Starling Marte had missed 19 of the past 21 games due to back spasms and tightness, but he pinch-hit Tuesday night and grounded out.
“I felt a lot better,” Marte said, with interpreter Mike Gonzalez translating. “Didn’t feel the pain or whatever it was that I was feeling before, so that’s a good sign.”
Marte is hitting .311 with 47 steals, a .362 OBP and .457 slugging percentage. He said the tightness comes and goes.
“It’s weird,” he said. “Just random movements could cause just a bit of tightness.”
The back does not have spasms anymore, Marte said, just tightness.
“It’s difficult, especially because you guys know how I play,” Marte said. “I love playing. I enjoy playing the game, I play aggressive. It just became difficult because my teammates, my brothers, are out there battling and I wish I could be out there with them.”
***Ryan Vogelsong on his five-inning, five-walk, four-run outing: “Just an unacceptable start, really. There’s no excuses.” Vogelsong worked himself into bad counts.
***The Pirates’ elimination number is one. Short of winning out and the Giants losing out, they will be out of the playoffs. I asked manager Clint Hurdle about balancing trying to win with getting younger players some looks.
“We still haven’t been kicked out of the playoff picture,” Hurdle said. “Until we get kicked out of the playoff picture, I want to go ahead and do the best we can to try to win a game with the personnel that fits at the time.”
***The team medical staff is still evaluating the best course of action for A.J. Schugel’s right shoulder, but surgery is not believed to be necessary.
***Hurdle called Tuesday’s game one of the best pitch-blocking games Francisco Cervelli has had since he’s been here.
First Published: September 28, 2016, 3:58 a.m.
