Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: A weird home opener saw Pirates blow big moments with bad ending

Plain and simple, the Pittsburgh Pirates blew a big cushion in the ninth inning to lose their home opener to the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5, in 11 innings on Monday night at PNC Park.

But it was more than that.

The Pirates wasted so many positive moments, only to see the automatic runner score from second on an extra-base hit in MLB’s manufactured method of shortening extra-inning games in a super-shortened season.

“Yeah, we did a lot of things well,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Until the end of the game, a lot of things well.”

The end was a disaster, as the bullpen blew a four-run lead in the ninth and failed to stop the Brewers from taking the lead in extra innings. The Pirates couldn’t score the tying run with Cole Tucker on third and one out in the 10th or Kevin Newman on third in the 11th, as Erik Gonzalez struck out looking and Reynolds swinging.

The extra-innings rule was as bad in competition as it was in concept. In a game that lasted 3 hours and 54 minutes — and had a 1-hour, 42-minute rain delay — the Pirates were done in by a double.

“I think it’s probably what we expected,” Shelton said. “We got in a situation where we just didn’t execute. We had the right situation that we wanted and we failed to execute.”

Colin Moran - Pittsburgh Pirates (3) pic.twitter.com/Riniv733SV

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 28, 2020

1. Mr. Home Opener: With two solo home runs against the Brewers, including a 438-foot shot that bounced into the Allegheny River, Colin Moran now has four homers in three home openers.

Mr. Home Opener pic.twitter.com/VX54bpqI9f

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 28, 2020

Shelton is so impressed with the way that Moran is hitting that he’s batted fourth in the order the past two games. Moran has started two games at third base, one at designated hitter and one at first base so far but his bat hasn’t left the lineup.

“Colin Moran continues to swing the bat well,” Shelton said. “I don’t know if the one got in the water or not, but you know, hit both of them really hard.”

Cap tip, @KuhlWhhip_11.

Welcome back.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/dPmbEJFURJ

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 28, 2020

2. Welcome back: Chad Kuhl pitched in a regular season game for the first time since June 26, 2018, after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Steven Brault started the first two innings but Shelton called Kuhl into his office during the rain delay and told the right-hander that he would start when the game resumed. Sticking with what the slider he calls “Old Reliable,” Kuhl pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings, with three hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

“Chad Kuhl was outstanding,” Shelton said. “Coming back from what he’s done and his first time being on the mound, I thought he executed pitches. I thought his ability to throw breaking balls really good (was good). So happy with the fact that his first outing out that he looked as good as he did. He did a really nice job.”

3. For starters: The pitching performances of JT Brubaker on Sunday and Kuhl on Monday gives the Pirates a pair of right-handers to consider as potential starters this season.

Brault was scheduled to throw three innings but a high pitch count (37 pitches, 20 for strikes) and the rain delay conspired to shorten his debut. Brault started the past two seasons in the bullpen, so he’s used to facing competition for a spot in the starting rotation.

Brault isn’t backing down from a challenge, even though he was impressed with how Kuhl fared in allowing three hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

“It’s awesome to see him back out there throwing fuzz,” Brault said. “His breaking balls are disgusting. Just watching him compete, we call him Chet, because he gets crazy on the mound. It’s really cool to see him back fully in his element, and I’m so happy for him. He’s clearly shown that he’s ready to be back. So looks like I’m fighting someone else for a starting spot again. I’m used to doing this, so it’s fine.”

4. Slumping: Jarrod Dyson was 0 for 9 this season with three strikeouts when he came to bat with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning.

Dyson is more known for his glove in center field, especially his ability to chase down fly balls with ease. But he responded with a single to drive in two runs, his first hit as a Pirate.

The Pirates aren’t getting much production from three players at the top of the order.

Bryan Reynolds is enduring a slump of his own, going 0 for 13 but with four walks. Shelton dropped him from second to sixth in the batting order.

Adam Frazier (2 for 16) batted leadoff but went 0 for 5 against the Brewers.

Kevin Newman is 1 for 12 in three games, going 0 for 4 with a walk while batting second Monday night.

It will be interesting to see what Shelton does with his batting order, whether he continues to mix and match lineups or decides to stick with a starting nine. The key is to figure out how to get those three to become more productive.

5. Bullpen blues: A day after the bullpen sizzled in St. Louis, it fizzled against the Brewers. And the absence of closer Keone Kela continues to prove costly late in games.

Shelton said Nick Burdi wasn’t available because the Pirates are being “careful, in terms of his usage” after his surgery for neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.

Just like he did in the eighth on Sunday at St. Louis, Michael Feliz started the ninth with a 5-1 lead. Feliz surrendered a single, followed by a strikeout, a walk, another single, a hit batter with the bases loaded and a groundout before being replaced by Kyle Crick with a 5-3 lead, two outs and the bases loaded.

Crick gave up a game-tying two-run double to Ryan Braun before getting the final out in the ninth.

By extra innings, the Pirates were down to Dovydas Neverauskas. He retired the side in the 10th, striking out Justin Smoak and Brock Holt, but gave up the go-ahead double to Eric Sogard in the 11th to take the loss, an ugly ending to one of the weirdest home openers.