The Pirates nearly scratched their first hit off J.A. Happ in the fifth inning of Friday's 2-0 loss to the Twins, but a close ruling kept them out of the hit column.

With two outs, Wilmer Difo stepped to the plate. The utilityman, who started in right field on Friday, chopped a 1-0 sinker from Happ back to the pitcher, who fumbled the ball before firing slightly off-line to first baseman Willians Astudillo.

However, the officials ruled that Difo was inside the baseline, making him the third out of the inning. Difo looked back from second base, where he rushed assuming he reached on a throwing error, in disbelief as manager Derek Shelton came out to get an explanation from home plate umpire Jose Navas.

¡°The umpires were great about it and had a nice explanation and did a really nice job,¡± Shelton said after the game. ¡°I just think the rule is poorly worded because of the fact that the base is in fair territory and if you run at the base, then you¡¯re out.¡±

Fielder's right of way or runner¡¯s interference as it's commonly referred to is not a reviewable play, so the Pirates had no shot to overturn the call short of an umpire conference, which did not happen.

That wasn¡¯t the only near-hit for Difo. The 29-year-old almost turned on a home run in the second inning, hitting a ball just short of the left-field wall for a Statcast-projected 349-foot flyout.