Pirates put baserunning on display in Arizona

During Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games against the Diamondbacks, the Pittsburgh Pirates stole a total of seven stolen bases, the most in back-to-back games the club had managed since 2018.

Kevin Newman, Tucupita Marcano and Greg Allen all swiped bags Wednesday, while Josh VanMeter, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz did the same Thursday, with Allen adding a second stolen base in the series finale, as well.

Granted, the Pirates dropped three of four games to Arizona, with Thursday’s seventh-inning implosion to conclude things coming as particularly frustrating.

But that being said, the final two contests of the four-game series featured some solid baserunning.

On Thursday, two of the Pirates’ three runs (all in the top of the fourth inning) came as a result of heads-up plays on the bases.

After Hayes singled and Cruz walked, the two then executed a double steal, setting up Marcano with runners on second and third with one out.

Hayes scored shortly thereafter.

Marcano bounced a grounder to D-Backs’ first baseman Christian Walker, who opted to try to make the out at home plate, but Hayes, thanks to a great jump from third base, beat the throw and was confirmed to be safe after a review.

“We scored because we ran the bases really well,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said during the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “We paid attention.”

When Allen singled home Cruz, he soon found himself stuck in no-man’s land between first and second base, caught in a rundown.

But Marcano, having advanced to third on Allen’s hit, played his hand perfectly, making a dash for home plate as the D-Backs locked in on Allen.

Marcano scored with ease and Allen ultimately made it back to first base safely.

One night prior, on Wednesday, Marcano scored a run in near identical fashion. Taking advantage of Jason Delay being caught in a rundown following a single, he sprinted home from third to score a key run in the Pirates’ eventual 6-4 victory.

Heading into the bottom of the fourth inning Thursday, the Pirates had a 3-0 lead, but the solid baserunning went for naught.

Starter JT Brubaker pitched five innings, leaving the game with a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, the Diamondbacks busted things open, scoring seven runs off Pirates relievers Chase De Jong (who was charged with the loss and blown save) and Yerri De Los Santos.

Aside from the fourth inning, the Pirates’ bats went cold, as they managed just five hits in 33 at-bats.

“Marcano made a really nice read going (home) there, and then ‘G’ (Allen) did a nice job,” Shelton said of the fourth-inning run scored. “We ran the bases really well. It’s just after that, we couldn’t get much going.”