Amid historically bad offensive stretch, Pirates focus on finding a fix

The Pittsburgh Pirates are mired in an historic offensive slump, one that saw them match a major-league record Wednesday for most games without scoring more than four runs.

When Spencer Horwitz drove in Andrew McCutchen with an RBI groundout in the ninth inning of an 8-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night, it was the first time they scored as many as five runs since April 23. The 26-game streak matched by the 1969 California Angels, 1918-19 and 1931 Boston Braves and 1906 Boston Nationals.

Inside the home clubhouse at PNC Park, the mere mention of scoring four runs was cause for pause, deep breaths and an occasional eye roll. The Pirates preferred not to speak about the streak.

First-year hitting coach Matt Hague isn’t on social media, where it was a constant topic of conversation, but he can’t escape the numbers. The Pirates have scored 78 runs in the 26 games, an average of three per game. They had a slash line of .217/.295/.308, all well below league average. They were shut out four times and scored one run five times. And they were 4-7 in one-run games, including five consecutive from May 9-13.

For Hague, the focus is not on failure but rather in finding ways to win.

“You feel it,” Hague said. “You’re just in it with them. I try to just stay with the positives. There’s work to be done. Everybody knows that, but we’re highlighting some of the victories so we can build off that. We can soak in where we need to go and be present, learn from the failure, address it, don’t run from it. Everybody knows what we’ve got to do. It’s just trying to amplify that as much as we can.”

For the Pirates, the streak magnified how a club once known as the Lumber Company has been in a seasonlong slumber on offense even as their starting pitchers have provided 23 quality starts through the first 50 games, including 13 during this 26-game stretch. Yet the Pirates rank last in MLB in total bases (524), slugging percentage (.319), OPS (.617), RBIs (143) and runs scored (146). Even more troubling, they are hitting .212 with runners in scoring position, worst in the National League.

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It’s no wonder the Pirates (17-33) have the second-fewest wins in the NL, ahead of only the eight-win Colorado Rockies. That they won their past two games over the Cincinnati Reds — by scores of 1-0 and 3-1 — but didn’t snap the streak overshadowed strong pitching performances by starters Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney and the bullpen.

“It’s little things like that people don’t focus more on because they’re focused on this number,” said McCutchen, who ranks second among the team’s hitters with a .243/.344/.357 slash line. “There’s a stat for everything. It’s more annoying than anything. But the fact is, we’re not winning. Our starters are doing their jobs, and the offense isn’t backing it up. If we’re winning those games — even if we’re not scoring more than four runs — it’s not going to be talked about as much.”

‘Good things can be contagious’

That the Pirates continue to scuffle isn’t for lack of effort. Hitters are constantly working behind the scenes to get their bats going, so far to no avail.

Pirates manager Don Kelly, who was promoted from bench coach when Derek Shelton was fired May 8, noted that Hague and the hitting coaches are challenging players to work on weaknesses. Where Hague puts a lot of pressure on himself, Kelly credited him for staying grounded and preaching positivity amid the misery.

“It’s not just going in the cage and hitting off the tee or doing flips and going through the motions,” Kelly said. “There’s targeted work with each individual guy and what they need to work on in order to get better.”

The problem for the Pirates, Hague said, is hitting pitches with spin. Opposing pitchers are reaching deep into their repertoire to throw off their timing and keep them guessing. The Pirates have grounded into the most double plays in the majors this season, have the eighth most groundouts and the sixth most strikeouts.

“There’s a state of pressing, obviously,” Hague said. “Everyone’s very aware of the situation and wants to continue to get better from it. Right now, teams attack us with spin, putting it on the ground. It’s individually cased. Really, it’s about trying to get our best swings off and be aggressive.”

The Pirates are turning to technology. Among the tools they use is the iPitch Spinball smart pitching machine, which has random and programmed pitch sequences to simulate arm angles in the delivery that allows hitters to make adjustments before facing a pitcher. They also use the Trajekt pitching robot, which shows a hologram of the pitcher’s windup and can replicate tracked ball trajectories.

Dating to his days in Double-A in the Toronto Blue Jays system, Horwitz has had Hague as a hitting coach. He said Hague “understands the swing better than anyone I know” and believes the Pirates are still adjusting to Hague’s individualized approach.

“That’s what makes him so good: It’s not cookie cutter,” Horwitz said. “He’s my guy. I trust him with my swing. I trust him off the field. He’s a great human being, first of all, but also an amazing hitting coach. We’re going through some growing pains with a new hitting coach and building trust, building verbiage and laying that foundation right now. … It’s a learning curve, but I think in the long run, we’re going to be much better.”

McCutchen and Hague were teammates in the minor leagues and briefly with the Pirates in 2012 and 2014, so there’s familiarity between them.

“He’s in a position to where he’s probably never been part of an offense that’s gone through what we’ve gone through in the last three-and-a-half weeks or so,” McCutchen said. “He’s in a peculiar spot for himself. He’s learning, as well. Ultimately, all of us are trying to figure it out together and get moving and going together. It is contagious. Good things can be contagious.”

‘We’re aware of it’

McCutchen believes that it starts at the top of the order, where the best hitters are expected to be the catalysts.

Oneil Cruz leads the team in home runs, slugging and OPS but has been bothered by low back discomfort. A sore shoulder limited Bryan Reynolds to designated hitter early, and he’s batting .203 but leads the team with 24 RBIs. McCutchen has been one of the more consistent bats. Joey Bart is hitting .262 with a team-best .373 OBP but is slugging only .338 with one home run and 11 RBIs.

“When the top does their job, those first four or five hitters get on base, timely hitting, productive at-bats, when we’re able to do that, the bottom shows up,” McCutchen said. “Right now, the top’s not. So the bottom probably feels the pressure and maybe could be putting a little too much on themselves at times when, ultimately, the top of the order, we’ve got to get ourselves going in the right direction for good things to happen.”

Against the Reds on Wednesday, the top of the order scored in the first inning when Cruz hit a leadoff single, Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled and Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly. The bottom of the order showed up late, going 6 for 10 with two RBIs, as Adam Frazier, Tommy Pham and Henry Davis had two hits apiece.

It was enough for a win but not to stop the streak.

“We’re aware of it, and we’re doing everything we can every day to make it end,” Davis said. “I think, most importantly, wins come first.”

The Pirates went 4 for 17 (.190) with runners in scoring position and stranded 22 runners in the three-game series against the Reds. Kelly wants hitters to concentrate on continuing to strive for better at-bats in RISP situations. Some of it has been unlucky hitting, but the Pirates know they simply haven’t been good enough.

“Everybody in the lineup feels it,” Kelly said. “They all want to be the guy that comes through with the big base hit. Somebody’s going to soon, and we’re going to put up some runs and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”