PITTSBURGH _ In this epic battle of inept offenses, the Pirates came out on top.
Or, really, the bottom.
However you want to look at it, the Pirates were powerless against Shane Bieber and the pitching-rich Indians, as Cleveland completed a three-game series sweep with a 2-0 victory over the Pirates on Thursday at PNC Park.
The Pirates struck out 14 times Thursday and finished the series with 35 punchouts. Meanwhile, they mustered just two extra-base hits, including none Monday.
After entering this series as the second-worst offensive team in baseball, ahead of only the Indians, it looks like the Pirates may well have reclaimed that title.
It's the fourth consecutive loss for the Pirates, who fell to 4-17 on the season and host the Milwaukee Brewers for three this weekend.
The Pirates knew they were facing a tough task with Bieber, one of the most daunting they've encountered all season. Bieber came into Thursday's game with 54 strikeouts through five starts, tied for the third-most in that span in MLB history dating back to 1906.
Bieber was every bit as good as advertised, leaning on a four-seamer, cutter, knuckle curve and slider. The 25-year-old improved to 5-0 this season by giving the Indians six innings of shutout ball, allowing six hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts.
Even though all of Bieber's stuff was sharp, his knuckle curve was especially nasty; he used to get five of his 11 strikeouts, including Colin Moran on a check swing in the fourth inning. Moran did not like the call and was ejected after sharing his feelings with third-base umpire Tripp Gibson.
Bieber now leads MLB with 46 curveball whiffs in 2020.
Meanwhile, after the Pirates offense exploded for seven runs in the second inning last Thursday in Cincinnati, it has been awfully quiet since. Pittsburgh has totaled just four extra-base hits in 44 innings, including one home run.
The Pirates (sort of) had something going against Bieber in the sixth, when Kevin Newman led off with an infield single and Josh Bell followed with a base hit of his own. But Adam Frazier (taking over designated hitter duties from Moran) and Jose Osuna struck out, and JT Riddle flew out to right to end the inning.
It was not an easy night for Trevor Williams, who actually pitched well but ran into a bunch of long counts because that's what the Indians like to do _ make the pitcher work.
In a 1-2-3 first, Williams threw 22 pitches. He needed 48 to get through two and 70 to navigate three, all while giving up just one run and nothing more than singles.
Williams made it through four innings, allowing an earned run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. While the Pirates are missing two of their five starters _ Mitch Keller and Joe Musgrove _ Williams' resurgence has been a positive story.
After dealing with a side injury in May 2019 and never recapturing his early-season form, Williams pitched to a career-worst 5.38 ERA. Repeating his delivery was a problem. Too often things quickly got out of whack, but that has been different this season.
As Williams has integrated his curveball more _ he threw nine Thursday _ a combination of his diverse pitch mix and the confidence to go after hitters has served him well, with Williams lowering his ERA to 3.70 in 24 1/3 innings over five starts.
The Indians grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when designated hitter Franmil Reyes and right fielder Tyler Naquin led off with singles. Catcher Beau Taylor, who started the season in an 0-for-16 funk, broke out with his first hit of 2020, scoring Reyes.
Cleveland doubled its lead in the eighth, taking advantage of a few things that have plagued the Pirates so far this season. Chris Stratton walked two of the first three men he faced. The middle one, Naquin, singled.
With the bases loaded, Taylor hit a ball to first base. Josh Bell fielded it but delivered an awkward, submarine-style throw home, one that pulled Jacob Stallings up the third-base line and off home plate. Everybody was safe, Reyes scored, and an error was charged to Bell.
It was the 21st error of the season for the Pirates. Only two MLB clubs have made more. Worse, their rate of errors per game (1.0) is actually worse than what it was in 2019 (.75), when the Pirates led all of baseball with 121 errors.
Also, the walks. A night after four relievers combined for six walks in four innings of work, they again struggled to find the strike zone. Pirates pitchers began the day sixth in MLB in walks with 99 and figured to jump up a few places with a six-walk night.
