Clint Hurdle has reshuffled his lineup yet again. This time, though, he chose to move his former cleanup hitter to the leadoff spot.
Josh Bell, bumped out of the cleanup spot early last month, is atop the Pirates' lineup card for the series opener against the Phillies Friday night at PNC Park. Also, Hurdle has moved Josh Harrison, one of only three former All-Stars on the 25-man roster, down to the seven-hole.
The decision came following a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium, which capped a nine-game road trip in which Hurdle moved Starling Marte back to the leadoff spot. Although Bell downplayed the significance of the move, he expressed excitement about possibly receiving more at-bats.
"I don’t think anything changes," Bell said of his approach at the plate. "I think it's going to be awesome to get more opportunities to get more at-bats in. Hopefully nothing changes. I felt good this past month, so hopefully I can keep it going."
Hurdle has successfully moved Bell throughout the lineup over the past month. Bell, 25, batted .350 with a .990 OPS in five games batting second, a move the Pirates' manager made during a three-game series in New York 10 days ago. It put the first baseman in more run-scoring opportunities, and he continued to get on-base while seeing more pitches.
However, the Pirates' offense ranked 25th in the majors in batting average and 24th in runs during June. Although they won four of the first six games during the road trip, they were swept by the Dodgers while being outscored, 31-8, including a 17-1 loss Monday night.
So, in search of another spark, Hurdle has Bell batting cleanup, followed by Marte, Gregory Polanco, Colin Moran, Elias Diaz, Corey Dickerson, Harrison, Jordy Mercer and Trevor Williams. Bell's overall production is down from last season, including only five home runs in 86 games, but he fared much better in June.
The switch-hitter has batted .301/.402/.425 with 13 walks, 13 strikeouts and 22 hits in his past 26 games. Harrison, meanwhile, has slashed .242/.275/.326 over the past 30 days. Hurdle told reporters the plan is to take advantage of how many pitches Bell has been seeing over the past 30 days and possibly try to generate more power.
Bell hit 25 home runs while driving in 90 as a rookie last season, and he has only 41 RBIs this season.
"It’s a different look," Hurdle said of the change. "When you look at an index, I usually try to package the last 30 days. We’ve had a number of different guys get challenged the last 30 days. You’re trying to provide a different opportunity for two guys right now."
Much of the Pirates' roster has struggled over the past 30 days, with Diaz, Bell and David Freese being the only three players batting over .300 during that span. Dickerson has batted .237 with a .637 OPS and only one RBI, while Moran (.217), Mercer (.244), Marte (.200) and Austin Meadows (.238) have also struggled.
Bell, meanwhile, represents one of the few bright spots during the Pirates' slide to six games under .500. He batted only .232 with a .614 OPS through April, but he's batted .323 with a .828 OPS in his past 20 games. Bell couldn't pinpoint what exactly has made a difference, although he's spent time working on his swing with hitting coach Jeff Branson:
• Francisco Cervelli will serve as the designated hitter for Double-A Altoona for a second consecutive game Friday, and the Pirates do not plan to have him catch during his rehab assignment. Hurdle explained to reporters that Cervelli is doing extensive work out of games to prepare himself to return from the seven-day concussion disabled list.
"He's doing a very rigorous workout activity," Hurdle said. "Catching drills, throwing, pop-up drills, blocking, catching 'pens. A lot of work, we don't feel it necessary to catch. We're trying to get him as many at-bats as we can, so he's going to DH again tonight. Saw a lot of pitches last night. ... All in all, it was a night I think was productive as far as the experience he needs to get."
• The Pirates were unable to sign right-handed pitcher Gunnar Hoglund, their supplemental first-round pick from last month's draft. Hoglund, chosen 36th overall, will attend the University of Mississippi. The Pirates will receive the 37th overall pick in the 2019 draft as compensation for Hoglund not signing.
"We were unable to reach an agreement with Gunnar Hoglund," JoeDelliCarri, the Pirates' scouting director, said. "We had conviction that we would be able to sign Gunnar when we made the selection but as the signing process evolved, it became clear that Gunnar viewed attending University of Mississippi as the best decision for him at this point in his life. We respect that decision and wish Gunnar all the best in his future. We anticipate adding a quality player with the 37th selection in the 2019 draft as compensation for not signing Gunnar.”
• Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove, placed on the disabled list Sunday with an infection in his right index finger, played catch before Friday's game and is expected to throw a bullpen Saturday afternoon. That will put him in line to start Tuesday against the Nationals.