Castillo's lapse sets stage for Pirates' 7-2 loss

2012-03-17 02:26:54

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By Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

CHICAGO -- And there it was, laid bare within the frustrating framework of a 7-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs last night at Wrigley Field, the puzzle that the Pirates still see in Jose Castillo.

He can be, at times, magnificent.

That was the case in the sixth inning, when he and Freddy Sanchez teamed for one of Major League Baseball's finest double plays all summer.

Or in the eighth, when his leadoff single and swift baserunning were instrumental in the Pirates grabbing a 2-1 lead.

But be plenty sure that Castillo can be maddening, too.

That was evident again in the bottom half of that inning with the mess that led to Derrek Lee's back-breaking grand slam.

John Grabow, relieving after Zach Duke's superb seven-inning start, gave up a single to his first batter, Angel Pagan. That brought up the speedy Juan Pierre, and just about everybody on the field and the 32,557 in attendance had to know what would he would try.

"It's a situation there where you have to expect they're going to bunt," manager Jim Tracy said. "And they did."

It rolled up the third base line, Grabow fielded it cleanly, wheeled to throw to first and ... nobody in sight. Castillo had forgotten to cover the bag with Xavier Nady charging the bunt.

Grabow held the ball and was visibly unhappy.

That did not seem to change afterward.

"We had the game and ... that's a fundamental play we've got to make," Grabow said. "I don't know what else I can say."

Matt Capps relieved Grabow, and Ryan Theriot put down another bunt. Capps got to his in plenty of time, too, but he slipped. Bases were loaded.

Aramis Ramirez lined a screamer to Sanchez for one out, and Lee launched the first pitch he saw from Capps, a 93-mph fastball, for a grand slam and an instant 5-2 Chicago lead.

The Cubs sent 11 men to the plate and scored twice more, but that did not seem to alter the Pirates' focus on the genesis of the trouble.

"I know they scored the runs that they scored in the eighth, but we set the stage for them. We were late covering first base," Tracy said. "That could have diffused the inning or minimized the damage. But it didn't happen."

Castillo's take on the play?

"I was a little bit confused, and I was a little bit late," he said of covering first. "That's OK. It's one time in a year."

The numbers would suggest it was far from isolated, though. Castillo's 17 errors are second most in the National League at his position, and the lapses that do not go into scorebooks -- on the field, on the basepaths and at the plate -- have been numerous.

In reality, Castillo, 25, is in his third full year with the Pirates, and they still seem to have more questions than answers about him. He is as capable of that game-changing gaffe as he is of that great double play, one in which he took Sanchez's flip from the glove with his bare hand and strongly relayed to first. He is as capable of the 0-for-15 slump he lugged into his third at-bat as he is of the double and single that followed.

Which might be why Tracy, when asked about Castillo's general performance, stressed the positive: "He has done great. He's been very, very good defensively. It's a slight lapse there, that's all."

The loss shoved the Pirates back in the Central Division cellar, and it dealt another undeserved outcome for Duke, who has a 1.42 ERA in his past five starts but is 0-3. The offense has given him eight runs of support in that span, during which he has faced some of the National League's finest: Chris Capuano, John Smoltz, Andy Pettitte and Chris Carpenter.

Chicago's young left-hander, Rich Hill, is not in that class, but he dominated the Pirates for a second time this season by going 7 1/3 innings and striking out a career-high 11. Their two runs in the eighth were the result of throwing errors by Hill and shortstop Ronny Cedeno.

"He's confident and tough," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "He threw an outstanding game."

Duke was just as good. The only run he allowed was unearned -- coming on catcher Ronny Paulino's passed ball in the third -- and he walked none while holding Chicago to six hits.

"One of his better games of the year," Tracy said.

"I've had some frustrating games, but this stretch is good for me. I'm on top of my game," Duke said. "As long as I can keep us in the game, keep us close, anything can happen. Unfortunately, tonight, everything did happen."

Joseph Oiver, Associated Press
Starter Zach Duke gave up six hits and no earned runs through seven innings last night in Chicago.
Click photo for larger image.