Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Rainout bumps Derek Shelton's 1st instrasquad game at PNC Park
Derek Shelton had his first spring training shut down by a global pandemic that also cost the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie manager his first Opening Day at Tampa Bay, his first homecoming trip to Chicago and his first home opener at PNC Park.
Some guys can’t find a way to win.
Shelton can’t find a way to manage.
The latest blow to The Shelton Show came when a storm swept through the North Shore on Thursday evening, raining buckets on PNC Park two hours before the first scheduled intrasquad game of training camp.
A little intrasquad action tonight. #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/oZNYIAWZGw
— Pirates (@Pirates) July 9, 2020
After a non-rain delay Tuesday, this one was real … and spectacular.
Even the storm that just passed through Pittsburgh is pretty from this vantage point. Great work by @Pirates grounds crew under direction of Matt Brown (no relation) to have field ready again for 7pm intrasquad game. #playball pic.twitter.com/V5u3auUnGB
— Greg Brown (@gbrowniepoints) July 9, 2020
What a difference at PNC Park, then (5 pm) and now (6 pm). pic.twitter.com/mw2UHYz7yz
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 9, 2020
The storm soaked the turf so much it forced the Pirates to postpone until Friday, another failed attempt at a first for the new skipper.
“I can’t even manage an intrasquad,” Shelton said, with a sigh. “I can’t even get an intrasquad game in.”
The tarp comes off the field at PNC Park but the rainstorm leaves a big puddle in shallow left field and the edge of the infield. pic.twitter.com/PBhi47x1xs
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) July 9, 2020
1. Take the bump: Trevor Williams was scheduled to start in the instrasquad game, but Shelton and pitching coach Oscar Marin gave him the option of pitching inside or bump back a day.
Williams chose the latter, preferring to face hitters.
The Pirates decided to push the rest of the pitchers who were supposed to throw back a day, as well.
“We wanted to play today,” Shelton said, “but it rained so hard and got soft. Being July (9), it’s not worth it.”
2. Masking signs: Shelton was asked how Pirates third base coach Joey Cora will follow MLB health and safety protocol when it comes to silent hand signals if he can’t touch his face with his fingers.
“I don’t think it’s a concern,” Shelton said. “Joey will definitely abide by the protocols.”
This is where baseball is getting weird amid the covid-19 crisis. Players can’t spit, high-five or hug. The Pirates are making players spray their hands with sanitizer when they come off the field.
And, now, Cora can’t touch his face for signs.
“Joey is walking around with a mask and an actual face shield on. I think he’s going to perform some surgeries at some point with that face shield on,” Shelton said, with a laugh. “It may adjust our signs a little bit to stay away from the face. I’m not going to tell you what our signs are for two reasons: We have not decided what they are, probably the biggest one, and I just don’t want you to know.”
3. Showing support: When the Pirates traded Starling Marte to Arizona for two 19-year-old prospects, Gregory Polanco lost his best friend on the team and outfield mate for the past six seasons.
Making it more painful was the sudden death of Marte’s wife, Noelia, of a heart attack in May.
Even though they are no longer teammates, Polanco said he talked to Marte every day when he was in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and still talks to Marte “almost every day.”
“Obviously those are hard times, and for me, too, because she was like my sister,” Polanco said. “I told him, ‘I'm here, every day, for you. I’m going to support you and I’m going to be calling you, no matter if you answer my phone or don’t answer it. I’ll be calling you every day. You’re like my big brother, and I’m here to support you.’ Because, you, know we had good times, but now in that hard times, I’ve got to be there for him.”
4. Save the date: Chad Kuhl wasn’t as emotional taking the mound Wednesday night at PNC Park as he was this spring in Bradenton, but it reminded the right-hander of pitching in a home game.
And he’s counting the days until his 2020 debut.
To hear Kuhl tell it, not playing baseball in late June had to be bittersweet for him. He made his major league debut June 26, 2016, outdueling Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. And he pitched in his last MLB game exactly two years later.
No wonder he’s hoping to start, even if it’s in a piggyback role.
“It will be a memorable one either way,” Kuhl said. “I think I had that kind of moment you know down in Florida where it just really hit me that I was back, and I was throwing pain-free …
“I called my dad afterwards and just being so happy, just being this relief, happiness, whatever you want to call it. I just kind of had from just being out there and being pain free. That was super special. Felt really good to be back out there. I’m sure this one will feel good, just in a different way.”
5. In a pinch: Jose Osuna led the majors with five pinch-hit home runs last season, which accounted for half of his homers. It also matched his home run total of his first two seasons combined, thanks to a couple of changes he made.
First was changing his mind. Osuna had been an everyday position player through the minors, only to be relegated to a bench player with the Pirates. It took some time for him to accept that role.
The other was more involved.
It required changing his routine, starting with advice from veteran Melky Cabrera. After hitting off a machine in the batting cage every day, Osuna started taking live batting practice from former assistant hitting coach Jacob Cruz to prepare for games.
“He told me, ‘This is your job right now. You’re not playing every day. So change your mind, change your routine and be ready for every situation,’ ” Osuna said. “I changed my routine, and I think that helped me a lot to get that result.”
It also might help Osuna get another result as he’s trying to position himself to be the Pirates’ designated hitter or fill in at first base, third base or a corner outfield spot if another player is DH.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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