PITTSBURGH — Perhaps one thing Roansy Contreras had been working on with Triple-A Indianapolis was learning how to survive without having all of his weapons working, a necessary skill for consistent success at this level.
While the Pirates have been secretive on the talented 22-year-old’s development, refusing to divulge details on target points over his past five-plus weeks in the minors, Contreras made his first MLB start since July 7 against the Red Sox on Wednesday and added to the winding narrative of his rookie season.
Clearly without his best stuff, the right-hander’s fastball sailing around the zone at times, Contreras did enough to keep the Pirates in the game. Although they suffered an 8-3 loss to the Red Sox at PNC Park, the bigger takeaway was the work of Contreras, who tied his career-high in innings pitched with six.
Contreras allowed four runs on six hits and four walks. He struck out three, delivered two wild pitches and basically became a two-pitch pitcher — fastball and slider — when he lacked feel for his curveball and changeup.
It was actually fairly impressive. And different than what happened to Contreras in his next-to-last start before the shutdown, with his fastball command an issue in that July 1 start and the Brewers tagging him for three home runs.
This time, Contreras found a secondary plan, one that centered around using his slider more, and he was able to bounce back following a 30-pitch second inning where he gave up three runs.
After giving up a run-scoring double to right-fielder Alex Verdugo in the fifth, which put the Pirates in a 4-2 hole, Contreras finished his night by retiring the final five men he faced, striking out center fielder Kike Hernandez on a curveball to end it.
The Pirates’ offense was once again in short supply. Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run homer in the first, and Pittsburgh did nothing for the next seven innings — one hit, nobody touching second base — before rallying for a run in the ninth when Ben Gamel smacked a run-scoring single back up the middle.
Wednesday’s loss dropped the Pirates to 45-72 on the season. They’ve also dropped 18 of 24 out of the All-Star break and are on pace to go 62-100.
Contreras zipped through the first inning on just seven pitches before encountering trouble in the second. Second baseman Christian Arroyo connected on a 1-1 fastball middle-away and shot it to center past a diving Reynolds.
That tied the score at 2. Hernandez pushed an 0-1 slider through the right side, catching the Pirates in a shift, as the Red Sox grabbed a 3-2 lead later in the inning. Contreras didn’t help his cause by walking a pair in the second.
The Reynolds homer might’ve felt extra special given the story line at play involving NESN color commentator Dennis Eckersley. The Hall of Fame pitcher ripped the Pirates. Reynolds said he couldn’t care less.
There looked to be some emotion behind the 416-foot shot that Reynolds crushed, as he turned around a heater atop the zone at 109 mph for his 18th of the season.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, Hill found a groove after that and sat down 12 in a row.
Contreras walked the first two men he faced in the third, his fastball command once again waning, but he was helped by a double play turned by Rodolfo Castro at second base, ending the inning.
Boston upped its advantage to 4-2 two innings later when Verdugo smacked an inside fastball past a diving Michael Chavis at first base, the ball taking 90-degree left turn when it bounced off a certain part of the wall.
Contreras wound up throwing 90 pitches, his fifth time delivering 90 or more in a game. Of those 90, 43 were fastballs (48%), 39 were sliders (43%), and he threw just eight curveballs (9%).
Twenty-six of those pitches resulted in a called strike or whiff, the slider responsible for 10 of Contreras’ 12 swings and misses on the night.
Eric Stout issued a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning, leading to Boston’s fifth run, before Arroyo and catcher Kevin Plawecki combined to drive in three runs with ninth-inning singles off Yohan Ramirez.
Around the horn
Eleven of Reynolds’ 18 home runs this season have given the Pirates the lead, including the past four and nine of his past 11. … Hill (42) and Contreras (22) were separated by 20 years.
