Bell turning up the noise again
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The music was a little louder in the visitors clubhouse, and the overall mood for the Pirates was brighter before a game Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.
“We needed to get a win,” Josh Bell said about a 10- 2 victory late Monday. “It felt great to get a result in our favor. We kept playing hard but we weren’t getting the big hit or making the play in the field. We can’t go backward and fret about games we didn’t win. We all still have a lot to play for.”
Ending an eight- game losing streak in a 4- 24 downturn can provide a muchneeded respite with 43 games left. On Monday, Bell became the first Pirates player to hit 30 home runs in a season since Pedro Alvarez in 2013.
The 30th home run coming in Anaheim was extra sweet for Bell because of the ballpark being 15 minutes away from where he trained with his offseason hitting coach, Joe DeMarco.
“It was a good feeling. My hitting coach in the offseason told me if I hit any less than 30 he would be disappointed in me,” Bell said. “I felt like it was a long time coming after the first half.”
Bell and the Pirates went through a significant swoon after the All- Star break. It got so bad that Pirates manager Clint Hurdle decided to give Bell a three- day break last week.
“It was great. I needed the time off more than I realized,” Bell said. “I needed to unplug. It got to a point where every at- bat was weighing on me. It was good to watch the game from the dugout. I needed the break mentally and physically.”
Bell has six RBIs in the two games before Tuesday and five in the previous 26. Bell had two home runs Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals and hit two doubles Friday since he returned to the lineup.
“Josh is at his best when he holds his position in the box and hunts pitches to hit and doesn’t miss them,” Hurdle said. “Loose muscles fire quicker than tight ones. When things aren’t going well, it can become easy to get tight. One of the main things we wanted to do was get him to loosen up.”
Cervelli update
Catcher Fransisco Cervelli had his rehabilitation assignment transferred Tuesday to Class AAA Indianapolis from Class AA Altoona. Cervelli caught seven innings Tuesday and went 3 for 4 with a double and got hit by a pitch.
Cervelli hadn’t played in a game since May 25 before Sunday in Altoona. Hurdle said Cervelli enjoyed the first game.
“He told that he felt like a kid,” Hurdle said. “I think there comes a point where you realize it may be taken from you. That realization can ignite a lot of emotions.”
It’ll be worth watching to see how the Pirates handle a potential return by Cervelli.
The play of Jacob Stallings could factor in how much playing time Cervelli might see. Stallings entered Tuesday on a four- game hitting streak with 2 doubles, 2 homers and 4 RBIs while hitting 5 for 13. Stallings only has one error in 240 innings this season.