Pittsburgh Review

PITTSBURGH -- Derek Shelton typically dreads situations where a late lineup change is necessary, admitting that such scenarios cause him some anxiety. This time, however, he found himself on the favorable end. Bryan Reynolds was scratched from the lineup due to back spasms, compelling Shelton to insert Connor Joe into the outfield and left-handed hitter Rowdy Tellez into the lineup against Cardinals' left-hander Matthew Liberatore.

“It’s either really bad or really good,” Tellez commented on being a late substitution. “There’s no in between.”

Shelton shared his thoughts: “I know when people switch lineups, I'm always like, 'Ah man, the guy that comes in, you think something good's gonna happen.' Rowdy had a good game today.”

Tellez indeed delivered for the Pirates, contributing both opening and closing RBIs in a 5-0 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday at PNC Park. This win secured the series for Pittsburgh.

Entering the game with a .148 batting average and only one RBI against left-handed pitchers this season, Tellez demonstrated why he is often used as a platoon player. Despite these statistics, Tellez remained diligent in his preparation for facing southpaws.

“It’s my job to show up every day,” Tellez stated. “It’s not like it’s foreign to face lefties in my career, so it was just going in and understanding who was pitching and doing the homework I needed to do and being ready for it.”

In the second inning, Tellez capitalized on his homework by hitting a two-strike slider up the middle to score Ke’Bryan Hayes. The Pirates' offense surged with four runs that inning, including contributions from Andrew McCutchen with a bases-loaded walk and Joe with a two-run double.

Tellez further impacted the game by chasing Liberatore out of the contest in the fourth inning with a home run into the Allegheny River. As he rounded the bases, Reynolds humorously pointed to his own jersey from the dugout.

"Reynolds will take credit for anything on the one day he does not play,” Shelton joked.

Martín Pérez provided more than enough support with six scoreless innings despite allowing five walks and four hits. His ability to induce ground balls was crucial in stifling potential rallies from St. Louis.

“I thought last start he didn't mix and match as well as he should have,” Shelton noted about Pérez's performance. “He looked like he was right around the zone... Today it didn't [get expanded], but he was still able to come back and execute.”

Pérez himself expressed confidence: “It doesn’t matter. I’m always going to trust my stuff... It was a great game.”

The Pirates have opened their second half of the season strongly with series wins against both top teams like Cardinals and Phillies. They now face challenging upcoming series against D-backs and Astros but remain confident about their playoff prospects.

“We don’t give up,” Pérez affirmed. “This is a good team... winning games to make playoffs because that’s what we want.”