With the Pirates offense stuck in neutral, manager Clint Hurdle tried kicking it into gear with a new one-two punch atop the batting order Tuesday night against the Houston Astros. Off the bench came Adam Frazier to bat leadoff and play second base, followed by right fielder Matt Joyce batting second for the second time this season.
Hurdle gave Starling Marte and Josh Harrison the night off. Joyce, a pinch-hit specialist who entered the game with a .399 on-base percentage, started for the first time in the past 14 games.