Polanco heats up heading to desert
PHOENIX — Caution: El Coffee is piping hot.
Right fielder Gregory Polanco hit safely in six of the final seven games of the Pirates homestand, going 11 for 25 with five extra-base hits to raise his average to .323 as the team opened a 10-day road swing Friday at Arizona.
After striking out 13 times in the first six games of this season, Polanco did it just six times in the nine games since. Manager Clint Hurdle suggested the change came when he and Polanco sat down a short while ago and talked things through.
“Hitting coaches talk all the time, but I think there’s an added layer when … a manager talks to you about it,” Hurdle said. “[Polanco] is very cerebral. He listens well.”
From then on, swings have been better, and so has Polanco’s two-strike approach. Thursday, Polanco worked a full count against Chicago Cubs left-hander Phil Coke and singled to left, scoring the deciding run in a 5-4 win.
As impressive as Polanco’s recent tear were his five stolen bases in five tries entering Friday — no other Pirates player had more than two steals.
Polanco, who swiped 14 bases in 19 attempts in 2014, said skipping winter ball this year helped keep his legs fresh. He added 12 pounds of muscle in the offseason but doesn’t appear to have lost a step.
“[Stolen bases] are a big focus for me,” he said. “In the first half, get as many as you can. You just don't have the same legs after July and August.”
Hurdle said Polanco, who’s 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, probably has deceptive speed. Hurdle drew a comparison between Polanco and former Colorado Rockies slugger Larry Walker.
“It seemed like four or five strides and [Walker] was sliding into second base,” Hurdle said. “Most guys, you see them run for a while.”
Center fielder Andrew McCutchen took the comparison game even further.
“By no means am I saying he’s just as fast as him, but it's like watching Usain Bolt run track,” McCutchen said. “He’s moving, but from the looks of it at first you can’t tell because he’s so tall and those strides are so long. … He takes those steps, and before you know it, he’s at the next bag.”
A moment later, McCutchen found an even better way to say it.
“He’s far from quick,” McCutchen said. “He’s just really fast.”
Marte on hand
Left fielder Starling Marte, who was hit on the hand by a pitch from Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel Wednesday, took batting practice early Friday and was cleared for the series opener.
Morton’s rainy day
Right-hander Charlie Morton made a start at extended spring training Thursday but pitched only one inning before the game was rained out.
What can you get out of an inning? “Wet,” Hurdle said. Morton was placed on the disabled list in early April as he continues to recover from offseason hip surgery.