Hours after being the subject of Clint Hurdle's admiration, Elias Diaz sat at his locker stall in the Pirates' clubhouse, looking dejected after making a critical baserunning mistake.
"Obviously, the emotions are bad," Diaz said solemnly after the Pirates' 3-0 loss to the Brewers Monday at PNC Park.
Diaz drew the ire of Hurdle after attempting -- and failing -- to stretch a double into a triple with no outs and the Pirates trailing by two runs in the seventh inning. That mistake was followed by Gregory Polanco being thrown out at second to end the game.
Both players were trying to spark an offense that has the third-worst batting average in the National League during September, and the mistake came at an inopportune time for Diaz, who was impressing Hurdle during his audition as the Pirates' everyday catcher.
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