SAN FRANCISCO -- For two weeks, Rowdy Tellez has been in search of something to boost his confidence. Perhaps a few quality swings, a hard-hit ball put in play, or a base hit to spark his offensive output.
Tellez, mired in a 2-for-28 slump since putting together a two-hit performance against the Phillies on April 14, needed to see the results he was able to put forth over the course of two games against the Giants this weekend.
An encouraging showing on Saturday included Tellez's first base hit in a week, in addition to an RBI on a sacrifice fly that tied the game in the seventh inning of an eventual 4-3 extra-inning victory. Then came a two-hit effort -- his first since the aforementioned outing in Philadelphia -- in the Pirates' 3-2 setback at the hands of the Giants at Oracle Park Sunday afternoon.
"When you're putting the ball in play and feeling like you're taking good swings at good pitches, it's always going to boost that confidence up," said Tellez, who is still slashing just .205/.292/.269 with one home run and 21 strikeouts in 78 at-bats through 29 games this season. "I think, like I said, it's a long way, but I'm not as far off as I feel and not as far off as people think I am. So, I think I'm just going to be ready to go whenever I do pull the trigger and take the swings. Just make sure that they're the right pitches and put good swings on them."
Even more promising for Tellez was the fact that both of his hits in Sunday's series finale were for extra bases. Entering the game, he had just one extra-base hit all season -- a three-run home run in the fourth game of the Pirates' season-opening series against the Marlins.
Tellez hit a double into left-center field off Giants starter Keaton Winn to put a pair of runners in scoring position in the fifth. That hit was notable, as it was followed by an RBI groundout off the bat of Jared Triolo. Tellez walked in the seventh and then lined another double into right-center field off closer Camilo Doval in the ninth. He later scored to cut the lead to one on an RBI single by Triolo.
“Good swings, good at-bats," Derek Shelton said. "He had the left-on-left walk and then the two doubles that he squared up, and I think the good thing was to see him be in the middle of the field. He hit the first one to left-center and then the second one there to right-center, so it’s good to see him back in the middle of the field. It looks like there is more confidence in the takes, which a couple of hits, a couple good at-bats will do that.”
Tellez hopes the quality of the at-bats he was able to have over the last two days will lead to an increase in his offensive production going forward.
"I think some of the balls just aren't falling my way, but it happens. It's 27 games, so it's a long season," Tellez said. "I think it'll get better. But it feels good to find some barrels and be able to run around."
The Pirates as a whole could use an uptick in productivity at the plate, as they have struggled to produce for a stretch that dates back to that series split with the Phillies.
Their constant inability to come up with a timely hit and generate run production for a competent starting rotation was put on full display in their series loss to the Giants, one in which they scored six runs while allowing nine. Take away the back-to-back home runs hit by Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes Saturday, and the Pirates scored just one other run on an actual hit: Triolo's RBI single in the ninth on Sunday. After being shut out in the series opener, the other two runs scored on Tellez's sac fly Saturday and the groundout by Triolo on Sunday.
“We just gotta keep going," Shelton said. "We’re still in April. We’ve gotta get some guys to get their footing a little bit, and we’re slowly getting there. It’s just we need to get there a little bit faster.”
Tellez reiterated that it's a long season. As frustrating as this current stretch of 10 losses in 13 games is for the players in the clubhouse, there is hope that Tellez and the other cold bats can eventually start to heat up.
"You go through ups and downs, peaks and valleys. Obviously, you want to ride the hot streaks and ride those peaks and get out of those valleys as fast as you can, but sometimes you run into some good pitching and you just don't feel good in the box," Tellez said. "I don't think any of us would say we're at our best right now. So, I think as we keep going and we get going, more guys in position to score and let our guys when we're feeling good, we're all going to be better. I think it's just little by little, game by game."
