The fifth, sixth and seventh hitters in Saturday’s Pittsburgh Pirates lineup went 7-for-10 at the plate, but, outside of John Jaso hitting leadoff, the rest of the lineup couldn’t deliver.
It was that middle of the order that was responsible for the lone run scored in the Pirates’ first loss of the season, a 5-1 defeat against the Cincinnati Reds.
This game mirrored Friday’s win in many ways, but it was missing the big, crucial, timely hit.
There were times in Saturday’s game where the Reds appeared disinterested, but, instead of capitalizing, the Pirates continued to end innings by hitting into double plays.
Shortstop Jordy Mercer, a hero in Friday’s game, was certainly not that a day later. Mercer went 0-for-4 and was responsible for two separate double plays.
Pitcher Gerrit Cole, who got his first start this season after suffering inflammation around the rib during spring training, clearly struggled early, throwing over 20 pitches and giving up two earned runs in just the first inning. His location was inconsistent, and that first inning cost Cole; he didn’t it through five innings before he was removed having thrown 100 pitches.
As Cole’s outing progressed, so did his confidence and his stuff, but it too little too late as the Reds continued to have the upper hand.
This loss falls on the Pirates offense, however. Sure, Kyle Lobstein giving up a two-run home run to Eugenio Suarez in the seventh inning was an exclamation point on the game, but the Pirates just couldn’t capitalize on their 10 hits.
Jaso, perhaps, had the most baffling play of the game. Standing on second with pinch-hitter Matt Joyce on third with no outs, Andrew McCutchen hit a ground ball to Reds first baseman Joey Votto. Instead of waiting, Jaso kept his head down and ran toward third base. Votto got the sure out at first and quickly assessed the situation. He saw that Joyce wasn’t going toward home plate but that Jaso was off the bag at second. Votto fired, and second base umpire Kerwin Danley ruled Jaso out.
Manager Clint Hurdle asked for a replay, but the call stood. Hurdle told reporters after the game that Joyce did the right thing not running with no outs because running could have brought a triple play in the mix had McCutchen hit a line drive. This essentially was a concession that Jaso made a base running error.
The Pirates haven’t shown much power so far in the season, and this wasn’t expected to be a get-the-ball-over-the-fence type of club. As a result, this Pirates team will have to be more patient at the plate, which they have done well to start the year. However, this style of play means the Pirates need to capitalize on every opportunity that presents itself, which they just couldn’t do Saturday.
Now, at 4-1 on the season, the Pirates have to regroup. After all, Jeff Locke makes his 2016 debut Sunday afternoon, and he owns a 3.32 ERA in 11 career starts against the Reds. To win this series, the Pirates will need to cash in on offensive opportunities and support Locke.
Image credit: Blackngold29
