The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent much of the time since the All-Star break searching for offense, but Wednesday’s 13-1 win over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park suggested they may finally have the right mix in place.
The bats were loud from the start. Pittsburgh hit four home runs, piled up 16 hits and drew four walks, and every hitter in the lineup reached base. The result not only kept the Pirates from getting swept, it also offered a clean look at what this group can be when it’s clicking.
A big part of that picture is Spencer Horwitz, who returned to the leadoff spot and gave the Pirates something they had been missing. Horwitz missed 43 games from June 25 to Aug. 1 because of a left hamstring injury and a concussion, and his first stretch back was uneven. Through his first nine games after returning, he managed just three hits in 30 at-bats and was slashing .100/.206/.133 for an OPS of .339.
Against the Marlins, though, he looked much closer to the player Pittsburgh wants setting the table. Horwitz went 2-for-6 for his first multi-hit game since coming back from injury. Before this outing, he had been far more productive in the leadoff role, hitting .276/.388/.469 for an OPS of .857 with five home runs, including four shots to lead off a game.
That kind of production matters for a club that needs someone to get on base early and start the offense rolling. It also gives center fielder Jake Mangum a chance to hit lower in the order and provide help later in games, which can lengthen the lineup in a useful way.
Jared Triolo has also started to give the Pirates what they’ve been looking for. His overall season has been uneven, but the second half has been a different story. In 23 games since the break, Triolo is hitting .319/.418/.404 with an .822 OPS, collecting 15 hits in 47 at-bats with one double, one home run, eight RBI, seven walks, 10 strikeouts and three stolen bases.
He added to that strong stretch against Miami with a solo homer in the fifth inning and a two-run, bases-loaded single in the sixth. That kind of production is exactly what Pittsburgh has wanted more of from him this season.
Triolo’s value goes beyond the bat, too. He gives the Pirates a better option at third base, where Nick Gonzales has struggled defensively despite being one of the team’s better hitters. In the win, Triolo played third while Gonzales handled second, and the infield turned three double plays.
The Pirates also need more offense against left-handed pitching, and Triolo’s right-handed bat gives them a chance to chip away at that problem while also bringing Gold Glove defense to the table.
Then there was Rafael Flores Jr., who delivered the kind of game Pittsburgh has been hoping to see from its catching position after Endy Rodríguez was lost to injury for the second time this season. Flores was a major factor in the win, helping Braxton Ashcraft work through a complete game on just 85 pitches while blasting two home runs and driving in six runs.
His first homer came against Marlins left-handed reliever John King, when he turned on a curveball down and inside and launched it 106.3 mph off the bat and 384 feet to left field. The second came off Marlins infielder Javier Sanoja, but the bigger takeaway was simple: Flores finally put together the kind of game the Pirates had in mind.
If Pittsburgh can keep getting that kind of right-handed power from Flores, it would give the lineup a needed lift, especially when facing southpaws.
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