The Pirates brought in Ryan O'Hearn, Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna to provide a jolt to the team's run production. That'll sometimes come in the form of slug, but what can make a lineup truly dangerous is if the bottom third can consistently turn things over.
Jake Mangum helped provide that in the Pirates' 8-2 bashing of the Orioles on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park, finishing off a sweep to improve to 6-3 on the young season. From the ninth spot in the lineup, Mangum collected two hits and scored two runs, helping turn the lineup over twice, both times leading to outputs of multiple runs.
"Yeah, that's what Jake brings, man. He's that spark plug," Don Kelly said of Mangum after the game. "We also need to find ways like we did today to continue to stack at-bats together and put innings together. I think Mangum is going to be in the mix when we do that."
The first way Mangum helped set the table -- appropriately enough on Easter Sunday -- was by laying down a bunt with runners on first and second with nobody out in the second inning. Not only did he accomplish the job by moving the runners up 90 feet, but used his 91st percentile sprint speed to beat out the throw, loading the bases. The Pirates then went on to score four runs that inning, giving Braxton Ashcraft a huge 6-0 cushion after just two innings.
Later on, Mangum led off the sixth inning with a single slapped up the middle into center field, once again turning the lineup over. Oneil Cruz followed with his fourth home run of the season, giving the Pirates an 8-1 lead at the time.
"It's all about scoring runs," Mangum told me. "Sometimes you need a homer, sometimes you need a single, sometimes you need to move runners. We're playing baseball. Trying to win every single game we take the field for, and, today we did it in a lot of different ways."
THE ASYLUM
Mangum a 'spark plug' at bottom of lineup
The Pirates brought in Ryan O'Hearn, Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna to provide a jolt to the team's run production. That'll sometimes come in the form of slug, but what can make a lineup truly dangerous is if the bottom third can consistently turn things over.
Jake Mangum helped provide that in the Pirates' 8-2 bashing of the Orioles on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park, finishing off a sweep to improve to 6-3 on the young season. From the ninth spot in the lineup, Mangum collected two hits and scored two runs, helping turn the lineup over twice, both times leading to outputs of multiple runs.
"Yeah, that's what Jake brings, man. He's that spark plug," Don Kelly said of Mangum after the game. "We also need to find ways like we did today to continue to stack at-bats together and put innings together. I think Mangum is going to be in the mix when we do that."
The first way Mangum helped set the table -- appropriately enough on Easter Sunday -- was by laying down a bunt with runners on first and second with nobody out in the second inning. Not only did he accomplish the job by moving the runners up 90 feet, but used his 91st percentile sprint speed to beat out the throw, loading the bases. The Pirates then went on to score four runs that inning, giving Braxton Ashcraft a huge 6-0 cushion after just two innings.
Later on, Mangum led off the sixth inning with a single slapped up the middle into center field, once again turning the lineup over. Oneil Cruz followed with his fourth home run of the season, giving the Pirates an 8-1 lead at the time.
"It's all about scoring runs," Mangum told me. "Sometimes you need a homer, sometimes you need a single, sometimes you need to move runners. We're playing baseball. Trying to win every single game we take the field for, and, today we did it in a lot of different ways."
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