All the anguish and aggravation that came with shortcomings at the plate did little to discourage Josh Bell.
Still only 24 years old, Bell has been the most reliable source of power for an offense that is among the worst in the National League, yet he is still learning how to adjust to the challenge of strong pitching and scouting reports.
That process produces more moments of failure than success, but he experienced the latter Wednesday night when the Pirates needed it most.
With Gerrit Cole having another dominant start, Bell delivered a 398-foot, three-run homer over the Clemente Wall in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie and lead the Pirates past the Nationals, 6-1, over the Nationals at PNC Park.
The victory improved the Pirates' record to 17-23 and cut their deficit in the NL Central to 5 1/2 games, but what one at-bat did for their switch-hitting first baseman loomed much larger after the second game of this series.
"I feel like right now I’m simplifying things," Bell explained. "Before I was trying to force the issue and right now I’m seeing a lot of pitches. I’m getting better timing for them. I’m attacking at the right times, too. ... I'm in a good place."
