Ben Cherington calls out Pirates star Oneil Cruz for defensive woes

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered this week's series with the Padres having lost a season-high seven straight games, but general manager Ben Cherington still believes the playoffs are a possibility.

In Sunday's episode of his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan, Cherington said that the Pirates falling to five games out of the final National League Wild Card spot “doesn’t at all” change their goals, despite losing nine of 10 games and suffering back-to-back sweeps at the hands of the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mathematically, yes, the Pirates are still within striking distance of a playoff berth. But even Cherington acknowledged that they have made it harder for themselves of late. In order for the team to still be playing meaningful games in August and September, he said, they have to "get back to playing better baseball."

Ben Cherington calls out Pirates star Oneil Cruz for defensive woes

While Cherington's statement was far from earth-shattering, it's worth noting that he called out one player in particular who he believes is capable of "playing better baseball:" shortstop Oneil Cruz.

Cruz has hit a team-leading 24 doubles with 18 home runs this season. His 18 homers are a career high, as are his 59 RBI. However, he has also committed 22 errors, tying him with Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz for the most in the major leagues.

Chertington said Cruz has “clearly taken a step forward as an offensive player” and “shown flashes of brilliance,” but he also acknowledged that “there’s even another level in there for him." But don't let the tact and diplomacy in Cherington's comments downgrade the urgency of the situation. Cruz isn't just lagging defensively; he is an outright liability.

“He knows and we know that he is capable of more defensively in order for the Pirates to win at the level we want to,” Cherington said. “We need a more steady performance defensively at short. He knows that. We know that. He’s so talented, he’s working so hard that we’re going to continue to challenge him. We believe in him. We believe in what he’s capable of doing.”

In theory, it's a fine message. But at what point do the Pirates pull the plug on Cruz at shortstop and try him somewhere else (perhaps the outfield, where his cannon of an arm would actually be more of a help than a hindrance)? If Cherington truly believes that playoffs are still a possibility for this team, then he can't afford to be patient with Cruz much longer.

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