Pirates Series Takeaways: Needed 2 of 3, Endy Back in Big Way, Thoughts on Openers
PITTSBURGH — Games in the middle of May might not seem like they’re very important, but in a division that’s been as tight as the National League Central through the first seven weeks of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates can’t afford to lose ground.
With the Colorado Rockies in town, the Pirates needed to find a way to come out with a series win.
Things started out great. Paul Skenes was just about untouchable in eight-scoreless innings in a win on Tuesday night. It looked like the Pirates were on their way to a second straight win until the wheels fell off in the second game of the series, which ended in a 10-4 loss.
But the Pirates came out swinging in Thursday’s rubber match. They scored three runs in the first — two on a Ryan O’Hearn home run — three in the third and tacked on another in the fifth and totaled 12 hits in a 7-2 win.
Pittsburgh, for a long time, has been a bad team that good teams would often beat up. Now, the 24-20 Pirates have the look of a pretty good team, and winning a series against an inferior opponent might not seem like much, but it’s essential if they want to end up where they want to be when the season ends.
“I think yesterday was a tough game to lose,” manager Don Kelly said after Thursday’s win. “We’ve talked about it throughout the season, being able to bounce back. To come up in the first inning, set the tone like that and put three across, O’Hearn with the big home run, and then continue to grind at-bats out, I think that is the big key. When we’re clicking, we’re getting those big base hits, it’s nice to have.”
A couple more takeaways after taking two of three from the Rockies.
Endy Back in Big Way
The Pirates haven’t received much offense from their catchers this season, but Endy Rodríguez changed that in his season debut on Thursday.
Playing in his first game with the Pirates since last year on June 6 after undergoing a second significant elbow surgery, Rodríguez had a big hand in the win. Rodríguez lined a double to right field in his first trip to the plate. In his second at-bat, he shot a single through the middle to plate a pair of runs. He finished 2 for 3 and also drew a walk.
“The last couple years, as we know, dealing with the injuries and the way that he’s gone through it and gone about it with the attitude that he has, the energy. He’s so positive,” said Kelly. “It’s really cool to see him have that game today.”
In addition to what he provided offensively, Rodríguez did a fine job handling a unique game behind the plate.
The Pirates went with an opener in Mason Montgomery. He was followed by Evan Sisk, who covered the second inning, Carmen Mlodzinski, who got the Pirates through the seventh, and Dennis Santana and Yohan Ramírez, who handled the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
“It went great, It was good to see him back out there,” Mlodzinski said after working with Rodríguez. “I know it’s been a little bit of a grind for him with the last few years, with some injuries to his arm. I think at the end of the day, everybody’s just happy he’s back in the big leagues. I think he’s a special player.”
For Rodríguez, he was happy to make his much-anticipated return to the Pirates. His big performance was the cherry on top.
“It feels pretty good to be back,” he said after the game.
Speaking of Openers
I’ve seen a lot of controversy about openers on social media, but each time the Pirates have used one, the gameplan seems to always work.
The first instance this year was when Montgomery opened for Mlodzinski on April 15 against the Washington Nationals, a game the Pirates won 2-0.
They used Montgomery in the first inning again on April 27. He threw a scoreless-first, which was followed by a 1-2-3 second inning from Justin Lawrence and four-perfect innings from Mlodzinski. The Pirates had a 2-0 lead that game heading into the ninth, but Dennis Santana allowed four runs for a blown save.
When they’ve used an opener, the Pirates are 2-1, and their record should be 3-0 in such games.
“I think it’s the mindset and the attitude and how they go about it,” Kelly said when asked why the strategy works. “Carmen, he’s come out of the ‘pen before, but he’s been starting all year. So to take that mindset out to the ‘pen and come in in the middle of the game in both outings, he’s been really, really good.”
Mlodzinski admitted it’s not easy following in opener, and I understand some of his frustration. But so far, the strategy has largely worked, and the Pirates should continue to do it when opportunities arise.
Look at Thursday’s game. The hot-hitting Mickey Moniak, who bats left-handed, slid down to the sixth spot in the lineup. It didn’t matter much in this one, but potentially taking away a late at-bat from a lineup’s top hitter could pay dividends.
I’m for the opener when it makes sense, and Montgomery/Mlodzinski — sometimes separated by a reliever — is a formula that’s worked.
“It’s important for me to be able to do my job and I’m happy with being able to successfully do that,” said Montgomery.
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