The Cincinnati Reds were spot on last season in using Michael Lorenzen as a batter. He has power and overall skill. With a short bench due to a longer bullpen, having a pitcher that can pinch hit is a great value.
The problem is that Lorenzen was part of that very bullpen. Worse than that, he was the primary set-up man along with Wandy Peralta. Using Lorenzen as a pinch hitter is great, but not in the late innings.
Pitchers as pinch hitters make sense in the first five or six innings. You use them when you need a better bunter or don’t want to pull a position player off of the bench.