CINCINNATI — Josh VanMeter probably doesn’t want to return to Great American Ball Park any time soon. Pirates fans, meanwhile, likely aren’t clamoring for VanMeter to return at all, especially with Kevin Newman and Jake Marisnick seemingly at the tail end of their rehab assignments with Class AAA Indianapolis.
Although he wasn’t behind the plate this time, something that happened when Roberto Perez was hurt here on May 7, VanMeter was again at the center of where the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader turned — and eventually veered off a cliff, resulting in a 5-1 Reds victory.
Skip ahead to the seventh inning. The story at that point had very much been Bryse Wilson, who bottomed out June 14 in St. Louis, looked surprisingly good this past Saturday against the Brewers (6 innings, 2 runs) and was even better for much of his start as the 27th man against Cincinnati.
Despite a solo homer allowed in the sixth inning, Wilson had been on cruise control for much of the night, filling up the strike zone and recording quick outs. Tyler Naquin’s long ball in the sixth was preceded by eight in a row retired, and Wilson regrouped nicely by getting the next three Reds hitters he faced.
Until VanMeter intervened.
With two outs in the seventh, VanMeter charged a ball at second base and made an error, the ball kicking up and off of his glove. Center fielder Nick Senzel was safe. The Reds had life. The next hitter, catcher Michael Papierski, then blooped a ball into right that caused trouble for VanMeter and Ben Gamel.
Stationed in the shift, VanMeter tracked back but peeled off at the last moment. It appeared Gamel called for the ball and dove to catch it. He did not. Second baseman Jonathan India then poked a 1-1 fastball at the bottom of the zone through the right side, scoring the go-ahead run.
Making matters even worse, third baseman Brandon Drury took a slider from Chris Stratton the opposite way, past another diving attempt from Gamel, to score two more. The Reds made it a 5-1 game with left fielder Tommy Pham’s line-drive single up the middle.
The succession of events was unfortunate, but none of it would have ever happened had VanMeter made a routine play, which — right or wrong — isn’t going to help his image with the fan base.
Because not only has VanMeter now made five errors in 40 games, but he’s also hitting .197, including a mark of just .083 (2 for 24) since returning from a left ring finger fracture in late June.
As the Pirates potentially look to clear roster space for Newman and Marisnick, Bligh Madris figures to be one casualty. For a few different reasons, VanMeter may be someone the Pirates are forced to designate for assignment.
Those miscue(s) spoiled what was otherwise a terrific start for Wilson, who worked 6⅔ innings and allowed four runs (one earned) on seven hits. Wilson walked none, struck out four and threw 73 of his 94 pitches for strikes, numbers that mean as much as anything for someone who struggled finding the plate early on.
Few Pirates hitters have been hotter than Daniel Vogelbach of late, as the designated hitter began this one hitting .370 (10 for 27) over his last 10 games, with a double, three home runs, five RBIs and four runs scored.
Vogelbach gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the third inning, when he pulled a low-and-outside cutter into right field to score Gamel. The single for Vogelbach was wrapped around a pair of doubles, as he enjoyed his third game with three or more hits this season, his second in a six-day stretch.
The Pirates’ lead held until the sixth inning, when Naquin caught a 1-1 changeup from Wilson located low and inside and smashed it 422 feet over the fence in right-center.
Although the Pirates cashed in here, they also squandered a few additional opportunities, like having second and third with one out in the first. Michael Chavis and Jack Suwinski both struck out.
In the fourth inning, Oneil Cruz had a 3-0 count, took a couple fastballs on the outside corner, fouled off a changeup and swung through a fastball on the outer half, as Suwinski was caught stealing second base.
In the seventh inning, the Pirates had two on with two outs when home-plate umpire Alex Tosi rang up Gamel on a slider at the bottom of the strike zone.
