MILWAUKEE — Oneil Cruz from the Pittsburgh Pirates made a notable error in reading the play during their 9-3 defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers, acknowledging that he lost awareness of the number of outs, consequently not fully running out a potential double-play ball. Cruz’s lapse took place in the seventh inning when the Pirates were trailing 7-3 with just one out and a teammate on first. After the Brewers managed the force play at second, Cruz decelerated, mistakenly thinking the inning was over.
Responding to Cruz’s lack of hustle, Pirates manager Don Kelly decided to bench him, introducing a defensive substitute in the eighth inning. Kelly pointed to Cruz’s insufficient “energy and effort” as the main reason for his decision. Cruz, in his post-game comments, stood by Kelly’s action, acknowledging his mistake and the manager’s prerogative. “DK had all the rights to do what he did, and I’ll back him up on that,” Cruz remarked through an interpreter, admitting he incorrectly assumed two outs had already been made, leading to his reduced sprint to first base.
Expanding on the incident, Kelly stated, “We talked. He knows the expectation. Right there, I feel we fell a little short.” As for whether Cruz would return to the starting lineup the following day, Kelly remained undecided, indicating a discussion would determine the way forward.
Cruz, aged 26, has faced challenges with his form recently, managing a meager .156 batting average, accounting for 12 hits from 77 at-bats, alongside 31 strikeouts during the current month. This is a significant dip from his otherwise strong season start, hitting a .911 OPS in May, highlighted by a 122.9-mph home run that was the hardest-hit ball since Statcast began its tracking in 2015. Currently, Cruz’s stats stand at a .208 average, with a .321 on-base percentage and a .404 slugging percentage, adding 13 home runs, 31 RBIs, and securing 26 steals across 71 games.
Addressing his batting challenges, Kelly noted, “He’s struggling at the plate right now. It’s difficult when you’re going through that and trying to figure it out. He’s working hard to do that. That’s one thing we’ve got to be mindful of, is not letting that offense carry over to defense and base running, and the energy and effort that we’re giving on any other aspects of the game as well.”
Despite his batting slump, Cruz insisted it played no role in the incident, maintaining his concentration on both base running and fielding is intact. He valued the learning opportunity presented through Kelly’s guidance and by observing experienced teammates like Andrew McCutchen and Tommy Pham. Cruz expressed, “They’re a really good example. They always run hard. They always go out there to do their 100%. That’s a teaching point for me. I accepted the way DK came to me and explained it and presented it to me.”