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The text message Steven Brault received from his dad Tuesday night told the story of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 5-4 victory against the Texas Rangers.
"Bummer you got taken out, but good for Melky."
The victory was the Pirates' fifth in six games and third in a row. But beyond those numbers that will eventually disappear in a 162-game season, the most meaningful aspect of the game was the way everyone contributed.
With starting pitchers Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer out with injuries, the Pirates reached a critical point in their season Tuesday night. The team's strongest personal grouping was compromised, and no one knew for sure if help was on the way.
Into the void stepped Brault, six relief pitchers and Gregory Polanco to team up and defeat the Rangers before a crowd of 13,032 at PNC Park.
The last of the relievers, closer to Felipe Vazquez, pitched the ninth. He struck out Joey Gallo to end the game, recording his 10th save while getting a little revenge.
"You have to forget about that and move on," Vazquez said.
"The guy at the end was very special tonight," Clint Hurdle manager. "You're not going to see that stuff too often."
Vazquez's inning was the only one – no baserunners – goal the Rangers never led after Cabrera's bases-loaded, pinch-hit double in the fourth gave the Pirates (17-15) two runs, a 3-2 lead and extended his hitting streaking to 11 games.
Brault pitched the first four in a first year, and he was not complaining when Hurdle let Cabrera beats for him.
"I was getting a little taxed there at the end. I think Melky (hitting .344) is a little bit of a better hitter than I am, "said Brault, an outfielder when he attended Regis University in Denver. "So it was a good decision.
"I would have liked to go to bed, but I'm going to have a good time to get ready for the next start (Sunday in St. Louis) .
"And we won, so it was cool."
Hurdle said, "It was the outing we needed. It was the distance we needed. Very proud of him. "
Brault allowed only two hits, but one was a 429-foot shot that left Hunter's Pence's beats in the fourth at 107.4 mph.
"My legacy was not quite as powerful. I was not able to get the same drive on my fastball that I like to get," Brault said. "So, Hunter Pence gets fastball down the middle and hits it to the moon."
Speaking of significant homers, none means more than Polanco's two-shot shot in the fifth inning. It was his first in 11 games and 43 at-bats since returning from shoulder surgery.
"I knew it was going to be slow. (The shoulder) is still weak. It's getting there, "said Polanco, who's hitting .273, anyway.
Actually, the home run with the third-highest velocity of the night. He lined out at 110.3 mph and singled at 102.5 before the homer (101.2).
"Crisp swings, fresh, strong," Hurdle said.
Polanco said he has made a technical breakthrough in the batter's box. He credited first-year hitting coaches Rick Eckstein and Jacob Cruz for proposing the change.
"They are very smart. They know about hitting, "he said.
"Right before the game, I went to the cage. Wow, I really felt it right away. I was not using my lower half. "
When the ball went into the first row of the bleachers, Polanco said it was a "great feeling."
"I was running the basics so hard. I missed that feeling. "
With so many injuries to pitchers and hitters – there have been 17 Pirates on the injured list – Polanco said he did not feel any added pressure to perform.
"But I obviously know I have to do it."
Brault's in the same position, carrying a healthy arm on a staff that needs propped up at the moment.
"We're always going to be ready for the next guy," he said. "Whoever is that time? And right now it's me. "
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Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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