Pirates’ August collapse shouldn't be pinned on the rookie who delayed it

In the sixth inning Monday night in San Diego, Esmerlyn Valdez finally received the kind of pitch that once made him one of the most dangerous hitters in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup.

It was a mistake from Robbie Ray on the outer edge of the strike zone, allowing Valdez to extend his arms and launch his first home run in nearly a month to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead in what would eventually be a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres in 12 innings.

After weeks of pitchers attacking Valdez with fastballs up and in, it must have looked like a gift. Perhaps it can also become the beginning of an adjustment. It cannot, however, erase what the previous month revealed about the Pirates.

Entering Monday night, Valdez had hit .177/.330/.253 with a 37% strikeout rate since July 27. Pitchers noticed how much damage he was doing against off-speed pitches and offerings over the outer half, then developed a simple counterattack: crowd him with velocity and dare him to beat it.

Valdez has responded by taking more walks, which is encouraging. Refusing to chase is one way to force pitchers back over the plate. Eventually, though, he must show that he can handle inside fastballs well enough to prevent opponents from exploiting the same weakness indefinitely.

That is Valdez’s responsibility. The Pirates’ responsibility was building a lineup that could withstand a rookie going through an inevitable adjustment period.

They failed.

Pirates asked far too much of Esmerlyn Valdez and paid for it in August

Valdez carried the offense through stretches of late June and July while injuries depleted the lineup. He was ultimately a net positive. Without his emergence, Pittsburgh’s slide probably would have started much earlier.

But once Valdez cooled, the Pirates had nowhere else to turn. Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin and Ryan O’Hearn were unavailable, while Bryan Reynolds, Spencer Horwitz and several others produced little throughout August. As a result, Valdez was being asked to remain a middle-of-the-order force while opposing pitchers spent every night searching for ways to neutralize him.

Think of it this way: It was essentially asking Henry Davis to bat cleanup for a month and then acting surprised when the offense struggled.

It's not an excuse for Valdez’s strikeouts or lack of production. The Pirates entered this season expecting to contend, and contending teams need their best available hitters to adjust quickly. But they also need enough established major-league offense to prevent one rookie’s first prolonged slump from dragging down the entire lineup.

Monday’s home run was encouraging because Valdez punished the mistake he had been waiting weeks to receive. Now he has to prove that pitchers can't keep beating him inside. If it takes time for him to figure it out, that alone shouldn't be what sinks the Pirates' season.

Valdez helped delay Pittsburgh’s collapse. The Pirates’ inability to support him helped make it unavoidable.

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