PHILADELPHIA — Pirates third-base coach Rick Sofield did not shirk his responsibility for the play that ended with Sean Rodriguez out at home plate in Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I just screwed that up royally,” Sofield said Thursday afternoon. “I thought there was something there that wasn't.”
Trailing 6-2 in the ninth inning, the Pirates had runners on first and second with one out. Matt Joyce singled up the middle, and Sofield waved Rodriguez home. Center fielder Roman Quinn got to the ball quickly and came up throwing.
“It wasn't long after that throw was out of (Quinn's) hand that I realized I had made a brutal decision,” Sofield said.
Rodriguez was out, a call that was upheld by replay review. Jason Rogers struck out to end the game.
The Pirates often push the envelope with their running game. Yet, manager Clint Hurdle said Sofield went too far in this instance.
“You can be bold and aggressive,” Hurdle said. “Bold doesn't mean you're smart. That's the part we want to work to in a better fashion is being aggressive and smart. … There are certain times when there's not even an aggressive chip to play. There's a smart chip to play. There's a game responsibility chip to play.”
Several factors influenced Sofield's decision on the play.
In the fourth inning, Quinn made a horribly off-line throw that let Gregory Polanco tag and score from third base on shallow fly ball.
“Going into the series, we (rated Quinn) an average arm that's not accurate,” Sofield said.
Earlier this season when hits were easier to come by for the Pirates, there wasn't as much need to take risks on the basepaths. Lately, however, the offense has struggled to find traction.
“We're stressing at the dish, trying to knock guys in,” Sofield said. “The baserunners can feel that. I know I can feel it. Maybe that's what happened to me (Wednesday) night. I got a little bit eager to sneak one in, and I blew it.”
Usually, a third-base coach doesn't get noticed unless a play goes awry. Sofield knows that.
Twitter was not kind to Sofield on Wednesday. But it was not full of compliments on Tuesday, when he held Alen Hanson at third base on Jordy Mercer's double. Rodriguez followed with a game-winning, three-run homer.
“(Wednesday) night, I hated every minute of (the job),” Sofield said. “If there was a gun in my room, I wouldn't be here right now. If he had been safe and we had come back — like the night before when I held Hanson — I feel like I invented the game.”
Williams set for first start
Trevor Williams will pitch the second game of Saturday's day-night doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Hurdle announced. It will be Williams' third big league outing but his first as a starter.
“I'm excited, obviously. Ready to go,” Williams said. “It's been kind of weird adjusting to the reliever role, but I did as best I could in that sense. I'm ready to go on Saturday and, hopefully, get another shot (after that).”
Williams worked as a reliever as a college freshman and also pulled some bullpen duty last year in the Arizona Fall League. He said the biggest adjustment between starting and relieving is staying mentally sharp.
“I'm really good at shutting my brain off for four days, and really good at turning it on for one,” Williams said with a laugh. “It's the little adjustments you have to make. It takes a while to pick up, but once you get in the swing of things it's all right. I'm thankful to get a shot to start a game and go from there.”
Rob Biertempfel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at rbiertempfel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BiertempfelTrib.
