The Pirates opened a crucial homestand Friday night with a loss that came down to the smallest details, and they paid for every one of them.
Pittsburgh dropped a 3-2 decision to Chicago in 10 innings, with a bases-loaded walk sending the Cubs home with the win. The game featured two costly baserunning mistakes by Henry Davis and a throw at the plate that barely beat Ian Happ, turning a tense series opener into a lesson in how thin the margins get when the calendar tightens.
“Yeah, they can,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said after the game when asked about the plays in the margins deciding the outcome. “... We just have to play better baseball.”
The timing made the loss sting even more. The Pirates have already gone through six straight series against opponents with a .500 or better record, and now they’re in a six-game homestand against two clubs sitting ahead of them in the NL Wild Card race.
With two games left against Chicago, the top Wild Card team, and three against Arizona, the third-place team, Pittsburgh had a chance to make a statement right away. Instead, the first swing at that opportunity slipped away.
The decisive sequence came in the top of the 10th. Kelly intentionally walked Pete Crow-Armstrong while Yohan Ramírez was on the mound, then Ramírez walked Seiya Suzuki to force in the go-ahead run and make it a two-run game. The Pirates answered with a run in the bottom half, but they still needed another to keep the game going.
That earlier run came on a play at the plate that put Chicago ahead 2-1. Ian Happ scored from second on a single to center by Jake Mangum, and Mangum’s throw gave Davis a chance to make a tag at the plate.
Mangum said he was trying to deliver either a long hop or no hop, and the throw was right where it needed to be. Davis, though, read it wrong and moved too far up the third-base line instead of meeting the ball in front of the plate.
“It was a perfect throw,” Davis said. “When it came out of his hand, I thought it was further up the line than it was, and made a gut decision to go up. And it was the wrong one.”
Happ appeared to get his foot over the plate, and Kelly challenged the call. The ruling stood, and Chicago kept the edge.
Davis was also caught in another costly moment earlier in the game. Pittsburgh had something brewing in the third after Davis walked and Mangum singled, but Davis was thrown out at third for the final out when Nico Hoerner made a diving stop on Nick Gonzales’ single and fired behind him. Davis said he didn’t pick up Tony Beasley’s instruction to slow down quickly enough and overran the base.
Then, four innings later, Davis tried to tag up on a fly ball to left field off Gonzales and was cut down by a perfect throw from Happ.
“In that moment, I thought that it was the right move to go,” Kelly said. “Took a great throw, right on the money to get him and unfortunately, Happ made a throw and he was out. There’s just some things throughout the game that we need to be better at.”
The Pirates still had chances because Jared Jones matched Matthew Boyd in a sharp pitching duel, and Pittsburgh’s bullpen covered the final three innings with Wilber Dotel, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto. But the offense left eight runners on base, and the one-run loss ended a night where the Pirates had enough pitching to win and not enough clean execution to finish it.
“Every game in this league is tough. This league will eat you alive if you get too emotional night in and night out,” Mangum said.
In Other News...
Pirates Suddenly Look Serious About A Bullpen Move Fans Have Wanted
The Pirates are reportedly in the mix for one of the markets most electric bullpen arms, with San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller drawing real interest ahead of the trade deadline. Miller has been dominant this season, the kind of late-inning weapon a contender can build around, and Pittsburgh is said to be weighing whether it wants to pay the kind of price such a pitcher commands.
What makes this pursuit notable is the level of talent the Pirates may have to put on the table to get it done, with major league pieces and prospects both in the conversation. No deal has been confirmed, but the fact that Pittsburgh is seriously exploring a move for a high-end closer suggests the front office is at least considering a far bolder bullpen upgrade than fans have been used to seeing. [Read more 🡒]
Endy Rodrguez Finally Took A Step Pirates Fans Needed To See
Endy Rodrguez finally got back into game action with Triple-A Indianapolis, and for the Pirates that alone was a meaningful checkpoint in a return that has been handled carefully from the start. The catcher went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in his rehab debut, then said he felt healthy afterward, which is exactly the kind of update Pittsburgh has been waiting for as it tries to bring him back the right way.
The next step is less about one rehab box score than about how Rodrguez holds up as the workload increases. Pittsburgh wants him fully ready before he rejoins the major league club, and the club will keep easing him along while the catching picture shifts around him, giving him a path back without rushing the process. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Make Another Lineup Tweak With Bats Under Pressure Again
The Pirates shuffled their infield again for Fridays matchup with the Cubs, moving Nick Gonzales to second base, Jacob Gonzalez to shortstop and Jared Triolo over to third. Ryan OHearn was the only holdover from the previous games lineup, a reminder of how much manager Don Kelly has been searching for the right mix as the offense tries to find some traction.
The alignment was built with Chicago left-hander Shota Imanaga in mind, and Pittsburgh is hoping the new look can do more than just patch together a batting order for one night. Jacob Gonzalez, acquired from the White Sox on July 10, is making his fourth start at shortstop while filling in for injured Konnor Griffin, and the Pirates are leaning on a setup they already used in a 7-1 win over Cleveland on July 19. [Read more 🡒]