Moran shines, 'keeps things simple' vs. Cubs

PITTSBURGH -- Perhaps the Pirates player who needs the strongest finish to the season isn’t a prospect or a youngster looking for a consistent finish.

Maybe it’s veteran first baseman Colin Moran.

To begin the team’s final homestand of the season, Moran had one of his best all-around games in recent days. He put the Pirates ahead in the first with a three-run homer, then added on to a five-run rally with an RBI single in the seventh to down the Cubs, 8-6, in the series opener at PNC Park on Tuesday night.

From the first play of the game, things looked up for Moran. Rafael Ortega sent a sharp grounder down the first-base line, one of 12 hard-hit balls put in play against Mitch Keller -- who allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks over four-plus innings. But the former third baseman Moran made a sprawling attempt, snared the ball and flipped to Keller on first for the out.

“You think it’s not too different, but there are definitely a lot of differences,” Moran said of the transition from third to first. “So trying to learn the nuances has been fun. I think I’ve gained some good experience over there and kind of understood the little things a little better.”

On May 8, Moran was injured while trying to make another strong defensive play at first base. As he bounded up to grab a ball hit by Jason Heyward and attempt an unassisted double play, Moran tweaked his groin and ended up on the injured list for just two days shy of a full month.

What Moran did in his first-at bat on Tuesday provided an instant boost to a team fresh off Monday's 13-1 loss in Cincinnati. The left-handed hitter got an 0-1 fastball at 88 mph from Cubs starter Alec Mills, and Moran got his hands through it to send it to left-center field. It glanced off the wall surrounding the opposing bullpen and dropped in for his 10th homer of the season.

Moran's two walks after the homer were indicative of his past few games, in which he has drawn six walks over 17 plate appearances. Those also may be another key step to Moran having a strong final week.

“At times, guys taking walks leads to more consistent at-bats, because you’re not swinging at the wrong pitches,” Bucs manager Derek Shelton said. “Colin has done that lately.”

In the seventh inning, Moran did what he’s struggled to do all month: Show himself as a force in the cleanup spot. Bryan Reynolds reached on an error by the Cubs -- which nearly was Reynolds' fourth hit of the game -- and Moran drove him in a second time by shortening up on an 0-2 curveball.

“With a runner in scoring position, you’re always having a purpose up there,” Moran said. “Whatever the situation calls for to get the run in, I think just trying to lock in and focus [is key].”

One of Moran’s injuries this season was a fracture to his left pisiform bone (wrist), which halted his swinging and kept him out of action for more than a month.

Now, Moran's closing out the season with a stretch of almost two months of action without further setback -- though with some trouble at the plate. Since a four-hit game on Aug. 26, he hit .200 with a .589 OPS in 26 games entering Tuesday.

Putting those kinds of numbers behind you can be easier said than done, especially when you’re hitting high in the lineup. Moran has been visibly frustrated at times this month, but he’s tried to give each game a fresh slate.

“You try to forget it,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not easy when you’re going through rough patches. It can carry into the next day, but you try your best not to [let it], because that’s when things kind of spiral.”

Maybe it’s a bit cliché to say the final week is important to Moran. After all, when you take it one day at a time, each game is the most important to any player. But at the tail end of a bumpy season -- marked by injury, position change and spurts of good and bad offense -- it would provide some relief to a player who has sought consistency time and time again in 2021.

“I’m really trying to focus on getting better, and obviously, it’s nice to have some results,” Moran said. “But it’s been a bit of a grind, so just trying to lock in and keep things simple and try to get better.”