Even on a night where the Pirates collectively generated three runs on just five hits in what ultimately became a 10-3 loss to the Rays Friday night at PNC Park Friday, there doesn't appear to be any sense of a wavering spirit inside the clubhouse.
Players like Andrew McCutchen and Nick Gonzales expressed that they understand that less-than-stellar offensive stretches like the four games they've played so far on this current six-game homestand are a part of a long 162-game season and insist that the group is simply experiencing the ebbs and flows that come with it.
The 36-39 Pirates, Major League Baseball's 22nd-ranked team in terms of runs scored (302) and runs per game (4.01), have been held to four or less runs in four consecutive games and have been limited to five hits or less in three straight. Still, there is no urgency to press the panic button on June 21, especially after a stretch in which they won four of six games in Denver and at home against the Reds.
"I don't see that there needs to be anything that really needs to be done, it's just the way the game is being played," McCutchen told me Friday. "It's baseball in a nutshell. Sometimes you have close games that are going to be the like the 1-0's and sometimes you may lose a game like tonight, but there's no thought to be given. We're still playing good baseball and Colorado wasn't even a week ago, so we're in a good position. No one is panicking over here. Just one bad game tonight. Have to show up and get them tomorrow."
Offense has come in spurts for the Pirates upon returning to Pittsburgh from their six days in St. Louis and Colorado. In the first game of the Reds series on Monday, all of their runs in a 4-1 win were scored in the first two innings on doubles by Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, and a groundout off the bat of Ke'Bryan Hayes. The latter homered for the only run in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday and Reynolds went deep to lead the way in a 1-0 win on Wednesday.
On this night, a promising fourth inning featured three walks off starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot and timely hits in the form of an RBI single by Hayes and a run-scoring double by Jack Suwinski. Reynolds added a solo shot in the eighth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 18 games, but the run support wasn't nearly enough to overcome an already hefty deficit, one that might not have grown as large had the bats swung the momentum in their favor earlier when the bases were left loaded in the fourth. At that time, the Pirates had cut the lead in half at 4-2. But a pair of three-run homers from Josh Lowe and Ben Rortvedt in the sixth and ninth innings ended any hope of inching closer.
"If we had it all figured out, we'd all be Hall of Famers," McCutchen said. "I don't think we've figured it out yet. You just got to know how to play the game. Sometimes you're going to have close ones, sometimes you're going to run away with them. Sometimes you have to come from behind to win ball games, too. Just the way it goes in the game. Wash it off and get ready for the next one."
While Gonzales, who went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored in this latest loss, is still one of the youngsters within this group, he knows rough nights are inevitable. He himself has experienced some struggles throughout this homestand, as his sixth-inning single broke a three-game hitless streak that followed back-to-back two-hit games against the Rockies.
"I think it's just baseball and a long season," Gonzales said. "With the ups and the downs of it, I'm confident we're going to come back tomorrow, the next day and make the adjustments. Every player here is a professional and they're going to handle their business, so I'm not worried about it. It's a testament to the hard work we put in. We know the struggles come, but we just have to limit them as much as we can."
