The Pittsburgh Pirates season has gotten away from them in a hurry.
Once upon a time, they were just 1.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League, giving the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets a run for their money. While that was around the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline, it feels like a lifetime ago.
On the outside looking in, Pittsburgh made moves for outfielder Bryan De La Cruz (Miami Marlins), utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Toronto Blue Jays), and high-leverage reliever (Jalen Beeks). Needless to say, those moves didn’t help move the needle.
As of August 1, the Pirates were 55-52. After a 10-game losing streak and seeing its bullpen blow multiple leads, Pittsburgh came into Thursday with a 65-74 record, meaning they’ve played to a 10-22 record in a little over a month.
You could say that some are starting to feel the pressure, and perhaps that’s why the team’s manager got testy with a reporter in the manager’s office following a 12-0 loss, in which the Pirates were no-hit by the Chicago Cubs. The game got away from Pittsburgh in a hurry, as Wednesday’s starter, Domingo Germán, lasted just three innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits (two home runs) with three strikeouts and one walk.
The game got so out of hand that Pirates manager Derek Shelton turned to his first baseman for the third time in 10 days. Now, the Pirates have bigger questions than Rowdy Tellez doing a mop-up duty in an 11-0 game. Until Major League Baseball institutes a mercy rule (it won’t), there will always be position players thrust into a pitching role to save the bullpen for tomorrow.
At the same time, rosters expand in September, so the Pirates are allocated an extra arm in their bullpen. That’s what Noah Hiles, who covers the team for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, found interesting. And it’s why he asked Shelton a relatively innocuous question about why he chose to use Tellez and if it had to do with them not having an off day on Thursday, Sept. 5.
Pitching a position player in September, when you have an extra arm in your bullpen, is a very interesting decision.
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) September 5, 2024
After tweeting as much, Hiles asked Shelton about Wednesday’s decision to use Tellez, arguably the team’s most effective pitcher.
“Yeah, come on, Noah, it’s 11-0,” said a testy Shelton, who obviously didn’t appreciate the question. “It’s 11-0. (David) Bedner and (Colin) Holderman both threw yesterday. (Dennis) Santana’s been our best reliever. (Aroldis) Chapman, I’m not going to pitch in that situation. Come on, you’ve watched enough baseball to know that. It’s 11-0. Seriously. You know, you don’t have to ask. There’s a better question than that. Seriously, I mean, it’s 11-0.”
Derek Shelton was furious when asked why Rowdy Tellez pitched the 8th pic.twitter.com/A3qhYI1CRi
— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) September 5, 2024
What was the score again?
Two things can be true at once: using Tellez as a pitcher in the eighth inning of an 11-0 blowout isn’t a big deal — that’s just part of the game. However, it’s unusual for a manager to get so upset over a harmless question, especially with expanded rosters and Tellez making his third pitching appearance in 10 days, which is quite a lot for a position player.
The Pirates’ struggles, from the bullpen woes to offensive slumps, are magnified when a manager reacts emotionally to a valid, if slightly pointed, question about strategy. It’s a reminder that even the smallest decisions get amplified when things go wrong.
And Shelton let his emotions get the best of him here.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.