If there were ever positive vibes heading into a Pirates game, Saturday’s matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays had them.
The Pirates held a full pregame ceremony to honor their inaugural team Hall of Fame class, with team legends Steve Blass, Bill Mazeroski and Dave Parker on the field, and family members of other famed former Pirates like Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Ralph Kiner and Honus Wagner there too. It all served as a reminder of the years past when the Pirates reached mountaintops on the backs of their all-time best players.
Unfortunately, the 2022 Pirates aren’t on track to reach any mountaintops.
They started the game strong on the back of rookie right-hander Roansy Contreras and an RBI triple from rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz, but the late innings didn’t do the Pirates any favors in a 4-1 loss.
Namely, the seventh inning treated the Pirates unkindly. Right-handed reliever Duane Underwood Jr., entered in a tie game, spelling Contreras after six one-run innings. He got a quick out before a single put some danger on the base paths. Then the pitch count started ticking up.
Underwood issued a full-count walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., pitched into another full count before striking out Teoscar Hernandez, then walked Matt Chapman in yet another full count. That was just the appetizer, as Underwood proceeded to lose a 10-pitch battle against Bo Bichette, who roped a bases-clearing double into the left field corner for the game-deciding play.
Underwood left immediately afterward having needed 37 pitches to get just the two outs, facing six batters along the way.
“We’ve got to avoid the two walks,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s got to execute pitches. The Bichette at-bat was a heck of an at-bat by Bichette, but Duane’s just got to execute pitches.”
The Pirates would go on to threaten in the eighth, putting runners on the corners with two outs, but rookie outfielder Jack Suwinski, representing the potential game-tying run, struck out swinging for the third time in the game.
As stated, those late-inning shortcomings squandered another really strong start from Contreras. Against a lineup that is top five in all slash-line categories in MLB this season, he didn’t necessarily tear through them, but he danced around most trouble he faced.
Two walks and strikeout and wild pitch put two on with two outs in the first, but Contreras forced an easy flyout to left. Two singles in the third were wiped away by a strikeout of Chapaman. In the fourth, Contreras did give up his lone run after two straight hits to start the inning and an RBI groundout plated one.
In total, though, Contreras stranded seven runners on base en route to a six-inning, one-run effort on four hits, two walks and five strikeouts.
“What I can say about that is that any time in a situation like that, just try to remain calm,” Contreras said. “Not try to focus on that stuff, but focus more on just executing my pitches and dominating the hitter.”
The Pirates just couldn’t keep the good vibes from Contreras and the pregame ceremony going, serving as yet another reminder in this long painful season that there is still a lot of work to do before anything resembling the glory years returns to Pittsburgh.
Hayes day-to-day
Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who left Friday’s game against the Blue Jays with an apparent shoulder injury, is being listed as day-to-day by the Pirates. Manager Derek Shelton said prior to Saturday’s game that Hayes has improved, but was still held out of the lineup as a precaution.
The Pirates are also currently without outfielder Ben Gamel, who is fighting through a foot issue at the moment and is also day-to-day. While the rosters just expanded to 28 men, giving the team some freedom to let injured players work through light ailments, having multiple players down is obviously not ideal.
“When you get into the point where multiple guys are day-to-day, that’s when we’ll have to make a decision there,” Shelton said. “We’re not at that point right now, but it gives you more flexibility than previously.”
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak
First Published: September 4, 2022, 2:25 a.m.
Updated: September 4, 2022, 12:17 p.m.