MILWAUKEE – The Pittsburgh Pirates outflower, Oneil Cruz, said that he had lost track of withdrawals when he did not miss a dual -game ground, a decision that led to his withdrawal in the defeat of 9-3 from his club against the Brewers of Milwaukee on Tuesday evening.
The hackers dragged 7-3 and had a runner first with one in seventh row when Cruz fled into a double game 6-4-3. Cruz slowed down after the Brewers obtained the play of force in the second row, and he later said that he thought it was the third in the Channel.
The pirate manager, Don Kelly, removed Cruz in favor of a defensive replacement in the eighth round and said that it was due to “the energy and the efforts of Cruz down the line”. Cruz said that after the match, he understood Kelly’s decision.
“DK had all the rights to do what he did, and I will support him on this subject,” said Cruz through an interpreter. “It was my fault because I thought there were two withdrawals in this situation. That is why I let the first base run.”
Kelly said he had explained to Cruz the reason for the bench.
“We talked,” Kelly said. “He knows the wait. Just there, I think we fell a little short.”
When asked if Cruz would be back in the departure training on Wednesday, Kelly was not engaged.
“We are going to sit and talk, and we will understand this,” said Kelly.
Cruz, 26, hit only 0.156 (12 out of 77) with 31 stick withdrawals this month after having a productive start to the season which included the possession of a .911 OPS in early May and hitting a circuit of 122.9 MPH against the Brewers on May 25. This circuit was the hardest ball since Statcast began to follow this data in 2015.
Cruz is now reached .208 with a basic percentage of .321, a percentage of strikes of .404, 13 circuits, 31 products produced and 26 interceptions in 71 games.
“He is struggling at the plate at the moment,” said Kelly. “It’s difficult when you go through it and try to understand it. He works hard to do it. This is something we need to be aware, does not leave this offense to defend and the basic race, and the energy and the efforts that we also give on other aspects of the game.”
Cruz said that his strike crisis “had nothing to do with what had happened today” and has no impact on the basic paths or on the field. But he also said that he had appreciated Kelly’s instructions and noted how he could learn veterans teammates Andrew McCutchen and Tommy Pham.
“These are a very good example,” said Cruz. “They always run hard. They are still going there to do their 100%. It is a teaching point for me. I accepted the way DK came to me and I explained and introduced myself.”
