A HUSH FALLS OVER MARTE
A quiet head and steady feet have helped the Pirates left fielder fashion a second 10-game hitting streak this season.
Starling Marte went a triple short of the cycle Monday night in Philadelphia as his lateseason hit streak ballooned to eight games. It climbed through the week and only a ball off the elbow from Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett Thursday was enough to slow it, sending him to the bench and pausing it at 10. Until being hit, he was 16 for 42 in the streak. It’s more than a classic hot streak, said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who instead sees a matured batter in the box since Marte returned from the disabled list Aug. 5. He sees a more disciplined batter, one with a quiet head and his foot down — two staples of hitting well. “Normally, one of the caveats of hitting is head positioning, head quietness,” Hurdle said. “Marte is really quiet in the box right now. The head is really quiet. The eyes are picking spin up early.” And part of that quietness, Hurdle explained, is from his foot staying down, which steadies the whole body. “As the ball’s coming to him, his foot is down, he’s not late,” Hurdle said. “One of the things you hear so often in today’s game is ‘I’m late getting my foot down.’ And then they have to hurry to get their swing to the ball.” What’s more, “you’ve seen him lay off repetitive pitches in Chicago and Philadelphia, which earlier in the season more often than not were swings. It’s just good reads. It’s confidence. It’s a lot of different things.” Marte’s August and September splits are the best of his season. He hit .344 in August with a .410 on–base percentage and .567 slugging percentage. In September, the average is up to .405, the on-base to .463 and the slugging percentage to .676. “It started when he came back from the DL. He worked hard to be in a better offensive position,” Hurdle said. Marte said he has spent considerable time working with hitting coach Jeff Branson in the batting cage since his return from the DL. “We are in a very good spot right now, competing,” Marte said. “We are ready, we are ready to play hard.”
Sometimes a fresh start does wonders
Left-hander Bobby LaFromboise has worked just 121⁄ 3 major league innings, but is among the quickest to be ready for action when a call to the bullpen is made. “[That] is always a good thing for a bullpen and a manager,” Hurdle said. “He’s 1012 pitches and ready to go. Only guy we’ve got quicker in getting ready is [Jared] Hughes.” LaFromboise, who was claimed off waivers Aug. 24, began his career with the Seattle Mariners, who drafted him in 2008. The San Diego Padres claimed him off waivers in April, and the Pirates selected him off waivers from the Padres. “We’re still learning. He’s thrown enough strikes. He’s handled inherited runners … at least the one time he’s had [one],” Hurdle said. “He seems to have a slow heartbeat out there. The rhythm, the pace has been efficient. There’s a quick arm.” He throws a two-seam fastball and a changeup to right-handers, a breaking ball against left-handers, and the club is trying to encourage him “to throw the change left on left. Kind of speed dial them. They think it’s a two-seamer in and it’s actually a changeup and they swing through it or hook it foul.” Hurdle said he has been a pleasant surprise. “You just never know what you’re going to get. It was an aggressive call by [GM Neal Huntington] to grab him on waivers,” Hurdle said. “There weren’t numbers that just jumped out at you, or he wouldn’t have been let go. Sometimes a guy needs a fresh start. He seems to have really embraced the opportunity, and fits in well in the clubhouse.”