Pirates' bottom-of-the-lineup 'grinders' find a way vs. lights-out reliever

PITTSBURGH -- Tyler Callihan and Jake Mangum couldn’t even see while in the batter’s box. The shadows at PNC Park past 6 p.m. ET on Saturday made hitting nearly impossible. Then they were tasked with taking on one of baseball’s nastiest pitchers.

Pittsburgh’s Nos. 7-9 hitters helped stage a two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth against Miami’s Anthony Bender, leading the Pirates to a 3-2 win. After Bender carved through the first two batters with ease, Callihan and Mangum singled while Jared Triolo walked, and then leadoff hitter Spencer Horwitz was hit by a pitch to plate the winning run.

“We're grinders,” Callihan said. “Definitely the bottom half of the order and one through nine, it's a tough out.”

The Pirates' potent offense has become their identity 71 games into the season, ranking among the top teams in the Majors in hits (618, third) and runs (357, fifth). Five of the first six batters in Pittsburgh’s lineup entered Saturday with an OPS above .800.

Offseason additions like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn have provided needed power, doing exactly what they were brought in to do. Nick Gonzales and Horwitz have taken steps in the right direction, each putting together career years.

And as the top of the Pirates’ order thrives, injuries to Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz have pushed players like Callihan, Mangum and Triolo into everyday contributors. They’ve provided a surprising spark, with Callihan delivering a two-homer game against the Dodgers and Mangum consistently putting the ball in play with a .361 BABIP.

“Nobody’s going to replace Oneil Cruz’s power or Konnor Griffin’s speed. They’ve gone out there and they’ve been themselves and stayed within themselves to do that,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “To go the other way, to have good at-bats, find a way to walk, get a base hit the other way, and when we’ve been good -- we’ve talked about it a lot -- we’re able to stack those together and score runs, and that’ll lead to wins.”

So even as shadows cast over the pitcher’s mound in the eighth, Pittsburgh’s bottom of the order was ready to go. Bender’s sweeper gets 19.8 inches of glove-side break. Luckily for Callihan and Mangum, the ball curled into them as left-handed hitters.

In a 1-0 count, Callihan said he didn’t see Bender’s first sweeper that landed in the zone when he picked his foot up for his timing mechanism. Callihan adjusted, putting his foot down as early as possible to try to get the barrel to the ball. He did just that, slicing a pitch through the left side.

Mangum followed, and also couldn’t see at first. But on the second pitch of the at-bat, Callihan broke for second. Mangum adjusted his approach and looked to hit the ball to the left side with the shortstop covering. He did, and Callihan moved to third on the hit-and-run.

Mangum moved up 90 feet on a stolen base, and up walked nine-hole hitter Triolo. The right-handed hitter described Bender’s sweeper as “gross.” He said he was waiting for Bender to come over the plate, but he lost control, walking him.

“It was starting on one side of the plate and then landing on the other side,” Triolo said.

When Horwitz came up with the bases loaded, Bender was in a situation he hasn’t been in in weeks. Literally. Bender had allowed just two runs and seven hits in 20 2/3 innings since April 20. Bender’s first pitch to Horwitz hit him, scoring the go-ahead run.

For Callihan, Mangum and Triolo, they understand they can’t replace Cruz and Griffin. They also know their role. Triolo said his goal is always to get on base and flip the lineup over. Mangum added that it doesn’t matter where each player is batting in the lineup, and winning the at-bat is all that matters. For the red-hot Callihan, it’s a pitch-by-pitch approach.

Against the Marlins on Saturday, the Pirates' winning formula poked through just enough.

“The dogs at the top of the order are amazing,” Callihan said. “So, if we can get the bats in their hands as many times as we can, we're gonna be all right.”