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Pirates Miss Several Opportunities on Offense in 4-3 Loss to the Reds

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PITTSBURGH — Among National League teams, the Pirates are 12th in home runs, 10th in slugging, 12th in extra-base hits and 12th in isolated power.

With less than a month left in the regular season, it doesn’t look like the Pirates are going to become a power-hitting club any time soon.

That’s not to say that the Pirates’ offense doesn’t have strengths. They’re fourth in batting average, third in on-base percentage and have done well enough to third in weighted runs created. Without question, this can be a good offense.

But what an offense without power needs is sequencing. The ability to put together consecutive hits is the only way the Pirates can score. Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pirates had 10 hits and six other base runners, but pushed across just three runs in a 4-3 loss.

What the Pirates can’t do — and what they did against the Reds — is give away outs.

Gregory Polanco was picked off second base with one out in the second inning. Clint Hurdle called for a bunt by Josh Harrison in the fifth inning. At least that one worked. Jordy Mercer struck out trying to put one down in the seventh. Mercer took the blame for that one, saying Hurdle had taken off the sign. Jung Ho Kang was picked off first base in the sixth. The Pirates hit into four double plays and left eight runners on base — six of which were in scoring position.

Simply put, the Pirates don’t hit enough extra-base hits to give away runs on the bases, with poor approaches or sub-optimal strategic decisions.

“We don’t have that safety net of one swing and a three-run homer very often,” Hurdle admitted. “You don’t want to give up outs on the bases, number one. Then you’d like to have some opportunities to string some things together. You look at the guys that hit into the double plays tonight, most of the time they’re the guys you’re looking forward to being able to do something.”

Mercer was penitent regarding his role in botching the seventh inning.

“I knew it was a big situation and I knew I wanted to get the guy over,” Mercer said. “When you realize that it didn’t work and you go back in the dugout and go over some of the solutions and why [Hurdle took off the bunt]. Anything can happen. You can get a base hit, you can walk, you can get hit by a pitch. I’m a decent two-strike hitter. … I think all that comes into play.”

The Pirates do a pretty good job of optimizing their offense on a regular basis. But a night like Friday really showed the pitfalls of having an offense without any power.

A mental mistake like Mercer’s or Polanco’s or Kang slipping on the way back to the base can be just as hurtful as a strikeout.

“When we asses the game and realize that we put a lot of guys on base and had a lot of opportunities, we know we could have scored a lot more runs,” Mercer said. “Those things happen. We know that and understand that. … We you continue to put guys on each and every day and give yourselves that opportunity, you want to cash in as much as you can.”

“We have not shown the ability to play to what our skillet is on offense,” agreed Hurdle. “We’ve complicated things.”

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