Two Outs Not Meaning The End Of An Inning in 2021
When you get the first two outs of an inning quickly, most pitchers begin to relax knowing they need just one more out to get out of the inning. However, the Pirates are making it difficult on pitchers this year with two outs, as they are coming through with some clutch hits. The most recent display of their ability for clutch two-out hits came against the Detroit Tigers this past week. They scored a total of nine runs in the series win, and five of those came with two outs in the inning. In their 4-2 win in the series finale, three of the runs they scored came with two outs, including the first two runs of the game on RBI hits from Colin Moran and Erik Gonzalez. These clutch hits have helped give the Pirates pitchers some run support, and in turn, have helped lead to many of these Pirate wins during this stretch.
As they head into Minnesota with some tough pitching match-ups ahead of them, this clutch two-out hitting will come in handy now more than ever. The Pirates are among the top two-out hitting teams so far this season, and that is compliments of the work of the guys in the middle of the lineup. Even if the top of the lineup is not getting on base, Bryan Reynolds, Colin Moran, and Erik Gonzalez have been able to pick up the slack. When there are two outs, the Pirates have hit .234 (8th in MLB) with six home runs and 31 RBI (t-9th in MLB). They have scored 44% of their runs with two outs this season (33 of 74) and are coming through when the pressure is on. Today, we look at this team's two-out hitting success and how they can build off of it as the season moves on.
Top of the Order Producing
In order to have success with two outs, there obviously has to be two outs in the inning. With the bottom of the Pirate's order being one of the weakest spots on the team, that has forced the top of the order to try and keep things going. Luckily for the Pirates, Adam Frazier has bounced back from a dreadful 2020 season and is setting the stage for these two-out rallies. Frazier is one of those under the radar guys who is quietly having a good season. He is hitting .329 with nine RBI in the early going, but when it comes to two-out situations, he is even more on fire. When Frazier comes to the plate with two outs, he is hitting .533 with four RBI. This sets the table for a middle of the Pirates order that has been in fore right from the get-go.
The Pirate's hottest hitter so far early in the season has been clean-up man Colin Moran. He is working the count effectively, and spraying the ball all over the field when he needs to. However, with two outs is where he really has been shining, hitting .400 with three home runs and 10 of his 15 RBI on the season coming with two outs. However, as we saw the other day, he isn't selfish about it either. He laid down a two-out bunt against the shift to give Gonzalez a chance with two on and nobody out. Bryan Reynolds is another guy turning it around this season, and doing so a lot of the time with two outs. While Reynolds's batting average isn't as high as the two aforementioned players with two outs, .296, he has been very patient in those situations. Reynolds has drawn a team-high seven walks with two outs, giving Moran a chance to drive in all those runs.
However, the king of the two-out situation so far this season has been utility man Erik Gonzalez. The more he has hit the more playing time he has gotten and he is taking full advantage of it. He is hitting .300 over his last 15 games with a home run and 12 RBI, but lately, with two outs he has been lethal. Of the five two-out RBIs the Pirates collected in the series with the Tigers, Gonzalez had three of the two-out RBI hits. With two outs this season, Gonzalez is hitting .273 with six of his 12 RBI and is second on the team in two-out RBI behind Colin Moran. As he has moved up in the batting order, he has been getting more opportunities to drive in runs and help this offense. Because the Pirates have been so good with two outs this season, it has helped their pitchers and will go a long way to getting more wins this season.
Stealing Wins As Of Late
With the Pirates having so much success with two outs, it is only going to help this Pirates team in the long run. It means more run support for their pitchers and can help them get to the opposing bullpen faster than ever before. The team has kind of gone as their starting pitching has gone in the early part of the season, so getting them as much run support as possible is going to be key. A guy like Mitch Keller, who is trying to turn things around this season, has a lot more confidence when he goes out with a lead rather than a tie game. With the Pirates generating more two-out offense as if late, he had that opportunity in his start against the Tigers this week.
And Keller is not the only one benefitting from this two-out offense. Both Miguel Yajure and Tyler Anderson got two-out run support in their starts during last week's doubleheader. The proof that run support helps this pitching staff is right in the numbers. When the Pirates have a lead, they have the second-lowest ERA in all of baseball at 2.41, sitting behind the Brewers at 1.94. However, when the team is trailing in a game, they have the second-highest ERA in the MLB at 6.93. It is much easier to pitch with a lead, and that seems to help these young pitchers as they develop. While the team has seemingly gone as their starting pitching has gone this season, when they get out to an early lead things seem to go a lot better for their starting pitchers.
The big question is, will the Pirates be able to sustain this success with two outs for any length of time. So far through 19 games, they have shown that they can, but as we saw at times last season, this offense has faded out. However, there are a few guys with new approaches that I have picked up on that may mean a different result this year. Erik Gonzalez in particular is looking a lot more comfortable at the plate and is starting to spread the ball around more often. Guys like Moran and Reynolds you know are going to come through, but the question lies in whether or not some of the slumping guys can pick it up when the middle of the order cools down. If that can happen, then this team could be in for some exciting games down the line in 2021.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (9-10) begin a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins (6-11) tonight at 8:10 pm. JT Brubaker (2-0, 1.76) looks to continue his hot start on the mound against J.A. Happ (0-0, 3.12). You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.
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