Pirates look opportunity in the eye, starting with 4 games against struggling Reds

For those concerned the Pittsburgh Pirates have made no progress from last season, know this:

Despite a 10-14 record (two games short of last season’s 12-12 after 24 games), there is opportunity looming that could change the team’s outlook.

After Thursday’s off day — a welcome respite after playing 17 games in 18 days to start the season on the heels of abbreviated prep time in spring training — the Pirates have a chance to build some confidence over the next two weeks.

Some concrete evidence emerged Wednesday during the doubleheader in Detroit when pitchers Dillon Peters and Jose Quintana gave the team a boost at the start of both games, and the bullpen remained reliably consistent. Overall, the Tigers (8-15 before meeting the Houston Astros on Thursday night) scored only four runs with 11 hits and four walks in 18 innings.

“Our pitchers, all game long, kept us in the game,” manager Derek Shelton said.

Now, the Pirates play 11 of their next 14 against two teams below them in the National League Central. To reach .500 at the end of that stretch, they will need to win nine games.

After splitting the doubleheader with the Tigers — and coming two botched ground balls from a sweep — the Pirates are in Cincinnati for four games against the Reds, starting Friday at Great American Ballpark with JT Brubaker scheduled to open the series.

How bad are the Reds? They own the worst record in baseball (3-22), have lost nine in a row, 20 of their past 21 and count 11 players on the injured or covid lists while their run differential for the season is minus-87.

After an 18-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, Reds starters had an 8.41 ERA, the highest through a team’s first 24 games since the NL started tracking earned runs in 1912. The 10-5 loss to the Brewers on Thursday made the Reds only the fifth team in MLB history to drop at least 22 of their first 25.

Manager David Bell praised his players’ attitude in dark times, telling MLB.com, “It’s not easy. It’s a huge challenge that we have in front of us. They’re handling it better than I would (as a player). It’s impressive to me.”

But veteran first baseman Joey Votto, who was slashing .122/.278/.135 before going on the covid list, told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “For me, it’s an awful and embarrassing experience.”

After the Reds series, the Pirates return to PNC Park on Monday for a reality jolt in the form of three games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had MLB’s second-best record (16-7) before Thursday’s games. Then there will be four more games with the Reds and three against the Chicago Cubs (9-15) at Wrigley Field.

But to take advantage of the seemingly weaker schedule, the Pirates need to start hitting consistently. Despite home runs from Daniel Vogelbach and Roberto Perez on Wednesday, they have hit only 14 — last in the National League.

Plus, there are seven players who are hitting between .233 (Diego Castillo) and .159 (Jake Marisnick) and have played in more than half the games.

One of those seven is center fielder Bryan Reynolds (.217), who hit his first two doubles of the season in the second game Wednesday. It was his first multi-hit game since April 14, but he is hitting only .203 since then.

There are signs he is emerging from a month-long slump. He has hit safely in six of his seven games since coming off the covid list.

Shelton said first-year hitting coach Andy Haines has been working with Reynolds on his set-up at the plate.

“I thought with the work he and Andy were doing,” Shelton said, “he’s in a better spot and we’re seeing the fruits of it.”