Tim Benz: I’m not upset at what Derek Shelton said about the Pirates, I’m just upset he keeps having to say it
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Given this month’s collapse of the Pittsburgh Pirates, many people were put off by what manager Derek Shelton had to say Tuesday during his most recent weekly radio show.
Speaking about his team’s extended losing streak, Shelton tried to tamp down their recent troubles by pointing out how many one-run losses the Pirates have had to endure of late.
This about says it all pic.twitter.com/vXetZCAUk1
— 1986-92 Pittsburgh Pirates (@1992Pirates) August 14, 2024
“We need to catch a break,” Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan. “We haven’t played bad baseball. We’ve lost, since the break, nine one-run games. We’ve lost, during this stretch of the eight, six one-one games. We’re just not finishing games or making the big play to get us to a victory right now. It’s extremely frustrating.”
Show host Joe Starkey pushed back on the assessment that the Pirates haven’t played bad baseball, citing multiple recent games that were lost as a result of pitching and fielding miscues.
“Your definition of bad baseball may be different than my definition of bad baseball,” Shelton said. “We haven’t executed, I think that’s fair to say.”
OK. I’m not quite sure what the difference is between playing poorly and failing to execute. That’s some old-fashioned hair-splitting if you ask me. But I’ll just present Shelton with some statistical evidence. There’s a difference between keeping the final score close and actually playing well.
• After Tuesday’s 3-0 loss in San Diego, the Pirates have lost 11 of 12 games, and nine in a row. During that stretch, Pirates hitters struck out 128 times (10.7 per game). The Pirates left 7.8 runners on base per game. They were shut out twice and scored just one run two other times.
• As of Tuesday morning, the team ERA in August was 5.79, 26th out of 30 teams.
• So far this month, the Pirates have blown five of six save chances.
• Shortstop Oneil Cruz has committed six errors since July 31.
• On July 30, the Pirates were 55-52, two games back of the last wild card slot in the National League. His team is now 56-63 and in last place of the National League Central Division.
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Look, I get it. Publicly, Shelton is trying to defend his players and is trying to massage any positive out of these dog days of August that he can. He doesn’t want to pile on and doesn’t see the value in potentially damaging the confidence of his team even more than it is.
As a manager, that’s his job.
But it’s also his job to make his team understand the reality of the situation. And the reality is that the Pirates are drowning.
Whether Shelton wants to say it out loud or not.
I’m not necessarily upset at Shelton for saying what he did. I’m just mad that he feels the need to have to say it.
Again.
As the Pirates careen toward a losing season for what would be the 28th time in the past 32 years.