Paul Skenes' teammate officially gives up on Pirates season in humiliating fashion

If Paul Skenes expressed frustration at the situation he's in with the Pittsburgh Pirates, it'd be hard to blame him. He's the NL Cy Young frontrunner, and yet, he has a 4-6 record and the Pirates are 30-46 as of this writing, holders of the fourth-worst record in the majors. He's had arguably the worst luck in the league since debuting last season. To the surprise of some Pirates fans, though, Skenes wasn't the first Pirates star to give up on their season based on what Oneil Cruz just did.

Sam Haggerty hit what looked like a clear single to center field before Cruz not only bobbled the ball, but refused to chase after it as it went by. Instead of there being runners on first and second with nobody out, the Texas Rangers scored a run, and Haggerty made it all the way to third base. Soon after, a wild pitch brought Haggerty to the plate.

It goes without saying that this is a terrible look for Cruz.

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Oneil Cruz embarrassment adds insult to injury during rough Pirates season

Skenes is Pittsburgh's best player, but Cruz is their best position player, and a star in his own right. Despite little to no help around him in the Pirates' order, Cruz has hit 13 home runs and has a league-leading 25 stolen bases. He's among the most talented players in the game, but there's no excusing a play like this.

Bobbling the ball, while frustrating, happens from time to time. Players are allowed to make a physical mistake. What happened after the bobble, though, is inexcusable. I get that the ball rolled by and that right fielder Adam Frazier was running over to back him up, but how does Cruz not even attempt to get to that ball? With his speed, they might've been able to keep the run off the board, at the very least.

Mistakes happen, and this Pirates team isn't any good, but there's no excuse for a lack of effort. Even the best of players aren't above chasing after a ball that gets away, especially when it's after his own error.

For the Pirates to turn things around, they're going to need better players, but they'll also need their stars to be fully bought in. If Cruz isn't fully bought in, the Pirates have more issues than we thought.