PITTSBURGH — Another pregame runup filled with a focus on the future and positivity. Another game that left much to be desired, the Pirates very much stuck in the middle of a horrendous stretch.
This time, however, with the ink still drying on No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes’ contract, the Guardians disposed of the Pirates in a hurry, scoring four runs seven pitches into the game and cruising to a 10-1 victory at PNC Park, extending the Pirates’ losing streak to five games.
Making his first start since the All-Star Game, Mitch Keller did not fare well at all. Cleveland hitters ambushed him, almost like they knew what was coming, and the Guardians once again looked nothing like the powerless outfit they’ve been purported to be.
Meanwhile, the need to figure out how to stop the bleeding — and quick. They’ve lost 12 of 14 in July and 24 of 31 overall. It feels like their 4-24 stretch from 2019 all over again, and that one produced a total house cleaning in the offseason.
That’s unlikely to happen this time around, but the Pirates should be more genuinely concerned about their offense than they seemingly are.
“I believe the team is capable of playing better,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said before the game. “But talk is cheap. We have to do it.”
The Pirates most decidedly did not. A night after Quinn Priester looked really good through three before the bottom fell out, the problems started almost immediately in this one.
Shortstop Amed Rosario got things going for Cleveland by slapping a single through the right side on a 1-0 cutter from Keller. That put the Guardians ahead by one before they blew it open two batters later.
First baseman Josh Naylor, who was one of three Guardians with a homer in the series opener, took Keller deep on a first-pitch curveball at the bottom of the zone, cranking it to right-center.
After it looked like Keller might actually get out of the inning, center fielder Myles Straw tacked on another run on a play that featured the third mistake in four games for Henry Davis in right field.
Straw served an 0-2 fastball into shallow right field. Davis once again bobbled the ball, allowing former Pirate Josh Bell to score easily. Despite playing just 22 games in right field, Davis (3) now leads all Pirates outfielders in errors.
Bell, who signed a free agent deal with the Guardians this offseason, exacted more revenge against his former team two innings later. Keller threw him a first-pitch cutter middle-in, and Bell launched it to the top of the right-field seats for a 7-0 Guardians advantage.
Cleveland tacked on one more run in the fourth when left fielder Steven Kwan doubled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a ground ball to second base.
The Pirates got their only run two innings later, when Connor Joe connected for his first home run since May 30, a solo shot that snapped the Pirates’ scoreless stretch at 14 innings. Joe got a 2-2 changeup on the outer part of the plate and blasted it 419 feet into the bullpens.
ON THE MOUND
It certainly wasn’t Keller’s night, as evidence by his ugliest pitching line of the season: 10 hits and eight earned runs allowed in six innings.
Keller’s velocity was down a tick, and the Guardians obviously made a bunch of loud contact against him. However, it will be interesting if Keller and manager Derek Shelton think it was more a function of poorly executed pitchers or Cleveland hitters knowing what was coming.
Either through Keller tipping or Endy Rodriguez setting up too early. But it’s been a long time since Keller had been hit this hard.
AT THE PLATE
As much hype as there was Monday night for Endy Rodriguez and Liover Peguero, the results have been really bad. Nick Gonzales has also been quietly lately; he doubled in the first game of this series but came into Tuesday hitting .111 over his past seven.
Those three combined to go 0 for 9 on Tuesday, striking out eight times and leaving four men on base.
Jared Triolo singled in the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. The Pirates third baseman, who made a couple of slick defensive plays, has hits in 12 of his past 13.
Bryan Reynolds’ continued his rough July. In 13 games this month, Reynolds is hitting just .154 after going 0 for 4 on Tuesday. The Pirates left fielder has also struck out 13 times during that stretch.
UP NEXT
Rich Hill will start for the series finale against Cleveland. Hill is 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA in his last four starts versus the Guardians.
