ST. LOUIS — Outside of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ historic extension, there wasn’t a lot to celebrate during the Pirates’ first two games of the 2022 season. They made up for lost time Sunday.
Impressive offensive performances. Terrific defense. Miguel Yajure earning his first MLB win. It was all there, as the Pirates rolled to a 9-4 victory against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, setting up a chance to salvage the split on Monday.
The Pirates (1-2) pounded out 15 hits as a team, including three apiece from Michael Chavis and Diego Castillo. Giving Yoshi Tsutsugo a day off at first base, Chavis made a convincing argument to be in the starting lineup more while igniting the Pirates’ offense.
How that happened felt appropriate given an opportunity missed in Saturday’s game, as the Pirates loaded the bases and forced Miles Mikolas to show 41 pitches in the first inning … but only came away with one run.
Third inning Sunday. Based juiced again. Chavis helped the Pirates cash in by turning on a first-pitch, hanging curveball and belting it into the left-field seats for his second career grand slam.
Practically, it gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead. Bigger than that, it let them breathe.
And nobody knows the need for that more than Chavis, a guy who many projected to be in the Pirates’ opening day lineup but someone who didn’t get his first start until Game 3 … at a position (first base) that he’s still learning.
It also came after a spring Chavis would probably rather soon forget. While trying to earn a starting spot and make a good impression, Chavis pressed. In 20 March at-bats, he had just three hits (.150) average and struck out seven times.
Not until an April 2 game against his former club, the Boston Red Sox, did Chavis look like himself, when he went 2 for 4 with a home run.
“I was pressing,” Chavis said. “I was trying to make things happen immediately. I put a lot of pressure on myself and have high expectations. I want to succeed and help the people around me.”
Before we get to Castillo or Yajure, it’s worth mentioning the defensive effort in this one. Among the defensive highlights:
— Chavis’ stretch and scoop to complete a double play the inning before his grand slam.
— Kevin Newman’s slick, spinning throw to nab left fielder Tyler O’Neill leading off the third.
— Hayes diving to his left to rob shortstop Paul DeJong to start the fourth.
— Jake Marisnick tracking back for a difficult grab to close the fourth.
— And Castillo diving to his right to get catcher Yadier Molina leading off the seventh.
Sunday’s game featured a different lineup because the Pirates faced their first left-hander, and some of the stuff that happened makes you think if maybe this could be more than a one-time thing.
Marisnick picked up a pair of hits and an RBI and looked plenty comfortable in right. Ditto for Castillo, who followed his first MLB hit with three of them Sunday; it’s hard to imagine at this point how he doesn’t get more opportunity.
One sneaky important play happened in the third inning, two batters after Chavis went yard, when he poked a two-strike pitch into right field to extend the inning. Had this been a one-run game, that’s absolutely one of the things you’d circle.
It was also encouraging to see Ben Gamel look like, well, Ben Gamel. The Pirates outfielder, hitless through his first two games, went 2 for 4 with a double and caused some havoc on the bases in the eighth. Gamel bolted for third on a fly ball to right, then dashed for home when the throw got away.
Also don’t forget about the pitching.
Bryse Wilson struggled in the first and coughed up a two-run bomb to third baseman Nolan Arenado before steadying himself in the second, third and fourth. The double play Chavis finished completed a stretch of eight consecutive outs for Wilson to close his four-inning outing.
Next came Yajure, who earned his first major league win while making his first appearance of the season. His throwing program slowed this offseason by a lingering back issue, Yajure pitched once in spring training and threw a 29-pitch live batting practice session on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Yajure covered the fifth and sixth innings and allowed neither a hit nor a run, walking one and striking out DeJong swinging on a 95 mph heater to end it.
“I feel comfortable coming out of the bullpen,” Yajure said before the game. “It’s quick. You don’t have to think too much. You just go out there and compete.”
