Pirates capitalize on bold decision by executing crucial double steal

With an opportunity to match a season-long winning streak and a chance to knock off the best team in baseball, the Pirates didn't just sit back and let things play out after two baserunners reached with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night. They saw an opportunity to be aggressive in a crucial situation and made a bold decision to take two extra bases with a game-changing double steal that helped lead the Pirates to an 8-7 victory over the visiting Phillies at PNC Park. 

Michael A. Taylor and Andrew McCutchen were at the forefront of the risky play, as Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado set his focus on Bryan Reynolds, who already owned three hits entering the late at-bat. Prior to delivering an 0-1 pitch, Alvarado glanced over at McCutchen, but didn't appear to check back on Taylor at second. He delivered a cutter low and inside to Reynolds, forcing catcher Garrett Stubbs to go down near the dirt to collect it. Then, with Reynolds occupying the right-handed batter's box, Stubbs delivered a difficult throw to third that arrived too late for Alec Bohm to apply the tag, allowing Taylor and McCutchen to quickly move into scoring position:

The mastermind behind the aggressive baserunning decision, according to Derek Shelton, was none other than first-base coach Tarrik Brock, who evidently noticed the advantage two baserunners like Taylor and McCutchen would have in a double-steal situation. 

"It was a good call by T-Brock. He picked up on it and knew where they were at," Shelton said. "We had the right people on base. Michael is a good baserunner, he got a good read and had the ability to time him. In a situation where we thought we were going to take a chance, we took a good chance. T-Brock did a really nice job with that." 

There were obvious risks associated with the call, especially considering there were no outs in the inning. If it doesn't work out and Taylor is gunned down at third, it's likely criticism would have been directed towards the Pirates' coaching staff for rolling the dice with the game on the line. But, in this specific instance, the gamble paid off and ultimately led to this game-tying infield single by Oneil Cruz... 

... and, more importantly, this Nick Gonzales single that helped extend the Pirates' winning streak to five games with an important come-from-behind victory to open up the second half of the season: 

"I think this was a big win coming out of the break just because of the fact you go into the break and play well," said Shelton, whose team has now won seven of its last eight games and sits a half-game behind the Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League. "To come out and play as complete a game as we did and do all the little things we needed to do, yeah, really excited about how they responded."

There were aggressive baserunning decisions made throughout this particular game. Some paid off and one in particular didn't. McCutchen and Joshua Palacios went first to third on singles into the outfield in the first and sixth innings, respectively, and Cruz managed to get from second to third on a groundout right in front of him before eventually getting a correct read on a Rowdy Tellez liner and scoring a run on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. They weren't flashy, but they were significant, heads-up plays when the Pirates needed them. While those three instances served as examples of the former, Cruz made another decision that didn't pan out, as he attempted to tag up to second base on a fly ball hit to left field in the seventh. He was originally ruled safe on the play before a replay review determined he was out: 

Shelton acknowledged that during this recent stretch of winning baseball, the Pirates have been able to find consistent ways to generate offense throughout their lineup as of late. One through nine, guys are contributing in more ways than one. But, as important as offense is, smart and aggressive baserunning has been and needs to continue to be key to the team's overall success.

"I think we're doing a really good job with running the bases. Really doing a good job of making sure we take the extra base," Shelton said. "Even Palacios on that ball hit through the middle, no hesitation going to third base. Just being aggressive on the bases, and that's important for us to give us a situation where we don't need a hit. Maybe we just need the ball in play."