PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It became the big decision of the game on Tuesday. Pirates down a run in the seventh with a left-hander on the mound and Don Kelly pinch-hit for the red-hot Brandon Lowe.
Kelly explains and Lowe’s reaction.
Even though Lowe had to that point four home runs and 11 RBI in his last, not even three full games, Kelly played the numbers. He went with the right-handed Nick Yorke, who grounded a ball hard up the middle, but right at the second baseman for a 4-3 double play and ended the inning. The Pirates would lose by a run.
“It was strategic, liked Yorke right there as far as contact ability,” Kelly said. “If that ball goes five feet one way or the other, he hit it 102 (mph) right up the middle, right at the second baseman.”
At that point in the season, Lowe was 2 for 21 against left-handed pitchers, although he homered against one earlier in the game. Yorke though was 4 for 13 against lefties this year and was 0 for his last 10 overall.
“It’s a tough decision, I always like to make it about the guy,” Kelly admitted. “We’ve talked about as a team, it’s going to take 26 guys. I know Lowe had the home run earlier in the game against a lefty. Just liked the matchup with Yorke there as far as putting the ball in play and making contact, and he did. He smoked it, unfortunately right at the second baseman.”
“I thought it was the right move to be truly honest,” Lowe said postgame. “Take the personal opinion out of it and look at it with a baseball mind. I mean, it was bases loaded, one out, lefty on the mound, lefty in the pen and you go to a guy who sees lefties really well, doesn't strike out against them, tying run on third base.”
“I had no problem with it.”
“I had full confidence that Nick was gonna get the job done. I think if the ball is three feet one way or the other way we're having a completely different discussion about this. You can't really ask too much out of the guy. He comes in, gets himself into a good count, hits the balls on the screws. It just goes right to the second baseman. We're in a result-based game which is an unfortunate part of the game, but the process was right.”
“I stand behind that decision.”
Lowe admits maybe earlier in his career he maybe would have been a little upset. The 31-year-old said he is able to understand the process better now. He said he uses his baseball mind to understand why his manager made this move.
Recap of game with more Pirates postgame reaction
“You start to realize it was a good move,” Lowe said. “It was a good call. Just happened to not work out that one time.”
“I don’t know if you guys saw when he came off, (Lowe) gave Yorke a high-five and talked to him,” Kelly said. “He’s such a pro. You know that he would want that at bat too, unfortunately the ball Yorke hit was right at him.”
LISTEN to what Don Kelly and Brandon Lowe said of the pinch-hit late in the game
LISTEN to what Don Kelly and Brandon Lowe said of the pinch-hit late in the game
