Jared Jones knew the last one was bad. Sunday’s outing was worse.
The Pirates right-hander was charged with a career-high eight earned runs in Pittsburgh’s 11-1 loss to the Mets at PNC Park, lasting just nine outs before Evan Sisk took over in the fourth inning. Jones was tagged for six hits, three walks, two hit batters and a two-run homer to center field by Luis Robert Jr. in the third.
“Got behind just about everybody,” Jones said. “Feel like I really couldn’t control any at bats. Stuff just got away from me, and I couldn’t make an adjustment.”
It was another rough step back after a strong July, when Jones posted a 2.00 ERA across five starts, with six walks and 33 strikeouts in 27 innings. But his last two turns have gone sideways.
Last Tuesday in Milwaukee, he worked only four innings but allowed three runs in a 4-2 loss that was hardly all on him. This one was different.
This one put the Pirates in a hole early and never let them breathe.
Jones’ fastball was down nearly 1 mph again, and the Mets kept finding hard contact off it. His ERA climbed to 5.03, and Pittsburgh’s starting pitching problems only grew louder.
“It seemed from the beginning, command didn't seem to be there,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.
That’s been a brutal theme since the All-Star break. The Pirates have a 5.59 ERA from their starting pitchers in that span, one of the worst marks in baseball, and Sunday only added to the damage. Pittsburgh wrapped up a stretch of 17 games in 17 days with a 5-12 record, falling from three games over .500 after the Yankees series to four games under at 58-62.
The offense didn’t offer much help, either, especially against left-hander Sean Manaea. The Pirates have had repeated trouble against lefty starters this season, and this was one of the ugliest examples yet. Manaea struck out 11 over seven innings of one-run ball, including six straight at one point, and Pittsburgh never found a rhythm against him.
“That was a tough one,” Kelly said. “We have to find a way to be better there. We weren’t able to get anything going offensively.”
The Pirates are now 10-26 against left-handed starters. Manaea gave up Jake Mangum’s solo home run, a Bryan Reynolds double and a harmless single from Ronny Simon in the sixth, and that was about it.
New York got going right away. The Mets scored twice in the first on a single from right fielder Carson Benge and a sacrifice fly, then stretched the lead to 5-0 after three when Robert launched a 1-0 four-seamer down 408 feet at 108.3 mph and Marcus Semien followed with a 3-0 fastball single to middle-in.
Jones hit one batter and walked two to open the fourth, and that was enough for Kelly to go to the bullpen. Sisk entered and immediately ran into trouble, allowing a bases-clearing double to third baseman Bo Bichette on a two-strike curveball that caught too much of the plate.
From there, the Mets kept adding on. First baseman Jared Young singled home a run in the fourth, and catcher Francisco Alvarez homered off Kirby Yates in the fifth.
The result left the Pirates 5.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, and it also wiped away whatever good feeling had followed Saturday night’s blowout win just 16 hours earlier.
“Any time you're playing 17 in 17 is tough,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to find a way to bounce back. Got the off day [Monday] and have a big series coming up in Miami.”
In Other News...
Termarr Johnson Just Suffered A Brutal Setback For The Pirates
Termarr Johnsons season took a harsh turn on Aug. 8 in Triple-A, when the Pirates prospect was hurt during Indianapolis game against Iowa. Johnson had been working through an uneven year at the plate, though he had begun to show some improvement in recent months, making the timing of the setback especially frustrating for a player trying to build momentum.
The injury came on a play at first base and quickly turned serious enough to bring out a cart and an air cast. For a Pirates system that has been watching Johnson closely, the concern now shifts from his recent offensive progress to the much bigger question of how long he might be sidelined and what the injury means for his development going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Just Walked Away From A Pitching Decision Fans Will Debate
Mike Clevingers brief run in the Pirates organization ended after he exercised the opt-out language in his minor league deal and was let go, leaving him free to look for another landing spot. Pittsburgh had brought him in before Spring Training, hoping a veteran arm with a long track record could help deepen the pitching mix, but he spent the season at Triple-A Indianapolis instead of forcing his way into the big-league picture.
At Indianapolis, Clevinger worked out of the bullpen and continued to lean on the varied arsenal that has long been part of his profile, even after moving away from starting. The results were uneven, and the Pirates ultimately chose not to keep him in the system once the opt-out came into play, a call that will invite plenty of second-guessing from fans who like to debate whether a club gave up on a pitcher too soon. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Bullpen Decision Is Getting Harder To Ignore In The Playoff Race
The Pirates bullpen churn has become hard to ignore as the NL Central race tightens, and Ron Marinaccio is the latest example of how quickly relief help can come and go. Pittsburgh brought him in from the Padres on July 23, gave him a short look in four games, and saw him allow four runs in 5 1/3 innings before the next roster move put him back on the wire.
Marinaccio was designated for assignment and then claimed by the Reds on August 6, with his final appearance coming against Cincinnati. For the Pirates, the sequence only adds to the pressure of sorting out late-inning options at a time when every bullpen decision carries extra weight, while the Reds get a fresh arm that could end up mattering in the same division race. [Read more 🡒]