Pirates’ Duffy gets acclimated to batting second

ST. LOUIS - Dropping Chris Duffy one spot in the batting order is a perfect way to jump-start his production.

Duffy hit in the two-spot the past two days and began slugging his way out of a deep batting funk. On Wednesday, he went 2 for 4, including a triple, a stolen base and a run scored. On Thursday, he doubled in his first at-bat, was hit by a pitch and finished 1 for 3.

"He can do things for us -- if he gets on base," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said.

Although Duffy's sprinter's speed casts him as a natural leadoff hitter, it's not strange to see him batting No. 2. He occasionally hit there in college and in the minor leagues.

"I feel real comfortable hitting second," Duffy said. "There's always that uneasy feeling you have leading off a game. But when you're not that guy, somehow you're just more relaxed.

"You don't have to worry about setting the tone. You're not 'supposed' to get on base, you're not 'supposed' to steal bases. It does take some pressure off. Hopefully, this will get me going and I can hop back in (the leadoff spot)."

Duffy began May with a .274 batting average and .355 on-base percentage. Those numbers tumbled over during three-week span.

He went into Wednesday's game batting .220 with a .283 OBP. Against Arizona on Friday, Duffy went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts. But there also recently have been plenty of at-bats when he hit the ball directly at fielders.

"I felt 'right' at the plate," Duffy said. "I had something like 14 lineouts in three weeks. It goes unnoticed when you're not getting hits.

"I felt (the game against) Arizona was the first bad game I had this season. But when you look at my stats, it seems like I've had a ton of bad games."

On Wednesday night, Duffy struck out in his first at-bat against Kip Wells, extending his batting slump to 0 for 14. In the fourth inning, he hit a bouncer up the middle.

"That ground ball could very easily have been right at (second baseman Adam) Kennedy," Duffy said.

Instead, it zipped through for a single.

A good omen?

In the eighth, Duffy hit a gapper to left-center and legged out a triple.

"Watching him go from second to third, it was like he saw something and then all of the sudden, in about one step, he accelerated to another gear," Tracy said. "He did a great job. I know how valuable this kid is, believe me."

Jose Bautista hit leadoff the past two days. Duffy, who lately has pulled a lot of balls to the right side, will have plenty of options if Bautista gets on base.

"It will open up a couple holes in the infield for me," Duffy said. "I can also try to bunt for a hit. If worse comes to worse, we'll have Jose on second with one out.

"It keeps the defense guessing. In the minor leagues, I took advantage of that when they were holding a runner on first base, thinking I was going to bunt, and the pitcher would throw a fastball in there."

Seeing a tempting hole between first and second bases could induce Duffy to keep the ball on the ground, which plays to his strengths as a batter.

"When he's going good, (hitting grounders) is part of what makes him pretty doggone good," Tracy said.