While rain has fallen all day in Pittsburgh, there will still be a baseball game at PNC Park as the Pittsburgh Pirates play host to the Colorado Rockies for the second of a three-game series.
This afternoon, Jonathon Niese (4-2, 5.28 ERA) will pitch against Tyler Chatwood (5-3, 3.20 ERA).
Niese is 3-3 with a 5.64 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rockies. This season hasn’t been kind to him — he’s tied for third in the National League in home runs allowed (11) and ranks among NL leaders with 27 earned runs surrendered and four wild pitches thrown. On the other side of the mound, Chatwood leads the NL with a 0.33 road ERA and also ranks among league leaders with a 1.27 day-game ERA. He hasn’t allowed an earned run on the road in 24.2 innings.
Defense, defense and more defense
Prior to Friday night’s game, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle praised his defense for improving in some areas, but he wasn’t completely satisfied. However, while last season was disappointing defensively, this season has certainly been a return to the norm.
“We understand the commitment you need to have to it,” Hurdle said. “It all comes with the package that pitching and defense wins championships. Our guys take it very seriously and work hard at it. They get big kicks out (of) it for one another when certain individuals are able to step up and do special things. It’s a wonderful vacuum to be in when guys are truly appreciative of other skills that other individuals have on the team.”
Last night was a chance to show those skills of, and several players made above-average plays at their position, most notably Starling Marte gunning down Dustin Garneau in the seventh inning.
“I’ve watched Marte play since he was 20 years old, and he’s done that so many times,” said pitcher Jared Hughes. “Watching from the bullpen, we’re hoping someone runs on him so we can witness his arm.”
The defensive outfield has been a focus and pride of the Pirates because of the speed and ability to make plays, and this season, that defense has been afford more opportunities to make plays because of a more shallow infield.
“We have a staff that predominantly uses two-seam fastballs, which gets the ball on the ground, so, in actuality, a high percentage of balls are getting to the outfield on the ground,” Hurdle said. “When fly balls are being hit, they aren’t being hit as far as four-seam fastballs. It also accentuates outfield arms and arm accuracy. Then there was the black-and-white numbers which came up with runs that cost us over the top, extra bases that were taken, balls in the gap that were not able to be cut off because we were playing deeper.”
This season, there has been an increased focus on defense, with players holding each other accountable for improvement.
“We have an all-round defense,” Hughes said. “You saw last night that Gerrit Cole threw seven innings and didn’t strike anybody out, which means he was putting the ball in play. The defense got him through, and one run was scored at the end of the day. That’s just a testament to how hard our defense has worked to get better.”
Strike zone could affect game
Friday, there was talk of rule changes that would affect the game next season. One involved reducing the strike zone and ending it at the top of a batter’s knees and the other mentioned eliminating the need for four pitches to be thrown when issuing an intentional walk. These changes were approved by the MLB Competition Committee.
Ultimately, for these rules to be changed, the rules committee will need to approve them (the players might not have a say.) It’s worth noting that Dec. 1, 2016, is the expiration date of the current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement.
A concern over the change in strike zone would be the tampering of baseball’s efforts to make the game quicker. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred (and Bud Selig before him) has focused on speeding up the pace of games, potentially increasing the number of fans who attend each game. Arguably, this new strike zone could lengthen games and potentially increase the risk of injuries as pitchers try to pitch to a more precise target.
Hurdle wasn’t quite sure what to make of the rule.
“Baseball is one of the games I enjoy going out to because there is not a clock,” he said. “We’re also trying to be representative of the entertainment value for the family. (We’re just trying) to be efficient and not have pause time. I don’t think you will know if it will be faster or quicker until you put it in play.”
Today’s lineups
Pirates (23-18)
- John Jaso 1B
- Starling Marte CF
- Gregory Polanco LF
- Jung Ho Kang 3B
- Francisco Cervelli C
- Matt Joyce RF
- Josh Harrison 2B
- Jordy Mercer SS
- Jonathon Niese P
Rockies (20-21)
- Charlie Blackmon CF
- Trevor Story SS
- Nolan Arenado 3B
- Mark Reynolds 1B
- Ryan Raburn LF
- Gerardo Parra RF
- DJ LeMahieu 2B
- Tony Wolters C
- Tyler Chatwood P
Bottom of the ninth
Andrew McCutchen won’t be in the lineup today. Hurdle said the decision was made Friday night before the team knew how wet the field would be. In a similar vein, the Rockies are sitting Carlos Gonzalez … The Pirates have scored runs in the first inning in four of the last five games this homestand … The Rockies have lost their previous eight games against the Pirates.
