Germán struggles as Bucs look to turn page after being no-hit

CHICAGO -- After watching Domingo Germán throw six scoreless innings in his only other start this season, Pirates manager Derek Shelton didn’t mince words with what he was hoping to see from the right-hander during his second turn in the rotation.

“Throw strikes, put the ball on the ground,” Shelton said ahead of Wednesday’s series finale vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field. “That’s the most important thing for him. That’s what makes him good.”

Simple as the game plan may have seemed, Germán ran into trouble with both aspects of it. The right-hander struggled with command early, while also giving up a slew of hard contact. Germán lasted only three innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) and two homers while the Pirates’ bats suffered a combined no-hitter in a 12-0 loss to Chicago.

“I couldn’t execute any of my pitches today,” Germán said through interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “I left a lot of pitches over the strike zone, and they connected really well.”

That certainly wasn’t an issue he experienced during his Aug. 21 start against the Rangers. Germán left that outing feeling confident after blanking Texas over six frames and allowing just four hard-hit balls on the night. It was his first Major League start since July 31 of last season, which occurred just days before his tumultuous tenure with the Yankees came to a close after he entered inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse.

But while his outing against Texas featured minimal trouble, the same couldn’t be said for Wednesday night at Wrigley.

Germán was in hot water from the get-go, allowing the Cubs’ first three hitters to reach by way of a walk sandwiched between two singles. Despite some early issues throwing strikes, he was able to escape the first with just one unearned run to his name thanks to some help from Bryan De La Cruz. Pittsburgh’s right fielder caught a flyout from Cody Bellinger and unleashed a Statcast-projected 92.8 mph throw home to nab Michael Busch at the plate for a double play.

Any momentum Germán might’ve gained from De La Cruz’s defensive heroics appeared to vanish in the very next inning.

The 32-year-old again allowed the first three Chicago hitters to reach, with Pete Crow-Armstrong doubling home a run on the last of the three hits. Ian Happ tallied a one-out, two-run single to pad the Cubs’ lead before what turned out to be a decisive third inning for Germán.

The frame certainly didn’t open as ineffectively as the previous two, with Germán notching back-to-back strikeouts after Bellinger’s leadoff single. Yet, just five pitches later, Germán had allowed back-to-back homers from Dansby Swanson and Crow-Armstrong to essentially shed any doubt of the game’s outcome.

“I left a lot of fastballs up in the strike zone and they connected really good,” Germán said. “They’re a good lineup, and they just battled through the game and made adjustments.”

For the night, seven of the 14 balls Chicago put in play against Germán registered as hard-hit. Of those seven, five had an exit velocity of at least 100 mph.

But to Shelton, the most troubling aspect of Germán’s night was the fact that three of the Cubs’ run-scoring hits occurred in 0-2 counts.

“Execution,” Shelton said when asked what made this start different compared to Germán’s scoreless outing against Texas. “0-2, 0-2, 1-2, 1-2 -- those were the hits. We didn’t put anybody away.”

Ironically, that was an issue the Cubs didn't run into against Pittsburgh’s offense. Chicago rookie sensation Shota Imanaga combined with relievers Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge to hold the Pirates hitless through the entire game. Though five baserunners reached by way of two walks and three errors, Pittsburgh couldn’t stave off the Cubs’ 18th no-hitter in franchise history.

“You never want to be on this side of it,” shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa said. “But hats off. [Imanaga] did a great job. We'll bounce back and hopefully win our next series.”

Bouncing back was also Germán’s postgame focus after a rocky night on the mound. The right-hander is using his time in Pittsburgh to try and move forward after several off-field incidents put his baseball career in limbo. Though Wednesday night represented a step backwards, he was more than ready to shift his sights toward what could be done to ensure it was a one-time occurrence.

“Just continue to work hard,” Germán said. “Just go out there and work to get better. Just work on my focus and execution for the next time to be a lot better.”