PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates enjoyed their Tuesday night. They notched their latest win against a first-place team and Oneil Cruz hit a ball into the Allegheny River -- with, essentially, one hand. From top to bottom, it was one of the more fun wins of the season. On Wednesday, the Mets, who entered the day tied for first place in the NL East, found their footing and handled their business.

The Pirates dropped both ends of their doubleheader on Wednesday, losing the first game, 5-1, and the second game, 10-0. Pittsburgh had the misfortune of facing off against two of the game’s best in Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt, who each provided seven innings of quality pitching.

“We have a bunch of young kids. So, we've got to focus on the positives and focus on the things we've done well and then the things that we didn't do well we have to highlight,” manager Derek Shelton said. “By highlight, I mean we have to teach off and talk about them. We can't let those go by the wayside, because we have a lot of guys that have very little experience here, and they're learning and getting experience at the big league level.”

Here are three observations from the Pirates’ twin billing:

Johan Oviedo struggles with command as he debuts new fastball
Oviedo’s night began on a high note. He pitched a scoreless first inning, striking out Pete Alonso looking with a perfectly-placed, 97.5 mph fastball on the outside corner, then Jeff McNeil swinging with a slider that ducked out of the strike zone at the last moment.

The second inning, by contrast, saw Oviedo lose his ability to command his enticing stuff. All in all, Oviedo walked four batters in the frame and threw a wild pitch before being pulled with two outs in the inning. His final line: 1 2/3 innings, one hit, four runs, five walks, two strikeouts.

“We like the stuff, we've just got to get the stuff on the plate,” Shelton said. “I think that's the big thing is scattered command, and we've got to make sure he's on the plate. His stuff is good, but especially against good lineups, if the stuff isn't on the plate, then it doesn't play.”

Oviedo’s struggles with his command on Wednesday can partially be attributed to a new fastball grip. Oviedo said after the game that he had been working on and toying with the grip for several weeks, but his start against the Mets was his first opportunity to unleash it during a game. He had success with the pitch in the first inning, but not so much in the second inning.

“We did a really good job during the week of throwing it in the bullpens,” Oviedo said. “I was really happy about it. Next time in the game, I'll keep doing it. It's going to work.”

Cruz extends hitting streak to five games
Cruz might just be heating up. With two hits in Game 1 of the twin bill and a single in Game 2, Cruz extended his hitting streak to five games, the first time he’s hit the five-game threshold in his career. The three-hit day comes on the heels of Cruz’s first three-hit game on Tuesday, one that he concluded with the aforementioned home run into the river.

Over his last 17 games, Cruz is slashing .281/.333/.563 with four home runs, two doubles and two triples. 

“He's having way more consistent at-bats, he's swinging at the right pitches, and I think that's an encouraging sign and something we've been working on,” Shelton said.

40-man roster experiences latest shakeup
As has been the theme of late, the 40-man roster experienced a bit of a shakeup. Prior to Game 1, the Pirates recalled utility man Hoy Park from Triple-A Indianapolis and designated infielder Josh VanMeter for assignment.

Towards the conclusion of Game 1, the Pirates announced that they had claimed first baseman/catcher Zack Collins and right-hander Junior Fernández off waivers from the Blue Jays and Cardinals, respectively, and designated left-hander Cam Vieaux for assignment to make space.

The addition of Collins and Fernández via the waiver wires comes on the heels of the Pirates claiming righty Peter Solomon off waivers from the Astros on Sunday as well.

“There were a couple situations there,” Shelton said. “Number one, we made the two waiver claims, so we were going to need a roster spot. Number two, just different opportunities. We've talked about different opportunities for different people. Hoy's been swinging the bat well, so we just felt it was the right time to get him back to the big leagues.”

Of those three waiver claims, Collins is someone who might warrant a look down the stretch. With VanMeter being designated for assignment, Michael Chavis is the only player on the active roster who has played meaningful innings at first base for the Pirates this season. Ben Gamel made his season debut at first in Game 2 of the doubleheader, but he likely won’t receive too much time at that spot down the stretch.