Pirates Insider: Response to gut-punch loss will say plenty about this team’s ceiling

CINCINNATI — The silence in the visitors’ clubhouse at Great American Ball Park Friday night spoke volumes.

There was obviously frustration over another loss, Pittsburgh’s fourth straight, this one by an 8-7 score to the Reds.

The key play was one they absolutely should have made, and Brandon Lowe and Nick Gonzales took responsibility for the error that followed Nathaniel Lowe’s grounder to third base in the eighth inning, which brought home the winning run. There was also concern over the health of Ryan O’Hearn, who injured his left quad in the ninth and had to be helped off the field.

“Every loss hurts,” Lowe said. “But to couple that with the loss of a guy like O’Hearn, nothing ever feels good when that happens. We’re just praying that it’s not as bad as it could be.”

Whether it’s prayers or bouncing back from arguably the biggest gut-punch loss of the year and snapping this current skid, the Pirates have work to do -- and fast.

Friday’s loss dropped their record to 55-56. They’re .500 for the first time since July 3, they’ve lost seven of nine, and they’re 5-9 since the All-Star break.

General manager Ben Cherington said Sunday results this week wouldn’t change the Pirates’ direction or intentions at the Trade Deadline, but they’re tied with the Nationals and staring at two teams above them before you get to the third and final Wild Card slot in the National League.

In other words, they can't afford to continue ceding ground.

“We've shown a lot of resiliency, and this is going to be something where we’ve got to dig deep and find a way to overcome it,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “We have to collectively pull together and find a way to get over this loss and [losing] Ryan and be ready to play [Saturday].”

The way this unfolded did not sit well with several Pirates, most notably Paul Skenes, Gonzales and Lowe.

Skenes threw 100 pitches over four innings, allowing five earned runs and a pair of homers. He described his start as “sloppy” and “terrible.” It’s doubtful many will disagree.

A few two-strike pitches missed early. In the third, JJ Bleday hit an elevated fastball over the fence. Sal Stewart’s two-run shot in the fourth came on a sweeper that wasn’t far enough outside.

Skenes finished July with a 6.25 ERA across six starts. He didn’t feel he got ahead enough and gave up more contact than he’d like, and it’s stating the obvious that everyone — including Skenes — expects more. That certainly needs to change, along with several other Pirates storylines, in August.

Antwone Kelly, recalled earlier in the day, was a pleasant surprise, firing three shutout innings. The previous appearances Kelly has made up here have been rocky. He admitted that he’s been consumed by nerves and hadn’t quite found a routine that works.

This was different, as he struck out three and fired first-pitch strikes to nine of 12. Kelly’s solid work allowed the Pirates to plate three runs and grab the lead in the eighth, but that’s when the heartbreak arrived.

Stewart’s two-run single off Wilber Dotel tied it before the Lowe-Lowe-Gonzales play unfolded three batters later. Gonzales fielded the Nathaniel Lowe grounder and thought he might have an easier out at second. However, with a shift on for the lefty, Brandon Lowe wasn't immediately at the bag.

Instead of throwing to first — the easy, routine play, which Gonzales acknowledged he should have made — Gonzales threw a ball to second that Brandon Lowe failed to catch.

“It was a hard-hit ball from a lefty,” Gonzales said, explaining what he saw. “Just trying to throw it to second, get a force out. Once I saw how the shift was and everything, I should have just thrown it to first, got the out there. So, it’s on me. Should have just thrown it to first as soon as I saw nobody there.”

“I just didn’t catch it,” Lowe said. “That’s the biggest thing.”

The biggest thing at this point becomes the big picture. Pittsburgh has blown 20 saves this season, tied for the fifth-most in MLB. They badly need bullpen help, which has been even more noticeable during the first two games of this series.

They need to do a better job against left-handed pitching (9-23 vs. southpaws), and their starting staff (4.22 ERA, 13th) has not performed up to its collective ability.

The O’Hearn injury certainly hurts from leadership and offensive standpoints, though Spencer Horwitz and Oneil Cruz are close to returning. Horwitz resumed baseball activities Friday, and Cherington said Sunday Cruz remains on track to return around Aug. 7.

But what will this look like when they're back?

Skenes argued that “I don’t think it’s big enough to acknowledge as a skid,” though there’s inarguably room for improvement. They’ve also maintained there’s enough leadership and talent in the clubhouse this year to navigate these tougher times.

One bright spot Friday was Jake Mangum, who had a homer among his two hits. Despite the defensive miscue, Gonzales extended his hitting streak to 15 games and has 40 hits this month, most for a Pirate since May 2021. Esmerlyn Valdez finished July with 26 RBIs, third-most for a Pirates rookie since 1920.

But the way this one unfolded, coupled with losing O’Hearn to what sure doesn’t look like a short-term injury, presents a steep hill for the Pirates to climb.

Or an opportunity.

How they respond to the silence of Friday will reveal plenty about what has changed and whether they’re a legitimate playoff contender.

For what it's worth, they're confident they can put this behind them and keep fighting.

“It doesn’t really feel like we’re able to catch a break at any turn,” said Lowe, who’s hitting .481 with six extra-base hits over his past six games. “As soon as we’re looking to get some people back, we lose some other guys.

"It’s gonna hurt. But we have enough talent in here to hopefully weather the storm, too.”

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.