WASHINGTON — The not-so-proud losers of 10 in a row, the Pirates needed this like they would PNC Park to fill with water and float away or the 2021 MLB draft to be inexplicably pushed to next summer.
One-run game. Seventh inning. Josh Bell at the plate. The former Pirate had been quiet for much of this series but cranked a four-seam fastball from David Bednar over the fence in right-center for a two-run homer that sealed a 3-1 Washington victory on Wednesday at Nationals Park.
As if trading a handful of talented, known players this offseason wasn’t bad enough, now the Pirates have their noses rubbed in it.
The loss sealed a series sweep, and it provided an appropriate link back to Bell's draft year, 2011. From July 29-Aug. 7 of that season was the last time the Pirates (23-43) lost this many games in a row.
Pittsburgh has now dropped 33 of 44 since it was 12-11 on April 27.
Similar to other games during this road trip, the Pirates failed to generate much offense, and their starting pitcher — in this case, Chase De Jong — was out of the game early. But also like those other instances, De Jong pitched OK; he was just a victim of what has become a quick hook in some cases from Pirates manager Derek Shelton.
On Sunday, Shelton lifted Wil Crowe after a 10-pitch walk to open the sixth. Crowe had allowed two earned runs and had thrown 82 pitches at the time.
A day later, JT Brubaker gave up two runs over five innings but was only allowed to throw 71 pitches, his shortest start pitch-wise of the season. The outlier came Tuesday, when Tyler Anderson allowed six earned runs but was permitted to throw 102 pitches.
It was even more of a head-scratcher because Shelton traded De Jong’s arm for Ka’ai Tom’s bat, which hasn’t exactly had opposing pitchers cowering in fear of late. Tom, who pinch hit for De Jong with nobody on and two out in the fifth, entered Wednesday’s game hitting .071 in June made a quick out by tapping back to the pitcher.
The day after his first-inning grand slam gave the Nationals a lead they would not relinquish, catcher Yan Gomes hit another one to push Washington in front. His second-inning, solo shot came on a 2-1 fastball that De Jong left up in the zone and Gomes hit hard to left.
The Pirates pushed across their lone run in the eighth thanks to Ke'Bryan Hayes’ double and a single from Bryan Reynolds. It marked just their sixth run in the past four games combined.
A big of a head-scratcher came next, as the Pirates tried to extend the inning. After Reynolds’ single, the Nationals brought in left-handed reliever Brad Hand to face Gregory Polanco.
Instead of making a counter move, Shelton struck with Polanco, who entered Wednesday's game hitting .109 with a .300 OPS against left-handed pitchers.
Shelton's bench option would've been Erik Gonzalez, who's hitting .281 with a .760 OPS against lefties this season. Polanco, of course, struck out, and Phillip Evans flied out to right to end the inning.
Pittsburgh’s best early chance to score came in the fourth inning, as Reynolds stroked a leadoff double and Polanco followed with a single. Reynolds took a wide turn around third and probably could have made it home safely. However, third-base coach Joey Cora held up the stop sign.
Cora likely regretted that move when center fielder Victor Robles’ throw was way wide, about 30 feet up the line and in a place where Reynolds would’ve bypassed it easily.
Evans followed by striking out and Ben Gamel grounded out, as the Pirates left the bases loaded.
An 0-for-4 effort continued another frustrating stretch for Evans, who was slashing .293/.379/.534 (with a .913 OPS) through his first 16 games of 2021. Over his previous 24 entering Wednesday, Evans had slipped to .163/.264/.188 (.451 OPS).
De Jong did an excellent job of wiggling out of trouble and got out of a jam in the bottom half of the fourth.
After he issued a one-out walk to Bell, Adam Frazier failed to corral a ball that bounced a couple inches from his glove, a makable play. Then Evans and De Jong botched a slow roller to first.
But with the bases loaded and nobody out, De Jong struck out former Pirate Jordy Mercer swinging on a high fastball and got Robles to pop out to second base.
Making his only second start of the season and fifth of his career, Nationals right-hander Paolo Espino cruised through five innings against the Pirates, allowing three hits, walking none and striking out two.
That fourth-inning threat was one chance the Pirates had. The other came in the seventh, against Nationals relievers Sam Clay and Kyle Finnegan. Gamel and Jacob Stallings both singled, and the Pirates had runners on first and second with nobody out when Shelton sent Colin Moran to the plate as a pinch-hitter.
With a chance to at least tie the game with a single, Moran took a strike, fouled two pitches and swung through a belt-high sinker on the outside part of the plate.
