PITTSBURGH — It has become an all-too-familiar theme for the Pirates this season. Their (limited) offense somehow manages to get a couple of runners on base, yet the big hit has often remained elusive.
Through five innings Tuesday, it certainly looked like the Pirates headed toward a replay of that undesirable yet often unavoidable storyline, going 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10. However, Ben Gamel — one of their most overdue players in this situation — finally flipped the script.
Lacking an RBI over his previous 19 games dating back to Aug. 15, Gamel’s two-run single in the sixth inning served as the big hit the Pirates have needed and ultimately the difference in their 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park.
Facing hard-throwing righty Alex Lange, Gamel turned around a 98-mph fastball with the bases loaded, scoring Yoshi Tsutsugo and Bryan Reynolds, the latter crushing a double off the Clemente Wall earlier in the inning.
The win helped the Pirates (50-89) improve to 8-5-2 in their last 15 series at PNC Park, while another victory Wednesday would give them their first sweep of 2021; Pittsburgh is currently the only club without one, and no MLB team has ever gone an entire season without enjoying at least one sweep.
Gamel was the driver in this one, the left fielder making a terrific catch where he bounced off the outfield wall and also contributed three hits. Ke’Bryan Hayes had two more hits from the leadoff spot, while the Pirates bullpen kept rolling in relief of Dillon Peters.
Amid all the other frustration they’ve had to sift through this season, they’ve seemingly found something in Gamel, who they grabbed off the scrap heap earlier this year. He’s been extremely serviceable in the outfield, his hard-nosed attitude a perfect fit for a young team.
Despite the recent RBI slump, Gamel began this game hitting .279 with seven doubles, two triples and five home runs in his last 42 starts dating back to June 27. At PNC Park, Gamel was hitting .316 with three homers and nine RBIs in his previous 24 games prior to Tuesday.
Gamel is also under team control and will enter his final year of club control this offseason, meaning there’s a decent chance he could be around — if he’s not traded — next season.
Gamel’s effort-fueled catch wasn’t quite his all-out dive on the warning track Sunday at Wrigley Field; however, Gamel tracked a two-out fly ball from center fielder Derek Hill with two on in the sixth, crashing into the wall a tick after making the grab.
Flat on his back on the warning track, Gamel quickly flipped the ball into the stands, signifying he was OK, and jogging in with his teammates, evidently no worse for wear.
Using Hayes atop the lineup for a third consecutive game, the Pirates turned a game-opening single from their third baseman into 1-0 lead. Hayes shot a 1-1 sinker into right field, advanced to second when Tsutsugo walked and scampered to third when Reynolds flew out to right.
Colin Moran brought Hayes home with a sacrifice fly.
That would be it for several innings, however, as the Pirates made a couple outs at home plate. Michael Perez was thrown out running on contact in the second. Then Moran failed to score on Kevin Newman’s bloop single in the third.
They loaded the bases in the fourth, but Reynolds struck out to end the inning.
Meanwhile, the Tigers took a 2-1 lead after picking up a pair of runs off Peters in the third. Peters, making his first start since Aug. 27 due to a low back strain, walked the leadoff man, left fielder Willi Castro.
Hill followed by whacking a Peters change-up into the left-field corner. It likely would’ve been a tough play no matter what, but as Gamel fished the ball out and threw, he seemed to knock his arm off the outfield wall, sending the throw dribbling in toward short.
Peters didn’t help himself by walking the pitcher, Wily Peralta, and right fielder Robbie Grossman lined another change-up into left for the Tigers’ second run of the game.
All things considered, it wasn’t a terrible start for Peters. It also wasn’t very long. He lasted just four innings and took 74 pitches to do it, throwing 41 of those four strikes. Before the game, manager Derek Shelton said they would be looking for Peters’ ability or willingness to attack the zone.
That happened at times, as evidenced by his five strikeouts, but he also was occasionally wild, walking Castro — the No. 7 hitter — twice along with the pitcher, stuff that shouldn’t happen.
