MILWAUKEE — Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz mentioned he misplaced observe of the outs when he did not run out a double-play grounder, a transfer that led to his removing in his membership’s 9-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday evening.
The Pirates trailed 7-3 and had a runner on first with one out within the seventh when Cruz grounded right into a 6-4-3 double play. Cruz slowed down after the Brewers bought the drive play at second, and he mentioned afterward he believed that was the third out of the inning.
Pirates supervisor Don Kelly eliminated Cruz in favor of a defensive alternative within the eighth inning and mentioned it was as a result of Cruz’s “vitality and energy happening the road.” Cruz mentioned after the sport he understood Kelly’s choice.
“DK had all of the rights to do what he did, and I will again him up on that,” Cruz mentioned by means of an interpreter. “It was my fault as a result of I assumed there have been two outs in that scenario. That is why I let off operating to first base.”
Kelly mentioned he defined to Cruz the explanation for the benching.
“We talked,” Kelly mentioned. “He is aware of the expectation. Proper there, I really feel we fell a little bit brief.”
When he was requested whether or not Cruz could be again within the beginning lineup Wednesday, Kelly was noncommittal.
“We will sit down and speak, and we’ll determine that out,” Kelly mentioned.
Cruz, 26, has batted simply .156 (12 of 77) with 31 strikeouts this month after having a productive begin to the season that included proudly owning a .911 OPS in early Might and hitting a 122.9-mph homer in opposition to the Brewers on Might 25. That homer was the hardest-hit ball since Statcast began monitoring that information in 2015.
Cruz is now hitting .208 with a .321 on-base share, .404 slugging share, 13 homers, 31 RBIs and 26 steals in 71 video games.
“He is struggling on the plate proper now,” Kelly mentioned. “It is troublesome whenever you’re going by means of that and making an attempt to determine it out. He is working laborious to try this. That is one factor we have to be aware of, just isn’t letting that offense carry over to protection and base operating, and the vitality and energy that we’re giving on every other elements of the sport as effectively.”
Cruz mentioned his hitting droop “had nothing to do with what occurred at the moment” and is not impacting his concentrate on the basepaths or within the subject. However he additionally mentioned he appreciated Kelly’s directions to him and famous how he can be taught from veteran teammates Andrew McCutchen and Tommy Pham.
“They are a actually good instance,” Cruz mentioned. “They at all times run laborious. They at all times go on the market to do their 100%. That is a instructing level for me. I accepted the way in which DK got here to me and defined it and introduced it to me.”