Francisco Cervelli is gone, but nothing changes for catchers Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings.
Their audition to remain the Pittsburgh Pirates’ major league catching duo continues.
It hasn’t been a good season for Diaz, however. He hit .286 last season but got a late start this year while suffering from a virus and missing most of spring training.
He didn’t play his first game until April 22 and took a .247 batting average into the Pirates’ game Thursday night against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park. His home run total has fallen from 10 last year to one.
“In some respects, he is having a season similar to Josh Bell’s year last year,” manager Clint Hurdle said.
Bell hit .261 with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs last year before recovering this season. With 36 games to play, Bell had 99 RBIs — fifth in the National League after leading for much of season — and 31 homers with a .280 batting average.
“This could turn out to be a very valuable year for Diaz,” Hurdle said. “Diaz showed a skill set that was real last year. The league has punched back. He hasn’t punched back quite as well, frequently or consistently as we would like.”
Diaz also has struggled in the field, committing 11 errors for a career total of 24.
Meanwhile, Stallings has played in 48 games, 35 fewer than Diaz, while hitting .267.
“We’re getting a better read on Jacob Stallings than we’ve ever gotten before,” Hurdle said.
What that means for next season is as unclear as anything the Pirates might do in the offseason.
“I think we’ll just keep being open-minded,” Hurdle said. “I firmly believe in sometimes looking for things that other people don’t see.
“It’s something we’ll explore more in the offseason.”
Agrazal to start Sunday
With Chris Archer on the injured list, Hurdle said the Pirates intend to put Dario Agrazal back into the starting rotation Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds.
Agrazal is 2-3 with a 4.03 ERA in eight stars for the Pirates.
Mitch Keller and Trevor Williams will pitch Friday and Saturday.
