Derek Shelton made a curious call to bat Ben Gamel in the second spot in the lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, given that the outfielder was batting .167 on the season.
The Gamel gamble paid off, as he went 2 for 2 with a double, an RBI single, a walk and a run scored in three plate appearances in the 4-3 loss to the Cubs at PNC Park, boosting his batting average by 52 points.
“I definitely saw the ball well,” said Gamel, who is hitting .294 (5 for 17) over the last seven days. “I’m just happy to be in the lineup, no matter where — two, three, four … all the way to nine.”
The performance earned Gamel a second consecutive start in the two-hole for Wednesday’s game against the Cubs. Since being claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Indians on May 10, Gamel had served as a bottom-of-the-order bat for the Pirates. He hadn’t hit higher than sixth in his previous six starts.
Shelton, however, liked the matchup of Gamel’s lefty bat against Chicago Cubs starter Jake Arrieta, knowing that Gamel fares better against right-handers.
“We thought we’d give Ben a chance up there,” Shelton said. “Good at-bats, solid at-bats. He hit the ball hard twice. Did a nice job. … We like the matchup with Arrieta, and he took good swings.”
It didn’t hurt that Gamel was batting behind Adam Frazier, who is batting .335 and leads the major leagues with 62 hits. Frazier hit a leadoff single and was hit by a pitch in his first two plate appearances.
“He’s been fun to watch,” Gamel said. “It’s my third week here now and there hasn’t been a game yet where he hasn’t barreled up three or four balls. It’s just been absolutely incredible to watch. I love watching that guy go to work every day. It’s been an awesome to see.”
Gamel’s double off an Arrieta 2-2 sinker in the first inning advanced Frazier to third base, where he scored on a passed ball by Cubs catcher P.J. Higgins. Gamel reached third on the passed ball and scored on a single to left by Jacob Stallings to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
After Will Craig hit a ground-rule double to left to lead off the second inning, Gamel hit a two-out line drive to center to score Craig and give the Pirates a 3-0 edge. Gamel accounted for two of the five hits off Arrieta, who is 15-6 with a 2.90 ERA and .209 batting average against in 26 career starts against the Pirates.
“He splits the plate with movement on both sides, he’s got the cutter off the sinker, got the big curveball and a changeup,” Gamel said. “It’s just something where if you kind of chase him around, it’s gonna be a long night. I feel like we did a pretty good job early in the game of stringing some at-bats together and stuff like that. We’ve got to keep it rolling like that.”
Despite his hot bat, Shelton made a lineup switch when the Cubs changed pitchers after Frazier drew a two-out walk in the seventh by having switch hitter Wilmer Difo pinch-hit for Gamel against lefty Andrew Chafin while trailing, 4-3. That move worked, as well, when Difo doubled down the right field line to put the game-tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Chafin, however, struck out Bryan Reynolds to get out of the jam.
Gamel has started seven of the past 11 games in left field, and his increased role has come after injuries forced the Pirates to place corner infielder/outfielder Phillip Evans (hamstring) and outfielder Ka’ai Tom (wrist) on the 10-day injured list. Shelton likes that Gamel can play all three outfield positions, giving Reynolds a backup in center and the Pirates a lefty hitter who can play left field.
“It’s a big left field, bigger than what I’ve been used to,” Gamel said of playing at PNC Park. “But every day I get a little more comfortable out there and I’m excited for this year.”
