3 Things Heard Inside Pittsburgh Pirates Clubhouse After Arizona Loss

PHOENIX — Kicking off a six-game road trip through Arizona and Houston with the MLB trade deadline looming, the Pittsburgh Pirates wasted little time making a statement against the Diamondbacks and starting pitcher Zac Gallen.

The problem, however, was, despite the fast start, the Pirates simply couldn’t finish the task on Friday night.

In a battle between two teams that are chasing a National League Wild Card spot, the Pirates used a two-run first-inning single from Joshua Palacios to grab a quick lead. However, Arizona chipped away while holding Pittsburgh three hits after the second inning on their way to a 4-3 victory before 31,255 fans at Chase Field.

Joc Pederson’s solo shot to lead off the sixth inning would be a sign of things to come for Arizona, rallying for three runs against Pittsburgh starter Luis Ortiz and reliever Carmen Mlodzinski to move just one game out of the final Wild Card position.

Here are three things I heard inside the Pirates clubhouse after the close defeat.

Derek Shelton laments missed chances by Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh skipper was frustrated by a night that started so promising but ended in heartbreak as his team slipped to 52-51 on the season. That frustration was compounded by the fact that two of Arizona’s biggest hits on the night (Pederson’s home run and a third-inning leadoff triple from Corbin Carroll that would eventually result in a run) came off 0-2 pitches.

“We didn’t execute pitches,” Shelton said. “The 0-2 pitch to Carroll that got hit and then the 0-2 pitch to Peterson. We left too many balls up and in the middle of the plate and they capitalized on it.”

Ortiz would retire the first four batters of the game before Arizona started to not only find its collective swing, but patience as well. Ortiz worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second before Carroll’s triple the next inning was the catalyst for the hosts’ first run.

“He didn’t have his best command,” Shelton said of Ortiz. “He walked three guys and had to battle out of it. It looked like he just couldn’t put guys away.”

Ortiz wanted to attack but…

Pittsburgh’s starter told Just Baseball and other reporters after the game that he “wanted to attack the strike zone,” but his return to the mound to start the sixth inning proved to be a big part of Pittsburgh’s undoing. Pederson smacked a 453-foot home run to right-center to pull Arizona within 3-2, then Christian Walker worked a walk, sending Ortiz to the showers.

Walker would score on a Gabriel Moreno RBI single off Mlodzinski, a hit that moved Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (who had also reached on a single) to third. Mlodzinski then uncorked a wild pitch that brought Gurriel home with what would be the winning run.

Even though the result wasn’t what Ortiz or the Pirates wanted in the sixth, the right-hander (making just his fifth start of the season along with his 22 relief appearances) said he appreciated the show of confidence from Shelton to allow him to start the frame.

“It always feels good to feel that they have my back and that they have trust in me just to go out there every inning and do my job,” Ortiz said through an interpreter.

Palacios fills a temporary gap for Bryan Reynolds

With Reynolds (who is second on the Pirates with a 3.0 bWAR this season) still on the bereavement list, Pittsburgh’s offense needed a spark on Friday. It came from Palacios, who was batting fifth despite having just 47 at-bats this season (all coming since July 4).

Palacios had the two-run single in the first, giving him his first game with multiple RBI since July 9. He then also was hit by a Ryan Thompson pitch in the eighth as Pittsburgh tried to put together a rally, with Palacios standing at third base as Joey Bart struck out to end the frame.

After the game, Palacios was asked about the Pirates missing Reynolds (who is eligible to return for Sunday’s series finale in Arizona) from the lineup.

“It’s tough, but we’re going to go out there and compete regardless, no matter what lineup is out there,” Palacios said. “We have a bunch of competitors on the team, so we’re going to do everything we can to win.”

While the road trip didn’t start the way Palacios or the Pirates wanted, he indicated Pittsburgh would flush the loss before meeting Arizona again on Saturday night.

“I’ve said it before, it’s a resilient group and we have amazing talent on this team,” Palacios said. “We’re capable of a lot of things. It just didn’t work out this time, but we go back tomorrow and get back to what we do and things will turn out better.”

Veteran designated hitter/outfielder Andrew McCutchen believes this is a Pittsburgh team that has the talent to reach the postseason in 2024. Here’s what he told Just Baseball about the team and his role on it a few weeks ago.