In a game against the Brewers, Aroldis Chapman faced his former Yankees teammate Gary Sánchez. After three consecutive fastballs, Sánchez recognized the pattern and adjusted accordingly, anticipating another fastball. His intuition paid off as he connected with a 101.9 mph sinker, sending it soaring over PNC Park’s right-field wall for a crucial go-ahead home run in the eighth inning.
Reflecting on the hit, Sánchez admitted, “To be honest, I surprised myself when I made contact there.” Despite acknowledging it as a good pitch, he expressed happiness at being able to connect with it.
Following their victory on Monday, which snapped a six-game losing streak, the Pirates had an opportunity to assert themselves early in the season with a series win against the top team in the National League Central. However, they ultimately settled for a series split.
“It’s disappointing,” remarked Keller. “We had a chance to take three out of four. Splitting the series is okay, but missing out on potential wins is frustrating. We all share responsibility for it. We just need to step up and improve.”
Many of the issues plaguing the Pirates have persisted throughout this early part of the season. Chapman, in particular, has struggled with control problems in recent weeks, yielding eight runs (six earned) and issuing nine walks in his last six outings spanning just 3 2/3 innings. Although he didn’t walk a batter on Thursday, he did unleash a four-seam fastball for a wild pitch earlier in the inning.
The defensive plays attempted by Suwinski and Reynolds would have required diving grabs, but Suwinski’s ball had a 65 percent catch probability, and Reynolds’ had a 90 percent chance. Suwinski couldn’t hold onto the catch after colliding with the ground, while Reynolds appeared to struggle to read the ball off the bat.
Manager Derek Shelton acknowledged, “Both of those would have been really good plays.”
Despite the offseason acquisition of Michael A. Taylor, the expectation was for the outfield defense to be a strength for the Pirates. However, as of Thursday, Pirates outfielders ranked last in baseball with -8 outs above average.
“I think the early growing pains were due to the fact that we had three center fielders out there,” Shelton commented before Wednesday’s game. “They were all accustomed to going after the ball, and it’s something we needed to address and clarify a bit. We had to make it clear that Michael’s the center fielder now, and if he goes for the ball, let him go.”
Regarding the Reynolds play, it’s likely that the outcome would have been different had Tellez thrown out William Contreras in the third inning. Tellez intercepted a throw from Reynolds and seemed to have Contreras trapped between second and third. However, after a brief hesitation, Contreras managed to outmaneuver the relay to third. Hoskins then singled home Contreras in the subsequent at-bat.
“He hesitated too long,” Shelton remarked. “He should have made the throw.”
Ultimately, despite the series split, the Pirates find themselves at .500 one month into the season. While it’s not the worst start, it’s clear they let a winnable game and series slip away on Thursday. As they often emphasized during their early series victories, banking those wins is crucial.