PITTSBURGH – Nick Gonzales went to bat searching for a strike and one thing exhausting. The Pirates’ second baseman knew José Alvarado might ramp it up into triple digits, however there was additionally that cutter that may tail away from right-handers, which matched the place he wished to do harm.
“I used to be simply attempting to get one thing slightly away from me and I simply hit it exhausting,” Gonzales mentioned.
Gonzales obtained a maintain of Alvarado’s first-pitch cutter within the ninth inning Friday and shot a base hit by the left facet of the infield to ship nearly all of the PNC Park crowd residence completely happy. After trailing for many of the night time, Gonzales’ single gave the Pirates their first and solely lead of the night time, strolling off the Phillies to win, 8-7.
Friday night time had the makings of a crew being caught flat-footed out of the All-Star break. Starter Martín Pérez’s droop continued, and he was pulled within the fourth inning after permitting six runs on the night time. The Pirates had been dealing with the crew with the most effective report in baseball. They performed from behind for many of the night time.
And but, it was Gonzales and his teammates who had been celebrating on the suitable facet of the diamond postgame.
“I believe it might’ve been very easy to fold after the primary inning, particularly going towards the Phillies,” Gonzales mentioned. “However no person right here within the dugout, no person on this clubhouse did that. So kudos to them. And kudos to the teaching employees, too.”
That first inning was arguably the worst for Pérez, who confronted the whole Phillies lineup and allowed three runs earlier than leaving the bases loaded. The offense shortly struck again towards Aaron Nola in response, with Oneil Cruz lining an RBI double that had an exit velocity of 120.5 mph, the second-hardest hit ball for him — and all of Main League Baseball — this season. He would later come residence on a Rowdy Tellez sacrifice fly, the primary of three sac flies Tellez would hit, which set a Pirates single-game report.
Down 7-6 within the ninth inning, Connor Joe lined a single by the left facet of the infield and gave option to pinch-runner Michael A. Taylor, which arrange the gamble of the night time. First-base coach Tarrik Brock noticed a chance to run, and with two on and no person out, Taylor and Andrew McCutchen pulled off a double steal to maneuver the tying run 90 ft away.
“In a state of affairs the place we thought we had been going to take an opportunity, we took probability,” mentioned supervisor Derek Shelton.
Cruz adopted by bouncing a ball off residence plate for a game-tying fielder’s selection, and Gonzales lined the subsequent pitch to left to win it.
“To come back out and play as full a sport as we did and do all of the little issues we wanted to do, yeah, actually enthusiastic about how they responded,” Shelton mentioned.
It’s one win, however given the context of the season, it may very well be larger. The Pirates at the moment are above .500 once more with a report of 49-48. They’ve received 5 in a row, courting again to earlier than the All-Star break. They’ve solely 9 extra video games left earlier than the July 30 Commerce Deadline, and whereas the crew is trying so as to add, each win does make the case to be aggressive extra justifiable. That is additionally the gauntlet run of the season, the primary of 9 straight sequence towards groups with a profitable report and competing for a playoff spot.
The playoffs have been the aim for the clubhouse all 12 months. Proper now, the Pirates really feel they’re constructing some momentum in the direction of that.
“We speak about it rather a lot,” Tellez mentioned. “We’ve had a pair guys in right here win some World Sequence. With Milwaukee, we made it to the playoffs yearly. Youthful gamers, after they ask questions and wish to discuss by it, I all the time say, ‘There’s nothing extra driving than attending to the playoffs.’ When you’re there, that’s all you need the subsequent 12 months, over and over. A number of us after we speak about that sort of stuff, it resonates with guys. We’re in a great place. However simply speaking it game-by-game.”
