Three-error sport by third baseman Erik Gonzalez proves costly as Padres beat Pirates
May perchance 6—Erik Gonzalez had been basically the most classic glove on the Pittsburgh Pirates this season — set most definitely Ke’Bryan Hayes, the participant he has replaced at third base — before Wednesday night’s sport at San Diego.
After now not committing an error all season, Gonzalez had three in a dozen chances against the Padres. That integrated one which allowed the participant who scored the trip-forward flee to receive on base on a routine grounder.
Victor Caratini led off the third inning with a home flee and the sixth on a Gonzalez error as the Padres beat the Pirates, 4-2, at Petco Park to deal with two out of their three-sport series.
It marked the first time a Pirates third baseman has been charged with three errors in a sport since Bobby Bonilla against Montreal on July 31, 1989. Gonzalez had a dozen chances, basically the most in a 9-inning sport by a Pirates third baseman since Bill Brubaker had 12 (with two errors) at Cincinnati on April 17, 1939. That Gonzalez did so on a night that JT Brubaker (no relation) used to be pitching for the Pirates used to be pure twist of destiny.
“The truth is, simplest ingredient in my head is strive to receive ’em the next ball,” Brubaker said. “What can I cease to receive him interesting again reasonably than sitting there pondering, ‘I valid made this error.’ Errors on the abet of me in point of fact don’t bother me. They happen. Or now not it is baseball. I made one myself. Errors don’t bother me. The least bit. I am valid looking to fabricate sure that they are getting motion sooner reasonably than having to sit down down there and take into yarn it.
“I fabricate now not know what goes on ready participant’s head, either, when he makes an error. But I am valid looking to receive ’em motion and receive ’em transferring again. Correct let ’em know that it would now not bother me.”
It used to be the sixth loss in seven video games for the Pirates (13-17), who got off to an ominous originate up when Gonzalez made a throwing error on leadoff hitter Tommy Pham‘s grounder to third within the first inning. Brubaker said his slider used to be hit-and-leave out, so the lawful-hander relied instead on his sinker, curveball and changeup. Pham reached second on Jake Cronenworth’s sacrifice bunt and superior to third on a groundout by Fernando Tatis Jr. But Brubaker escaped the first unhurt by getting Eric Hosmer to strike out having a peek.
In the third, Caratini smacked Brubaker’s sinker to lawful for a 401-foot leadoff home flee to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. The Padres then loaded the bases against Brubaker, who went to a corpulent depend before getting Wil Myers to floor out to third to halt the inning.
Gonzalez made his second error when both he and Kevin Newman lined second base within the defensive shift on a Caratini grounder to first. Gonzalez dropped Colin Moran’s throw, and his recovery flip sailed excessive and pulled Newman off the earn. With runners on first and second, Brubaker struck out Darvish and Pham to interrupt out the jam.
Brubaker gave up but every other flee within the fifth, when Tatis drew a leadoff stroll and Myers drove him in with a single to left to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. They had been basically the most classic runs allowed by Brubaker, who gave up six hits and had three walks whereas striking out seven in 5 innings. But the Pirates answered when Bryan Reynolds led off the sixth by utilizing a Darvish cutter 374 feet to left for his third home flee to decrease it to 2-1.
“Or now not it is rather short out to left field right here and I knew I got it valid nonetheless I wasn’t going to gaze and receive my hopes up,” Reynolds said. “So I valid hit it and began going and hoped he didn’t raise it.”
Gonzalez beat out an infield single, and Moran adopted with a single and then got his first profession stolen base. After Jacob Stallings struck out, the Pirates had runners on second and third with rookie outfielders Ka’ai Tom and Hunter Owen up subsequent within the batting divulge. Tom drove a 3-2 breaking ball to deep heart for a sacrifice tear to attain Gonzalez and tie the rating.
After Darvish hit Owen, who used to be making his main league debut, with a pitch on his lawful hand, the Padres pulled their starter. Owen grew to change into the first Pirates rookie to reach base for the first time after being hit by a pitch since shortstop Kevin Polcovich against the Marlins in his MLB debut on May perchance 17, 1997. Mixing his cutter and slider, Darvish gave up two runs on six hits and one stroll with eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Gonzalez made a Third error whereas looking to backhand a Caratini grounder to short against the defensive shift to originate up the sixth. Pinch hitter Trent Grisham hit a line-force double to left to attach runners on second and third for reliever Duane Underwood Jr., who got a destroy when his wild pitch bounced off the backstop and the runners stayed attach. Jake Cronenworth, nonetheless, hit a two-flee single to lawful to give the Padres a two-flee lead.
The Pirates dedicated a season-excessive four errors, even though manager Derek Shelton didn’t blame them for the loss.
“They mark us pitches,” Shelton said. “Gonzo threw the one ball away. I fabricate now not accept as true with the choice on that. I thought it used to be interference. That is my opinion. That clearly wasn’t what (the umpires) thought. We had a communication error on the second. The third one, I mean, that can perchance perchance well had been a hell of a play if he made it. What did he gain, 10 other floor balls that he fielded? Caratini’s ball going away from him? That is a advanced play. Typically, I feel what it mark us is that it mark Bru pitches. It mark him a possibility to pitch within the sixth.”
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Evaluation crew creator. You would possibly perchance perchance contact Kevin by electronic mail at [email protected] or through Twitter .