Here’s the Pirates’ lineup against Ross Detwiler and the Washington Nationals Wednesday night:
Jose Tabata RF
Neil Walker 2B
Andrew McCutchen CF
Pedro Alvarez 3B
Casey McGehee 1B
Yamaico Navarro LF
Rod Barajas C
Josh Harrison SS
Erik Bedard P
To have both Navarro and Harrison in the lineup is unusual, since they’re both backup infielders who perform similar functions. But the Pirates probably wanted to give struggling outfielder Alex Presley a day off against the lefty Detwiler. Clint Barmes, who hasn’t had a hit in his last three games and who’s in the midst of a miserable .159/.196/.307 season, sits as well. Harrison isn’t good enough at shortstop to play there every day, though, so Barmes probably isn’t looking over his shoulder just yet. The Pirates don’t currently have a legitimate replacement for him.
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