If at first base you don’t succeed, try again
Cheap shot alert: What follows may not be fair, given both the perfection of hindsight and the fact we are only at the one-sixth pole of the 2014 season.
However, perusing the state of left-handed hitting first basemen who have recently traveled through Pittsburgh will have Pirates fans rolling their eyes.
Finding that dependable complement to Gaby Sanchez has of course been one of the Bucs’ top priorities, and maybe still is. With that in mind, cheek out the current doings of some guys who have filled that role and passed on:
- Justin Morneau: .357-6-22; I had a sense in Coors Field he will have the numbers to make the Pirates look bad for their decision to not even compete to keep him, but it could be more than that — the lifetime American Leaguer may just have needed a little extra time to adjust to a new league.
- Lyle Overbay: .308-1-7, including 3-for-5 as a pinch-hitter; here’s one to make fans gnash their teeth.
- Adam LaRoche: .312-4-17.
- Garrett Jones: .237-4-11.
Not making any of that easier to go down is that the current holder of the job, Ike Davis, hasn’t been able to shed the troubles he brought with him from New York.
Davis is batting .185 with a pair of homers and nine RBIs and, on that “dependable” scale, it’s even worse than than. Davis’ home runs were a pair of grand slams (the first with the Mets), meaning that, otherwise, he has drive in one run in 49 at-bats.
Oh, he is also 0-for-16 going into the opener of a brief, two-game series in Baltimore.
Maybe Ike can catch some of Camden Yards’ Davis Karma. Chris won’t be needing it, being on the Orioles’ DL.
Change for a Nickel 
I do not understand why we kept gabby Sanchez and let Moreau go? What was the thinking here? Also do not understand why Alvarez is batting cleanup. Is there something wrong with moving him to a different position in the batting rotation?