PITTSBURGH — Spoiler isn't the right word, general manager Ben Cherington said before Friday's game. It's more the fact that the Pirates, miles away from the playoffs, want to make sure these games matter.
They want to ensure they're preparing the right way. They want to ensure they're doing their best to take advantage of every opportunity. And if they can irritate or upset a few teams along the way, great.
The Cardinals, still clinging to wild-card hopes, would certainly qualify as one of those teams. The Pirates threatened and made things interesting Friday, pushing to make life tough on St. Louis’ bullpen for a second consecutive night, but Pittsburgh ultimately came up a hair short in a 4-3 loss at PNC Park.
The loss guaranteed the inevitable: another losing season.
The Pirates (47-82) closed the gap to one in the eighth inning after Michael Chavis led off with a double, and Colin Moran smacked a first-pitch fastball to center for a single. It looked like the Pirates might tie the game when Kevin Newman lined a two-out single to center; however, Moran was thrown out at home plate by several steps.
Anthony Alford led off the ninth with a single and stole second. But Bryan Reynolds and Ben Gamel struck out looking before Ke’Bryan Hayes grounded out to short to end the game.
The Pirates scored runs in the fifth and sixth but also stranded five. Gamel's liner had hope, but Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman made a terrific, diving grab. Alford struck out with the bases loaded an inning later.
Dillon Peters started for the Pirates and allowed next to nothing through four before the Cardinals got to him in the fifth, scoring three times to take a 3-0 lead.
The first came across when shortstop Edmundo Sosa and center fielder Harrison Bader stroked back-to-back doubles. Bader’s came on a change-up up and away that he poked into right-center, a quality piece of hitting.
It’s possible Peters wanted the pitch he threw to Edman back. Behind in the count, 2-1, Peters fired a four-seamer middle-in that Edman sent to the concourse behind the first row of seats in left.
The Pirates got one back in the bottom of the fifth thanks to another extra-base hit from Yoshi Tsutsugo, who ... looked a little less than comfortable in right. Tsutsugo low-bridged himself at one point and looked flat-out lost on a ball hit by Paul Goldschmidt. But his triple there was big.
Jacob Stallings singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by Edman, his speed continuing to cause issues for opposing teams. Tsutsugo, who has shown more comfortability handling fastballs than breaking stuff, drove a low-and-outside slider to center, scoring Stallings.
Tsutsugo now has eight hits in 11 games as a member of the Pirates, with seven of those going for extra bases. Tsutsugo also has seven RBIs.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, they could not add on. Gamel had a chance with two on, but Edman made an excellent, diving grab to snare Gamel’s liner.
After Moran walked and Stallings singled in the sixth, Tsutsugo walked to the plate with a chance to help the Pirates erase a two-run deficit. However, Cardinals right-hander Luis Garcia wound up walking Tsutsugo and Newman, forcing in a run.
A night after the St. Louis bullpen imploded, allowing eight runs in the seventh without recording an out, that group again felt on the precipice of disaster. But with the bases loaded, Alford swung through a couple of sinkers, which allowed Garcia to escape with his team clinging to a 3-2 lead.
The Cardinals tacked on another run in the seventh when Paul DeJong, who entered the game as part of a double switch an inning earlier, tripled and scored on Edman’s sacrifice fly.
Although it went somewhat sideways late, Peters should again feel good about what he did. He didn’t walk a batter, threw 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes and struck out four. Most impressive might’ve been Peters’ change-up, which generated nine of his 13 whiffs.
The pitch averages 84-85 mph, which isn’t a huge drop from his sinker and four-seamer (both 90-91 mph), but the arm action is extremely similar, which can create awkward swings and misses because the hitter thinks it’s a fastball out of his hand.
Peters also did a great job making pitches when he had to. After first baseman Paul Goldschmidt’s first-inning triple, he quickly got 1-2 on left fielder Tyler O’Neill and got him on a sinker that was placed well at the top of the zone. In the fourth, Peters threw three consecutive change-ups to win a battle with third baseman Nolan Arenado.
A 28-year-old the Pirates got for cash from the Angels on July 19, Peters has now pitched to a 3.68 ERA in three starts totaling 14 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out 10. He has solid stuff, and there’s also a willingness or ability to consistently fill up the zone, which serves him well.
With what Peters has shown, it would make a lot of sense for the Pirates to prioritize seeing more of him down the stretch.
