PITTSBURGH — Vince Velasquez hopped off the mound, pumped both of his fists and let out a guttural scream, the right-hander clearly disinterested in hiding his emotions after a strikeout of Reds third baseman Jason Vosler on a slider in the seventh inning Sunday afternoon.
Can you blame Velasquez?
Not only were his seven shutout innings a primary driver of the Pirates’ 2-0 victory against the Reds, the home team extending its winning streak to seven games, but the 30-year-old longtime Phillie has really started to find comfort on the other part of the state.
Using a pared down repertoire Sunday, Velasquez racked up 10 strikeouts, the sixth time in his career he has fanned double-digits and the first since May 2018. Nine of them came on his slider, a pitch that has really evolved for him over the past three starts.
Overall, Velasquez pounded the strike zone — not always the easiest thing for him — by throwing 64 of his 100 pitches for strikes, with half of those either a called strike or whiff.
The outing continues a recent trend for Pirates starters and Velasquez, who gave up eight earned runs over his first two starts totaling 7⅓ innings (9.82 ERA). Yet, beginning April 13 at St. Louis, Velasquez has started three times, worked 19 innings and permitted just three earned runs, walking seven and striking out 19.
It’s certainly what the Pirates hoped would happen in this situation when they signed Velasquez in free agency, believing an opportunity to start would contribute to the pitcher discovering a little more consistency. The Tyler Anderson or Jose Quintana plan.
It certainly feels like that has happened, and Velasquez’s ascent has mirrored that of Pittsburgh’s starting rotation.
With what Velasquez did on Sunday to procure a sweep of Cincinnati, Pirates starters have enjoyed quality starts in 12 of 13. The lone outlier was Rich Hill going five innings and allowing one run Saturday — hardly a failing effort.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Pirates starters had the third-lowest ERA in MLB (2.90) since April, trailing only the Marlins (2.32) and Astros (2.82).
It’s been encouraging to see how Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras and Johan Oviedo have grown. Rich Hill has been solid, too. But it’s entirely possibly that no pitcher was as much of a wild card as Velasquez, who was truly dominant against the Reds on Sunday.
BIGGER PICTURE
Sunday’s sweep was already the Pirates’ third of the season and second in a row after scoring 33 runs over three wins in Denver. The last time Pittsburgh notched consecutive sweeps was Sept. 3-8, 2018 — five games total against the Reds and Marlins.
Their winning streak now sits at seven, which is the longest active one in MLB. It’s the longest for the Pirates since an 11-game jaunt July 11-24, 2018, with the Pirates outscoring opponents 44-15 during the seven-game stretch.
The Pirates are now 5-1 this season in one-run games, a credit to the starting pitching as much as the lockdown bullpen. After getting Saturday night off, Colin Holderman and David Bednar brought this one home for the Pirates (16-7).
AT THE PLATE
Another game, another loud swing from Ke’Bryan Hayes in the first inning. This one came on a 98 mph four-seam fastball over the middle of the plate, which Hayes drove the opposite way for a leadoff double. After Tucupita Marcano singled, Hayes scored when Andrew McCutchen hit into a double play.
Hayes has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, going 13 for 31 (.419) with three doubles, two triples and a home run.
Meanwhile, Jack Suwinski has been equally as impressive. He chewed through 17 pitches in his first two plate appearances, drawing two walks.
In the eighth, with the Pirates needing some breathing room, Suwinski doubled home Carlos Santana to make it a 2-0 game. The young outfielder also stole a pair of bases.
Jason Delay continued to give the Pirates something at the bottom of the order. He extended his hitting streak to four, during which he’s gone 6 for 14 (.429) with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.
UP NEXT
The Pirates are off Monday, concluding a stretch where they played 17 days in a row. Johan Oviedo will start the first game against the Dodgers and right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
