A month into the season may still seem early in Major League Baseball, but when you are in a division with a team that is having its best start in franchise history, 'It's still early' is no longer a valid argument. The Pittsburgh Pirates are already eight games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. They have had great starting pitching, but the hitting and bullpen have been shaky at best. It is time to make some changes so they do not fall even further behind.
The team's improvement hinges largely on hitting. Andrew McCutchen opened up at his locker after Tuesday's game virtually taking the blame for the team's start. McCutchen got emotional telling Dejan Kovacevic that right now he is "under mediocre," but also feels he is close to a breakout.
The Pirates have scored one run or less seven times this season and have lost seven one-run games. Obviously, the issues are not solely on McCutchen's shoulders with Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison both hitting below .200 and limited production off the bench. Starling Marte has been the only consistent offensive contributor to this point in the season.
It is time for Clint Hurdle to shake things up for a couple of weeks to try to find a catalyst for success for the remainder of the year. Here are some potential changes Hurdle can make before stabilizing the team in June.
Send McCutchen to the 15-Day DL
McCutchen stated in his media scrum on Tuesday that sitting down is not going to help right now. He feels he is on the cusp of being who he is paid to be for the Pirates. However, he is battling a non-structural issue in his knee that is hampering his production. If he needs to go to the disabled list, now is the time. Hurdle continues to downplay the injury, but the team must make sure he will be available for the second half of the season.
DFA Andrew Lambo
This is a popular topic on the sports talk stations in Pittsburgh. Lambo was awarded with one of the last roster spots out of Spring Training, but has not produced. The counter argument to that is that he has never been given a chance to play for a stretch of games and is generally used in pinch hitting situations.
However, Lambo is 1 for 25 this season with eight strikeouts. Over the last three seasons he has a .191 batting average and has never shown the ability to catch up at the Big League level. Lambo was the one that went to the disabled list on Wednesday, but should have been designated for assignment.
Promote Steve Lombardozzi and Jose Tabata
Lombardozzi has the second-best batting average in the International League and would provide another utility option off the bench. This would allow Sean Rodriguez to find playing time with McCutchen on the DL. Lombardozzi was promoted on Wednesday just prior to publishing based on Lambo's DL move, but deserved to be called up on merit.
Lambo's designation would open up another roster spot, but the options are not great. Jose Tabata would get the nod as a true outfielder and veteran. Tabata is batting close to .300. Gorkys Hernandez could be called up to serve as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch runner.
Switch Up the Lineup
If the above moves happen, they mean that the lineup must be fluid while McCutchen is off and the active players fill new roles. Taking the time now to iron out issues and reset means changes in the batting order.
With Harrison struggling, Gregory Polanco has been moved into the leadoff role. It does not really suit him, but he has been efficient. Marte has shown the most power. Pedro Alvarez has been good enough. Neil Walker is not really a clean up hitter, but he has shown good power. Jung Ho Kang has shown enough to warrant more starts. Taking all that into consideration, here is one possible batting order while McCutchen is out.
1. Polanco - LF
2. Walker - 2B
3. Rodriguez - RF
4. Marte - CF
5. Alvarez - 1B
6. Francisco Cervelli/Chris Stewart - C
7. Mercer/Kang - SS
8. Harrison/Kang - 3B
The Pirates are 2 for 30 with runners in scoring position since Friday and are in the midst of a pivotal stretch against division foes. Now would be a good time to regain composure and make necessary changes to not let the season slip away. Making these changes now may seem like panic to some, but changing momentum in the next couple weeks will be much better than searching for an answer in September.