Pirates Lineup Decision Paid Off in Much-Needed Win

Rodríguez continues to show he deserves more time at catcher, with two hits and two walks, plus his work with five different Pirates pitchers in the shutout.

Garcia made just his second start since getting recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, but also had two hits, scoring Griffin in the fourth inning on a single.

Mangum, who made a big catch in right field in the sixth inning to keep the Cardinals scoreless, had two hits himself, including an RBI-single in the eighth inning that scored Griffin.

“Yeah it was huge," Pirates manager Don Kelly said on the bottom of the order. Those guys getting on base. Finding a way to scratch some runs across…and for the bottom of the order to get on base like that. It was great to see.

Could This Be the New Bottom of the Lineup for the Pirates?

The Pirates lineup vs. the Cardinals might be just what they need for the forseeable future, especially against right-handed pitchers.

Third baseman Nick Gonzales has ledoff the past two games for the Pirates, is hitting .319 and hit a sacrifice fly and an RBI-single in the win over the Cardinals.

Second baseman Brandon Lowe and left fielder Bryan Reynolds occupy both second and third, respectively, while Oneil Cruz, at designated hitter, batted fourth and first baseman Spencer Horwitz hit fifth, and a solo home run in the second inning.

The Pirates have their best hitters at the top of the lineup, just missing Ryan O'Hearn with a recent injury, and some of their growing hitters towards the back end of the lineup, looking for something to prove.

Pittsburgh also benefitted from two of their worst hitters this season, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and catcher Henry Davis, not starting, which could beg the question of whether they should play the duo less overall.

Griffin sees it as everyone in the lineup has to come through when asked upon and that he's confident that anyone can step in and do the job in a crucial season for the Pirates.

“Yeah like I said earlier, it’s going to take everybody and we got a really, really good team and a lot of depth and everybody’s working their tail off to do their job when that time comes," Griffin said. "We’ve got faith in everybody and it’s going to be a fun rest of the year.”