Difo, Bucs offense come alive for win

The lineup for the Pirates in Sunday’s finale against the Cubs was very different from the ones drawn up so far this season, due in large part to a bout of injuries and roster moves announced prior to the game.

But whatever the configuration, it worked.

The Pirates’ offense rallied for four runs in the first inning, setting the tone for a 6-5 win at Wrigley Field. Though much of it came through weak contact, as the Bucs went 5-for-13 on balls hit with less than a 75 mph exit velocity, the bats will take it after being held to eight runs over the previous six games.

Pittsburgh struck quickly, loading the bases in the first inning with back-to-back singles from Adam Frazier and Kevin Newman plus a walk from Ka’ai Tom. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks got two quick outs, but Wilmer Difo recorded two of his three RBIs on the day with a single.

“Even though I had faced [Hendricks] before, I’m going to be honest with you -- I haven’t seen that movement from him before,” Difo said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez. “I was just very glad that I was able to get a good at-bat.”

Todd Frazier snapped his 1-for-31 skid to begin the season with a grounder against the shift to score the third run of the inning, and Troy Stokes Jr. reached on a fielding error in his MLB debut to help the fourth run score.

So before Tyler Anderson could even kickstart his eight-inning gem against the Cubs, he got a big boost -- although he said he could barely see it in the deep dugout at Wrigley Field.

“I just know early on I was high-fiving a lot of guys who were coming in because they had scored,” he said, “so that’s a good sign.”

Difo, who collected three hits, tripled to plate a run in the third. The Pirates’ primary pinch-hitting option drew two starts in center field with Bryan Reynolds out of action, and depending on the length of absence, the longtime utility and bench option could get some consistent playing time

One thing that makes a great pinch-hitter: Composed, timely hitting. Difo hasn’t demonstrated that in every start he’s gotten, but it was there on Sunday.

“Sometimes when you're a bench guy and you get starts, you try to do too much,” manager Derek Shelton said, “and today, I don't think he did that. I think he really stayed within his plan, just like he was pinch-hitting, and we reaped the benefits of it."

Difo was knocked in on a fielding error that allowed Todd Frazier to reach base. Though Kyle Crick and Richard Rodríguez showed their first signs of struggles this season, allowing three runs combined in the ninth inning, the early offense was enough to send the Pirates to a much-needed victory before a seven-game homestand.

In order for those wins to continue, the Pirates will need to find continued contributions from their restructured offense. Of the eight hitters in Pittsburgh’s Opening Day starting lineup, only three were in the lineup Sunday: Adam Frazier, Kevin Newman and Jacob Stallings.

Sunday’s win wasn’t powered by high exit velocities or deep home runs. With Reynolds day to day and Colin Moran and Ke’Bryan Hayes on the injured list, the team isn’t expecting to win games that way. It’s going to be a one-through-nine effort as it was on Sunday to wake the offense up as it returns to Pittsburgh.

They’ll get more reinforcements on Monday, as the Pirates claimed outfielder Ben Gamel off waivers on Sunday. And the club knew heading into the season that it would need to rely on its depth.

It’s being greatly tested now, but as for the first test, the Pirates passed.

“I think we have to do that, and it's not just 1 to 26,” Shelton said. “I think we're seeing, organizationally, with the injuries we've had and calling people up, it's not just the guys at the Major League level.

“We had some guys that really did a nice job. … It was nice to see our lineup, up and down, contribute."