Having decided to do his best Tony LaRussa impression, Pirates manager John Russell will bat starting pitcher Paul Maholm in the 8th slot in the lineup for tonight's game agains the Cincinnati Reds, set to start in about an hour and a half.Russell is perhaps seeking to take advantage of Ken Griffey, Jr.'s absence from the lineup due to his poor performance against LHPs by inserting the sweet-swinging Maholm, he of the career .159/.217/.168 line against RHPs, into a lineup spot other than ninth, where he was clearly being wasted.
This marks the first time a Pirate pitcher has started at any place in the order other than ninth since 1956. Just for reference, 1956 was Roberto Clemente's second year in the big leagues.
(Note: I actually don't think this is a terrible idea, batting Maholm between Mientkiewicz and Wilson. It probably won't make a difference, but it's not completely stupid, which is a step in the right direction when we're talking about Bucco managers of the last 10 years.)
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