The new-look lineup the Pittsburgh Pirates trotted out last night may have been worth the wait.
During the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home series vs. Cincinnati over the past weekend, manager Clint Hurdle put together a new lineup to try out. The problem was, he didn’t get to roll it out until Monday night due to Gregory Polanco’s shoulder injury that kept him out for three games.
Once Hurdle finally put his new creation out on the field, it came together quite nicely.
The top five hitters in the order – Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco and David Freese – hit for a combined 7-for-21 with four walks during the Pirates’ 6-4 win over the San Diego Padres at PNC Park.
A Lineup In Motion
“Our offense wasn’t producing like I felt we were capable of producing,” Hurdle said after the game, “so I wanted to move the men around a bit and see if we could get more.”
Each of the first five batters reached base at least once, including McCutchen’s three walks and Freese’s three singles. Polanco was the centerpiece of the operation, driving a Luis Perdomo fastball over the wall in right center field for a three-run homerun that gave the Pirates the lead for good in the fifth inning.
“I would’ve had him in the clean-up spot had he been able to play (Friday),” Hurdle said of Polanco. “He’s been our most efficient guy with RBI percentage. I like Marte (hitting second) and Polanco (hitting clean-up) to try something different.”
A Delayed Change
Polanco confirmed Hurdle’s plan to move him down to the four-hole over the weekend, but his shoulder injury dictated otherwise. Hurdle inserted Matt Joyce instead until Polanco was ready to start again. When he was finally ready, he made the most of it.
“I like to hit with men on base,” Polanco said. “I like the challenge. I always try to stay ready and put a good swing to the ball.”
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]Once Hurdle finally put his new creation out on the field, it came together quite nicely.[/perfectpullquote]Harrison got the offense going in the fifth with the first of two infield singles, and then stole second after stumbling on his original attempt, but then sliding in underneath Ryan Schimpf’s tag. He was originally called out, but the play was eventually overturned after the Pirates challenged it.
McCutchen drew a walk on a full count after Marte grounded out to short, putting two men on for Polanco’s 434-foot drive on an 0-2 pitch, his 16th homerun of the season.
“When you have two strikes, if you see whatever pitches close to the plate, you have to swing,” Polanco said. “But he left it right there and I put a good swing on it.”
Pushing the Right Buttons
When trying to sort out the right combination, Hurdle said he weighed everything from skill sets to analytics and each hitter’s individual history. Both Harrison and Marte had experience hitting in the top two spots of the order, so it helped in the decision-making.
“It just seemed like a good, smooth fit for to transition all the guys,” Hurdle said. “I just looked at it, played it out, moved everybody around a couple times and had about four or five lineups. This is the one I gravitated to.”
Hurdle cited the benefit of having two fast runners in Harrison and Marte ahead of McCutchen, and then Polanco’s speed behind him with either Freese or Jung Ho Kang immediately following. Polanco says it makes his job easier when pitchers have to worry about the speed of the men ahead of him.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]Polanco confirmed Hurdle’s plan to move him down to the four-hole over the weekend[/perfectpullquote]“Guys like J-Hay, Cutch and Marte, they’re on (the pitcher’s) mind,” Polanco said. “They’re thinking about that, so I just get better pitches to hit. I like to hit with men on base. I like the challenge.”
It has been a season full of lineup adjustments for Polanco, who has started a game hitting in each of the top eight spots in the batting order. Harrison has started a game in each spot of the top eight except clean-up.
Both may have found spots where they can thrive.
Harrison entered the game hitting .305 with an .803 OPS in 738 plate appearances at the lead-off spot. Meanwhile, Polanco extended his team lead in RBI this season to 59, and he looks forward to getting more opportunities to add to that total.
“I like hitting in the middle of the lineup,” Polanco said. “I feel comfortable there and hopefully I stay there for a long time.”
Featured Image Credit – Daniel Decker Photography
Josh Taylor is an award-winning sports personality who currently serves as a producer/host on Trib Live Radio as well as appearing on KDKA‘s sports coverage and programming.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
