Suwinski smiles, gets reprieve from slump as Pirates sweep Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As Jack Suwinski holstered the team's faux sword and ran down the visitor's dugout at Kaufman Stadium Wednesday, he was doing something he hadn't done all that much on the field this month of August.

He was smiling.

One night after hitting a fly ball off the top of the wall down the line in left that was just short of snapping his over month long homerless streak, Suwinski clobbered a Collin Snider sinker 436 feet to dead center Wednesday, providing some insurance as the Pirates completed their sweep of the Royals, winning 4-1.

Tuesday's fly ball was a 50/50 outcome. This one, there was no gray area. 

"Yeah, I thought that one had a pretty good chance," Suwinski said. "I was running just in case. Felt good."

"Sometimes it's all it takes," Derek Shelton said. "He hit the ball yesterday that hit the top of the wall, and today he hit the back wall."

"But yeah, it was nice to see Jack smile," Shelton added, grinning himself.

Also smiling and celebrating were Suwinki's teammates, who piled on in the dugout after Suwinski finally hit his team-leading 22nd home run, his first since July 24.

"He has 21 home runs on the scoreboard every game," starter Andre Jackson, who was in the minors the last time Suwinski homered, said. "Been hearing about his pop. To see him do that, that was awesome."

"They know how hard he's grinding," Shelton said. "They know he's working his butt off. When you have a person that's liked as much as he is, I think you saw that reaction with everybody in the dugout."

Talking to Suwinski postgame, it was clear that a weight had been lifted off of the 25-year-old sophomore player's shoulders. August was rough, and he need a multi-hit performance Wednesday to raise his batting average for the month to just .130 with a .234 slugging percentage. Of his 77 at-bats in the month, 35 ended in a strikeout. At the start of August, the debate was how often should he bat against left-handers and if he could shed his platoon status. Coming into this series, many were wondering why he hadn't been sent to the minors.

"When you're struggling, it sucks," Bryan Reynolds was telling me. "It was good to see him hammer that ball."

One day does not bust a slump, but four hits and walk this series seems to be a step in the right direction for Suwinski. Seeing him swing the bat more in a short period is probably a good sign too. Some of Suwinski's best traits as a hitter, like identifying pitches and knowing where his damage zones are, can sometimes be a double-edged sword. He's a smart hitter, but if he's up there thinking too much, it becomes paralysis by analysis.

"It’s pretty hard not to think," Suwinski said. "Andy [Haines] always says to black out. I’m like, ‘That’s great. How do I do that?’ It’s a mental game. Everyone says it, but it’s true. Learning moment right there. Build off it."

Being more aggressive at the plate was something Haines and the coaching staff tried to impress on the young hitter as the month continued. While he still drew walks and found a way to get on base at a decent enough clip despite the absence of hits, getting out of the slump was going to have to come down to what Suwinski starts swinging at over what he didn't swing at, as the called strikes and strike threes continued to pile up.

"I think that question kind of comes naturally just because I start thinking a lot," Suwinski said. "You tend to look at what you’re swinging at, what you’re aggressive on, if you’re too aggressive, too passive. The pitches you’re going after is obviously a big part of it, knowing what I hit well and what I want versus what they’re gonna throw and what I’m gonna get. So just being able to read that a little bit."

Getting Suwinski back on track and finish 2023 strong would be a boost for a Pirates team that has played winning ball of late. They are 20-19 over their last 39 games --essentially a quarter of the season -- and will enter September with 61 wins, just one behind their 2022 season total. On Wednesday, Jackson struck out a career-high seven over 5 2/3 innings, Reynolds homered and the backend duo of Colin Holderman and David Bednar made quick work of the Royals in the final two frames. Plenty of the Pirates' wins follow a similar script of getting good pitching and timely hitting.

The Pirates put together a respectable month of August against a tough schedule without one of their top hitters contributing. Having Suwinski get hot and build a head of steam for 2024 could have an impact that extends beyond this year.

And if he finds a way to turn off his brain a bit as he hits, like Wednesday, that seems possible.

"Good or bad, you’re learning with every pitch and every game," Suwinski said. "I never wanna stop learning. I don’t want to take those moments for granted. Being able to learn from it, good and bad, ups and downs."

GETTY

Andre Jackson delivers a pitch in the first inning Wednesday.

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THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: RF Henry Davis (thumb)

• 15-day injured list: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (elbow)

• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), INF Tucupita Marcano (knee), LHP Angel Perdomo (elbow), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Connor Joe, RF
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Andrew McCutchen, DH
4. Endy Rodríguez, C
5. Liover Peguero, 2B
6. Vinny Capra, 3B
7. Jack Suwinski, CF
8. Alika Williams, SS
9. Alfonso Rivas, 1B

And for Matt Quatraro's Royals:

1. Maikel Garcia, 3B
2. Bobb Witt Jr., SS
3. MJ Melendez, LF
4. Nelson Velázquez, DH
5. Matt Beaty, 1B
6. Freddy Fermin, C
7. Dairon Blanco, RF
8. Samad Taylor, 2B
9. Kyle Isbel, CF

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates have a travel day to St. Louis Thursday. Mitch Keller (11-8, 4.01) will get the ball in game one of the weekend series Friday against Dakota Hudson (5-1, 4.41). First pitch is set for 8:15 p.m. Eastern. I'll have you covered.

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