Back on May 12, Derek Shelton lauded Oneil Cruz for his ability to stay in his zones amidst a lengthy stretch in which he was hitting for increased average, putting his impressive power on display and cutting down on strikeouts.
Cruz made off-field adjustments to avoid chasing pitches out of the strike zone and reaped the benefits in late April/early May, batting .344 with four homers over an 18-game span that allowed him to turn the page on a sluggish month of April that produced a .222 average along with 39 strikeouts in 99 at-bats.
Cruz's bounce-back effort, which included an 11-game sample in May where he put together five multi-hit performances, has seemingly gone by the wayside as of late. Over his last 13 games since May 15, Cruz is batting .151 (8 for 53) with 23 strikeouts. He's put together two multi-hit showings over that span, including a three-hit effort against the Giants on May 21 and a two-hit showing against the Blue Jays Sunday in Toronto. Take away those two outings and he's had just three hits over a three-week period in which his batting average has dipped from .271 to .240.
Within this latest slump, it seems as if Cruz is reverting back to his old ways.
"I think it's he's chasing a little bit too much," Derek Shelton said of Cruz Wednesday. "We just need to get him back in his hitting zones and once we do that, he's going to be fine. But, it just looks like he's gone out of his hitting zones a little bit as of recently."
Hitting just .103 against left-handed pitchers compared to a .293 average against righties this season, Cruz is out of the Pirates lineup for Wednesday's 6:40 p.m. contest against the Dodgers at PNC Park. His struggles against lefties presumably play a role in his absence from a lineup that will face Dodgers left-hander James Paxton, but Shelton is also trying to find ways to get guys like Jared Triolo playing time with multiple infield options in the mix.
"Tri was a big part of what we were doing earlier. Nick (Gonzales) came to the big leagues and has done a really good job and has had really consistent at-bats. Have to keep Tri sharp," Shelton said. "I mean, we're getting right-handers the rest of the time through this homestand, and expecting Cruzy will play in those. And then also, just have to monitor his volume a little bit because he played a lot early. But, it's more about making sure that everybody stays sharp and fresh."
