ATLANTA — The positive, glass-half-full storyline with the Pirates this season has been the infusion of youth, a bevy of rookies getting chances with the big club and actually doing something with them. Jack Suwinski, Roansy Contreras, Cal Mitchell and the recent addition of Travis Swaggerty. Even the conspicuous absence of Oneil Cruz has been a fun talking point.
On the flip side of that has been the offense, a fairly consistent sore spot for the club, the Pirates routinely staggering through sleepy stretches. That sort of thing happened again on Friday, as the Pirates produced too little too late during a 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, their second so far in this series and season-high-tying fourth in a row overall.
The Pirates (24-32) staged a two-run rally in the eighth inning, but that was it against the Braves, who have now won nine in a row and might be the hottest team in MLB. Worse, Pittsburgh did next to nothing against against right-hander Spencer Strider, a 23-year-old making just his third career start.
Strider’s inexperience hardly mattered. He delivered 5 2/3 scoreless innings, walking one and striking out eight before the Pirates finally got something against Atlanta’s bullpen.
Bryan Reynolds (2 hits) and Daniel Vogelbach cracked one-out singles in the eighth. Michael Chavis blistered a full-count sinker off Braves reliever Jackson Stephens that bounced over the fence for a book-rule double. Cal Mitchell’s sacrifice fly brought the Pirates to within two at 4-2.
Vogelbach and Chavis serve as prime studies of the Pirates’ occasional struggles at the plate. Solid as middle-of-the-order run producers at various points this season, they both came into this one ice cold. Vogelbach had been 4 for 33 over his last 11, striking out 12 times. Chavis was 2 for 20 with seven strikeouts over his past six games.
It was good to see those two get something. Reynolds, too. But the Pirates offense remains struck in a slower gear, with Pittsburgh totaling just 12 runs over its past six contests.
Atlanta grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a two-run home run from shortstop Dansby Swanson, who robbed his Vanderbilt teammate Reynolds with a fantastic, barehanded play in the top half of the frame.
With center fielder Michael Harris II on base after a one-out single, Swanson worked a full count and turned on a four-seam fastball from Roansy Contreras that was down and in, driving it off the left-field foul pole at 105.2 mph.
Second baseman Ozzie Albies extended Atlanta’s lead to 3-0 when the Braves staged another rally in the fourth inning. With catcher Travis d’Arnaud aboard, Albies went down and got an 0-2 slider from Contreras pulled it into the right-center gap.
First baseman Matt Olson made it a 4-0 game in the fifth inning when he pulled a full-count slider through the right side, nearly hitting Swanson.
Although Contreras has done a terrific job getting out of jams, often refocusing or adjusting quicker than most his age, he wasn’t able to avoid two-strike, two-out trouble; that’s how Atlanta got three of its four runs.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad outing for Contreras by any stretch. He worked 4 2/3 innings and allowed those four runs (three earned) on eight hits. He walked one, struck out seven and had a ridiculous number of whiffs — 18.
The tougher part for Contreras and the Pirates was that this came against a really hot team, and Contreras hasn’t been getting anything in the way of run support. This was his fourth start this season in the big leagues. The Pirates have scored just three runs during those 20 1/3 innings.
If there was one bit of good news to come out of Friday’s loss, it was the performance of Tyler Beede, a pitcher the Pirates claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on May 12.
Beede relieved Contreras and gave the Pirates 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits and a walk while dropping his season ERA to 3.86.
The Pirates took a chance on Beede because he’s a first-round pick with plenty of talent who not long ago returned from Tommy John surgery. Despite some limited usage, he has performed well in a bullpen role.
