SAN FRANCISCO — The Pirates elected to start Clay Holmes Friday night to grant an extra day off to their starting rotation. The starters got their rest, but the bullpen was hard at work.
The decision backfired. Holmes allowed seven runs without finishing the third inning in the Pirates’ 13-10 loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
The fallout extended beyond Holmes’ start. The Pirates optioned Dovydas Neverauskas to the minors to add Holmes to the active roster, meaning they carried six relievers into Friday’s game.
“I felt comfortable going in,” manager Clint Hurdle said of playing one reliever short. “Obviously the game can change things as you go. That was a decision we made beforehand, though, understanding that sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Casey Sadler, the long reliever who pitched the ninth inning Thursday night, was pressed into service — and batted with men on second and third and two outs in the fourth inning. He grounded out. He would bat again with a runner in scoring position.
“You’ve got the top of the fourth inning, it’s 7-2 and you’ve got runners at second and third,” Hurdle said. “If you get a hit, it’s 7-4 and you’re down three. Now you’re going to go to [Richard] Rodriguez for two innings, probably it’s going to take you to the fourth and fifth inning, and now you’re going to use three leverage relievers to try and get you six, seven, eight, if you get to pitch the ninth. At that point in time, that was a decision that I made to go the other way.”
The Giants’ large early lead also resulted in rest for Starling Marte and Jordy Mercer, who exited early as the game got out of hand. Francisco Cervelli’s grand slam in the seventh brought the Pirates closer, and Colin Moran broke his streak of 20 consecutive singles with an eighth-inning RBI triple, but the damage was done.
“What I see is we’re tough, man,” Cervelli said. “We’re tough, we don’t give up.”
The Pirates could have to add as many as two relievers from Class AAA Indianapolis Saturday because Holmes, who threw 66 pitches, and Sadler, who threw 62, might not be available for a couple of days. Jesus Liranzo, Tanner Anderson, Michael Feliz and Buddy Boshers, the lefty claimed off waivers this week, are options.
The rotation shift meant the newly acquired Chris Archer would not face the Chicago Cubs, who lead the NL Central, but instead the Atlanta Braves, whom the Pirates are chasing in the wild-card standings. The move was designed to give Archer, Jameson Taillon and Joe Musgrove, the three starters who pitched in Coors Field, an extra day of rest after pitching at altitude, which is why Monday’s scheduled off day would not suffice; Musgrove starts Sunday.
It also meant the Pirates would start a rookie with four career appearances in the thick of a wild-card race. The Pirates (60-57) are five games out of the second wild-card spot and eight back of the Cubs.
Holmes faced the entirety of the Giants lineup in the first inning. He didn’t fool anyone. Andrew McCutchen hit a hanging curveball over the high right-field wall for a leadoff home run. Buster Posey singled and took second when fastball popped out of Cervelli’s glove.
Evan Longoria grounded out, but the next three batters reached base. Brandon Crawford walked, and Austin Slater and Alen Hanson followed with RBI singles.
Joe Panik popped out and after intentionally walking Steven Duggar to bring pitcher Derek Holland to the plate, Holmes retired Holland to escape the inning down 3-0.
He would not escape the third.
Slater walked. Hanson struck out, but Panik singled. After another out, Holland singled to load the bases and Holmes walked McCutchen to force in a run. After a two-run single by Posey, Sadler entered and allowed another RBI single before ending the inning.
“You have to be ready when your name’s called, and I just didn’t make enough quality pitches tonight, wasn’t at my best tonight,” Holmes said. “Really no other excuses than that.”
Sadler gave up three more runs in the fourth, on four hits and a walk, and another in the fifth. Posey had four hits through four innings. Kyle Crick riled up his old team by hitting Evan Longoria and lacking control.
“You hit a guy with two strikes, I don’t assume people are like, oh, it was purposeful,” Crick said. “Game situation, we’re losing, you hit a guy, it doesn’t look great, but I don’t think I had any reason for a plunk.”
First Published: August 11, 2018, 6:00 a.m.
Updated: August 11, 2018, 12:14 p.m.
