The Pirates' lineup last night in Detroit was absurd.Well, the Pirates' lineup 'most every night is absurd, but that's beside the point.
With the opportunity to have super-prospect Pedro Alvarez in the lineup screaming at them, who did the Pirates insert in the lineup at designated hitter?
Ryan Church.
That's all that needs to be said. They deserved to lose.
They -- Neal Huntington, John Russell, Frank Coonelly, Bob Nutting; i.e., the Pirates management team -- they are beating themselves.
By keeping Alvarez at Indianapolis even one more day, the Pirates are doing themselves and Alvarez a major disservice, and they are insulting the fans.
They are insulting the fans.
Not that they care.
What do they think we are, stupid? Okay, don't answer that.
Church is batting .190!
Last night, predictably, Church went oh-for-four. As designated hitter.
Last night's lineup also included Lastings Milledge in left, Aki Iwamura at second, Ryan Doumit at first and Ryan Church at DH.
Milledge, Iwamura and Doumit can't field, and Church can't hit.
Additionally, for some reason, manager John Russell shifted Neil Walker from second base -- where he'd been playing extremely well and settling in very nicely -- to start at third in place of the slumping Andy LaRoche. Walker is still learning to play second, however, and there is no future on this team for Iwamura, whose natural position, by the way, is third base, so it would have been better to leave Walker at second.
Meanwhile, Delwynn Young -- who has "DH" written all over him -- sat on the the bench. Young, who offers a left-handed bat, would have made sense at DH against the right-handed Justin Verlander, but no. Ryan Church was the DH.
If the left-handed hitting Church had to the be in the lineup, it should have been in left field, instead of the right-handed Lastings Milledge, with Young at DH.
As noted on this blog several times, Lasting Milledge can barely play defense. Ryan Church is a better defensive outfielder, but neither he nor Milledge can hit.
This team that Neal Huntington constructed is a bunch of spare parts, misfits, role players, bench players, utility players, has-beens and never-was wannabes.
Ryan Church, batting .190, at DH. That says it all.
Meanwhile, Pedro Alvarez toils on for the Indianapolis Indians. Awful thought here, but what if he gets hurt this weekend? ... playing for the Indianapolis Indians?
Imagine the hue and cry. Neal Huntington would have to snake out of town. Maybe he should, anyway.
The the whole thing is absurd, ridiculous, disgusting, disturbing, humiliating, offensive and insulting.
Not to be redundant. It just is.
