Pirates' Youth Shows In Third Straight Loss to Padres
Experience is often the best teacher and the Pittsburgh Pirates were dealt a few unpleasant lessons in their three-game series against the San Diego Padres.
For the second straight game, the Pirates blew a lead in the ninth inning en route to a one-run loss to San Diego. Pittsburgh lost its fourth straight game and for the sixth time in seven games with a 7-6 loss to San Diego on Thursday at PNC Park. The heartbreaking loss secured a series sweep for the Padres and set the Pirates tumbling further in a crowded race to earn the third NL Wild Card spot.
The loss also continued Pittsburgh's struggles in one-run ballgames. The Pirates (56-58) have lost five straight games that were decided by one run and have gone 3-7 in one-run ballgames since the All-Star break.
The Pirates had their chances to put the games on Wednesday and Thursday away, but David Bednar's August woes continued in back-to-back appearances. Bednar had saved 16 consecutive games before blowing back-to-back saves against the Padres.
After an infield single by Xander Bogaerts and a pair of walks, San Diego (64-52) had the bases loaded with one out. Bednar got Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka to hit a slow roller to Isiah Kiner-Falefa that seemingly wasn't hard enough for Pittsburgh to turn a double play.
Rather than holding onto the ball after getting the force out at second base and having a chance to escape the top of the ninth inning with the game tied at 5-5, shortstop Oneil Cruz threw a rocket right past first baseman Rowdy Tellez. That throwing error allowed a second run for San Diego to score and give it a one-run lead. A two-out double from Luis Arraez extended the Padres' lead to two and proved to be more than necessary after Pittsburgh managed to plate a run in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out single from Tellez, scoring Joey Bart after his two-out double.
Cruz's error, which was his 22nd of the season and tied him for the league lead with Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, wasn't his first costly mistake of the game. In the top of the sixth inning with Pittsburgh trailing 4-0, the 6-foot-7 shortstop hit a rocket into the right field gap that hit off the base of the wall and scored Bryan Reynolds from second base. Cruz wasn't hustling out of the box and was thrown out trying to leg out a double.
That miscue ultimately proved costly in a one-run loss.
Pittsburgh's resolve to come back and be three outs away from beating the Padres in back-to-back games is nothing to scoff at. That's easily the best thing to come of its three-game series against San Diego, though, leading after eight innings isn't worth celebrating for a team that's vying for a wild card spot.
In the grand scheme of things, Pittsburgh getting swept by San Diego in the manner in which it lost may prove to be a necessary experience for a franchise that's trending in the right direction. But if the Pirates are going to go from an ascending team to one that's ready to compete in the National League, they can't afford to continue to shoot themselves in the foot and let their youth cost them against anyone, let alone teams they're chasing for a spot in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh will look to get back in the win column on Friday when it makes the trip to the West Coast to begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday at 10:10 p.m. ET. Mitch Keller will take the mound for the Pirates, while Jack Flaherty will make his second start for Los Angeles since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline.
NATHANIEL MARRERO