On Friday night, the Pirates lost a heartbreaker in the opener of a crucial three game set against division rival Cincinnati in one of the most crushing losses for the Pirates in recent memory. Everything was going the Bucs way: Francisco Liriano had shut down the Reds, allowing just 2 runs over 8 fantastic frames, the offense picked him up behind back-to-back homers by Jose Tabata and Neil Walker to lead off the game, and the best reliever in the National League, Mark Melancon, was on the bump in the ninth.
That’s when things took a nightmarish turn for the worse. With two outs and a runner on second in the ninth, shortstop Jordy Mercer made a throwing error that allowed Ryan Ludwick to score, making it 5-3 Pirates. Billy Hamilton was subbed in for the Reds in a key move, and after a few infield singles, Hamilton had come around to score the tying run to stun the home team and their fans. Joey Votto homered for the Reds in the tenth, and when the Pirates couldn’t answer in the bottom half, disbelief spread throughout Pittsburgh as the Reds moved to within a tie for the first wild card for the first time in three months.
The loss was disheartening, to be sure, but if the Pirates want to make a postseason run to remember then they need to use that game as a learning lesson and prepare accordingly for the next time the situation calls for someone to step up. Although a three-run ninth inning lead might seem safe during the regular season, in the playoffs it is a different playing field with much more at stake and no lead is ever safe, no matter how large. Mercer made a costly mistake, and everyone makes mistakes. Starling Marte had the drop against the Cardinals in another pivotal game. But if the Bucs want to really take that extra step to the upper tier of major league baseball then everyone on the roster needs to step up and make plays. Pitchers need to hit their spots. Infielders need to make the routine plays as well as tough ones. Outfielders need to be alert and throw to the right bases and play the right angles. Even Clint Hurdle and the coaching staff need to be on top of their game even for the team to be in a position to win each game.
The loss from Friday night stings, but in the grand scheme of things it may end up being a blessing for the Pirates as they head to their first postseason in 20 years.
