Pirates drop to MLB-worst 2-9 after loss to Twins

For nine minutes Tuesday during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins, umpires suspended play and chased everyone off the field.

A drone was flying overhead at Target Field, possibly endangering everyone below.

The drone flew away quickly, but for Derek Shelton, it symbolized how bizarre the year has gone in his first season as Pirates manager.

“We’re dealing with a global pandemic and guys wearing masks and a 60-game season,” he said. “Why not throw a drone into it just to keep everybody interested?”

He could have mentioned a few other painful truths that have emerged around his club:

• Josh Bell, the only All-Star on the team, is hitting .171 with two RBIs and 15 strikeouts.

• Joe Musgrove, presumably the team’s best pitcher who was given the starting assignment Opening Day, has a 6.75 ERA and 0-3 record after allowing the Twins six hits, five walks and five runs in 3¹⁄₃ innings.

• The Pirates (2-9) have the worst record in baseball and a six-game losing streak as they come home for two more against the Twins (9-2) on Wednesday and Thursday at PNC Park.

Musgrove said players inside the clubhouse hear the negative vibes coming from the outside.

“We see all the feedback from the fans,” he said. “No one feels this more than we do. We’re living this every day. We’re the ones who are taking this thing on the chin.”

But everyone remains hopeful, he said.

At least, they’re playing games to the end, evidenced by the Pirates scoring two or more runs in the ninth inning of three of the past five defeats.

“Teams that don’t play hard and don’t give consistent effort don’t do what we did in the ninth,” Shelton said. “It’s hard to fault their effort.”

The Pirates trailed, 7-1, entering the ninth, but strung together hits from Erik Gonzalez (his third of the day, a double), John Ryan Murphy, Adam Frazier and Phillip Evans, whose three hits raised his average to .393.

“We’re fine,” Musgrove said. “We’re doing the right preparation, and we’re going out there with the right mentality.”

One of the problems has been pitchers’ — starters and relievers – inability to find the strike zone. Before the bulk of Tuesday’s games were played, the Pirates led the majors with 58 walks surrendered

Musgrove tied a personal high with his five. He needed 61 pitches to get through the first two innings.

“He had to grind the rest of the way,” Shelton said. “He gave us as many outs as he could. He didn’t have his best stuff.”

Combine Musgrove’s problems with having to deal with one of the best-hitting lineups in baseball and the loss is not difficult to explain.

“What they did to Joe is what they do. They just wear you down,” Shelton said.

With injuries piling up among the pitching staff, it doesn’t get any easier for the Pirates, who are in the midst of 17 games in 17 days and don’t get a day off until Aug. 17.

“I think day after day is good because you continue to work on things,” Shelton said. “You continue to try to accentuate the positives and the things we’re working on.

“The one place it becomes challenging is just bullpen use. One of the challenging things coming into it, we knew, was going to be relievers and how they’re stretched out and when they’re able to go.

“On top of it, we’re seeing injuries. That’s the thing that makes it the most challenging.”

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