The general consensus around PNC Park’s home clubhouse late Wednesday night was that the Pirates’ 3-2, bottom-of-the-ninth, come-from-behind, seven-game-losing-streak-ending, Gerrit-Cole-revitalizing victory over the Braves was no big deal.
Gaby Sanchez, whose sac fly finished it with fireworks, might have summarized the mindset best: “We don’t get caught up in anything other than the now.”
The general consensus was, of course, bunk.
Even Clint Hurdle, whose mantra for years has been about his team “showering well” to stand for washing away lousy losses, eventually conceded this one mattered more than most.
“We felt like we were going to win. We’ve felt that way for the past eight days,” the manager came back with a broad smile at my query that, maybe, this wasn’t exactly 1 of 162. “This is what we expect. We try to pride ourselves on not being surprised by success. And here again, we dug a hole for ourselves, down two runs. We kept battling to get back.”
He paused, possibly because he saw this wasn’t going to go far.
“And to win? Yeah, it’s a shot in the arm. It’s a real nice shot in the arm.”
Sure looked like it. That was more than the usual line of high-fives out there after Sanchez’s professionally executed RBI. Andrew McCutchen went so far as to punctuate a Gatorade dousing of Sanchez on the Root Sports interview by leaving the big orange bucket on the man’s head.
And it sure sounded like it, too. If not in the clubhouse, then in the stands. The crowd of 26,581 wasn’t one of the biggest in recent weeks, but it somehow carried a positive vibe right through the two-run rally in the eighth and into the decisive ninth.
I’ll rarely remark on crowd sizes or spirits, but this one just might have made a difference.
Who knows, maybe they actually still — gasp — believed?
Couldn’t have been easy, huh?
The Pirates had gone from nine games over .500 to seemingly nine miles below. They were in the thick of the Central hunt, and then they were seven games out. They were Michael Martinez-ing right out of sight, never mind contention.
What’s more, next on the schedule is a weekend at Miller Park against the Brewers, which not so long ago was tantamount to forfeiture, followed by the Cardinals back here.
Now, well, with the day off and at least a small sense of relief, who’s to say those matchups aren’t perfectly timed?
Josh Harrison?
And Gaby?
It’s nice, all of it. For a night.
Not going to lie here, though. I’m not feeling it with these Pirates.
I see the math, and it’s evident the wild card is within very reasonable reach. I also see McCutchen, Neil Walker and Jordy Mercer back on the field. And Cole’s solid seven-inning return from injury — two runs, five hits, six Ks — was as uplifting as anything on this night. If Cole can rediscover 2013 form, that would be immense for this pitching staff.
But, at the risk of being stuck on repeat mode here, this bullpen needs help. Lots of it. The Tony Watson/Mark Melancon punch delivered the knockout again Wednesday, but that formula has been run ragged. It boggles the mind that Neal Huntington hasn’t done more than the plucking of John Axford off the waiver wire for a deficiency so glaring. Here’s hoping management isn’t waiting for September callups in the interest of comparatively meaningless 40-man roster calls.
August 21, 2014
Column: Not exactly 1 of 162, was it?
by Dejan Kovacevic • Columns • Pirates
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
The general consensus around PNC Park’s home clubhouse late Wednesday night was that the Pirates’ 3-2, bottom-of-the-ninth, come-from-behind, seven-game-losing-streak-ending, Gerrit-Cole-revitalizing victory over the Braves was no big deal.
Gaby Sanchez, whose sac fly finished it with fireworks, might have summarized the mindset best: “We don’t get caught up in anything other than the now.”
The general consensus was, of course, bunk.
Even Clint Hurdle, whose mantra for years has been about his team “showering well” to stand for washing away lousy losses, eventually conceded this one mattered more than most.
“We felt like we were going to win. We’ve felt that way for the past eight days,” the manager came back with a broad smile at my query that, maybe, this wasn’t exactly 1 of 162. “This is what we expect. We try to pride ourselves on not being surprised by success. And here again, we dug a hole for ourselves, down two runs. We kept battling to get back.”
He paused, possibly because he saw this wasn’t going to go far.
“And to win? Yeah, it’s a shot in the arm. It’s a real nice shot in the arm.”
Sure looked like it. That was more than the usual line of high-fives out there after Sanchez’s professionally executed RBI. Andrew McCutchen went so far as to punctuate a Gatorade dousing of Sanchez on the Root Sports interview by leaving the big orange bucket on the man’s head.
And it sure sounded like it, too. If not in the clubhouse, then in the stands. The crowd of 26,581 wasn’t one of the biggest in recent weeks, but it somehow carried a positive vibe right through the two-run rally in the eighth and into the decisive ninth.
I’ll rarely remark on crowd sizes or spirits, but this one just might have made a difference.
Who knows, maybe they actually still — gasp — believed?
Couldn’t have been easy, huh?
The Pirates had gone from nine games over .500 to seemingly nine miles below. They were in the thick of the Central hunt, and then they were seven games out. They were Michael Martinez-ing right out of sight, never mind contention.
What’s more, next on the schedule is a weekend at Miller Park against the Brewers, which not so long ago was tantamount to forfeiture, followed by the Cardinals back here.
Now, well, with the day off and at least a small sense of relief, who’s to say those matchups aren’t perfectly timed?
Josh Harrison?
And Gaby?
It’s nice, all of it. For a night.
Not going to lie here, though. I’m not feeling it with these Pirates.
I see the math, and it’s evident the wild card is within very reasonable reach. I also see McCutchen, Neil Walker and Jordy Mercer back on the field. And Cole’s solid seven-inning return from injury — two runs, five hits, six Ks — was as uplifting as anything on this night. If Cole can rediscover 2013 form, that would be immense for this pitching staff.
But, at the risk of being stuck on repeat mode here, this bullpen needs help. Lots of it. The Tony Watson/Mark Melancon punch delivered the knockout again Wednesday, but that formula has been run ragged. It boggles the mind that Neal Huntington hasn’t done more than the plucking of John Axford off the waiver wire for a deficiency so glaring. Here’s hoping management isn’t waiting for September callups in the interest of comparatively meaningless 40-man roster calls.
August has some pretty pivotal games, too.