The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 9-8 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. The highlight of the game was a 5-for-5 performance from shortstop Oneil Cruz.
Cruz draws a lot of attention for his record-breaking exit velocities and his long distance home runs. In his five-hit game on Friday, the hardest hit was 100.1 MPH and the longest hit was 280 feet. What I liked about this game was that he put the bat on the ball effectively, leading to a lot of hits that were difficult plays for the Arizona fielders.
In the first inning, he put an easy slicing swing on a low pitch on the outer half of the plate, sending a 48 MPH roller down the third base line to beat the shift. He used his speed to get a double.
In the fourth inning, he was jammed up and inside with a 94 MPH fastball, but managed to hit it 280 feet to center field for a 95.3 MPH line drive single to lead off the inning. He later scored the first run of the game on a Joey Bart RBI single.
The Pirates rallied for two runs in the fifth, capped off by an RBI single from Cruz. He went downstairs on a 2-2 curveball at the bottom of the zone, lining a 96.4 MPH shot to right field to knock in a run.
The sixth inning saw the Pirates score four runs and momentarily take the lead. This was once again capped off by a two-out RBI hit from Cruz. He was once again pitched at the bottom of the zone, with an 86 MPH slider on the low outside corner. Cruz hit a 78.2 MPH single to the edge of the outfield grass, creating a difficult play for the second baseman.
The final hit once again saw Cruz go downstairs for a hit. Leading off the ninth inning with the Pirates down two runs, he singled on a 2-2 sinker just below the zone, ripping a 100.1 MPH Baltimore-chop style hit, which bounced eight feet in front of the plate, and went out of reach of the second baseman into right field. Cruz then stole second, and scored on a Rowdy Tellez RBI single.
Cruz has the potential to be a star.
That doesn’t come from only hitting record-setting home runs. It comes from his potential to make solid contact any time he puts the bat on the ball. In Friday’s game, he looked like he was swinging to make contact, rather than swinging for the fences. The contact was consistently hard, and difficult for opponents to field. He also showed his speed on the bases a few times, leading to a run that put the Pirates within one in the final inning.
This type of approach will still lead to home runs, as Cruz has the best raw power in the organization. The approach will also lead to more hits to complement his power, which will make him a more valuable overall player.
As I wrote earlier this week, Cruz fits a trend around baseball of having offensive-minded shortstops who struggle in the field. What separates Cruz from the elite hitters at the position is that he doesn’t hit or reach base consistently enough outside of the power. If he maintains more of Friday’s contact focus going forward, he could make that jump to the upper offensive tier, by adding more value to his inevitable power.
Pitching Woes
It wasn’t a great night for the pitching, wasting a rare offensive outbreak by the Pirates.
- Luis Ortiz allowed five runs in the first, fueled by three homers allowed. He then settled down to pitch 4.1 innings. The final run allowed was scored off LHP Jalen Beeks, who got out of the sixth with the final two outs.
- Aroldis Chapman allowed a run in the seventh on a home run, blowing the lead.
- Colin Holderman continued his recent struggles, allowing a run on two hits in the eighth, picking up the loss.
- Dennis Santana, who had been lights out in July, allowed a run in the ninth on a solo homer, which ended up being the winning run.
Injury Updates
The Pirates announced some injury updates throughout the system, shared by Andrew Destin of the Post-Gazette.
–Ryan Borucki won’t throw for 3-5 days, though the Pirates are optimistic he can pitch in September. They added LHP Jalen Beeks at the deadline as a second lefty, which was a sign that they weren’t expecting Borucki to return for an extended period.
–Jared Jones is scheduled to throw live batting practice today. He could return to the MLB rotation at some point in August with this progress.
–Isiah Kiner-Falefa, acquired by the Pirates at the deadline, began a rehab assignment with Altoona, going 2-for-4 on Friday night.
–Nick Gonzales will be out for another week. He should resume most baseball activities this homestand. The Pirates offense will receive a boost with Gonzales and Kiner-Falefa eventually joining the team.
-LHP Hunter Barco will be in a walking boot for about three weeks, after leaving his last start in Altoona with a left leg injury. It was described as a stress response, and not a fracture.
-3B Jack Brannigan has a left-shoulder injury and will go to Pittsburgh next week for a full assessment.
Pirates Prospect Watch
Bubba Chandler allowed one run in seven innings, continuing his stellar pitching over the last two months. He’s looking like he’s ready for Triple-A. Henry Davis homered for Indianapolis. LHP Michael Kennedy returned from the injured list with a nice three-inning start for Bradenton. DSL left-hander Ronaldys Jimenez, who the Pirates acquired in the Martin Perez trade, made his debut in the system with three shutout innings. Read about all of Friday’s minor league action in the latest Pirates Prospect Watch:
https://piratesprospects.com/2024/08/pirates-prospect-watch-bubba-chandler-looks-ready-for-triple-a.html
