reynolds in center, Suwinski at either corner outfield spot, and one of several in-range younger players at the other. I'd go with Ji Hwan Bae, and that's seven out of nine, with Perez making it eight.
But hey, guess which one of all that's laid out above they won't do.
Right. The one that involves money and/or committing to any given year that might result in a sense of accountability for wins/losses in Pittsburgh.
Those matter. Including to development. They really do. Young participants in team sports make their greatest "progress" when they're doing well, individually and collectively. That's been true since the dawn of athletic competition. And conversely, they get beaten up by losing. Or, in the case of the Pirates under Cherington, losing by the hundreds.
Enough's enough. I'm informed that the plan for 2023 is to punt yet again. I hope that plan changes. But knowing that the only person empowered to change it is Bob Nutting ... hey, that parade in 2056 could be a blast, huh?
EDDIE PROVIDENT / DKPS
PNC Park, as seen from the left field upper deck Wednesday night.
• I always hate the final day of baseball. Been that way since childhood. Still hits the hardest for some reason. Long walk out of that place last night.
• On the bright side, a quality minute and change I spent with Suwinski minutes earlier:
Anyone wondering about my reference to the Clemente Wall: Of Suwinski's 19 home runs, 16 came at PNC Park, and not one landed left of the center-field landscaping.
• Reynolds won't be traded this offseason. Not guessing at this. And let's just say he knows this, too.
• Hayes needs to play a bigger part in all of this, but at least he's aware of it. We had a good talk after the game, and he sounds intent on taking multiple steps toward avoiding future injury, but in particular healing his long-troublesome back.
Not to be mean here, but he's way too young to be banged up all the time.
• Keller's got my vote for team MVP, even though Reynolds was the choice of the broader Pittsburgh chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. On a team that needed more than anything to "get better" in 2022, per Cherington's springtime goal, no one exemplified that better.
It's not just that he's a different pitcher. He's a different person, as I reiterated to him in a quick talk after the game. Stands tall. Chin high. Seeking out teammates to encourage them.
Been uplifting to watch.
KARL ROSER / STEELERS
Kenny Pickett hands off to Diontae Johnson in practice Wednesday on the South Side.
• "I want to raise the level of play of everyone around me," Kenny Pickett was saying after the Steelers' practice yesterday on the South Side, and I couldn't conceivably out-phrase what has me geeked out to see him get going Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Because it won't be just about him.
Look, I've maintained all through the summer that this offense has talent. My chief concerns were, in order, the offensive line, the coordinator and the quarterback. Well, the line's been, as Pickett reiterated yesterday, "the strength of our unit," and nobody's doing anything about Matt Canada until, at the earliest, the end of the season. And two out of three just might be enough to make a difference.
• For example ...
Get Najee Harris the ball. He was averaging 4.7 yards per carry Sunday against the Jets when Canada -- and Canada alone -- stopped him, limiting him to two carries in the fourth quarter. Despite the Steelers leading. Despite the need for the clock to tick.
Keep Chase Claypool in the slot. That's what he is. Throwing to him deep is begging for him to shrink from the situation, whereas utilizing him as happened in Cincinnati makes him a useful weapon.
Fire away toward Pat Freiermuth until the opponent proves it can be stopped. Here's betting that'll take a big effort, which in and of itself will open other options across the middle.
George Pickens is already this team's No. 1 wide receiver. Treat him as such.
Kenny sees the field. He'll find guys who make plays. But it sure would help if Canada wouldn't have him starting from scratch in that regard.
• The Bills being favored by 14 is far more a reflection of Buffalo's offense vs. Pittsburgh's defense than anything else I've mentioned here. And it's painfully dead-on.
The Steelers' past successes against Josh Allen were built on containing him in the pocket, including his brazen runs up the middle. I'm not seeing that suddenly manifesting itself Sunday.
Neither Isaiahh Loudermilk nor Mark Robinson is the answer. Neither are they a combined answer. But I'd happily hand helmets to two guys who can tackle over a lot of what we've witnessed in the first month.
PENGUINS
Bryan Rust shoots on Tristan Jarry in practice yesterday in Cranberry, Pa.
• The Penguins' training camp roster is down to 26, and that's been achieved without a solitary surprising cut, save, perhaps, that of Drew O'Connor. And even then, O'Connor needed to blow the evaluators away to have made it.
What's wild is that there are still nine defensemen in the fold, all on NHL contracts, with these being the three pairings utilized in practice yesterday in Cranberry, Pa.:
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-Jeff Petry
Ty Smith-Jan Rutta
That leaves Chad Ruhwedel, Mark Friedman and P.O Joseph as the rotating extras. And with the latter being actively shopped for a trade, my guess is that this'll wind up in his just being let go in whatever form.
Which is a shame in isolation, because he had a sizzling stretch a couple years ago upon his initial promotion. But it'd been made clear to him that he needed to outperform the left-handed vets on this depth chart, and that didn't come close to happening.
• Same applied for Radim Zohorna. Had forever to make an impression and didn't. Maybe the Flames can wake him up.
Can't just get younger for youth's sake. Still need to be able to play.
• Man, I'd love to see the Penguins become the NHL's pioneers when it comes to monitoring/enforcing rest patterns for older players, the way we've seen first in the NBA, then in Major League Baseball, with players being prescribed games to miss. This team's perfect for it, with the entire Core in its mid-30s, plus Jeff Carter and Jeff Petry.
I mean, what matters more to this franchise, sending Sidney Crosby over the boards on back-to-back nights in Vancouver and Seattle, or having him be as fresh and healthy as possible heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs?
• My longtime friend Derrick Goold's covered the Cardinals for more than a decade for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and he's one of the best in the business. We always hook up, whether I'm in out his way or he's here, and he popped by our Downtown HQ/shop to say hello before one of these three games.
He's exhausted. He's had to ramp up his efforts with this Albert Pujols/Yadier Molina fuss, and he's only now about to embark on yet another playoff.
I've been there. It's a bear. But it's also fun. The stories are more compelling, the analysis more meaningful, the readership more intense.
I miss it. Been a while. And not just in baseball.
• The HQ/Shop's closed today, as our staff's headed down to Duquesne, Pa., to volunteer at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, along with several subscribers!
• Thanks for reading!
